Two for the Win
Mike is a U.S. Navy Veteran and Bryan has more than a decade of civil service experience. Together, these blue collar guys dissect the latest sports headlines and events.
Two for the Win
Two For The Win - Episode 04
What if the World Series wasn't just about baseball, but an epic saga of strategic maneuvers and heart-stopping moments? We break down the Dodgers' commanding 2-0 lead over the Yankees, shining a spotlight on the thrilling pitching duel between Garrett Cole and Jack Flaherty. Relive Freddie Freeman's unforgettable game-winning grand slam, a historic moment that intertwined personal triumph with legendary sports drama. From Shohei Ohtani's avoidance to Nestor Cortez's unexpected showdown with Freeman, this episode captures the essence of what makes baseball so enthralling.
Brace yourself for a rollercoaster ride through the vibrant world of sports, where NBA milestones and NFL surprises keep you on your toes. Marvel at Kevin Durant's incredible career achievement of reaching 29,000 points and join us for a humorous take on LeBron James surpassing Kobe Bryant in missed shots. We also unravel the tapestry of the NFL's unpredictable nature, with Jameis Winston's surprising victory and the pressing woes of the New York Jets. Through a blend of humor and insight, we promise a fresh perspective on the sports landscape that you won't want to miss.
As we journey through the strategic chessboard of the NFL, uncover the narratives of backup quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett and the challenges faced by teams like the Jets. Celebrate National Tight End Day with standout performances and explore coaching changes that could redefine team strategies. From the Cardinals' surprise triumph over the Dolphins to the simmering rivalry in the NFC East, we paint a picture of a season brimming with potential and intrigue. Grab your headphones and get ready for an episode packed with insights, bold predictions, and a sprinkle of light-hearted banter.
Welcome back everybody. Thank you for joining us for another show. I'm Brian with an I and I'm Mike. And we are Two for the Win, Mike. Where are we starting at today?
Speaker 2:Well, we're going to start with some World Series action, talking about the Dodgers and Yankees. We're going to also talk about week eight in the nfl and we're going to touch on some nba news.
Speaker 1:So we got a lot to talk about today, man. I mean there is a lot going on right now in the world sports mean, like you just mentioned, the World Series. I mean let's start there, man. The Dodgers lead 2-0 right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know, game one gave us some really great baseball. We had two amazing starting pitchers put up some good, some good starting pitching performances. You had garrett cole going for the yankees against flarity of the dodgers and there was some speculation going into that game because flarity's fastball has lost a little bit of speed as we've gone down the stretch. So people were like is he hurt, is he gonna do? Okay? And he did outstanding. You know, like both both starting pitchers did outstanding. Neither one of them should feel bad about their performances at all because I mean, we went in to extra innings tied 2-2. So you get into those extra innings. It starts ramping up that pressure.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Because all it takes push across that run and stop the other team and you win. You know it's do or die. Put up or shut up For the home team it's a little bit better because if you put up runs you win.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and maybe that home matchup for the Yankees will make a difference this week, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it might. It might. You know they really need to get a win here. But I think we need to talk more about that game one, because that game one just put up such great baseball history, because there's been 120 World Series right and none of them have ended on a game-winning Grand Slam. Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers hits the Grand Slam to win the game, and this is right, after you just had Fernando passing away and Earl Hershiser said that when he was playing with him they called him Freddy. So the guy who gets the game-winning hit in Game 1, his name is Freddy Freeman.
Speaker 2:You know, is Fernando coming down with with his angel touch, helping, helping the Dodgers win this one.
Speaker 1:I don't know it, but it's.
Speaker 2:It's kind of a cool story. You know there's there's things that happen in baseball. Sometimes you can't really explain and most people just chalk it up to that's baseball, you know. But to set up the stage for Freddie hitting that baseball, you know. But to set up the stage for freddie hitting that, yeah.
Speaker 2:So the the yankees really did not want to face shohei. They were hoping they wouldn't have to face shohei. They had the bottom three guys in the order and they're like don't let anybody get on, we don't want to face shohei because he's shohei otani, he's amazing. So their fears were met because two guys get on and Shohei's coming up and they're like oh no, we have Shohei coming up. There's only one out. Very first pitch. Shohei pops up in foul ground over in left field area. Verdugo of the Yankees runs as hard as he can. He's going as fast as he can, going after his ball, doesn't slow down at all. He gets the ball and flips over into the stands and it looked like, you know, hit him right mid-thigh. It looked like it hurt pretty bad yeah he's probably feeling that.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, he's probably got a good-sized bruise. But you know, when you make plays all out like that, your teammates appreciate that. But he had the presence of mind toppling over that wall to stand up and lean over in front of the netting and throw the ball back in, so the runners couldn't advance.
Speaker 1:That's incredible Heads-up play a way to be, you know, thinking the whole time, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So you have that happen. And then they're going to face Mookie Betts next and they said you know what? No, we're going to go ahead and walk Mookie. And then we're going to bring in Nestor Cortez to pitch against Freddie Freeman and have the lefty-lefty matchup. That's all good and fine, but Nestor Cortez has not pitched in over a month. So he's been battling some injuries and stuff and he's finally healthy and they bring him in.
Speaker 2:Normally he's a starter. They think they're going to get some help out of him with his starting ability, to kind of help him out because they have two outs now. All they have to do is get Freddie out and they can keep going in this game. Go to the 11th inning. Now Freddie hits it over the wall into right field, kind of a Kirk Gibson-esque kind of home run. It's not nearly on the same level as that, because Kirk was going up there and there's no way if he hit a ground ball, kirk wasn't going to be able to leg it out because he had two bad legs and it was home run or nothing, because even if he hit it to the outfield, they were probably going to throw him out because he could barely walk.
Speaker 2:So you know, it's a historic win for them to get that game won and to end it in that way. And then Freddie comes around the bases and he sees his dad and goes over and just like ah, screaming in his face. You know, one of those father-son moments. That's just amazing because he even said afterwards on the interview he's like yeah, my dad would throw BP to me all the time, you know, right after work and you know, until it got dark and we couldn't throw anymore. So you know, right after work and you know, until it got dark and we couldn't throw anymore. So you know, it's just as much for him as it is for me, you know, and more, probably more so for him. So that's, you know, just a cool story coming out of baseball.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, and then you know you. You get to game two where again the Dodgers won 4-2. And they're getting performances out of guys in the bottom of their order, and part of the bottom of that order is the guy they traded for in Tommy Edmonds. This guy has just been money. They put him everywhere. They put him in the outfield, they put him on the infield. He's been playing shortstop for them, filling those holes that they need filled. I mean, he's had some plays where it didn't work out so great. There was a double play that he couldn't get the ball out of his glove, but he's making up for it.
Speaker 2:He had a home run in game two to help them.
Speaker 1:Yeah and game two to help them yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know they sat here and win this game two off of, not Shohei, which, mind you, shohei got hurt in that game. He was sliding Yep and he kind of it was awkward he kind of like put his hand down and kind of jammed his elbow so you weren't sure if it was a wrist or elbow. It happened to be his shoulder.
Speaker 1:Left shoulder.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but he's good.
Speaker 2:He's good, he's going to be playing tonight in game three. So that's, you know, all the fears are subsided, he's good to go. He just you know, for all intents and purposes just jammed it, so he'll be all right. But I want to give a nod also to the Yankees pickup at the deadline in Jazz Chisholm. He's been a big part in their team and he was actually the one that helped get that game tied in game one and, you know, helped them get ahead. You know he's a really good player. He can hit for power, he can hit for just, you know, getting singles and get on base and start stealing bases. So he's been a really big boost to those yankees and that's why he's a good big part of why they're there big boost, big all-around improvement additions and it it shows that you know, deadline moves can change your season and put you where you need to be to go win it all.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So there's a little correlation here, though, with Fernando that most people might not have picked up on. Wouldn't it be poetic if the game, if the Dodgers, are the winners, if they win on game six, which will be Friday night? Friday night is November 1st, that's Fernando's birthday. Wouldn't that just be crazy. If the Dodgers, his team, won Game 6, won the World Series.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know that would be a crazy coincidence. And you know everybody says maybe on accident, but maybe not. You know the football gods, who knows what they have in store. You know to remember his name and his legacy, well, baseball gods the baseball, his legacy, well, baseball gods, the baseball gods.
Speaker 2:This would be baseball. Gods, did I say baseball, gods.
Speaker 1:You said football, oh football.
Speaker 2:I know you're itching to talk football.
Speaker 1:We're going to get out here and hit some footballs around and hit some home run. You know, pass for some home runs.
