First Things First - Michigan fires Sherrone Moore, Joe Burrow concerns, Mahomes G.O.A.T case in jeopardy, BUD List

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

(0:00) Joe Burrow makes concerning comments, Mahomes GOAT case in jeopardy? (27:12) Shedeur Sanders ‘will outplay Caleb Williams’, Can the Patriots win the AFC East? (41:10) Will Phillip Rivers start for the Colts? (46:32) BUD List (01:04:50) Will Joe Burrow be traded? (01:15:07) Michigan fires Sherrone Moore, Bruce Feldman joins (01:26:22) Bills or Patriots more trustworthy, Will Caleb Williams outplay Shedeur Sanders? (01:49:48) Frenemies (02:01:25) Can Joe Burrow keep playing in the NFL? (02:08:25) Bad idea for Phillip Rivers to start vs. Seahawks? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm from New York. It's a show that was right about the thunder. I told you guys. I told you guys. Watch out for the thunder this year. Well, of course you told us because they won it last year. And what are they doing this year? 24 and 1.

They're running through the league. I actually think it's a tab been embarrassing for the rest of the NBA. I really do. What do you want to do? It just, nobody's done it. They're winning by 17 points a game. They were up last night. 53 at one point over a pretty good team yeah yeah in a big game quarterfinal

cup game they right they won by it's just it's unbelievable it really is unbelievable classic one yeah you're right wild you saw that coming today I don't know who else got Chargers jeeps what would Mahomes missing the playoffs mean I hated here very interesting take come wow about seven minutes meanwhile Josh Allen versus Drake May new king of the AFC? Who's under more pressure? And what happens if Drake sweeps the bills? And finally, well, it's the most motivational segment in all of sports. It's the Budlist. Can't wait for this one alongside Nick Wright. I'm Kevin Wilde. I felt like you were working on the Budlist right up to the deadline. We were trying to have an interesting conversation. I got a lot of people on the Budlist.

I did see that in the document. A lot of people. It's a three plus mud list. But the tundoms make sense. I like it. Brew. I obviously don't begrudge you any of this. So this is, tone's going to be weird. This is your fault.

What? What I do? You're continuing to, you know, take all these licenses that you've been taking, like starting the show with. I called it on the Thunder. I did.

There has been a bit of a mission creep. We're Bruce now like, you know what? All rules are off. We're going to go back to the old school. He's got 11 people on it. I think it's going to be interesting. You're the leader of the show.

You're supposed to set a standard. I don't know. All right, we're starting with Joe Burrow, hosting the Ravens this Sunday, met with the media after a loss in Buffalo, which made his playoff hopes even dimmer. Very candid, insightful, somewhat sad. Take a listen. If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it.

You know, I've been through a lot and, you know, been through a lot and if it's not fun then what am I doing it for what was the changing point I'm not sure I'm not sure there is a singular moment or time of time it's just a reflection reflection on a lot of things that I've done and been through in my career I think I've been through more than most and certainly not easy on the the brain or the body so it's trying have fun doing it again. Oof. All right, your reaction.

I'd be terrified if I were a Bengals fan. That is a five-alarm fire. If you're a sports fan, you're just age-wise starting his prime, superstar quarterback, talking about, if I want to keep doing this, if I want to keep doing this,

If I want to keep doing this. And I was thinking about it this morning because there's, you know, is this Andrew Luck type of thing where it's like, man, I'm just too beat up? Or is it more about being beaten down in relation to the franchise and everything that has gone into it? which is why I would be doubly terrified if I were a Cincinnati Bengals fan, because unless I am forgetting, there is only one instance in my adult or even young life of a star quarterback in the prime of his career saying, you know what, I've just had enough.

And it was the number one pick for the Cincinnati Bengals Carson Palmer, who after eight years with the franchise, this has been six, was like, you know what? I'm not having fun playing football anymore. It was one of the things he said, and I am going to retire unless you trade me. Now, he ended up being traded and played damn near another decade. Like, he wouldn't actually want to be done.

He played for the Raiders and then had awesome run in Arizona, made a conference championship game, almost won MVP one year. In 2015, I think. Like, this is a potential disaster and really scary if you're a Bengals fan. And sad, no matter what, if you're just a football fan. Because Joe Burrell is awesome. And we want him to be in the league competing for championships. Yeah, I don't disagree with what you said.

It's hard to read exactly what he's saying. I watched a lot of this. And I was trying to figure out, okay, he's clearly upset and disappointed and despondent and all of that. but is he upset with the organization? Is he upset with the defense? Is he upset with himself for throwing those two interceptions against Buffalo that cost him the game? Is he upset that for the third straight year, we're not making the playoffs?

And this game, particularly at quarterback where you're judged by wins and losses, it is so tough and so brutal and so painful that when you're not, winning, again, especially at quarterback where that's what everybody judges you buy. It's different if you're a receiver, a lineman, and you're getting paid, you're still viewed as a star even though you don't win.

Quarterback, you're not really viewed as a star when you don't win. And so it's probably hard when you keep falling short of even the playoffs as a quarterback because it's so painful. And look, the Bengals are, we all know they're not a great organization.

But Burrow isn't blameless in this situation. They have tried to spend money on the offensive. They actually have spent money on the offensive line. Now, it's never been a great offensive line, but it's not for lack of trying, right? The defense has obviously been terrible. But Burrow pushed them to sign not only Jamar, which is totally understandable,

but T. Higgins, I need two number one receivers, essentially. All right, when they got a number three, it's obvious, who's, I know I said it wrong, Yosevon, yeah, he was pretty good, right? And so, and then the other thing is now the offensive line is bad. I got a graphic on, I think he's fourth most sacks

since he's been in the league. But I had Josh put on there sacks per game because he's missed a lot of games. So sacks per game, he's basically second since he's been in the league. But he's also, I, I think, I think, and I called him to Anthony Davis of the NBA or the NFL a few weeks ago, I think he is legitimately injury prone.

Like, remember he had the appendectomy. I mean, that just, I forgot about that. Right, that just kind of, that's not a sack injury. Yep. Then he strained his calf just rolling out in practice. I can see the film of it right now, just rolling out, no pads or anything. And then the year he had the wrist injury that kind of was, yeah, out of nowhere.

And so I think it's a combination of all those things. You wonder, would he ask for a trade? Would he leave Jamar, who's obviously he's been with since college, T. Higgins? Would you leave all of that? I think, Nick, there are tons of teams. I don't know if that's what you're going to go to. If I'm Cincinnati, you're right, terrified. But if I'm another team of Minnesota, I won't say Pittsburgh because they're in the same division.

But, I mean, you can name the team. Arizona. I think it's, so I think it's actually less teams than you'd initially think because I don't think a team that isn't legitimately close. Like if Joe, like,

it would have to be somewhere Joe's excited about going to if he wants out. Yes. You know, and so that's what, so, no disrespect intended to like Arizona, but they don't feel like they're, they have proof of concept there. Minnesota.

That is the one. that comes to mind who, by the way, he would be leaving one college teammate for another college teammate. One great receiver for another. That's interesting. Yeah. And so that, by the way, I think Wilds text me this morning

like am I going to do fake trades that the NBA is different because you have to, it's players involved, you have to match salaries. The NFL, it's usually, maybe there's a player involved, but it's draft picks. I think the beginning

of the negotiation is three firsts and three seconds. I think that and if I were the Minnesota Vikings, how do you write? Here's one. But you don't. The Minnesota Vikings don't think they need to rebuild. Here's a, they don't, and they don't need to rebuild.

But here's a caveat. If I'm a team trade, and I would want him, Minnesota, Indianapolis, I mean, you know, but they've traded their picks. Right, right. But I'm just saying in general you want, I also, though, and the reason I would be hesitant about that type of three first, three seconds,

is because he is injury prone. He is. Like, it's not just the Bengals. He's injury prone, I really believe. And so I got to weigh that in. Like, I wouldn't give up Caleb for him. Even though I don't know if Caleb will ever be as good as him. It's a great question.

I wouldn't because I know Caleb's going to be there. I have seen no reason to think he's going to get injured. He's probably going to keep getting better. Yeah, like the quarterback for quarterback trades, I wasn't even really thinking about. I guess with Minnesota maybe you could convince them to take one of the draft picks off and include J.J. McCarthy. There's two others that came to mind.

One is a very contingent one, and the other one, Wilds might come across the table. For the contingent one and the team that has the extra draft capital, let me say one other than in the audience. Three firsts is the maximum allowed to be traded. You can't trade in the NFL more than three years at a time. But you can trade more if you have two. in the same draft.

You got there before me, KW. Well, not actually, but you said. This morning. There are two teams that have an extra first round pick in this year's draft. One is the Browns in their division. And also, that to me is not a realistic thing for a lot of reasons. That's the division and the state. Right.

And the Browns. Right. Left out the main part. The other one is the Rams. Hello. And now that. That would, the contingent part is, exactly. It would have to be that Matt Stafford retires,

which the way he's playing, I know there was a lot of thought of it before. They win the Super Bowl. Right. If he, and that's a team that would do it. That would say, we have four first round picks we can give you. They were talking about trading up in the drafts. Right. Right.

And so that, again, you couldn't. You can trade up to draft a quarterback in a city year. You can't trade for Joe Burrow and be like, Joe, you can have a red shirt year. And then there's one other one. I'm going to back my chair up. You're going to say Drake May? No. Oh, thank you.

I was not saying no way. There's no way I would. And New England wouldn't do it. Who would? I would. I'm curious what the Joe Burrow for Jalen Hertz and what conversation is. Oh, I think that's. I'm just very curious.

I'm Philly, obviously. No, but like the how many, like Philly, a very aggressive organization. Joe Burrow has proof of concept you put a couple of star receivers around Joe Burrow they're not going to be

unhappy they're going to be very you know and so great offense of line and the like now I think

Philly and I think even you would concede at this point would have to attach some draft capital to that but not

something insane like you're trading a younger more durable in my opinion not as good but he's the super old champion

quarterback like that to me is an interesting one and Cincinnati can feel like we are we're not we just paid these receivers we're not taking some big step back that's really interesting like that that's a I mean because look I think Joe Burroughs

better than Jalen Hertz as much as I like Hertz but and I would probably do it if I'm feeling if I could do it but I do again I got a durable guy in Jalen the one thing is as he gets older he's not you see it even with Lamar maybe he's not going to be able to run as much and I think that You're right.

Joe Burrow, I think one of the reasons he's so sanguine, is that the word? Sanguine. Sanguine. If you're Joe Burrow, your first year in the league, you're playing well, your number one pick, get your knee blown out. Okay. Year two, you are in the Super Bowl with the ball with a chance. I'm going to be the Super Bowl champion year two. Yeah.

Year three, you're in the AFC championship game with the ball. tie game, I'm about to be the universally accepted best quarterback in the league. I'm going to go back-to-back Super Bowls. I will have owned Mahomes. And Chris Jones sacks you, very similar play oddly to the way the Super Bowl ended. A guy got a quick pressure, and the Super Bowl, he had to throw it away, threw it, and Chris Jones gets him. So that's year two and three.

I'm in the Super Bowl chance to win it. I'm in the AFC championship game, chance to go back. you're four no playoffs hurt you're five no playoffs you're six no playoffs and it's like man like this is it's not as fun I was I was playing in nothing but the biggest games and performing in those spots that's all I knew and now I've just been in the wilderness came into the league with a championship yeah that's right

undefeated with a cigar like I'm the best immediately to the Super Bowl Yeah, real quick, and then we'll move on, Dustin. I'll promise you. The only quarterback that I think belongs in this conversation that's wanting to bring up, and it's going to sound weird, is Philip Rivers. And the reason I want to bring up Philip Rivers is, and why I think it's a five-alarm fire for the Bengals, man, that love of the game and fun burns so hot, like,

I'm 44, I get a chance to play, I'm out there. What about flacco? And flaco. Yeah. So to see a guy in his prime, kind of give the opposite message, this should be all hands on deck in the Bengals organization,

which I wonder if it's going to be. And what sort of message that will send to Joe Borough? This should be worse than, you know, if you're spraying your ankle, you've got 50 people down, taping it up, giving all sorts of stuff. But if you say, hey, you know what, I'm kind of unhappy here.

Who's going to go visit Joe Borough, if anybody, besides Sean McVey? Hey, how's it going? Okay. Patrick Mahomes at home against the Chargers needs this game if he wants to keep his playoff streak alive. Here he is yesterday. We're in unprecedented territory, a place that we haven't been since I've been here. And so I think you lean on the guys that have kind of battled through adversity and came out better on the other side.

And so that's Chris, Trav, all these guys that have won championships. You know, it hasn't always been pretty, but it'll really test us to see what type of character. we are and I think we got the guys in the room to do it. Okay. What would missing the playoffs mean for Patrick Mahomes? Well, obviously, Mahomes has been rightly so in the goat conversation. And that's when you get to that level, you're nitpicking. But I do think this, that's where this would hurt him.

Because I think, Nick, like all the other quarterbacks you might put on his, Montana, Peyton Manning, they've all had years where they missed the plan. But you can argue maybe they weren't in their prime, but it was certainly after they started making the playoffs and playing really high-level football. Montana missed the playoffs and the strike short of the year after he won the Super Bowl. So, you know, Marino missed it, Elway missed the, you know,

like Aaron Rogers didn't really until he started getting hurt. And then he, remember, he was kind of hurt. His last year in Green Bay he missed it. Well, yeah, but I think that was past prime. Oh, okay. I got you, sorry. But still, he, I mean, he's only been to one Super Bowl, So you can't put him with Mahomes.

But it only hurts to me in the goat conversation. And Brady missed it after winning the Super Bowl. But it was his second year in the league. He really wasn't in his prime. Not really. He clearly wasn't in his prime. Though he did lead the league in touchdown passes that year. People forget that.

How many, though? 28. But still, it was a different league. But Brady, when he's healthy, he never missed. So I think I got three areas. I think it would hit Mahones. One, the goat conversation with Brady. Two, I'm going to use the word necessarily.

I don't necessarily think, Nick, if they missed the playoffs, that he goes in the next season and people are thinking of him as currently the best quarterback in the league. Now, historically, of course, they'll still say that. That's interesting. But I would say, here's why I wouldn't say definitely. What if Josh Allen, if Mahomes doesn't make the playoffs, Josh Allen, they get beating the first or second round? Right.

Then how are you going to put Josh Allen ahead of Mahomes? Some people would, but I'm just saying that he wouldn't have that argument if he loses to, you know, the young guys or Trevor Lawrence or whoever it is. If the Super Bowl is Stafford versus Bow Nix and Stafford wins it and then retires. Yeah. Well, I was going to say, because some people might try to throw Stafford in there if he wants. But yeah. So that's the second thing. Yeah.

And the third thing, Nick, I do think we would have to start really looking at, okay, what is, What has gone on these last three years? And obviously, what? One of those years, at least they would have gotten to the Super. Or two of them. One, they won the Super Bowl. One they got there. One, they didn't make the playoffs.

But when you look at Mahomes' stats, the last three years, this is what they are. And this is where they rank. I mean, the ranks in the league, you know, those are really low. And I brought this up to you, Nick, once off the air. And I, look, I'm just going to throw this. out there because it does match. Mahomes statistically has not been the same since Eric B. enemy left as the offensive coordinator.

That part is right here. Be enemy was the Chiefs OC his first five years, Mahomes first five years in the league. Look at the number. I mean, the numbers are his story. Just so to let some people know, the last year of that first five,

Tyreek was already gone. And he still was MVP, 41 touchdowns. So I. So I, look, I don't know if they could get me and to me back, but I'm just saying there has been a massive drop-off in Mahomes' statistics since being to me left. So those three things I would look. Okay.

So I think I struggle a bit with the what's been wrong with Mahomes the last three years because it does feel like we are a little yada yada-ing. Well, yes, one of the years he won the Super Bowl one, Super Bowl MVP. and the other year they were 15 and 1 and went back to the Super Bowl. So like that to me it feels... But his numbers still weren't, you know what I mean? It was like the defense.

He was good, but he... It was also certainly in the playoff runs. He was the engine. And I... But so I struggle with that a bit. I totally agree with you that if they missed the playoffs, rightfully,

who's the best quarterback in the NFL would be a question. I think that is fair. I think that is legitimate, even if I believe. If Drake May wasn't a super, yeah. I mean, seriously. For real. And honestly, if Josh got there, people would say it.

And that's, it has to be a results-oriented business without talking about guys can be. It's very, very rare that one guy is basically universally accepted as the best quarterback for year after year after. Even year after year. Brady wasn't. Peyton wasn't. Aaron Rogers, like, you know, there's these ebbs and flows of that. So there is that. The goat stuff is, here is what is vexing to me about what I find to be a bit of a logical inconsistency with what missing the playoffs for Patrick Mahomes would mean in the goat debate.

And I'll try to do it very quickly. It seems like people want to simultaneously make this argument. Patrick Mahomes, Tom is not going to be able, like this hurts his ability to catch Tom Brady because Tom Brady never missed the Super Bowl in his prime. You need the playoffs. I'm sorry, missed the playoffs in his prime. Thank you.

In order to catch Tom Brady, he needs to get six or seven Super Bowls. But wait, Tom Brady missed the playoffs in between Super Bowl's one and two. well, but those weren't, that wasn't really Tom Brady. Right. And so to me, those two things seem to be in a bit of conflict. Like in this regard, KW. It is what we're saying is because Patrick was instantly good.

Yeah. That is now a mark against him in the, did you ever miss the playoffs while you were a championship caliber team? It's like, well, yes, and that hurts Patrick. But when Tom did it, it's unfair to. bring up. And again, so here's what I would say about the goat debate. I think it is inarguable through eight years as a starter. Patrick has the more impressive resume. And we can show it. But this doesn't really help Patrick as much as one would like. So if we show it,

and this is assuming he misses the playoffs. Patrick has more wins, more MVP's, more playoff wins, same Super Bowl wins, one more Super Bowl appearance, one more Super Bowl MVP. The missed playoffs, the two for Tom 1 is the he blew out as ACL. I'm not using it against him. It's just the, but it's just the, your first eight years playing what the ledger reads. I wouldn't even put that one in there. Well, I'm, but it's just, it was, it's just what the ledger reads.

What, here's why I think it hurts. Because it is very unlikely. Patrick plays another 15 years like Tom Day. So in order for him to be the goat, He doesn't just need to be a little ahead at checkpoints. He needs to be a lot ahead because then you also have the thing that he'll never be able to get back, which is, yeah, you played twice in the playoffs and Tom won both.

So, like, there's a lot of things working against him. So I, the idea that it's like, oh, it's disqualifying, it's over. No, it's not. I think it's right. And I know you're not saying that. But I think that Patrick needs a huge lead after 10 years and 20 years. 12 years because I don't think he's going to play 23 like Tom did. And Tom was still adding to his playoff wins and Super Bowls and all of that so late.

And so like Tom didn't, they, Tom, after year 8, they didn't win a playoff game in year 9 or 10. It feels like if Patrick that this year misses the playoffs like Tom did, he was hurt. And then the next two years, the Chiefs don't win a playoff game, it's going to feel like, oh, okay, he doesn't have enough time. You're saying he can't, I mean, Brady had a 10-year drought between Super Bowl wins. It was there. Right. But I also think what hurts Mahomes in the goat debate is they're going in opposite directions individually. Like Brady started as what kind of Mahomes has been these last few years where, you know, people called him a game manager.

His stats weren't incredible. The defense was great, you know, and they won. And he obviously was a big part. but it was a years later when individually you recognize like oh wow this this guy's actually great individually. Mahomes has been the opposite and so I think that hurts too. Like think about this. If Mahomes had the same winning record, you know, same number of Super Bowl, same number of

playoff appearances but missed the playoffs this year. But individually, his numbers were what they were early in his career. I don't even know that this weren't hurt him at all. So, but here's, and I guess in that debate, where I think, and again, I'm trying to be, I obviously am biased here, he's my favorite football player for my hometown team. I do feel like at times there is a last year, despite the fact that they were 15 and 1 when he started

and went to their third straight Super Bowl, something only done by three other teams ever, it was, yeah, but the numbers weren't that good. But that's fair. I mean, that's QB wins. But now the discussion is about the wins. But the numbers aren't great now. But again, we are talking.

I think Patrick is top five right now amongst quarterbacks in total yards, passing yards, and touchdowns. So the numbers, the passer rating has dropped the last three years. He's not having an awful year individually statistically. And but because the team is not winning His passion rating is 91. And again, I acknowledge the passer rating piece of it. But do you understand what I'm saying? He got 10 interceptions.

Last year it felt like they were winning, but the stats aren't there. This year, the stats to me are clearly better. And they're not winning. They're pretty good. It's not Joe Burrow, but they're pretty good. A 91 passer rating for Patrick Jones. 10 interceptions. There's only a handful, a couple of guys with more.

I just, I expect more because he set a standard. Is Shador due for a huge game against the Bears? That's next on FS1 on the Fox Sports Channel on Sirius XM. Hey, best podcasts in the whole world, Gianna is in my ear saying? Holy cow. And our YouTube is counting down to a billion views. We knocked off a million views yesterday. We're down to 44 million.

Thank you. Good, Gina. Put those spots on it. Her job's on the line, America. The honest job is on the line. A billion by the Super Bowl. Oh, oh. I hope you make it, Giannis.

I'll miss you. Bears. Hosting Shador's saying. Coach is here. Right. Budlis. Brue already said that he expects the legendary rookie, just his nickname, not a,

necessarily to outplay Caleb. Ben Johnson, obviously not going that far. But he is giving Shihore some compliments. Take a listen. You can feel their offense picking it up a little bit. He's a dangerous. player. I think he's doing a great job as a rookie. He was able to sit in and soak in that offense over the course of the spring and the summer and early in the season. And you can tell

that that's probably benefited him to a degree because now he's able to go out there and let it loose. He does a great job of extending the play and creating on his own as well. Last three weeks, you kind of feel a little bit of a spark there on offense with Chodor out there. Okay. Ben Johnson loves him. What are your expectations this week, bro? You've guaranteed y'all plays him. I would love to see him come close to what he did last week.

I'm not expecting that. It would be great to see, but I'm not expecting that. I think coach this week in Cleveland, I bet the entire focus is don't turn the ball over. Because Chicago's defense isn't great, but they lead the league in interceptions, they lead the league in takeaways. So I do think if Chador cannot turn,

like if he can avoid multiple turnovers. If he has one interception, okay, but multiple turnovers, then I think you'll have a good to very good game. I do think he'll have a better game than Caleb. Caleb's facing a much tougher defense, more pressures on Caleb as far as their playoff, you know, race and things like that.