Speaker 2:It's like that Patrick Mahomes commercial where they mix the football and the soccer ball. Football is life. No bundle ruski, but yeah. So, speaking of other sports, you had something you wanted to discuss about the NBA here.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, we can move on into the NBA. Here, you know, the the uh, the world series is off and running and, uh, you know, dodgers off with a good two and a start here, uh, the NBA, you know they're, they're often running hot too. Okay, uh, you know, real quick, just saying a couple of small things. Kevin Durant, eighth player all-time in the NBA to reach 29,000 points, his career, what a phenomenal career this young man has had, or this man has had.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean he's got a couple championships under his belt and now he has his name up there with some of the greats in scoring. I mean, just think about how many baskets you need to make to have 29,000 points.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he's still going. And then you talk about, on a similar subject, another NBA player being immortalized, Dwayne Wade.
Speaker 2:Oh, are you talking about his statue?
Speaker 1:Well, it depends on how you feel about the statue, right? I mean, I think it's a good statue but I think it has.
Speaker 2:It just doesn't look like him.
Speaker 1:I think it. You know statues are hard to pull off, but you know I don't know.
Speaker 2:I feel like he's like Ryanyan fitzpatrick in that state farm commercial when he looks at his his bust and goes it is that what I look like?
Speaker 1:they did say that the commentary they did say said does he even recognize himself?
Speaker 2:like what did I do to deserve?
Speaker 1:this and and we've seen statues and memorials as well you know that they're point on, they turn out good, and I'm not saying this is not one of them.
Speaker 2:I'm not saying it didn't turn out good I'm saying it didn't well, because it it looks like the man is trying to escape a burning building. You know, it just doesn't. It doesn't look good.
Speaker 1:I think his posture. I think they could have picked a maybe a better posture, but they obviously tried to go with something a little bit.
Speaker 2:You know, signature to his personality, but um, you know, but he, he just he's saying like a 50 year old version of him trying to play in the nba.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but if you look at the same time with me saying that, he's saying this is his house, that's the pose he's in.
Speaker 2:Oh, I know, I know, yeah, because that was his thing.
Speaker 1:The face throws me off a little bit. I don't think it totally quite looks like him.
Speaker 2:That's why I say it looks like the.
Speaker 1:Ryan Fitzpatrick. Yeah, he's got a little bit of that Ryan Fitzpatrick commercial, that State Farm commercial, out of it.
Speaker 2:I think he should be upset about it. I think he should be going back to the brass of the heat and going yo, what is that? Do you all think I look like that.
Speaker 1:Maybe they'll just quietly have it replaced or redone, like in the offseason. They'll just come chop the head off and put a cover over it and just weld the new head back on. I don't know.
Speaker 2:What is this? A Simpsons episode? You're going to steal the head of LeBron of Dwayne Wade's statue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're fixing it and put it back on oh, they're fixing it, they're fixing it, or is it a big weld mark across his neck?
Speaker 2:You know his running mate LeBron, had a milestone recently too. Not one you want, but he has one he passed Kobe Bryant for most misses in the NBA. But here's the thing I know people love to jump on LeBron but realize this man has been in the NBA for 22 years and it took him that long to pass Kobe and Kobe had a shorter career. So you know we all like to, you know, make the crumpled paper shot into the trash can and go. Kobe and we're not in the NBA. We most of the time miss it yeah.
Speaker 2:It's almost if you say Kobe, you miss.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and now it might even be, you know, it might even be bad. Juju, you know, rest his soul, but we try to be sensitive around that.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, yeah, we've all mourned the loss of Kobe and you know, and his poor daughter and her friend.
Speaker 1:Even I'm still guilty of it. I'll take a shot, Kobe, oh my bad, yeah, but people don't mean it.
Speaker 2:It's not a bad thing's, not bad, I mean it's it's. You know, people, people, forever before he passed away, that was a, that was a thing where people would just be like yo kobe.
Speaker 1:I think it's more like into his memory. To be honest with you, look that man.
Speaker 2:Whatever he was gonna do, he going to try to do to the best of his ability and he wanted to do anything and everything. He would be valued learning. Yeah, I mean, the guy gets out of the nba and decides you know, I want to explain basketball at a deeper level for people, so I'm going to make these videos where I explain what is happening on the court that people, the average fan, doesn't understand, and he wins an award for it that was incredible you know, like only kobe bryant would you know have mvps and have championships in the nba, get out, and then he wins a film award for putting out these videos where he's explaining how things are going on the NBA court.
Speaker 1:That's just how Kobe is, and that's good man. He was always pushing the envelope for the next thing.
Speaker 2:Like I said, he was hungry to learn. It's a good thing.
Speaker 1:And just hitting real quick on the NBA stats Celtics sitting at number one. You mean Celtics. Celtics, yes, forgive me, it's the Virginia in me. Anyway, celtics sitting at number one. Is anybody surprised by that?
Speaker 2:Well, I mean the Celtics. The only way, in my opinion, the only way they're not going to win another championship, is health.
Speaker 1:If they stay healthy.
Speaker 2:There's nobody really in the East that can compete with them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Especially not when you have Joel Embiid sitting out games already for load management. Yeah, we're not even a month in and people are sitting out for load management. Please stop, that's stupid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then you know they weren't ranked, they weren't in the top five before week one. They're in there now the Lakers and the Cavaliers respectively three and four spots above the Knicks. So there's your one, two, three, four Celtics, thunder, lakers, cavaliers and Knicks. That's your top five power rankers in the NBA. Yeah, I mean Cavaliers and Knicks.
Speaker 2:That's your top five power rankers in the NBA. That'll get shaken up a little more as the season goes along.
Speaker 2:Of course it's early, You're going to have people getting hurt and you're going to see more come out of the NBA as the season goes along because, like we said, people get hurt, people step up. There's always a breakout star every year that you don't see coming and that's exciting. People like that because that's the next generation making the next move. I mean, there was that lull after Jordan left where we were looking for the next stars and thankfully players like Kobe and Wade kind of helped usher in the next round of superstars. So, as I alluded to before, I know you're really chomping at the bit to talk about football- Look, man, we're taking our time tonight.
Speaker 2:I know we're going to take some time and we're going to discuss the NFL in length.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mike, we had a lot go down in Week 8, man, we had a fiery Week 8. The NFL being midway through the season right now almost midway there's a lot going on. There's a lot to talk about. We had some upsets this weekend. Notably as a Commander's fan, I'm very happy, but my upset pick of the week we had two we're going to talk about here uh, one being the browns and the ravens. Let's start there, man, jamis winston conan getting a win over the five and three ravens. The browns are now two and six. What do you think, man?
Speaker 2:well, to be honest, man, it's not surprising that Jameis came in and did well. I mean, he's been a starter in the NFL, you know. But as we've seen with him, he has moments where he can kind of go astray and start throwing picks, which is kind of where I want to start, man, you know, like. So that score doesn't tell the story of what almost happened.
Speaker 1:Right, let's dive.
Speaker 2:Let's dive deep. So the Browns were down and they were driving. Jameis Winston overthrows his receiver and Hamilton a DB with the Ravens, almost assuredly is going to catch this ball. This ball is coming right at him. He has his hands there, he hits his hands with that ball once, twice, three times and it hits the ground. He had it. He lays down on the ground, he puts his hands on his helmet because he knows he missed the game-killing interception Because they had no way, because we're in the last few moments of the game. If he catches it it's over Done. They have no chance of coming back.
Speaker 2:And what happens the very next play? Jameis throws a touchdown past the Tillman. Jameis Winston hits Tillman Deep, gets that touchdown. They go up 29-24. They still left some time on the clock, not much A couple seconds here and there that they could possibly drive with. Much a couple seconds here and there that they could possibly drive with. And hats off. Because lamar did the best he could. He got them in a position where he could throw to the end zone, try to get him a couple shots. It just didn't work out for him this time, you know. But you know that's not to take anything away from the browns. They showed up, they played some good ball and they won and they should feel proud about that win.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there were a few missed interception opportunities on both sides. Going back to your point there, with that one there at the end, how do you think Amari Cooper fans are feeling right now?
Speaker 2:I think that, well, I don't know how many fans he has, but I know he has some more fans in Buffalo.
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:He didn't.
Speaker 1:I mean, I know it's his first game in Buffalo, but he didn't really have a good first game out. And for two weeks in a row now Shakir has been running. I didn't mean to get onto the bills here, no no, no, no.
Speaker 2:Hold a row now. Shakir has been running. I didn't mean to get onto the bills here. No, no, no. I think he did have a His first game. He got a touchdown. This was his second game.
Speaker 1:This was his second game.
Speaker 2:But he didn't perform well in the second game, but he's still learning the system, so I think I can cut him a little slack. But you're right, shakir did have a good game.
Speaker 1:Shakir's had a good couple games and then the Browns coming out with the win. Replacing the quarterback they traded Cooper. It seems like they may or may not have turned a corner here, at least for this part of the season.
Speaker 2:Well, it's a divisional matchup and in divisional matchups all bets are off because you know you have divisional matchups. You see these teams, you know these teams' habits, you know these players. You play them twice a year, every year.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So you can't just look at a divisional game and say, oh, that's a win. No, because we get upsets all the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Case in point, the Raiders, which was my pick for the upset, kept that game really close. I mean, the Chiefs only won by a touchdown. You know, by all intents and purposes, the undefeated Chiefs should have wiped the floor with the Raiders.
Speaker 1:You would think. But again, going back to the divisional matchup thing, sometimes teams play down to levels, sometimes teams play up to levels.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that game was more the Raiders playing up and the Chiefs finding a way, like they do.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's Andy Reid, it's Andy Reid, it's got to be coaching and scheme right, because Mahomes has been a middle-of-the-pack quarterback this season. Okay.
Speaker 2:He has been, but he did have two touchdown passes this past weekend.
Speaker 1:Two touchdown passes. I mean he's still putting up, but he's been a serviceable quarterback, that's the best we can maybe describe him at the moment. He's missing some pieces.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, really, when it comes down to this, missing pieces, everybody's hurt, everybody has things they're missing. I mean, case in point, the Rams have started off horribly and it's because they've had injuries on their front line. They've missed their two top receivers. They've been plug and play everywhere on their team. So you know, when we got to this Thursday night game this last week we were looking at this going. You know, are they going to beat the Vikings? I mean, the Vikings lost last weekend and you know they really wanted to come into this thursday night game and kind of you know a prime time standalone game. They wanted to kind of showcase and be like look look at who we are, yeah, and I think the rams kind of said oh no, no, no, look and see what we can do. And it wasn't even the fact that you know, cooper cup and and theukunukuwa were back out there, as much as you know, stafford having his guys back, it opened a lot of things up. You know they had Robinson who had two touchdowns.
Speaker 1:That's true. That's true. They did get some players back, maybe played up to their actual potential. You know, I think a lot of people were thinking that Minnesota was going to win that game. Don't get me wrong, I was one of them.
Speaker 2:I did too. I thought they were going to win that game.
Speaker 1:I mean if you only look at their record and nothing else, and it's reasonable to expect that.
Speaker 2:Not to mention that we were leading into that game and we didn't know is Cup playing, Is Nakua playing? And we didn't know is Cup playing, Is Nakua playing? They didn't know until, I think, the day of that Nakua was cleared to play. So he not only plays, but he plays well. He's playing like he's the number one. I think Cooper Cup is not the number one with the Rams anymore.
Speaker 1:They might be moving cup. Anyway, right, I heard some rumblings they might be listening to some. Offers some interest.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, he's still a very good player and the Rams have been known to move off guys at times and just find more pieces They've drafted really well over the years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean Sean McVay. In his eighth year as head coach, is he still the youngest coach in the NFL? I know he was the youngest eight years ago when he took that job, but he's. I mean, can anybody disagree? He's done a pretty phenomenal job with that franchise.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean you've got guys aging out like Pete Carroll has gone and other coaches that were a little long in the tooth. So, I don't know if they're still the young bucks or not. I don't keep a birth tally on all the coaches.
Speaker 1:They might be in the middle. They might be the cream of the crop right now. They might be the faces of the NFL. Well, I mean Not with people like Andy Reid hanging around.
Speaker 2:Well, Andy Reid hangs around because he's winning.
Speaker 1:And you know winning's fun.
Speaker 2:Why walk away when you're winning?
Speaker 1:I agree.
Speaker 2:So I can't fault him there. When you're winning, I agree, so I can't fault them there. You know the NFL this past week was having some really good matchups going on, and another upset that I don't think anybody saw coming was the Jets losing to the Patriots.
Speaker 1:Yeah, another team that's kind of in a rebuild mode, still trying to find a new identity the Patriots. Yeah, another team that's kind of in a rebuild mode, still trying to find a new identity the Patriots, but the Jets.
Speaker 2:Oh, they're in a rebuild for sure, man. I mean, come on, you move on from your longtime coach, you move on from your longtime quarterback. You've paid a bunch of players and now all those players have aged out and are gone yeah and now you're, you draft a quarterback with you know, high in the draft with him, the intentions of him being your future yeah so not a lot of teams have a future quarterback when they're, you know, good, most of the time it's.
Speaker 2:We have a future quarterback for the future. We're looking ahead, we're trying to build.
Speaker 1:Well, somebody they're confident in right now, in the moment, but I don't think they're going to lose confidence in Drake May. I think he's got plenty of potential. I mean, if you know.
Speaker 2:Well, unfortunately he left that game with a concussion, I believe, because he got popped when he was trying to slide on a play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's unfortunate.
Speaker 2:Jacoby Brissett came in and kind of did some mop-up duty to get them across and I got to give it to Brissett man he's.
Speaker 1:You know, everybody focuses on the stars and the faces of the NFL. Brissett's one of those guys, man, Kind of like Fitzpatrick. He's always ready to step in, he's always there.
Speaker 2:Well, that's what you want. You want to have in a backup. You really want to have that veteran backup who can come in and let's say your quarterback is going to be down for four weeks. If he can at least come in and get you two wins out of those four weeks, you'll take that because, yep, that's what you want out of a backup.
Speaker 1:You want your backup to come in, run the offense and get you at least two wins and keep you afloat yeah, if you're out, four games, no, I, I agree there's something to be said for having a reliable backup, um, and then if you can keep them around and keep them happy, you know, even better. Um, but the jets switching over to the other side of the field, the jets should be they. I feel like they should be better. They are they got aaron rogers man.
Speaker 1:They got breese hall, they got garrett wilson, they just got devontae. Adams Conklin was pegged as a breakout potential candidate. What is going on in this franchise right now? They fired their head coach. They're going the opposite direction.
Speaker 2:Well, their head coach was a defensive coach. They still fired him. I know they fired him. I mean, that's what the Jets do they hire coaches and they fire them. They're known for doing that. They're not patient, and it's part of the reason they're in the problems they're in.
Speaker 1:Well, with the Redskins it was ownership.
Speaker 2:Well, that's a whole different story. But with the Jets, their problem is they basically handed over the franchise to Aaron Rodgers. They do everything Aaron wants and Aaron is not the player he once was, because you remember what he used to do and famously did is a play would break down and he'd go get you that yards. He'd go ahead and do a little scramble, get you a couple yards, keep the chains moving yeah he's not doing that anymore because, he's not fast and he's still recovering.
Speaker 2:Well, he won't say he is, but he's still recovering from a torn achilles, so you're not as explosive. You're how you have a quarterback who hates motion. All the teams in the nfl are doing motion. You know there's no pre-snap motion with their offense whatsoever, so it's a very bland play scheme and it's very easy to predict things when you're not trying to move players, to try to gain an edge on the defense by seeing how they adjust when you move a player, because then you can figure out matchups.
Speaker 2:You can figure out what kind of defensive scheme they're in, unless they disguise it and have good coaching to disguise it yeah but when you don't have those things and your run game has been suspect because you have a mixed match patch together o-line, who, yeah, is trying but they've been having injuries and they've been having, you know to try to gel as a squad, with some of these guys being older.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And not what they once were, and you're going to put your running back back there with no motion with, basically, hero ball, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Go get it for us. That's not going to work.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:You know, you're basically setting your running back up to run into the line and be dropped unless you can create some motion or create some sort of blocking scheme.
Speaker 1:Yeah, blocking misdirection.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but they're not doing that. It all comes down to coaching. They're not being coached to their potential and Aaron Rodgers, he's not the savior. He's not going to make things happen like he once did and he kind of gave up on the team. I don't know if you noticed this. There's still time on the clock at the end of one of those plays where they're winding down towards the end of a quarter, and he just walked away. Yeah, walked away.
Speaker 1:he didn't even try to make another play yeah, and this is supposed to be the leader of your offense and of your overall team, right? Oh, he's pouting I don't, so a lot of people will disagree with me. I have never pegged aaron rogers as good of a player as people want to believe he is. Last time he was in a Super Bowl was 2010, which is also the last time he won. A lot of people never even make it. Got to give it to him on that.