And I wonder, coach, though, if is Cleveland just going to really try to, I'm sure they are a lot, but run the ball? Because Chicago's run defense isn't that great. So I bet it's a heavy run. You know, Cleveland's had a pretty good run game. It's a heavy run game. But if they get down, you know, Shadur might have to throw it. So I expect a good to very good game and I think it'll outplay Caleb. I think they lose, though.

I think the Bears win. But I think Shadur plays better than Caleb. Yeah, I imagine it's going to look like it usually looks with Chador, where he's going to make some plays outside the pocket, where he's running around, he throws it down the field, they'll throw it across his body, he'll hit one, people get excited, you know, maybe a giant play, and then he'll be outside of the pocket and he'll throw it down the field, and, you know, that one's probably going to get picked off. And to your point, this is a, that's the most dangerous part about Chicago's defense is their ability to actually convert those plays into turnovers. say the same thing with running around the pocket. He's going to have some nice scrambles where he'll gain some first downs. And then he's going to be sacked. Now, is it going to be one sack, five sacks, six sacks?

It could be anywhere in that range, depending on how long he's willing to continue to hold onto the ball. But it's going to be up and down. Chicago does do some creative things defensively, which I imagine could cause some problems for him from a reading the defensive standpoint. But they also have had plenty of holes and plenty of spaces to make big plays. So it'll be more exciting than people think it's going to be. I think even if you really believe in Shador long term, it would be helpful to pump the breaks on the expectations on a week-to-week basis, which is why my expectations are very low. I think that Jaden last year and CJ the year before,

who obviously were far more highly regarded prospects, and as good as Shador was in college, were more decorated collegiate players as well by a decent margin. Those two seasons have made people think, oh, yeah, it's common for rookies to string together multiple really good games in a row. It is not. and Chador's, whatever you thought of where he fell in the draft,

his draft profile was not of, listen, low ceiling, but high floor pro-ready type of guy who are the types of players that you can put in and maybe they string together a bunch of solid games in a row. It was raw, you know what I mean, going to some of the wow stuff you're talking about, but should be, you know, moldable clay, if you will, and be a work in progress. which is why I think it is so much more likely he has a really, really tough outing than he has another really good game. And so my expectations are low. And that won't be mean, oh, okay, he's not the guy.

I have skepticism about whether he's the guy or not. But it is for high first round picks, which I know some people feel should or should have been, that is a regular rookie season for, you know, some, the, the, the, the, the, the, J. Jaden Daniels years are the outlier years. Like Jackson Dart, you know, when he's been healthy, it's been a week to week roller. The Eagles. Beat the champs and then lost to the Saints in embarrassing fashion. Right.

It's a week to week roller coaster. And so I just, I don't want to, I think there are enough people that there are obviously a lot of people that were. really believes in Shador. There's a lot of very vocal people who believe in Shador, and there's a lot of very vocal people, maybe more so on the internet than on TV, that, you know, I think he's going to flame

out entirely. I don't really put myself in either category, but I'm probably more skeptical than, I think, the average person. But I, even with that, so I don't want to, like, pile on, but it's, it's really hard for a rookie quarterback in his fourth start to be excellent, and then his

fifth start to be, or third start to be excellent. I don't think, and I'm certainly not saying, I would be shocked if he threw for close to 300 yards or close to what he did. You know what I mean? Like I'm not predicting. I'm thinking Caleb has his typical 55% completions, one TD pass. You know, like I think he's pedestrian. And I think Chador can be a little better than that.

But I'd love to see 300. What I understand is, I agree with you that there's going to be up and down for a rookie. why didn't you give Dylan Gabriel that grace? Because there were no ups, coach. But every time we're talking about Dylan, there was nothing like, hey, you know, it's really hard for working to go up and down. Well, I'm going to tell you. And pontificate on it for 15 minutes about, hey, we may even need to give him the benefit of doubt.

Listen, I think there's two reasons. But when you had Dylan Gabriel, like, forget it, he's done. If I may just very quickly, it's for two reasons. One is there were no ups to discuss with Dylan Gabriel to that degree. And the other is, I did not. ran a good operation. Listen, I did not see. I've got to cut you off.

I'm sorry to our Dylan Gabriel fans. We have to talk about Josh Allen at Rick May. If you want to hear more of them, Dylan Gabriel turn into coaches podcast. Patriots for Hunter Talks. We got to talk about two great coaches. I meant, sorry, two great quarterback.

Patriots for underdogs, then they were favorites, and now they're underdogs again. So no one can tell if New England is the Hunter or the hunted when they host the bills with a chance to win the AFCs. Here's Drake on chasing the bill. We are chasing them. They've had a bull's eye on their back for, you know, really since they probably took it over the first year.

You want to be division champs. We're here, you know, standing right here, the chance to do that this week. And people talk about things down the line and what you can do, but this is a great opportunity for us to go, winning division. And you rack up the AFC East so we know it's going to be tough. And we got a great team coming in here and be cool to do it on our home turf. That's perfect kind of non-answered. Division titles longest streaks, it's the Chiefs. That's in severe jeopardy.

No, the division title streak is officially over. I don't ever. You know what? That's the difference for you and me. I still believe. No, it's not. Chiefs are at nine, those are at five. Bucks are at four.

Panthers trying to track them down. What would losing the AFC East mean for Josh Brew? Well, look, it would mean blowing an opportunity to get the one seat. And in a year where the Chiefs will probably be out of the playoffs, That could be huge. Like, this could really affect your chance to win in the Super Bowl. So that is terrible. And look, if they lose, if he doesn't beat Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix

and C.J. Stroud and, you know, a 41-year-old Aaron Rogers. And, you know, then that's a hit on Josh. So it just hurts their chances to win the Super Bowl. It doesn't damage them, you know, altogether. But outside of that, though, and then, you know, of course, the division's not yours anymore going forward. But I mean, they could win it next year. It's just not automatic like it has been.

But I don't even think it's a big deal outside of not having, being able to get the number one seat. Okay. Because in the first round of the playoffs, they could meet who? Pittsburgh or Baltimore. They'd be in Pittsburgh or Baltimore. Yeah, whoever AFC knows. So can I ask you this?

Sure. Because I agree with Brew in this regard. I think it certainly matters. in that for this season, their path to a Super Bowl gets considerably harder. You likely don't have any home playoff games. In fact, the only way you could have a home playoff game is if you make the conference championship game and the six or the seven seed is also there.

So that makes it harder. And when there is more pressure on them in the current playoff field, in my opinion, than any team in the AFC to reach a Super Bowl, that got harder. So I think it has real implications for this season. I don't think it means anything definitively moving forward. And that's where I wonder if you differ. Like if that if you're looking at like, yep, this is now the Patriots division again officially. Because that's where I think Brew is saying he's not ready to go there.

It'll be up in the air next year. Well, I think. Go ahead, coach. So after we won the first Super Bowl, we lost the division the next year. But all three teams, it was us, the dolphins, and the Jets were all nine and seven. And we split with those teams, but the Jets had a better, you know, whatever was, whatever the tiebreaker was. And to me, that's different than this situation where Buffalo's on the verge. If this happens, they got swept by New England.

And the different discrepancy in record is going to be significant. And this is only year two of Drake May. And it's a little bit like the little brother, you know, standing up to the big brother and fighting back. and suddenly the whole balance of power shifted. And it goes from a dominant team like the bills have been for the past five years to it's gonna be up in the air every year from now on. That's exactly what I think.

Maybe you guys can help me out. I think saying that it's the beginning of the end is too much to say for the bills. Call it the end of the beginning. The end of the beginning. Nope, not quite right. But it feels like the, it feels, to me that the Patriots, and I've said this a few times, would be ahead of schedule.

Yes. Where the rebuild is totally, you know, complete, even though we still have cap space and we're going to keep getting better. But stage one of the rebuild is complete. We have now taken back the AFC East. And if we're ahead of schedule, it feels like the bills are officially behind schedule. And so I guess this is where I think my, and I think I share it with Bruce pushback would be. I think everything that you've said is true no matter what happened to the final four weeks.

I think that whether or not you guys pull off the sweep and win this week or if the bills win this game went out the rest of the way and you guys stumble against Baltimore and I don't even know what the tiebreaker situation then would be. But no matter what, the Patriots are ahead of schedule and the bills have a fight on their hands moving forward. I think that is objectively true. Whether or not the Patriots have the upper hand in that fight moving forward, I do not think this game Sunday determines that. You know what I should have asked you?

Sure. This is what I would feel like. When the Broncos win, if the Broncos beat you in Arrowhead and you've lost your streak, but you don't have any Super Bowls, it would feel like, oh, we squander. our opportunity. Oh, I think that you just that it's kind of happening to you, but you have a wall

full of pelts and awards. Well, yeah, and it's, and I'd feel way. You got that same guy sitting there that you know is great. Yes. Right. I'd feel, I'd feel way worse about the Chiefs right now if Drake May were the Broncos quarterback than Bow Nix. Like one of the reasons I feel like they have a real

like they can retake. You also have Patrick Moore. Right, no, no, no. But the bills also have Josh Allen. Is the, I I understand he's. One wins all the time and one kind of wins all the time. But so that to me is that part of it, that's a fair point. That's why I said there's so much pressure on the bills because that's about the playoffs.

Them squandering the opportunity, yes or no, is determined in the postseason. 44-year-old Philip Rivers practicing with the Colts in advance of Sunday's game against the Seahawks. Shane Steichen said, you know what, we'll see how this week goes if he gets the start. Rivers was asked about his playing weight. Here was his response. Right this second? I'm not sure, Greg. How about that?

That's the honest answer. Coach, chances this works out for the Colts. It doesn't look good. I'm a sucker for all those old boxers that go back and fight again. But I'm like watching Tyson versus what was Jake Paul. Oh, gosh. That was really, yeah. It's not that far off.

Ali and Larry Holie. With this could be, yeah, I watch them all. And then after I watched the fight, I'm like, who? Why did I watch that? I wish I'd just kept the memory that I had of the fighter that used to be there. Now, look, I'm cheering for it to work. It has a very Disney Christmassy feel to it. You know what?

Most of those Disney Christmas stories have in common, they're make-belief. Yeah, and that's kind of how you're going to have to hope it works out. This is like that got to be like that Hallmark Christmas movie where somehow he throws three touchdowns about getting killed. He's just called Miracle Wild. I'm going to be optimistic. Wild's is being an idiot. I'm going to be optimistic and say this.

Because you can't help but pull for him with his, as, you know, happy and excited as he is. I mean, it looks great. Coach, and I'm not saying,

I'm not predicting this. I'm just saying, is it on the board that he could have one or two good games? Love it. Now, he couldn't have a run. Love it.

But could he go? We've seen Joe Flagg, and I get it, Flacco's been playing. But I'm just saying, am I totally writing off the possibility that he might have one or two? He's got a great running back. He's got good receiver.

I am saying it's possible that he plays a good game with you. And I'm telling you which two games they have a shot at. Seattle is going to be tough. San Francisco. He's got to survive Seattle. Right, he got to survive it. San Francisco and Jacksonville are the games that he has to. They have to win.