Speaker 2:There's plenty of quarterbacks that only win one. They only win one, you have some that never win them.
Speaker 1:I get it. His team was playoff contentious for several years after that, but they were less and less contentious each year. That went by until McCarthy was out, and then they overpaid him and Adams, and now both of them are out too. Yeah, they couldn't cut ties with Rodgers fast enough after they paid him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, the problem with most of what you were talking about is, once you pay the quarterback, you can't put money elsewhere well, you pay the quarterback and then then okay, well, now you gotta pay your other line well, yeah, that's why.
Speaker 1:That's why. That's why adams ended up leaving, because they gotta pay a rusher. Yeah, they couldn't afford him.
Speaker 2:So I mean, you can't just totally say that it was Rodgers' fault necessarily in Green Bay. But what has happened right now in the Jets?
Speaker 1:Well, I'm not putting it all on him Come on, man I don't put it all on him he walks in there.
Speaker 2:He walks in there, says hey, I want my offensive coordinator, who couldn't do crap as a head coach, to be our OC, who doesn't use motion, whose offense was so bland that even the Broncos fans were like boo that man, get him fired. And he got fired in the middle of the season. But yeah, that's the guy that's going to come in and be. Yeah, you know why it is it's because Rodgers wants a yes man and that's his yes man. Now I know they've handed play calling duties to another guy on the team.
Speaker 2:My apologies for not knowing who that is, but firing a coach and then putting in a coach that's supposed to be the interim on a team that you know at the beginning of the season everybody had pegged as maybe a wildcard team, possibly even winning the division if they played up to their potential, and they just haven't. They've been lackluster. The whole team just looks. They don't even look like they're there, like they're enjoying it, which I mean they're losing, so they're not enjoying it. But you know most teams like, you can tell if a guy is out there and he's playing because he loves football, you can tell. You know, even on a losing team there'll be that guy that's like oh man, he's in it on every play Like a Max Crosby on the Raiders.
Speaker 2:By the way, Todd Downing is called in plays with a chest down yeah, gotcha. So, moving on to another interesting game, we had another divisional matchup of the Falcons and the Buccaneers. Now, before last week, we would have probably all said the Buccaneers are going to win this game hands down, but with no Mike Evans and no Godwin after he dislocated his ankle. Good luck to him having speedy recovery, because that did not look good, and he did still have some weapons.
Speaker 1:And don't get me wrong, they still went in and had a competitive game. Oh, they did Without their top two weapons, man, I mean K-Dot.
Speaker 2:Two touchdowns.
Speaker 1:Two touchdowns Almost a 30-point day in fantasy. I don't know if you all play fantasy, but he has been breaking out, finding his role in his offense and it seems like the offense, although a little sluggish without their top two weapons are still rolling, with bucky irving, rashad, white kate on and baker mayfield all running, all going down the field.
Speaker 2:Man, I mean yeah, I mean they're gutting it out, they're playing football.
Speaker 1:Macmillan's had to step up a little bit. They have some pretty good depth uh, what's sterling shepherd?
Speaker 2:he's on sterling shepherd as well.
Speaker 1:You know, um, they have some good depth depth. Well, sterling Shepard he's on their team, sterling Shepard as well. They have some good depth, some good players, a good scheme and good teamwork. Okay, I think the Falcons are also a good team, especially the more Kirk Cousins becomes healthier and healthier.
Speaker 2:Well, you said Kate Otten having two touchdowns in that game. On the other side, their tight end had two touchdowns as well for the Falcons, their star tight end. Why is his name escaping me?
Speaker 1:By the way, tight end, kyle Pitts, sorry.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right, kyle Pitts man. I don't know why that escaped me, but yeah, I mean funny that both these tight ends have a great day on National Tight End Day.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Which, if you didn't know, is not like a fixed day. It's just the fourth Sunday or fourth football week in October. So on National Tight End Day we actually had 177 receptions for all the tight ends in the NFL which is the most ever, and you can't tell me that the offensive coaches didn't realize it's National Titan Day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I was wondering the same thing how many Titans went off in a season where we thought there were not going to be any effective Titans?
Speaker 2:Well, there have been a few, but I think we've had a lot of, you know, lackluster play.
Speaker 1:But almost all of them went off yesterday on National Tight Ends Day, and I think that says a lot to just the receiving game as well. The evolution of the game of football.
Speaker 2:I think it has a lot to do with the coaches being like oh okay, let's drop a play for our tight end so he can get his. Well, probably.
Speaker 1:But I mean, then you've got teams like you know, the Buccaneers and the Chiefs, who kind of heavily rely on tight ends right now, especially while they're short. You know crucial weapons.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean the Chiefs aren't short too much. I mean they did just trade for DeAndre Hopkins, so I mean they did get him, and actually they pulled off another trade. Today they got a defensive player from the Patriots and I believe his name is Urshela Urshela I'm horrible with names, but for a 6th round pick. So they bolster a little bit of a hole in their defense with the you know 6th round pick that they gave away, which that's not bad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, DeHoff hasn't particularly been effective, but he's been involved. It's his first week he's been involved.
Speaker 2:Cut him some slack, man. It's his first week I cut him some slack.
Speaker 1:Have all the slack you want. You can slack down to the ground.
Speaker 2:Well, speaking of slack.
Speaker 1:Belay on.
Speaker 2:I was very surprised at how slack the Bengals were in that Eagles-Bengals game. I was expecting this game to be like a back-and-forth slugfest. And now, granted, t Higgins didn't play, so they didn't have T Higgins in Chase, but you still have Chase. He's like one of the best receivers in the league. So I mean, I don't know how much I can just be like, oh well, that's why no. And Gasicki in that game caught a bunch of passes from Burrow. So again the tight end showing up. But the Eagles were the true winners there because they, well, they won the game. But they really showed out. You know they scored over 30 points, you know for a 37-17 win and you know everybody contributed in that game.
Speaker 1:With the Bengals' defense playing the way they are right now. I mean, I don't know what's going on on offense.
Speaker 2:They seem to be scoring here and there, but oh well they I mean, let's face it, if your defense is constantly giving up points and putting your offense back on the field, the offense is going to suffer.
Speaker 2:There has to be a balance there where you, if you have a long drive as an offense, yeah you know you don't want your defense to give up a big score and then put you right back on the field before you've had a chance to like get you some water and take a little break on the on the bench to well, yeah, and you think, and you think ball control is a whole nother game too right yeah, time of possession. Time of possession playing.
Speaker 1:Keep away, you know? Um, I didn't get to see that game, but some of the highlights I saw. It seemed like the bangles game was going the same it went with some of their other games, I mean yeah, I mean their.
Speaker 2:Their problem right now is their defense. Their offense is doing okay, but their defense is what's letting them down. They're not hitting like they were before and part of it is they've lost a lot of contributors to free agency that they used to have. So when your secondary is not holding the same players and you're watching those players like Bates leave and go to the Falcons, leave and go to the Falcons and he hadn't bringing up Bates, he actually had a forced fumble, fumble recovery and an interception in that game again against the Buccaneers, which is pretty damn cool as a defensive player, as a defensive back, I don't you know. That's like grand slam for a defensive back, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, and then let's see here. Let's go to another interesting game here. What's that you know, since we love talking about NFC East matchups tonight, well, we've only talked about the Bengals and Eagles, but what do you think about the Commander's game? I knew you were wanting to get to that listen, I try not to talk about my own team, but this was a huge game. Okay, the bears almost won that and in my opinion, on paper before the game, they had the edge. They, they were the favorite team to win.
Speaker 2:Um, I'm glad they didn't well, of course you are, yeah, but I think maryland well, I think what that boils down to is coaching.
Speaker 2:You know the the coaching staff of the bears made some boneheaded moves in that game, like when you're down by five points and you want to do a nostalgia play by handing the ball off to one of your linemen to have him run it in like he's. You know the fridge that's dumb Like no Call plays to try to win the game. If you want to do that when you're up by like 20, 30 points, go for it.
Speaker 2:But, not when you're trying to win the game. You need to call plays that have a success rate. I don't think they've handed off to that lineman at all this year, and even their own players said at one point in some interviews after the game that they didn't think they were going to call that play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know I forgot what I was going to say for a second. But going back to that stuff, man, I mean the Bears, just they seem like they really shot themselves in the foot a lot. I mean, every time I looked up there was a flag on the field. And don't get me wrong, the Commanders played a good game and they had some penalties too, but the Bears, man, they just had some back-breaking mistakes.
Speaker 2:Well, Washington, let them back in the game. You know, because you guys went into half up on them. The defense was tired.