Houston and Seattle are ones. So here's the graphic I want your response to. Seahawks, because you're very down on a 44-year-old retired quarterback playing against the. This team. Defense is number one in pressures and 41 sacks. That, that, yeah. I'm going to. I don't think I'm going to say something next week that is.

He's mightn't. That I think is, I don't know if it's socially acceptable. Oh, no. I'm about to say. But I know it's fair, and I know I'm right, and I'll take the arrows.

You ought to edit this out of social. No, leave it. When it comes to pro athletes, I think a little what would be called in today's parlance body shaming is always okay. You sign up for it. You use your body for your job.

So I do that. with quarterbacks a lot. I'm a heightest when it comes to quarterbacks. I am, we got in a whole war, me and coach, about Jaden Daniels, and whether or not he's too frail. And I don't know if you guys have got any reports from the front on that war, but one side is winning decidedly. And when I look at the picture behind Kevin Wilde's of Philip Rivers' face,

the last time he played pro football. And he was old then. He was old then. And then I see the face of the man we just saw. I'm like, you know what? Looks like a retired rich guy enjoying himself. And he deserves it. It's not the same picture.

And then you add to it that he's going to be chased by guys who have been playing football. And it's one of the better teams and better defenses. and oh yeah, it's outdoors in Seattle in that environment. I don't like this at all. And it's not because, dude, Bruce thing, I love it. It's because I just don't like it. It's worrisome. And I think it's in a, and I will say this yesterday,

I will say it again. If I was the kid, who's the kid who played for him, Riley Leonard? I don't think he has the juice to do this, but he was a full participant practice yesterday. I want to demand a trade. I'm like to release me outright. Like if you are, I have on your team and on your practice squad. And you are putting up Craigslist ads for quarterbacks that this guy replied to.

And you'd rather him coming in and play. All valid points. I hope he just dices up. Thank you. I want to say, why. No one's rooting against it. You don't think it's on the board. I'm not saying dice about one or two big games.

Very little small part of the board in the right corner. It could get ugly, too. It could get. It could get real ugly. Yeah. It could get real ugly. I hope it doesn't. You're not even think about that.

I'm from New York. It's a show that's on Team Philip Rivers. Yes, absolutely. I'm going to get a Colts jersey after the show. I'm pulling for him big time. You don't like him. It's not that. I have drawn the straw of the show of evidently just being the realist.

Then sometimes we're like, Nick's so mean. And then it's like, guys are literally bringing up Disney movies as reasons to believe. It's that time of year. Right. That's that time of year. Anything can happen. And it gets mad.

Joe Burrow done with the Bengals. Who should call Cincinnati and say, hey, I don't know if you happen to hear that press conference from Joe Burrow, but he doesn't want to play for you guys anymore. Meanwhile. Hey, what's going on? Bruce Feldman joins us to talk about what's next for Michigan. But right now, of course, it's time for the most motivational segment in all of sports. It's the budd list. All the time where we read some viewer mail. Christina, of course,

thank you for going to the post office and getting today's letter. Dear Wilds, love the show. Wow, thank you. How did Brew, Nick and Coach not get your Christmas cards? We got ours last week and we loved it. Well, happy holidays. Dawn, Dawn, Don, Don, Jr., Dawn Senior, Ryan and Brian. Well, I'm glad you liked Christmas card, Don Senior, John Jr., John, Brian, and I do have a bit of a confession. Although I claimed that you guys did get Christmas cards last year, I looked on the old Google Doc, and said Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, Coach, and Greg with just blanks because I didn't actually get your addresses. Is that true? Yes, I'm sorry, so I did not get it. I didn't think we could.

But I have great news. These aren't real Christmas cards. Congratulations. Brough, that's yours. Please don't open. It's pictures of my children. Oh, no. Thank you.

There's your Christmas cards. Wow. I suggested this to you. And also. And you mocked me. Nick, you were here. I said to him, why don't you just hand me a card?

Put them face down, guys, because Wilde also has his home address here printed. They're real things. I know, buddy. But you hand it these out. I was going to blank it out. Some of our Reditors are going to zoom in and dots you. They will zoom in.

First of all, it's out there. It's out there. It's already on Twitter. I mailed them all cards already. It's already on Twitter. That's it? Happy.

Yeah, it's a nice Christmas card. What did you get me? No, I'm just wondering. I actually do like Cowboy Brewing. I'm not wearing Cowboy Brew anymore. I did it 50 times. I think you did it last week. Look, maybe there's Cowboy Brewing that car.

Probably, probably, probably. Okay. I suggested this yesterday and you mocked me. Well, I can't just give you a car. You got to put it in a mailbox. That's what you said. This was in the mailbox. Also, did you guys print your address?

upside down on your envelope? Maybe did it, not me. You did. Wow. Go ahead. All right, here we go. A crowded Bud list today, but deservedly so.

At number three, Shadur Sanders, Caleb Williams. All right. For different reason. Look, Shadur, you're literally playing for your future. You actually, after all

that you've gone through, you have a legitimate chance to go into next season as the Brown starting quarter. That's on the board now. And the thing is, you don't even have to win. You just have to play well. Now,

it's not easy, but that's what your chore is, that's what is before you. Caleb, now it's been a solid season. Obviously, the team is playing well. You've shown major improvement. And I actually think, Nick, Caleb has shown superstar

potential. We'll see what he develops into. But the plays he makes with his legs and throwing and rolling out and all that stuff is fantastic. So he's shown superstar potential. What you can't do, Caleb, is let Chodor Sanders, the fifth round pick, outplay you. You just can't. I mean, you've got the better receivers. You've got the better run game.

You've got the better play caller. You've obviously got the better overall team. you have an offense that has been geared toward you and your strengths all year. Shadoor's playing his fourth start, so you can't lay him coming there and outplay you. So Caleb, I like you. Shadur, I believe in you. So let's see how this goes. That's also an excellent bar you have.

Yeah, and I got to throw myself in Danny Park as in here. So Danny was apoplectic over what I said yesterday. that Chadour is going to outplay Caleb Williams. So we put our money where our mouth is, Coach. I certainly did. Danny said, oh, you want to bet a dinner? I know you don't bet money. Let's bet a dinner.

And I won up to him. I said, oh, really? Oh, let's bet the whole crew. So Danny wanted to take me out or me take him out one-on-one, depending on who won. Now it's the whole crew. Now I said, no, you got to take it. make Nick and coach and Wilde out as well.

Chris, you're coming down. So that's a lot of money. So there it is. All right, Danny and I are on there too. All right, at number two. Shots at our app. Two more guys, Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh. All right, obviously Lamar, look, we're talking about Josh Allen

and he's got to win it if Mahomes isn't in the playoffs. I mean, Lamar needs that Super Bowl just as much as Josh Allen. I get that they don't even, they look like they probably won't even make the playoffs, but that's why the pressure's on this week, Lamar. You guys still have a great chance. You've had five really poor weeks, your worst stretch of your career. But it's still there in front of you. It's still there for the taking.

You got a weak defense in Cincinnati that you're going to face. So you have a chance to turn this around and get into an AFC playoff field that does not have Patrick Mahomes in it. that is motivation for you. And for John Harbaugh, coaching for his job. I think you just, and again, nobody's saying he's not a good coach. But 18 years, the team is drastically underachieving. So this is about you saving your job.

And if you make a great run, then obviously you can keep your job. So it's got to start, though, with Cincinnati. I believe in both of you guys. And by the way, you saw that Joe Burrow Press conference. He looked down in the dumps. You guys got to keep him there. So, all right, number one on the bud list, Jalen Hertz and Nick Siriani. All right.

Jalen, look, I know Jalen that the, all to talk about you getting benched is just ludicrous. I mean, it's ridiculous. All right. You have, I don't think you've had the horrible year that everybody else does. I showed these stats yesterday. Your numbers are better. than Patrick Mahomes this year. They just are.

Now, we can go eye test and all that, but your numbers are better than Mahones and better than a lot of quarterbacks. Actually, you're fourth in the league in total touchdowns. Fourth. It's a pretty big yardage gap for a... Yeah, but you know, yards per game

aren't the measurement of great quarterback play. You don't like completion percent. You don't like a chance. You don't like yards. You would admit, I think touchdown interception. I think yards for attempt. You would admit, because you can be behind. And I'm throwing for a ton of yards because we're behind every week.

So I don't think that's the measurement necessarily. It's a decent measure. But anyway, perception is reality in a lot of cases. And the perception is that you aren't playing well. And we know Philadelphia, the fans, and even the organization, they got rid of Carson Wins. Right? After he looked like he was going to win an MVP award there.

So I don't know what they're thinking there, but you need to go in and sign up. the critics. This is good news for you. Nick's Raiders are next up on the ledger. So go ahead and get right against it. And then you got the commanders after that. So you got two get right games for you to silence all the critics and put this stuff to bed. Nick Siriani, I mean, I don't think his job is in jeopardy. But again, Doug Peterson won a Super Bowl. He said, from a Jeopardy. Doug Peterson won a Super Bowl there and eventually got fired. So you got to show Nick that you do something of than just get press conferences.

You know, you have to, this is the time for you to show leadership. I think you blew up the bunny. Something other than that too. Like, rally the troops. Take command, take control, and get your team righted, and then that'll look good for you. I actually believe in both you guys, Nick and Jalen, there's your Buddlist.

Excellent, Buddlet. Great job. You like the mudlis. Yeah, I loved it. And here's the thing that I respect so much about you, Brew, is you're willing to take on more guys. Yeah, absolutely. You're not going to limit to three.

If you think they need it, you take it's eight on there. Because that's the type of giver that you are. Thank you, and as you go through life, you find some friends that are there when it's sunny out, and then you got that group of friends when it's raining and things aren't looking too good that still show up. And after yesterday's tears, I knew I had to be that guy for the Kansas City cheese. Nick was ready. Look, he's gotten rid of them, just like he's gotten rid of the prince. And now here they are. They're six and seven.

Things look pretty gloomy. There's what, a 9% chance of making the playoffs. But it's time. It's time to put Patrick Mahomes on the bud list because someone's got to be there when other people are not there. And Patrick Mahomes did something that he marked another accomplishment that Tom Brady wasn't able to accomplish throughout the course of his 23 year career. He was able to get a quarterback rating under 20, which is amazing. And Tom Brady never did that. He never ever did that in his 23 year career. but Patrick Mahomes was able to do that.

But I don't, you know, Tom also in his final season, he was six and seven, but he still brought his team of the playoffs. With what record, coach? It doesn't matter. Eight and nine. Don't, don't. To win the NFC South. He made it to the playoffs.

And there's a 9% chance that Kansas City can do the same thing. And look, I'm 10 toes in. And if I, yeah, that too. And if I had Nick's 10 toes down, we'd have a better quarterback rating than Patrick Mahomes did. last week. So I think it's going to be a lot, lot better this week. I think he's going to lead him to victory. And I think we're going to keep our hopes alive, even though Nick has totally abandoned the city of Kansas City and the team itself. They still got a shot, coach. I like

I agree they still have a shot, which is, but they are facing elimination. Great news, everybody. It's 412. It's time for the sports media ombudsman. Man, wow. Christmas game early. Thank you, KW. That's it. No, it's a great. It's a great intro, and I appreciate it. All I have to do. And quite the week for the sports media ombudsman. I've heard, unfortunately. And, you know, I got the nicest text just moments before the show started from John Nicholson,

who was my journalism professor. You know, you know the name. You spoke there at Syracuse, which, you know, I couldn't be the sports media ombudsman unless I, of course, had a degree in journalism. I don't, as you may have heard, don't practice much journalism these days. It's, you know, I like to think it's a club in my bag, but I don't hear. I don't go to it. Exactly. And there are so many, so many great journalists out there from Don Van Nata, Jeff Passen, our, Jay Glazer, Diana Rusini, covering the NFL all over.

There's too many to name. And the sports media ombudsman this week would like to request. At least one of those journalists, please. Can we figure out what's going on in Baltimore? Last Sunday, I got inundated with back-to-back tweets from separate insiders, about the exact same Mike Tomlin contract story. That beat is covered, guys. They've got it.

He's got an option in his contract. They got to activate it. We now know. Thank you for that. Lamar Jackson's mispractice, at least one day, five weeks. in a row. Lamar Jackson last time he was injured, his coach thought he was coming back. He then didn't come back. Lamar Jackson this week when he missed practice for non-injury reason. John Harbaal said, yeah, you know, you just got to trust the player and believe them.

Meanwhile, he's in the midst of the worst stretch of football of his career. There is clearly and obviously I can see this from 800 miles away in New York, something funky going on either, with Lamar Jackson's health, which we'd love to know about, or Lamar Jackson's relationship with his head coach, which we'd love to know about, or both of them. Unfortunately, aside from the Baltimore banner, shout out to them, nobody seems beyond this beat. So if we could please, I beg of you,

somebody be like, hey, can we figure out whether or not Lamar likes his coach? Can we figure out whether, what body part of Lamar is injured, if any, and if not, why is he in the worst stretch of football of his career? It is in the public's interest from a football perspective to have this information. I understand it is unlikely to be texted you directly by an agent. However, somebody figure it out. Well, here's how that could have a month.

You're right, like, I mean, Lamar doesn't have an agent, but. Exactly. And that's why one reason is. That's the problem here. But his agent would not give up the goods necessarily. But a player on that team, the players talk to their agents. And there is an agent from, I don't know if it's man number 47 or whatever. But there are other agents that will tell you, yeah, the players are saying this or this player said that.

So it can be found out by somebody. And you know what? Maybe those guys don't want to blow up the team. But nobody's going to know. It's a good sign for the reason. It is good that they're locked in. And, Brew, I don't know if this passes. There's always somebody willing to talk.

New York Times journalistic integrity, but I'm willing to put a informational bounty on it. Whichever reporter gets the bottom of this, Danny Parkinson has to buy him dinner. Yes, that's what I was going to say. They are also invited to the dinner. You know what? Danny, I'll fly you to New York,

and you're invited to the dinner, and you can give us the full school. That's great. What's the second talk today, while they're on the same page, funny. I like that. All right, I'm headed to Buffalo. I'm putting a little bit of a double bud list.

I'm putting beer and Budweiser on the Bud list. So of course, the bills are playing the Patriots. And I've been accused in previewing this game of playing both sides. Like, oh, I'm like, you know what? I'd like to win, but we actually don't have to win because A, we're making the playoffs if we lose all of our games. B, I wouldn't mind if the bills win because I like a stress test, like in Bar Rescue. You know, you come in, you bring everybody in,

they're organ margaritas, and then you shut it down. Here's the other problem about Patriots bills. I don't dislike the bills. I'm sorry. I wish I did. And there's fan bases that are easy to dislike. Patriots are one of them. Dusty and the Eagles are one of them. What is there really a dislike about the bills?

If they beat your team and maybe the guy gets injured, they donate thousands of dollars to that. of dollars to that charity. Like, that's, what am I, they're getting a brand new stadium, but they're, like, really, like, embracing the old stadium, which they shovel out on their own dimes. They send a lot of really mean memes about me. A handful.

Again, what's their not to like? So, although I'm trying to get my, you know, anger up to get fired up for this game, the Bills went and did another interesting thing that I can't necessarily furrow my brow at. So they had a snow game. Of course, Josh Allen. was great and you know against Joe Burrow in this snow so and the I don't know when the snow started coming down if the fans actually ended up shoveling out the stadium or not but guess what they did with the snow did they put him in the in the dry in the parking

lot I have a wrong great point they started they're gonna brew beer with it here's the quote panel following the first snowfall at Highmark they transported to Anheuser-Busch brewery in Baldswindsville New York I lived in Baldwin's again. I'm not working. He's dead serious. When we live in Syracuse,

that's where we live. Integrated brewing process, create limit edition brew that will do a custom 16 ounce can package. The Blizzard brew will be available on participating retailers

wherever the Buffalo Bills Mafia enjoys the final regular season home grade. So sorry, I know I'm supposed to like be upset at the bills. They keep doing awesome stuff.

That's awesome. That is awesome. I would always say. I like, I kind of like the bills. I kind of do. I kind of like Josh Allen. Brew.

You got hate me if you want. I mean, how about the fact that they've owned you guys for the last five years? We own them the whole century. Good point. Hold on. Can I brew? You can't let him get off the hook like this. They're, they're, listen, brewing blood.

Do I want one of those? Yes, I do. He got me with Baldwin'sville. Good memories there. I'm telling you. I really did live there. Is that where you broke Dorsey Levin's collarbone tackling him? Well, Dorsey says,

didn't so I'm not going to get into it with Dorsey. Huge SEC Big East battle on Fox college hoops Friday, Texas, taking on number five Yukon, all tips off tomorrow night, eight Eastern on Fox. I'm going to my friend's wedding reception tomorrow. I'm going to skip out to watch this game. Don't tell him. Okay. Welcome back to show.

Coach Man, Gene is still with us. Joe Burrow hosting Lamar and the Ravens on Sunday. He met with the media yesterday. Shared some reflections on his career past and few. future perhaps. Take a listen. I want to keep doing this. I have to have fun doing it. You know, I've been through a lot. And if it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? What was the changing point? Changing point. I'm not sure. I'm not sure there was a singular moment or time. It's just a

reflection, reflection on a lot of things that I've done and been through in my career. I think I've been through more than most and certainly not easy on the brain or the body. So it's trying to have fun doing it again. That is not the normal. Looking forward to playing the Ravens and we've got to win every game to get into playoffs here. Coach, how did that land with you? It felt very sincere. It feels like Joe Burrough consistently delivers sincere messages.

And to me, Joe is a guy that does have to have fun playing football. And he loves competing and he loves being with his teammates. And there was a lot of talk about him not coming back because the season was out of reach. But he said he wanted to come back because it gets paid to play a child's game. And that to me is his personality where some guy's whole identity is football. That doesn't strike me as being Joe's identity. that football is something he loves and is passionate about, but it's not all of who he is.

And he's at the point now where he's made $177 million, so it's not going to be about the money. It doesn't seem like he lives that extravagantly. He did think about buying that Batmobile. But he ended up not buying it. But he used to dress extravagant. Yeah, like even those things, the Batmobile was a little bit. But that also tells you a lot about his personality, too.

He's willing to be who he is. And part of who he is is someone who does love playing the game. And similar to Andrew Luck, who was incredibly talented, when Andrew Luck decided that this is not what he wanted to control his life. And it was becoming detrimental to him as opposed to being something positive. He was willing to walk away. I'm going to bring a little optimism from what you said. said earlier, Coach, because if we just go back a few weeks, he was like, yeah, of course I'm playing. And, you know, this is what I do.

If I'm healthy, I'm playing. I'm not even thinking about not playing. And was Jubilant, Brew, after beating the Ravens, they're all eating the turduck in and doing the whole thing on the field. So that's why hopefully, because obviously none of us, even if you're not a Bengals fan, obviously, you don't want to see him retire. So maybe this is just a reaction to we got nine losses. I know there's a smidgen of a chance, but we're basically out of it. And that's not fun.

We're going to miss the playoffs for the third straight year. I did work my tail off for two months to get back here and have a shot at making the playoffs. And we're not, I mean, he didn't say all this, but this might be what he's thinking. And we're not going to have a chance. I hope that that is what this is a reaction to. Just the current situation, I didn't play well last week, sure, at first, but then I threw those two bad interceptions that cost us a game. So I hope that's what it is because, again, just a few weeks ago,

he was over the moon with joy about to play football again. And then, like you said, after they beat the Raven. So I hope that's what it is. What was the lead in question to this? Like, what was – That's why I watched it, coach. It was – it was at first I thought he did. Like, at first I was a little more optimistic because of the way he kind of led into it.

But then later on, that's when he started talking about, I've been through more than your average bear and, you know, it's painful and, you know, things like that. I don't think there is an optimistic way to look at this. It doesn't mean I think he's, like, decided, okay, I'm retiring. That's not what I'm saying. But when a guy who's not yet 30, who's in year 6, who clearly, it's not as if because of injuries, he's like, man, I'm not the player I once was. You know, because that can be really mentally tough on guys. But that's he is bouncing.

Every time he comes back from the injuries, whatever they are, he plays great. I know he made the mistakes against Buffalo, but he didn't look like a guy like, oh, he's not the same quarterback. A guy who's not 30 who's in year 6 says, if I want to keep doing this, is a shocking thing. Like, it's truly shocking in a way that it would be shocking if Dax said it. Dax been in the league twice as long. If Dack came out and said, you know, if I'm going to keep playing, be like, what?

And so what came to me, Andrew Luck, yes. The other thing that came to me, though, coach, was Carson Palmer, who in year eight, after being the number one pick with the Bengals, said via either his agent or his brother, I don't remember. Or that person said on his behalf, yeah, he's not having fun. And if you don't trade him, he's retiring. And Mike Brown called his bluff kind of and didn't trade him.

He did retire. They drafted Andy Dalton. And then at the deadline, they traded him to the Raiders. And then he, coach, he played a long time. He played in the 2015 NFC championship game. And this was in two. So go ahead. Yeah, I remember that time.

But this, to me, feels. more Andrew Luck than Carson Palmer. Like I thought Carson Palmer was sick of the Bengals. See, that's what I'm worried about is this, that he's, that what's not fun for him is the losing. But I, but I didn't see, I didn't see the Bengals have the same give with Carson, the calls Carson Palmer era that they have now. They weren't paying guys the way that they're paying guys now.

They weren't extending themselves organizationally like the way they have with Joe Burrow. And I, and Carson got to that point where he's like, I'm not doing this anymore. going to go and play and try to win when I know every year the deck is stacked against us because we won't spend any money. They're not going crazy in terms of other, compared to other organizations, but they are willing to extend themselves in ways that they never have before. They are extending themselves, but it's also every offseason there's a different protracted contract dispute. You're right. He wanted Chase and Higgins, but he also wanted Trey Hendrickson. Yeah, Dallas has contract disputes every offseason too.

No, that's true. So if it is not about retirement and it is about being sick of the Bengals, can I run some? First of all, let me ask you this. Three firsts and three seconds is that, in your opinion, I know that's an insane price, but I know how highly you think of Burrow. If you're the Minnesota Vikings, would you be willing to give that up to get Joe Burrow? Yeah, yeah, but it depends on which Joe Burrow. I'm getting. So I would want to sit down with him and

if he's this close to retiring because he feels that he doesn't love football anymore, giving him, giving up 10 first and like whatever you give up, giving up a seventh rounder isn't going to be great if he's not going to play for you. Would you also as a team wanting him?