Speaker 1:I give them that. I don't think so. I know there's some speculation here, right, and you could see it between Dan Quinn and Cliff Kingsbury on the sideline. That fourth and short, that fourth and inches down there. Dan wanted to kick it away and punt it. Put the defense back on the field. That gave them an opportunity to drive back down. There was maybe a little over three minutes left on the clock at that point. Could you really have not gotten an inch or two and then just continued to eat time off the clock? But I know the risk there. If you mess up right, then you continued to eat time off the clock. But I know the the risk there.
Speaker 2:If you mess up right, then you don't have time to come back well, but well, let me let me point out the fact that you know your quarterback has ribs that are hurt. Do you really want to do a fourth and inches play with your quarterback doing a quarterback sneak when he's already hurt?
Speaker 1:I mean I I gotta check the numbers on what the yards per carry were for B-Rob and McNichols. But B-Rob wasn't moving a whole lot but McNichols and Eckler were getting the yardage.
Speaker 2:Well, I think what he was anticipating is that his defense was going to hold up and play well, which they had been doing all game long.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that's what they did, and then you know, I think that last time they got on the field they're just a little gassed.
Speaker 2:I think they're a little exhausted well, yeah, I mean you're playing all game long, playing outstanding defense, yeah, and you know if your guys have been on the field a while and they're gassed, you know you can't expect them to hold to the, to the, to the breaking point, right point, and not give up some points. And unfortunately they did give up points and they lived very little time on the clock, which kudos to them. Is what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to live very little time on the clock but the final closing seconds of that game. There is so much going on there beyond just the Hail Mary pass. Which congratulations to Washington in getting that bomb pass from jayden to noah brown. But you know the play before that. The bears just let them have an out route for 12 yards to give them even closer for that hail mary yeah should have never happened.
Speaker 2:You know, you should have somebody still up there guarding those two points.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they called it in the commentary too. They were like, look, they need to throw an out route. All these guys, these defensive guys, are going to be out deep, because you still have time. They called it before it was even lined up, man.
Speaker 2:Because that's what you do.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's what you do, because you want to get as close as possible to make for an easier throw.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's what they did. They executed perfectly and left themselves enough time, now granted, to play devil's advocate and play both sides of the coin with that final play. That final play you do have. If you want to get down to it, you could sit here and argue for pass center or not, pass interference for holding on the offensive lineman. You could argue that. But in those closing seconds I could tell you this they're going to wait for it to be egregious, I mean yeah the lineman basically tackling the defensive lineman to the ground, kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:You know like a little push, a little shove, a little hold, a grab, a tug. They're going to let it go because it's the final play and odds are they're not going to get it because that's. Hail Mary is a. We hope this works. He's just throwing it up there. Hail Mary is a. We hope this works.
Speaker 1:He's just throwing it up there and those I mean. They may have played a little difference, but all in all those players were not near Jaden Daniels when they were getting plugged but he moved around and bought time he bought time for his players to get down there.
Speaker 2:But I think another reason that they got that chance and that play happened.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Was the lack of coaching on the bear side because discipline to lack of discipline. Yes, cause. Okay. Number one thing you're always taught on special team, special teams type plays or hail Mary type plays. If you have the ball coming your way in the end of the game, bat that damn ball down or bat it out of play.
Speaker 1:Coach said bat it down.
Speaker 2:Granted, the player did go up and the ball was high, so he tipped it only because he couldn't get his hand up high enough to bat it down.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So we all know it batted up and went to Noah Brown for the completion. But people want to blame Kevin Byard like it was his fault that he wasn't covering that guy.
Speaker 1:That wasn't his guy. That's not his guy, that wasn't his guy.
Speaker 2:It was Stevenson, the DB on the the bears, who was supposed to be covering him and he's a safety. No, because byards, byards a safety, I mean safety db. Let's not worry about the semantics of what position they play right now and let's worry about the play itself. That's because they they basically came out. That player came out and said my bad, I was supposed to have him Now, prior to this play even happening. He's over there on the side looking towards the sidelines, flexing and getting on with the Bears fans in the stands and the Washington fans. I mean they think they're about to lose, so they're getting in on him. You know they're talking trash and you know trying to razz him because it's football that happens, but then they're like hey, get back on the ball, dummy Play.
Speaker 1:He had to notice those players.
Speaker 2:He still got down there, but instead of covering his guy like he's supposed to, he's in the scrum. He's in there because what the offense is taught to do you get a couple of guys in the scrum.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And you have one guy that stands in front of the scrum and one guy that stands behind it With the intent being, if they bat it down, maybe that receiver in front can catch it and move in and get a score, or maybe the guy behind, like what happened in the game, he gets the ball off the tip and it's a touchdown game over, which is what happens sunday. You know, and I personally think after this season, the Bears are going to move on from their coach.
Speaker 1:Eberfloes.
Speaker 2:Eberfloes, eberfloes. However you say it Again, not horrible with names.
Speaker 1:Eberfloet, in a way, is how I'm going to pronounce it.
Speaker 2:He's going to be ex-Bears coach.
Speaker 1:Let's play some hypotheticals here. What does that mean for the Bears offense?
Speaker 2:I think it means they're going to go after an offensive coach. I think that's what that means. I think they're going to, you know, stop.
Speaker 1:They're going to want somebody that can work with Williams.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm saying. That's why they've got to go for an offensive coach. They can't sit here and keep trying to be the 85 bears You've had you know time to be the 86 bears. Well, I mean, think about it. You want you last one, your championship in the eighties, and you're still reminiscing and still trying to be the defensive team that you were in the 80s. Stop yeah it's not about that anymore. I mean, yes, you want a good defense, but name me, name me a star quarterback for them. Name me jay color their best.
Speaker 1:Oh no, don't even go there they can see me covering my mouth right now yeah, I wouldn't even.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't even, no, just no, no I move on from cutler.
Speaker 1:I miss darren mcfadden.
Speaker 2:Oh jesus all right, we're gonna move on from these bears, because these bears are.
Speaker 1:Real quick. One last thing on the bears. I just want to say when I was watching that game I saw two fans, one dressed as Bears Mike Dicca and one dressed as Commanders Mike Dicca. If you guys are listening, that's awesome. That is the best iteration of Mike Dicca I've ever seen as a Commander. That was pretty cool. All right here we go.
Speaker 2:So back to the scores from this past week. You know we had the Lions. Just take the Titans to the woodshed, beat them down.
Speaker 1:Is there anybody they're not taking to the woodshed? Is that also something we should be saying like that? I feel like that's not okay, but anyway, we can use it. We can use it for right now.
Speaker 2:Well, they didn't. Even the Titans didn't have a chance. They showed up to the field. You know, okay, it's like one of those games where the team that's out there is only playing the game because they were told to. They don't want to be out there because they know what's coming. Look the.
Speaker 1:Lions are blasting everybody. They might be the easy shoe-in pick for the Super Bowl this year. I mean, these guys are putting up what an average of like what? 47 to 50 points a game.
Speaker 2:No, it's not that much. They've been scoring some points, man. They've been scoring some points, but it's not that high. I mean, the Lions just had a really, really great game against a not-so-great Titans team and you would think, with that line score that Jarrett Goff threw multiple touchdowns. But it's not. You know, their running backs were scoring touchdowns.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And their receivers were throwing touchdowns. Instead of Jarrett Goff, they had pulled out some of their trick plays.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to lie, I do like the play calling of the Lions. They do do some creative things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they do, they put out some stuff you don't see very often. I give them that they're an exciting team to watch.
Speaker 1:It's a big part of their success. You know Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator, almost almost left, but I bet he's glad he stayed right now because he's opening that playbook.
Speaker 2:He's so much deeper in that playbook.
Speaker 1:Right now it's better to be an offensive coordinator on a winning team than it is to be the losing head coach on a losing team.
Speaker 2:You know whose team's losing. I mean, somebody's got to lose every week. We're six and two. I didn't say I didn't say your team. There was plenty of other teams that were looking to have him, like the Raiders, that's true.
Speaker 1:And the Raiders again, hypothetically speaking. I'm not knocking their coach now, but if Ben Johnson brings his system over there they might be a little bit different situation. Right now I don't know.
Speaker 2:Year one. They're going to need a quarterback. They're playing with need a quarterback.
Speaker 1:They're playing with Jared Goff.
Speaker 2:No, the Raiders got Gardner mentioned. The Lions are going to need Jared Goff Ben.
Speaker 1:Johnson's starting quarterback is Jared Goff.
Speaker 2:The Jared Goff hate has got to stop. The man is good enough.
Speaker 1:He's got stats.
Speaker 2:Look if you take a team to the Super Bowl and you take a team to the conference championship and it's two different teams come on, he's playing good, but again the argument for coaching and scheme right. Well, I mean, he had Sean McVay with the Rams and he has Ben Johnson.
Speaker 1:And he got Matt Stafford, now Stafford.
Speaker 2:They obviously just swapped quarterbacks, yeah they swapped quarterbacks but they both got what they wanted out of the trade. But the point I'm trying to make is Jarrett Goff is a good quarterback. He's not going to blow up the stat sheet with like five touchdowns like Lamar, he's a service goal. But he's also not going to be the guy who loses you the game because he goes, you know, 30 for 30 like Jameis Winston.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I know that the Rams have had some injuries and whatnot, but I think Sean McVay thought he was getting the better part of that deal. The Lions are balling out right now, man, at 6-1, the Rams are only 3-4.
Speaker 2:Well, let's not downplay their GM. He's drafted really well. They have, they built a really drafted really well, they have. They built a really good offensive line.
Speaker 2:They did yeah, and they've drafted well. They have picked up some really good pieces through the draft to build that team. So it wasn't like they just got Jared Goff and it was the answer. It was they added Jared Goff to what they were already building, so they really stepped it up. Added Jared Goff to what they were already building, so they really stepped it up.
Speaker 2:But, moving on to the Texans and Colts, so the game, albeit close, did not seem as close as the score will tell you, at least in my opinion, because Anthonyon, at one point in the third quarter, had tapped his helmet saying yo, take me out, I'm gassed. Yeah, now, by middle of season, you don't want to see your starting quarterback go, I'm gassed, take me out, that's. That's got to be a little concerning. You know, like dude, we don't want you to come out, we want you to lead us down the field and score. Yeah, I mean, joe Flacco on the bench is probably like yes, get me in, thanks, thanks, I want these reps. Maybe somebody will trade for me and I can start. But yeah, I mean, the Texans ultimately won that game and it wasn't from a lack of the defense of the Colts putting up a good effort, it just, they were bending and bending and they broke.
Speaker 1:I mean, I thought that was a trap game for the Texans, so good for them.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, because it's a divisional matchup. Yeah, so good for them for getting a win. Well, yeah, because it's a divisional matchup.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they were in Houston, so a little hair less surprising on that one.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah well, you play a home game in a divisional match. You hope you win. But speaking of home game, wins the Packers. They pulled it off. They won against the Jaguars. They were at Jacksonville.
Speaker 1:They were away.
Speaker 2:Oh, jacksonville, they were away.
Speaker 1:Oh were they. They were away. But still, jacksonville 27 30 against the packers and the packers were playing pretty good football and the jack the jaguars uh, I only saw part of the game. They seemed to be in lockstep with them. They seemed to be a hair less efficient, but overall moving the wall ball pretty well well, didn't they?
Speaker 2:jordan love went down for a little bit he did.
Speaker 1:He went out with a ankle injury it was an ankle.
Speaker 2:I thought it was a groin injury it was, uh, it was.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty sure it was an ankle injury, because he was hobbling on that ankle but if they pulled him out for groin, you know, I don't know. Let's check here.
Speaker 2:Well, I do know that the Jaguars, despite not having ETN and despite not having one of their best receivers in Christian Kirk, it is a groin injury.
Speaker 1:Sorry to interrupt you.
Speaker 2:Oh no, you're fine, Despite not having Christian Kirk, which, mind you, Christian Kirk was probably a trade target. Not anymore, because he had surgery on his collarbone, so he's out the rest of the year. So any team that was looking to pick him up, sorry about that. You're not getting him. But you know, despite having missing pieces, they still kept the game real close.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They played pretty well. I mean, you know, these past few weeks they kind of were. They just didn't look right. But you know you have Sunshine there throwing touchdown passes again to Evan Ingram, which again national tight end day yeah, to Evan Ingram, which again national tight end day and Tucker Craycroft getting a touchdown for the Packers. That's a good sign for Jacksonville that they're playing up to some of their competition, because the Packers are now 6-2 and Jacksonville is 2-6, which is a very confusing team because a lot of people kind of peg them to take that step up and start winning their division.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with that. I mean they have the talent.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it makes sense.
Speaker 1:Doug Peterson. He had success in Philly. He's got a quarterback. He's got some receivers Got the running backs.
Speaker 2:Does he have a quarterback?
Speaker 1:Trevor Lawrence. I mean, how do you feel about him?
Speaker 2:But Trevor Lawrence, I tend to question his ability. Why aren't we criticizing him more? Because he was hands down the number one pick and everybody was like, can't miss, he's gonna be great. We need this guy. He's a franchise guy, he's gonna change a franchise and Jacksonville took him with the hopes that he was gonna be. You know, andrew Luck, peyton Manning or Tom Brady, you know like a guy. Well, maybe not Tom Brady, I mean nobody's Tom Brady.
Speaker 1:I mean through, but a franchise guy, I mean through week eight. The numbers. On Trevor Lawrence again, my thing is is it Trevor Lawrence, is it coaching, is it scheme, or is it the players around him? Right, he's been overall pretty solid. He's only got four games through eight. He's only thrown for less than 200 yards. Right, the bar is typically like what? 150 to 175 for a manageable quarterback. Get me 175 and a touchdown. We can stay alive, right.
Speaker 2:Well, if you have a good running game to complement that. I mean, if that's all you're getting out of your offense, then it's not going to win you a game. Unless you have the 85-barreled defense.
Speaker 1:Your manageable quarterbacks. You'd like to see one or two touchdowns and ride around 200 yards. Give or take some right. That's your bottom of the barrel. Qb3, low-end QB2. Like we don't have a quarterback, we're just trying to stay in this kind of thing, right.
Speaker 2:A bridge quarterback.
Speaker 1:Bridge quarterback. That's the word I'm looking for, but that's not what they felt, they drafted. I don't think they did either. He's only 25 years old.
Speaker 2:I don't know, man. I mean, he's only been in the league.
Speaker 1:This is his third or fourth season.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying that the criticism for some versus the criticism for him is quite different, and maybe that has more to do with the market he's in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so too. Jacksonville is not a very big market and half of their market is probably in England, because I know Sean Conn wants to move Jacksonville to England. So bad.
Speaker 2:I just don't think, logistically that can work very well.
Speaker 1:I don't think it's going to work logistically for any team right now, at this moment, because the NFL is played here in continental US, maybe Canada, maybe Mexico.
Speaker 2:Dealing with three time zones is enough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah it's enough already. I mean, there's probably a reason why they stopped holding the Pro Bowl in Honolulu. You know, aside from just trying to expand the audience.
Speaker 2:Well, I think that the players would like it to go back there.
Speaker 1:I think so too, because it's not even a game anymore. It's like a.
Speaker 2:It's a collection of skill.
Speaker 1:It's got to be the only all-star gathering that is not an actual competitive gathering.
Speaker 2:Pretty much, which is. But I mean, in the NBA it's just basically a glorified offense game. Nobody's playing defense in all-star games. Yeah, they're just out there. Glorified offense game, nobody's playing defense. Yeah, they're just out there doing tricks and just getting the big ones who can get over 150 quickest, you know. But, that's okay.
Speaker 1:But, you know, I'd like to see that as a whole. Other subject is the NFL Pro Bowl, because, yes, football is a physical game. Right, it's a physical game, it's one of the most physical games in the world in history. But there's so much money in these players, yeah, and these players feel similarly. They don't want to get injured either.
Speaker 2:No, no, they don't want to hurt themselves in a meaningless game.
Speaker 1:And I don't blame them. It's too early in the season to be talking about the pro ball let's move.
Speaker 2:Let's move back to games from this past weekend and kind of a shocker, there was the cardinals upsetting the dolphins and and I only say it's an upset, because they got Tua back and they started to look like the Dolphins that they have been in the past under Tua's playing and it's it's not to understate, you know, the effort that the backups put in, but the offense looks so much different with Tua in the game. I mean Tua, if anything. He kind of proved his worth this past Sunday by showing how lack of an offense they had these past few weeks and then seeing what they look like with him in.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it's clear that that offense runs through Tua. Yeah, and you know, some players got back on the horse that hadn't been on since he'd been out, but they still dropped one right and the Cardinals.
Speaker 2:The Cardinals played a great game.
Speaker 1:They played a good game and they I'm not going to call the Cardinals bad, I don't think they're bad at all- I think they're a team that is building like.