Would you also be concerned not that you wouldn't trade for him, but be concerned about his injury history? Because it's not just the getting hit because of poor past protection. appendectomy, the wrist sprain, the strain calf that he hurt in practice rolling out. Like, you know, he seems to be a little bit injury prone. Yeah, it's all of those things.

But to me, it's more about why are you leaving the place that you're at? Like, how did you get to this point? And if it is more Carson Palmer, which I felt was I am done with the Cincinnati Bengals, that's one thing. You can work with that if you're another organization. If it's Andrew Luck where it's, I'm done with football, I've got enough money, I've achieved as much as I want to achieve, I'm comfortable with moving on to the next phase of my life, then no trade is really going to make sense because you're not going to convince that guy to love football again. And he's two hours from home or an hour and 30 minutes from home right now.

It's about as good from a family perspective as you're going to get. Jay Allen Hurts in a first round pick for Joe Burrow, who says no? Yeah, but is he going to love football in Philadelphia? Again, just walk down the path of his, what he is, and again, it's an assumption. What he's upset about is my first two years, full years, I played in a Super Bowl, I played in a conference championship game, and since then, I have not yet, I haven't been back to the playoffs, and you know what? I'm looking at my team, and it doesn't seem like we're that close.

Like it doesn't, I don't have real reason to believe next year all of a sudden, about to be as good as we were right when I got here. But a little bit of that, to me, then you're being selfish, because it's partly your fault, and they've done everything they can to help you, paying receivers, paying tight ends, paying offensive linemen, extending themselves away. Like, own a little bit of that. He's not blameless. No, if that's your attitude, like, that's a total difficult.

But you think it's more about injury than about? I think it's more about, yeah, he just might be tired. What's next for Michigan next? Sunday, Lions Rams, right before that, Nick's Raiders try to get their season back on track. This Kenny Pickett news? Back up against the Eagles? A little bit interesting. Is he starting?

Yes, Virginia. Wait. Max. Maybe Dusty's telling me. Yeah. Maybe. Dusty, why are you getting my ears? Did Gino get banged up?

But not like what you're not. But not like. I told me it's like breaking news. Yeah. And here's some breaking news. Michigan's looking for a new coach. Yesterday, Sharon Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship. He was also arrested last night.

That's a developing legal story. For the sake of this conversation, we're going to focus on what's next for Michigan football program. And joining us now is Bruce Feldman. Bruce, thanks for joining us. Can you give us a sense of the challenges Michigan is up against with the timing of trying to find a new coach and how that works with the portal and NIL and everything. Yeah, it is, it is, as you said, the timing is tricky because we've already had a chaotic

coaching carousel. Usually it doesn't wrap up until like late December. This one was already wrapped up basically with Penn State hiring Matt Campbell, who by the way would have been a probably good option for Michigan had this happen like a week and a half ago. So right now they're up against it. They're playing Texas in a bowl game at the end of the month, as you said, you know, signing day, early signing day happened last Wednesday. And now they're trying to figure out what direction do they go here? Because a lot of candidates who either were in the mix for Penn State or LSU or Florida or Auburn, they've either decided to stay or re-up or they've landed in new jobs. So there aren't a lot of candidates out there that I think Michigan would be that

interested in in the first place. I think there's two that could be in play, and the timing is interesting here. One is Kalin DeBoer, the head coach at Alabama. He's a guy who had coached in the Big Ten as an offense coordinator in Indiana. He's a Midwest guy. He actually lost to Michigan in the national title game when he was a head coach at Washington. Really good offensive coach has had up and down first two years replacing Nick Sabin.

Alabama struggled late in the season, found a way in the playoff. Now they're going to be on the road at Oklahoma later next week in the first round. If they lose that game, I think there will be a lot of pressure on Kalin DeBoer, a lot more pressure. And I think there'll be a lot of frustration. And everything I had heard from people close to DeBoer was that he's very comfortable there. He likes, you know, his family likes it there. He has no intentions of leaving. You know, Penn State people were hoping he would be in the mix.

He was never in the mix. A week from now, if they lose that game, And there's even more pressure on him. It wouldn't surprise me if he might be open to hear in Michigan's call. If not, I think Jed Fish, the head coach at Washington, a former Jim Harbaugh assistant at Michigan who did a really, really good job taking over Arizona. Arizona was awful when he got it. By year three, they finished 11th in the country,

said two pretty good years building back Washington. I could see Jed Fish listening. I think there's a bunch of people at Michigan who still really liked Jed Fish would hope that he might be the answer. And again, really good offensive coach. I think either of these guys would be a big upgrade for what Michigan just had, especially offensively. Bruce, before we continue to look forward,

the timing of this obviously puts Michigan behind the eight ball from finding the next head coach. But it also was the timing was post-signing day. And there has since been a lot of what I would call, I mean, it's reporting. that Michigan was aware of a potential issue far earlier than yesterday and slow rolled this. Is there, in your opinion, any validity to the idea that they knew a problem was coming to a head, but they wanted to make sure we got through signing day before making this move? Nick, on my understanding of this, because this had been a rumor for a while.

I felt like I first heard about it about two months ago. Now, my understanding was they had investigated it and couldn't come up with anything concrete to take action. Now, that from what we've heard at The Athletic has all changed in the last, like, two days when some more information from someone else came forward. And then they felt like they could take action and fire him for cause. So I don't know if people on the outside are looking at going, whoa, that's convenient timing. at the same point, yeah, there was signing day, but when you have a coaching change, the portal is basically back open up for these guys.

So I'm not sure. I get why people are suspicious, but from what we've heard, it was just they got more information to be able to take action on Sharon Moore. Bruce, with the transfer portal, coaches moving, I mean, it's a wild time in college football. If Kalin-Dibor, let's just say hypothetically,

went to Michigan, I've heard people say, with Lane Kiffin leave LSU before coaching the game and go to Alabama, there's even been people throwing out Matt Campbell, maybe. Does he second think, you know, his chance going to Penn State and maybe go to Michigan? Like, do you think any of that is actually possible? I don't think on the Matt Campbell's side, I know he's really developed a connection with the president there and the leadership of Penn State. I don't think he backs out of them on them.

As far as Lane possibly going Alabama, for everything I'd heard from people high up at Alabama, they wouldn't touch Lane Kiffin. Lane Kiffin definitely has some baggage, and I think there's a bunch of people in the SEC who know it. And I do not think, you know, these, I've asked about this in the past. I don't think Alabama. Alabama is one of the few schools that I know of that for certain doesn't want any part of Lane Kiff. All right. So, Bruce, the other big 10 names, right? So Michigan's behind Ohio State, obviously, this year, behind Indiana, behind Oregon.

So there's some thought where, like, hey, why don't we roll out a big check and just get a no from? This is what Joel Cloud said on his spot. Go and get a no from Dan Lannning, get a no from Signetti. Do you think those could possibly be yeses if the money is big enough or if there's any, like, you know, Signetti obviously wants to. He might win, but is the M enough of a magnet to get those guys to make a move? I don't think so. And in Signetti's case, I'm not sure why you would leave. You know, you just won the Big Ten.

You did something that very few people, no one probably thought that he could do. You know, not only beat Oregon at Oregon, then he beat Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. Dan Lanning's turned down a bunch of would you be interested in those kind of questions. I also don't think the timing is good for that because, you know, you got a team. I think both of these teams have legit chances to win the national title, not just win a game here or there. I just think that, you know, Lane Kiffin can make these moves and bail out on a team. I don't get the impression these guys would do that.

You know, a team that's like going to host a playoff game or have a chance to win. I feel like Oregon and he had a better chance also to win to win the playoff than Ole Miss did. Neither guy strikes me as a guy who would just bail on these teams. you know, at the 23rd hour or whatever the analogy of that, of that expression is. Bruce, I don't want to ask what's a dumb question, but in modern college football, I don't know the answer to this. How good of a job is Michigan? Good question. It is a good question.

You know what? It is the bluest of blue bloods. Like, back in the day, and I'm talking about probably when Chris and I were growing up, it was Michigan and Notre Dame and U.S. and it was a it was probably a top three four job it's still close to that now whether you want to put in Alabama and Texas in there you know Jim Harbaugh just won a national title there you have gobs of money you know the you have one of the richest men in the world who care who has awareness of college sports is an alum and and or has a connection to alums and and will is willing to spend money so I think in that regard it's a really good job I would still say

it's like a top five job. Wow. But I think what makes it a little complicated is now, I think the AD's in some hot water. I think there's some pressure internally on this. You're taken over like a messy situation from Sharon Moore where it felt like they were backsliding. I mean, but honestly, when almost any job comes open in college football,

you're going to be taking it where it's kind of bruised and trying to be put back together a little bit. But in terms of like, status-wise, it's about as big a job. I mean, I think Ohio State is probably a slightly better job because there's more resources there right now and there's better alignment. But it's close and I definitely would say

it's like a top five or six job. Bruce, I don't know this is a strange situation with Sharon Moore. But, you know, Michigan's obviously in danger of maybe losing some kids in the transfer portal or kids that, you know, committed to Michigan or having second thoughts, to say the least, Do you think you couple that with Lane Kiffin's situation at Ole Miss.

Do you think there's any legitimate chance that the NCAA changes the calendar and maybe move signing date back, you know, a few weeks or months? Because it's not like you have to have the kids commit in January. Like what are your thoughts on that? I think it's, you know, you got to keep in mind the coaches, the AFCA really got behind this calendar. I know that Nick Saban and a bunch of other coaches have been, you know, kind of talking about their frustration with it. But there's not a lot of easy answers for this because they didn't want the count,

they didn't want signing day back in early February where it was forever. And then they kind of moved to this early signing period. Then the transfer portal came up. The Big Ten coaches wanted one, wanted it one time. The SEC coaches wanted it kind of more into this window. And the season got longer because now we have conference title games. The playoff is like budding up into the NFL calendar, is one calendar, you know, if you guys know TV ratings better than me, that is one battle they

do not want to fight with the NFL. So it's really complicated. I think it's not the NCA's call, but it's really the coaches, AFCA's call about and the leadership of the CFP, what they can handle. And there's no easy answers. And as you guys have seen with the CFP, there's just a lot of dysfunction in this sport. All right, Bruce. Well, thank you very much for making some time. Happy holidays. Thanks for joining us. Thanks, Bruce. My pleasure. Thanks for having me, guys.

See you guys. Yeah. Later. More first things first after the break. Live from New York, it's a show that handed out some Christmas cards and are expecting Christmas cards back from you guys. Are you? Yes, definitely.

You guys already got my Christmas. I'd rather not get one than have to be obligated to send it. Great take. Right? Let's just be friends and not, don't put the burden on me to now go have to go create a Christmas car. I feel the same way about thank you notes, too, because now I got to send them. You don't just send a thank you note?

No, but when people send you a card, you got to send a thank you note. I learned that from my wife. You don't want to send, I don't get it. You don't want a gift. You don't want a gift. I don't send thank you cards for gifts. There's something. Just move on.

All right. If you have received a thank you card from Chris Broussard, it means a lot. It means a lot. Right. You're a far between. Today, after Bruce's prediction, is Danny willing to go the other way and guarantee that Caleb outplayed?

No, he's not. We'll see. He is not. He's battled. He wants to live in that foggy middle. Oh, my God. Meanwhile, what would a loss for the Chargers?

Wait, what? What a loss mean for the Chargers as they head into Arrowhead? Oh, that's for Dan. Yeah. We understand. Because Charger playing the Chiefs. Because that's Danny's team.