Speaker 2:They've got some good pieces there, which you know. Trey mcbride again national tight end day.
Speaker 1:He was having a stellar game again, yeah that was another factor I think they're trying to figure it out. Right, they have marvin harrison jr. How do we maximize him? Right, they have trey mcbride how do we maximize him? They have Trey McBride. How do we maximize him? They have James Conner, who does deal with injury from time to time.
Speaker 2:He was a little limited this week he had a touchdown.
Speaker 1:He had a decent game, yeah he did have a good game, and then Kyler Murray himself with his playing style. All these guys, I think they're just trying to figure out I mean, the Lions are a clear example of we figured it out right All these weapons. I think the Cardinals are going a similar direction. They have a ton. They have a ton to work with. They just don't totally know what they're doing yet.
Speaker 2:Well, I think there are a few pieces on both sides of the ball away. You know they have a young coach and they're building towards something because they've got the quarterback, they've got a young receiver, they've got a decent running back and they even drafted a running back this past.
Speaker 2:Uh trey benson yeah, trey benson this past draft that you know they hope that he'll start contributing uh, more and more as he gets more and more acclimated and you know they're looking to get a few more pieces. You know you get a couple more receivers that that step up and you get a good pass rusher, maybe another good middle linebacker I mean, their linebackers aren't bad but it's all about depth in the NFL. If you've got good depth, Next man up.
Speaker 2:Exactly If the next man up isn't that great, it's not going to work out so great, but good for them on getting a much-earned win. I mean they pulled it off. You know, feel bad for the Dolphins only in the fact that you know it was Tua's game back and it probably would have been kind of cool for him to get that win.
Speaker 1:I would have liked to see them win, but I think, like you say, like a lot of people underestimate Arizona.
Speaker 2:They do.
Speaker 1:They've been up and coming for a little bit.
Speaker 2:I mean they beat my Niners. I came back and beat them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, and it was the same thing. They came back, they kicked a game-winning field goal and they won.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I mean they've been finding a way to win the Niners man y'all are dealing with a lot. Well, I say y'all because I know you're a Niners fan, but the Niners man 30 to 24 over Cowboys, coming off of a bye week with all of the things you guys are dealing with, was pretty good as well. Don't let that be passed up now, okay.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, they did pick off Dak twice in that game, so that does help matters. You know when the other team is turning over the ball, it does aid towards winning.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, the Cowboys are fledgling.
Speaker 2:Well, they got some hard decisions to make. I mean, they paid Dak. I wouldn't have either, and I wouldn't have either. But here's the problem. You've got to ask yourself this question If not him, then who? Joe Flacco? Oh Jesus, don't. Flacca, flacca, flacca, flacca, flacca. Come on, man, You're not going to pay a Joe Flacco, no, no, they're looking to get younger, not?
Speaker 1:older. Well, just for this year, I mean, I know they got Dak, don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2:The thing is like you've got to have a plan, and what it doesn't seem like they really have is a plan. You know, jerry said in the offseason we're all in. Okay, well, where's your running game? Oh, we're going to bring back zeke. Wait what? Bro zeke elliott zeke elliott, that hasn't been anything in the league for you know three, four years, like what not. What do you mean you're bringing back?
Speaker 1:well, not just that, your defensive coordinator left for a head coaching job, took your dbs coach with them and also took dante fowler and a number of other players, and you didn't replace any of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well. And not to mention, you had a chance to get Derrick Henry and you say, oh well, he doesn't fit our scheme. Derrick Henry fits everybody's scheme.
Speaker 1:He fits everybody's scheme, you know why Because? He is the scheme.
Speaker 2:But here's the thing he only got paid $8 million to come play with the ravens. You mean to tell me that one of one of the most historic teams in the nfl couldn't scrape together eight million?
Speaker 2:you couldn't go to dac and get a loan for eight million, yeah you know like hey dac, we're gonna get you a running game so your passing lanes will open up, you know, kind of like you had in the beginning of your career. Come on, like it's just ridiculous. But aside from that, they were trying to claw back in that game. They really were because the Niners kind of were playing with their food, kind of like the KC does at times.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, I was waiting for them to just pull away and pull away, and they just they didn't pull away, they just started letting Dallas get back into it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know they put up 21 points in one of the quarters to really get ahead and then Dallas started scoring to come back and it almost wound up being a game where I'm going oh no, oh no, here we go in the fourth quarter. They're going to come back and win.
Speaker 1:But the defense did their job.
Speaker 2:They stepped up the offense, got the ball back and they worked at the clock.
Speaker 1:This is a very NFC East conversation, right? The Cowboys showing up in the late part of the game to get back into it. You should have been scoring points the whole time.
Speaker 2:bro, Don't come to work late but, but again, don't really want to use the excuse of players being hurt and being out. Mason went down early in that game and we brought, brought in our third string running back in granado and geron gerondo gerondo, I think.
Speaker 1:Let me look this up. This is I'm horrible.
Speaker 2:I love this guy's name, but this cat man. He played so great in that game and for a rookie to know to slide, gerindo, gerindo, that's it, just no. Then know the slide and not just go in for the score.
Speaker 1:I saw that.
Speaker 2:yeah, Because every rookie is like there's the end zone, let me get in there. And for him to slide to know that they can run out the clock and end the game and just take it, that's so great, and they're that right there, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's coaching. That is good coaching, that's good play. Don't get me wrong. They would have been up two scores. They would, the cowboys would have been out of it regardless. But I I like the heads up thinking right.
Speaker 2:He's thinking about the bigger picture, okay the win, the win yeah, and that's what every team should be thinking and and I that reminds me of a play.
Speaker 1:You know well, we're not gonna get into that right now because, also, it was 12 years ago so it's not relevant. But as we talk about these scenarios, I remind of plays that just hit with me over the years. But yeah, I mean that was good heads up play. Just run out the clock, keep it rolling to slide for it. I'm a smart place, young player.
Speaker 2:Do you know that? A really good game in that game, george Kittle.
Speaker 1:I was going to say George Kittle. I wanted you to say it though.
Speaker 2:Well, on National Tight End Day, and to step it up for the NBC crew, they made championship belts and it's almost fitting that Kittle was the one that wins this. They gave three championship belts out for the three top performers and of course, kittle gets one, being a huge wrestling fan yeah, I mean, when he got him, he's like all right, here's one for you, and he's like slapping him on to birdie shoulder and slap like it's so funny, man, it's so funny that he did that he did good.
Speaker 1:Um mike, if I start working on uh power lifts and squats, you think I can get into national tight end day next year. I mean I will have a tight end it's not the same thing.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, okay different thing different thing. So another team that showed out, which we alluded to earlier, was Buffalo Buffalo.
Speaker 1:Buff the low.
Speaker 2:Owned Seattle in their house.
Speaker 1:They sure did.
Speaker 2:Seattle did not at all look like a team that had it together. They were owned that entire game and, like we said, Shakir had a really big game despite the rain.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean since Amari Cooper has shown up and I mean Shakir was, he was not a bad player, he had been showing out, right, but since Amari Cooper, these last two weeks he has had two huge games. Since Cooper has shown up, he might be the actual new number one.
Speaker 2:Well, what it is is they're pulling coverage over to Amari Cooper. That's right. That's the effect of having a guy that you have to pay attention to, you know.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:Not to take anything away from other players, but nobody's double covering Matt Collins.
Speaker 1:No, or Coleman Coleman's in and out, coleman's in when he's Coleman's.
Speaker 2:He's a rookie and he's having.
Speaker 1:Well, Shakir's a rookie too. No, he's a second year guy.
Speaker 2:Sorry, no, no, no, shakir's a second year guy. Yeah, I was about to say he's not a rookie.
Speaker 1:I mean years one and two are okay.
Speaker 2:They're blending together and just foggy Look after you watch the game so long they all just seem like rookies when you get older, they all just seem like rookies?
Speaker 1:Well they seem like rookies when they make bad plays. I saw Keenan Allen take his helmet off. He's got the old guy like middle-aged bald spot. I'm like bro, he's got the sunro helmet off. He's got the old guy like middle-aged bald spot. I'm like bro, he's got the sunroof open. He's opening his sunroof.
Speaker 2:He's as my uncle would say, he's not bald. That's just the solar panel to his sex machine. That's right.
Speaker 1:Solar panel. You call it solar panel, I call it sunroof. Either way it was open.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, you know LeBron had that problem and then all of a sudden he got a full head of hair overnight. Somebody got some plugs, yeah.
Speaker 1:Transplants.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, yep. But you know, another team that is quietly having a good season that nobody's really talking about is Denver.
Speaker 1:They're catching on.
Speaker 2:Maybe the Sean Payton-Bo Nix combination is actually panning out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Denver is 5-3 and nobody's talking about this right now.
Speaker 2:No, I mean, and here's the thing, they have probably one of the best defenses in the league. They are pushing down the other team and scoring points, you know, and it's not like you have anybody. That's like breaking out on their team.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean nobody's going. You know, look at that receiver that's taking off, or that running back, that's like breaking out on their team. I mean nobody's going. You know, look at that receiver that's taking off, or that running back that's taking off. It's just everybody's contributing. You know like they're getting contributions from everybody across the board. I mean you have Javante Williams. He might be the one running the ball. Or you might have McMillan I think his name is.
Speaker 1:McLaughlin. Ah, that's it, mclaughlin. Sorry, we just can't read.
Speaker 2:Yeah, or he might run the ball. They're kind of two back tandem right now and then javon williams well I mean you had. You had courtland sutton, who didn't even have a catch in their previous game. All the other receivers seemed to get the get the passes last that game against the saints and they won that game yeah, you know, like nobody's talking about them really and they, they did pretty good.
Speaker 1:I mean, uh, they paced what the panthers this last weekend, which is I mean panthers aren't exactly it's like.
Speaker 2:It's like they're rebuilding it's like a gimme.
Speaker 2:I hate gimme games because I like competitive games okay hey, look, you can't say that it's a gimme game, because any given sunday, you know, you have these teams that pull off wins like, okay, I remember years ago that the dolphins were absolutely horrible, hadn't won a single game. They go up against the Ravens, who are considered one of the best teams at the time, and the Dolphins beat them to get their first win of the season. Nobody prior to that was going to say the Dolphins were going to win that game. But I mean, yeah, I mean you could go back to the Lions season, where they didn't win a single game, and say, okay, well, there's a gimme win season, but that's not necessarily going to hold up every time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean their numbers aren't exactly eye-popping, but they're winning, they're getting it done Exactly. Now I don't know who they we have to go back to the schedule who they faced the last few weeks. We won't go delve into that too much, but I mean I know they faced the Raiders at least once.
Speaker 2:Well, that's division. Yeah, that's division. You've got to win your division first.
Speaker 1:That does make it hard, just being a divisional matchup, but, uh, you know the fact that these guys um have five wins. There's only 12 teams in the nfl right now. This is a hot year for the nfl. Okay. There are 12 teams with five or better wins through week eight right now, okay, and I know it's monday and the steelers have head of balance, competitive balance, and I know it's. I know it's Monday and the Steelers haven't played yet, but they're already at five wins, so they're part of the 12. Now, to make it more interesting, there are, I think, six or seven teams with six wins or better. The only team that's better are the Chiefs, at 7-0.
Speaker 2:They're finding a way to win.
Speaker 1:But if the Steelers win tonight, that puts them one up. A third of the league doesn't just have a winning record through the first half of the season, a third of the league is balling out right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, well, let's think about it. Though If the Steelers do lose that game tonight, you know that could be causing some headlines there, because if they lose tonight, this is a trap game. Well, yes, it is a trap game because they're playing the Giants and the Giants haven't looked good. But if they somehow pull off a win against the Steelers and Russell Wilson is the starting QB, then it starts the conversation of should we have him starting?
Speaker 1:now this is gonna be a hell of a game, right. Everybody thinks this is probably gonna be a trash game because the Giants have been sucking and the Steelers have kind of been rolling right. They got Malik Neighbors back tonight, okay, paired with Wendell Robinson, devin Singletary when he's got all his weapons, they're rolling okay. It's been a few weeks for that. Steelers just switching quarterbacks to Russell Wilson.
Speaker 2:Russell Wilson.
Speaker 1:Williams Sorry, russell Wilson, and they're 5-2 right now. I think this is going to be a fireworks matchup tonight. Wilson, and they're five and two right now. This is I think this is going to be a fireworks matchup tonight. I think we might be in some fire Now.
Speaker 2:The giants defense is terrible right now I'm going to watch the world series.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, me too Probably. But the giants defense is terrible. Their offense is okay. They can score some points, but they can't stop anybody. To me, I think that's where the Steelers are probably going to get this, because the Steelers have a good defense and with Russell Wilson I mean they didn't have a bad offense with Justin Fields on their center. But I think, especially after watching last week's game, they're probably a little better now.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, because Russell does something that Fields doesn't.
Speaker 1:And Russ we trust.
Speaker 2:Throw down field.
Speaker 1:That one.
Speaker 2:If you don't throw down field, you can't score. And Russ, we trust Not necessarily, unless you're going to hand the ball off and do short routes to your receivers all the time and then you know you got to have receivers that can break tackles and get downfield to maintain that and yeah they have george pickens now you know, like I don't I don't really there's nobody on their team that I go.
Speaker 2:Oh god, he's going to be a handful in the receiver corps. You know they don't have a Malik Nabors. You know they don't have a Tyree.
Speaker 1:And he's only a rookie, so that's even better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, super impressive.
Speaker 1:So getting down the line here. Looking towards week nine Okay, we talked a lot about week eight. It was a lot of action. Week eight okay. Looking down the line week nine Okay, we talked a lot about week eight. It was a lot of action, week eight, okay. Looking down the line week nine here.
Speaker 2:You want to look for upsets?
Speaker 1:What are you looking at? Yeah, who are you looking at to get upset this week, in week nine, instead of your favorite matchup? Who's your upset pick?
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, that's a tasty game there. Let's see. Okay, I think to me a game that's kind of going to be possible upset the Miami Dolphins taking out the Bills, having another week back with Tua. I think it's potential Because we're early on. It's not exactly a snowbound field in Buffalo. There's a good chance Now. Granted, I was wrong last week about the Raiders taking down the Chiefs, but it was a close game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a good pick. That's a divisional matchup. I'm with you. I'm sorry, what would you say? You picked the Bills, I picked Dolphins, you picked the Dolphins. To come back, yeah, I like the Dolphins too. Another game I'm looking at here, you might agree with me I'm looking at the Broncos and the Ravens.
Speaker 2:It's five and three teams going against each other. Now granted the Ravens have looked pretty good. When they have everything going for them. They could easily be six and two if they would have had that interception from Hamilton. But the Broncos have been playing some good ball.
Speaker 1:And they don't have a bad defense.
Speaker 2:No, they have one of the best defenses in the league right now, so you know, they could upset they could.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go out on them. My bold prediction of the week is the Broncos beating the Ravens. I know they're both 5-3. The Ravens just lost to the Browns. The Broncos are up and coming. I like Sean Payton to get this win right here over Baltimore.
Speaker 2:I think that's a good pick yeah man We'll see how it works out.
Speaker 1:I think that's pretty good as well. You know, just looking over some of these other matches here, y'all forgive me, that was a good pick right there. Yeah, we'll just see how that plays out, man. Uh, going to these, just moving into the end of the show here, I thought I had something for y'all, mike.
Speaker 2:Well, I think I want to hear from the fans and see if they could weigh in on the statue. That's what it was. Let us know if you think the statue for Dwayne Wade is an abomination.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And he should feel like Fitzpatrick with the what did I do to deserve this? Yeah?
Speaker 1:go to our Facebook page, or he should be like man.
Speaker 2:This is excellent. I can't believe you guys made this awesome statue for me.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, so that's actually that's two things. Go to our Facebook page. Weigh in on the Dwayne Wade statue, by the way. Congratulationswayne Wade on an incredible career. Getting immortalized in your home city Just cannot say enough about that. But fans, listeners, let us know Did they nail it or fail it? And the other thing is we got Halloween coming up, guys. We have another one on our Facebook page. We got two things for y'all. We need to know if they nailed the Dwayne Wade statue and we need to know who the most feared player in the NFL is right now among all active rosters. Let us know Two for the win. Okay, I think this has been a great show. We've had a good episode. I want to thank y'all for joining us. We're clearly still developing this. We're coming along. Thank, we're clearly still developing this.
Speaker 2:We're coming along. Thank you for your patience and listening to us stumble over things.
Speaker 1:That's right. Thank you for your patience and support. We do this show entirely, just off Solano's too. So we're producing, we're doing effects, we're doing everything. Hope to see you guys on the next episode and I hope you enjoy the conversation.
Speaker 2:We'll see you next time and thank you, and please support us, find us on our social media and give us comments.
Speaker 1:One last time. I'm Brian with an I.
Speaker 2:And I'm Mike.
Speaker 1:And we are Two for the Win.