So a lot of times we're like, what happens if the Chiefs lose? Like, we'll flip it. Exactly. Unconvention. Well, yeah. Front of me stuff. In overtime, we're like, going crazy. Bill is headed to New England.

Trying to prevent the Patriots winning their 8th, 11th game in a row, which would give them the AFC East title for the first time since 2019. Here's Josh Allen, speaking very highly of Derek May. He's playing like a vet veteran quarterback. He's seeing things extremely well. He plays at a great pace. It looks like things have slowed down for him, which again, we hate to see that, right? But, you know, I'm happy for how well he's playing because, you know, he's a great human being

on top of being a football player. And, you know, we just got to find a way to win on Sunday. I tell you what, if the Patriots win, we shouldn't invite Josh on the show to talk about Drake. that's why we'd have them on. I think it would be great. Right. All right. Who's the better team to you, bro?

Well, let me start by saying this because you'll like this while. The winner of this game should be the favorite in the AFC playoffs. Shots fired at the Broncos. Yeah. Yeah, I really feel it. A little bit. Because if the Patriots win, I'm like, it will kind of be like when the Bears, but even more so when the Bears beat the Eagles. And they rose to another level in my eyes.

It's like, okay, the bears are legit. Like, right? If the Patriots beat the bills for a second time, sweep them, the bills are playing for something, the bills are upset that they lost to them earlier in the year, that's why I say they would be the favorites in the AFC because that would prove something to me. Now, while it's going into it, I think the bills are better, though.

And again, my opinion might change this weekend, but right now I feel like the bills are better. Obviously, the Patriots have a better defense. But Josh Allen, I still would take him over Drake May. He can go Superman mode. They got the great run game. So I just think the bills are a better team and we'll find out this weekend. I think the bills are better.

I know you always say, we play the games and the Patriots beat them by three. I just, I think the bills are better. Part of it is the last five years of their pedigree. But also, there is something to them being favored in Foxborough. But also, have you been tested? Have you been tested this year? And if you just do a side by side of the two teams and what they've had to go through to get to this point,

the bills have had a tougher schedule. They've beaten better teams. They've blown more teams out. They score more points and they gain more yards. And the Patriots with their last four home opponents are the Browns, Falcons, Jets, and Giants. Those teams have a combined record of 12 and 40. So I'm with you, Brew.

Like if the Patriots back this up where they beat all those bums and then they beat Josh Allen coming off a game where he put, what, 39 on the board and he's playing like an MVP, if they back it up and do it again, to me it is validating for the Patriots. I think the bills are flatly better. Hold on just real quick because then I want Wilds to go. Even if the Patriots do it, I still think you'll feel the bills are better. Well, we'll talk about that on Monday.

Yeah, I mean, I just do feel like even if the Bill is. Is that just take integrity or you really will. That would be tough. It'll depend now. It goes, it will be tough to make the case. But there's anyone who could do it. Yeah, part of it, yeah, that's fair. But I think we all do say, though, let's see if you can do it in January.

And until the Patriots do it, just like until the Broncos do it, there is something, too. I've got to see you do it when the stakes are highest. Okay. I think the strength of schedule argument is tough to push back against. It's like, you're right. But at the same time, I'm like, you're right. Like, I want to be tested against a good team because the best team that we've beaten was the Bills. So it's kind of strange.

Like, who have you beaten? Like, well, we beat the Bills who you're picking to beat us. So that's strange. We also beat the Falcons who the Bills lost to. And we also beat the Dolphins who the Bills lost to. So it's a little bit odd about our strength of victories because we're beating teams that aren't any good that the Bills are losing to. I also think of just this is a bit of a prediction. versus just the, you know, just who's the better team.

But I think it would be noteworthy for this game, and I assume you're picking the bills, that if Mike Vrable was 0 and 6 coming off of a buy, and one of those losses was a 42 to 16 shalacking at the hands of Sean McDermott, that would be like, you know what, that favors the bills. So if we all agree of being 0 and 6 and if Sean McDermott crushed Mike Rable when he's in Tennessee,

it would be like that was definitely a point towards the bills. So if the exact opposite is true, Danny, I feel like you'd have to give the nod to the Patriots if Vrabble 6-0 and beat the Bills and Josh Allen and Shaw McDermott at 4216. I know it was Tennessee, but it's a data point that I feel like is getting blown past that we've been resting and preparing for this game for two weeks.

Can I just ask for the... Is Mike Vrable's career in Tennessee fair game or not? Because the good parts definitely are. So like that and your, listen, it is done. Perfect. Because he is, the way we do these records off a buy, the regular season record, so he is 6 and 0. He does, of course, famously, had the buy as the one seed in the playoffs in Tennessee and lost. So like that doesn't count to the record.

That will count in the playoffs. Right. Okay. And so I am, I think Mike Brable is a. really good coach. I do think the Patriots have the coaching edge here. And I think the Patriots have been the better team this season. I do think that is, despite your graphic, objectively true, and I agree with you. Like, yeah, the Falcons are one of the Patriots bad wins, but that's an awful loss for the Bills. And the only turnabout on that for a team that Bills beat the Patriots

lost who is the Steelers, which I know is that's a very legitimate loss. It's also a weird one because of the five turnovers. I love that loss. Yeah, I know. You love you love. You love all your loss. Hey, don't turn the ball over. But that's all. You think it was a good lesson. It's a good lesson. You got to learn

something. Wilde, I think, has loved everything we're the Patriots play this year with good reason, except for week one, which we all know, doesn't count for some reason. Raiders, we're frisky. So, so I think the answer is, the better team is the Patriots, but the more trustworthy team and the team that I think is more durable

is Buffalo. And I think that this game has enough, and I know we got off on this a bit shortly for Thanksgiving, as we get later in the year and the game start to have more meaning, there is more of a playoff feel to some of these games. And in that spot, I'm of course going to go with the team whose quarterback is more proven, I think right now this moment still, even though Drake's having the better season, the better quarterback and certainly the more tested quarterback. The team that's played far bigger games than this one over the course of their history and the team that has played tougher opponents thus far this season,

not that Bill's schedule's been a list of juggernauts, but they played the Chiefs when they were playing when the Chiefs were good. You know what I mean? That brief moment in time this season when the Chiefs, were playing really well. And some of the Ravens in week one, when the Ravens thought they were good, I understand they're not.

So it's a little bit of doing gymnastics there. I get it. I just think that who do you trust more, which I know isn't the exact question, it has to be Buffalo. And I don't think the Patriots skill advantage, whatever that is, is dramatic enough to overcome that.

And I do think that's reflected in the betting line. The betting line piece, I'm curious what you make of this. Like, it is very, Very rare for a team to have only two losses be at home and this late in the season be an underdog at home. Yeah. It's rare. Like the data that we have.

It's usually like quarterback injured. Exactly. So like Troy and our research department, they can do this going back to 2009. So that, those data points, two or fewer losses and you're a home underdog in week 15 or later. And we take out the last week of the season. Twice this year. It's this week. Twice this week.

Denver to Green Bay. And then the Patriots to the bills. And so again, we take out week 18 because often starters are being set. But what's interesting about the other two times that it happened, the Vikings last year and the Steelers in 17, they both lost their playoff opener. Like just good team, but the underdogs did. Yeah, the. The 11 plus wins.

Teams with gaudy records, but they caught a team that everyone was like, you know what? We actually do think that this other team is better than you because maybe they just, they had a charmed regular season or they had an easy schedule. or an easy path. And it's just, I do think, and I know. Sam Darnal was going to turn into a pumpkin. Yeah, I do think it's a bit of an indicator that the most impartial of observers, the odds makers, think Buffalo is better.

Here's what I say about that. Yesterday. Well, if it's very close and you're at home. It's been flipping back and forth. And we, we remember those teams. Obviously, the Vikings was just a year ago. Pittsburgh, that was better than the buy. Was that that day?

No, I think that was the Pittsburgh year where they, no, because that's 20, no, that's Sorry, 11. No, that was 2017. That was the last really good Steelers team. That was, they lost to the Jags in the playoffs. We knew, though. We felt those teams were bad, but I don't think the Steelers ones were. The Steelers, it was more about who they were playing.

They were playing mid-Dinistty Prime Patriots. Is that when they lost to the Browns? The Blake Gordels. It was, so I hit the Blake Bordels part of the show. No, just real quick, that, that's the, that was a famous game. That was the Jesse James trying to score a touchdown. Patriots playing the Steelers for the one seed late in the year, the last great Ben Rathlisberger year,

and Jesse James is reaching for the end zone and thinks he scores. But that was less, you're right, Brew, that the Vikings, it was about we don't trust them. We knew they weren't that good. The other one was about we trust the opponent that much. It's Prime Brady, Patriots, MVP Brady. Can I bring in the vibes? Have you followed the Bill's vibes at all? a little.

Josh, where's your graphic on the vibes? I mean, the Patriots vibes I hear you talk about all the time. Patriots vibes are insane right now. Patriots vibes are through the roof. The three, two weird parts about the Bill's vibes. One is the Keon Coleman suspension. It's just strange that that's like his number one weapon. But he's back.

He's back, but I'm saying the vibes are weird. Touchdown recently. Two, it's like the fact that this Bill's team that like you have going to the Super Bowl, they themselves are like, we need another weapon on offense and tried to go get Jalen Waddle and didn't get it done. The third thing is this Darius Slay story. Has anyone followed that? Yeah, they put it in the claim.

They put in the, and then they lost a player, and they were very upset about it. And Slay is like, nah, I don't want to go to you guys. And McDermott seemed upset on the way that that was handled. To me, there was a lot. Those really, really the Waddle thing in trying to get Slate and losing a guy. And give me your take on this. Make it seem like we don't have enough. We want to fix our roster on the fly.

And it didn't, it didn't, screen confidence to me. The Waddle thing did surprise me, but I think all teams try to improve over the season and improve along the market. So I'm surprised Waddle surprised you. They led the league in scoring last year. And the GM had been adamant. He was yelling at a radio host. We don't need a receiver. So that, but the.

So can I respond to that real quick before we move on to Shador? because I think your, to kale of Orchador, depending on your view. You said it right. I think your unsaid opinion there is the Patriots weren't trying to do anything. Patriots were happy. I think we were

but it felt like a misstep of a guy that had played a lot of start. They just lost him for nothing because of some mismanagement in the waiver wire. Oh, yeah, the Slay thing was weird because they didn't think he was going to be like, I'm playing for the Eagles or nobody else so I'd rather quit.

The point that I was trying to make about the Patriots is this. I don't know that the Patriots weren't more aggressive at the trade deadline because they think, man, our team is exactly the way we want it or because they think that's not where we're at in the journey. You know what I mean? It would be, it would be not reckless, but a little too aggressive to right now start trading draft picks when like you said, we're ahead of schedule already and we are, we think we can win a Super Bowl this year, but we're not in the all-in moment of the girl quote the mcdermott the mcdermott was pissed he's it just it struck me as something now maybe that doesn't show up on the field and maybe it gets

erased a bit by the great win against cincinnati i would feel was that that great it was a great vibe it was great for five you were talking about vibes it was great for vows you're down 10 in the fourth quarter i understand but that's right but you're down 10 in the fourth quarter you win anyway, your quarterback looks like a superstar, which I know worries you. You're making beer out of the snow from the thing. You were asking Danny about vibes. From a

vibes perspective, that was an awesome win. Drake May is not going to throw two back-to-back interceptions to the Bill's defensive line. I think they were very lucky to get out of that game. Josh played great, but he came back, the Bill's defense, oh my gosh. You are a little, I think, a little

too confident that it's impossible for Drake May to play a bad game. It's impossible for Drake May. I have yet to see Drake May throw back-to-back interceptions to defensive line. I understand that. But you are, you are, you've been operating as if that he is just going to be the one quarterback in the league that's immune to bad performances. And I know you've said Josh McDaniel's not going to let him do it, whatever. The greatest quarterbacks we've ever seen, all of them, have bad games.

Exactly. I appreciate that you got there. Browns Bears, Shador versus Caleb, Cleveland, more than a touchdown underdog against Chicago of 1-5 of the last six. Here's Shador on his comfort level. Since I first got here, you know, it's definitely mentally it's ups and downs, it's different things. But I'll say consistently the same. That's where you see the improvement because that we had that leap of faith, you know, this week, this past week. With knowing that the receiver is going to be in the right places, licking everybody in the eyes saying,

I'm a beater. I got you building that foundation, building that trust. So when everything, like, when I trust, then you get the best out of me. All right, Danny. Brew is guaranteed it. And he put his money where his mouth was. Are you willing to guarantee that Caleb outplayed Shador? Guaranteed.

Well, first time. Thankfully. Brew. We were all nervous. You were forced into that. What did you tell me? Ten goes down. Whatever you need.

They forced you in this. But I'll play along. Go ahead. Nick, am I cheap? Honestly, cartoonishly cheap. Okay? And I'm Will.

I immediately met you at your stakes for dinner. Invite coach. Yeah, but what did you do five minutes later? You're saying, Bru. You've been on TV longer than me. Can I do it like a little of town? I didn't know. I didn't know.

I don't know where we're going. Here's the thing. Here's the thing. The Bears can win this game with Caleb Williams having zero pass attempts. The Bears are going to win this game. Caleb will outplay Chador. And I know it's very impressive that Chador had a great statistical game against the worst team in the NFL, by far the Titans.

And I know it's also very impressive. And doesn't everybody play the Titans? The Bears haven't played the Titans. But there are all these other quarterbacks played the Titans, and very few of them, if any, did that. Okay, but if we're, listen, and I, I'm not even going to make... Yeah, but all the other ones did beat them. Not for him.

Shadour is three games in whatever you want to count. That's what made it amazing. What it made it amazing. The game against the Raiders, he completed 11 passes. He had an okay statistical game, but one of them was a 66-yard touchdown pass where 65 yards was after the catch. Let's not make it out to be... Caleb hadn't had any of those. Let's not make it out to be that Shador is better than Caleb.

I'm not saying that. I am not saying he's better than Caleb. So then predicting him to go on the road when his only other road game is at Vegas, when it's going to be negative degrees outside against the defense that leads the league and takeaways and outplays Caleb. I'm just crazy. Caleb has been pedestrian for many of their games. Caleb, and I agree, I am not saying Shadour is better right now. I am saying he's going to have a better game.

He is not, I agree, he's got to stay away from the turnovers. That's what Chicago is great at, all right? And if he can stay away from the turnovers, I think you'll have a good to very good game. Caleb is facing a tough, tough defense and you know it. And Miles Garrett wants that sack record and he wants it this weekend. All right? Caleb doesn't get sacks. And let me show you, since you throwing out all this stuff, I'm throwing out facts.

I'm facts over feelings and these are the facts. I mean, it is what it is. This is an outrageous graph. Wait, hold on. Rookies aren't supposed to come out of the gate in their first three games and put up great numbers. He didn't come out of his gate and put in the first three games. He's still in the gate. He's literally started three games.

He's still in the game. It's like I was playing quarterback. That's not, he's not counting that one. I'm talking about as a starter. That's he was thrown right in the. If we're being honest, he has played one excellent game. Yes. And that has changed the numbers as a start.

But Caleb has been, y'all know, Caleb hasn't completed, I don't believe, more than 55% of his passes in his last four games. Okay. The pairs lead the league in rushing. That's right. Okay, but that's not the bet. The bet is which quarterback. Your boy handed it off to DeAndre Swift. is not going to win the bet for it.

Okay, but if Shadur throws for more yards but the Bears win, we all agree that we're going to. Yeah, okay, okay. I don't expect Cleveland to weep. He's going to make you right out the contract. I love it. Well, that's wanted to be fair. I expect the Bears to win.

I'm just saying, I have a question for you because you guys are the gamblers. If I was just going to take the Browns, straight up even money, no, just no points. to beat the Bears. Is that a good bet on my part? I mean, you'd get like three to one on your money. But if I just, no, it's just even money. No, it'd be a terrible

that'd be bad. It'd be bad. Because I think you made some great points about the Bears. It's Caleb is the number one pick. He's got two years of experience at this point. Ben Johnson should order's got his coach about to get fired. Maybe doesn't even like him. Ben Johnson took the job.

Best, well, best most takeaways. Takeaways and exceptions. Part of me thinks. What am I walking into here? Thank you, wow. Just even dinners doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I knew it. It doesn't make any sense.

It should either be. I don't even know if it should be like, Brew has to buy, you know, you a dinner, but you have to get like drinks and all, maybe some merchandise dinner and show. The whole production. Because it's not fair otherwise. Oh, okay.

But Caleb's fourth game. Look, Danny, Caleb cannot let this happen. This thing you're predicting is going to have. Caleb's got the better receivers. He's got the better running game. He's got the better play caller. He's got an offense that has been geared and built around him for an entire season. He's at home, yeah.

Shador was ignored for the first 12 weeks of the season. And just thrown in a few weeks ago, your boy could not let this happen. I have it. Go. Because the dinner bet has already been locked in. Gentleman's wager, we know what it is. Wilds makes a fair point that because you are, a gambler. You're not very good at it, but you are a gambler.

And Brew doesn't gamble. You took advantage of him a bit with the stakes. Yes, definitely. So here is the way we fix it. I didn't realize. If Brew wins, you also have to make Christmas cards for Bruce's family. So he has them. Brew, you have to send a picture of you and your wife and lovely daughters

And you have to have them printed up. And you have to trap down. Oh, wow. That's tough. I'd rather just buy somebody dinner than do that. That guy with my Christmas cards. That just gave my wife. Frememones coming up next.

What's her confidence in the charges if they lose? Next up first thing's first overtime. Happy frenemies Thursday. This Sunday, my guy, Justin Herbert, and the Chargers go to Arrowhead to play the Chiefs. The last time they faced off, Herbert aired it out. Three touchdowns, they got the win in Brazil. But now it's enemy territory. The Chiefs in a literal must-win spot.

Here's Herbert on the atmosphere. He and the Chargers are about to face. Take a listen. Still as loud as we've ever expected. You know, there's still a very, very good football team and we have a ton of respect for them. And they're much better than their record indicates as well. You know, they played a lot of tough games, a lot of close games.

And that's the NFL. And that's, you know, the unfortunate part is, you know, you're not going there and going to dominate any team just willy-nilly. But, you know, they're very good, and we have to be on our stuff this year and this week. All right, Nick, would you be concerned for the Chargers if they lost to your Chiefs? Absolutely. Because if, again, if we are assuming, if we are assuming the Chargers have lost this game, here is the new reality for the Chargers. They then need to win at least two of their final three or win the game in Denver alone in week 18

to guarantee they make the playoffs. The Chiefs also under these auspices will have broken their losing streak seemingly, played a good game and be very live, obviously not only to go to Tennessee and win, which I think we'll expect them to do no matter what, but to go at home, have a shot to beat Denver, and have all the pressure on the Chargers in week 18

for a quarterback and a coach that together, the one time we've seen them play in a big spot, played their worst collective game of the year. And I know you like to chalk that playoff game up to the interceptions off guys' hands. Herbert was 14 of 32 in that game. It was a rough performance for him. And I don't think the Chargers are in the,

midst of their best ball. I do, I think there's reason for it. I think it's understandable. But Herbert, the last month, while he has been impressive with his toughness, it's the worst month of his season, last four games from a yardage perspective, from a passerating perspective, they got boat raced by the Jags. And if they lose this game and they're staring at Dallas, Houston, at Denver, and I think it's at Dallas as well.

I would be very worried that they are going to lose at least one of, Dallas or Houston, and then be facing a game with their season on the line in Denver. I don't know how you wouldn't be worried. Well, they play well against playoff teams and the Chiefs aren't a playoff team. I'm just like, no, I don't think that we've gotten to the point in the season where losing to the Chiefs is a set-off-the-alarm situation.

You guys are seventh in points allowed, your 11th in points scored. Like, you're a good team. What Herbert said is correct. Your record is bad. You are in a literal must-win spot at Arrowhead. If the Chargers are supposed to lose this game. Yes, but if you're going to play the supposed to lose game,

if they lose all the games left, they're supposed to lose. They miss the playoffs. I don't agree with that. Hold on. If we're just doing the supposed to, the Chiefs are. Five and a half point underdog in this game. Yeah. They're there.

This is a, this isn't a one point spread in either direction. No, I understand. But the, the chiefs are favored in all their remaining games. We're going to do that. The Chargers are underdogs here. We agree there'll be underdogs in Denver in week 18.

I think I could. We'll see what Denver has to play for in that game. Okay. Again, this all assumes Denver is not resting starters, but because they're going to be fighting for the one seat, I would imagine they won't be. And they're going to be underdogs next week in Dallas.

So even if they're home. It'll be close. Yeah. So if they, if Vegas is right about the, like the Chargers, if the Chargers go one and three and the Chiefs win their games as favorites, the Chargers miss the playoffs. In that exact scenario, yes, but I also think, like, again, so the Changers, the Chargers against playoff teams this year are three and one. Yeah. They hold teams to 21 points per game. Yeah.

They've played well. I don't think it is reasonable to assume that they are going to just fall off the face of the earth. And yes, I think part of why he's been struggling is the bad offensive lineman, the broken hand. These are contributing factors into him going down. But those aren't getting fixed in the next month. Well, hopefully the hand should get better. He had the surgery. I expect the hand to improve there.

And he said so as well this week. But it's just a situation where it almost feels like you're, you've set it up where the Chief's loss is all of a sudden a bad loss for the charges. It's not a bad loss. And this is where I fundamentally, I disagree with you. The Chargers, you believe, if they make the playoffs, are going into the playoffs with the hands down second best quarterback. Behind Josh Allen. Right, behind Josh Allen.

Yeah, absolutely. With a champion level coach, they will have been tested throughout the year and played well against playoff teams. In a wide open AFC, right, where the, the, team that the one team with a better quarterback also is going to have the tough wild card path and they're going to in round one of the playoffs either be facing Trevor Lawrence, bow nicks or uh drake me being right where you will love the Herbert matchup you should be I think the way you talk about Herbert thinking of the charges you know what this is his

Peyton Manning year but and he can they can go to the Super Bowl Of course they can. And if that's the case, then the ability to end the Chief's season and de facto lock up your playoff spot, you should be able to rise to that moment. But if all of those games that you just listed, I would argue that this is the toughest of those spots. Okay. Winning at Arrowhead when the Chiefs have a Patrick Mahomes who is playing well in a literal must-win spot for the Chiefs is a tougher spot to win than in Fawkes. than in Foxborough against the quarterback with zero playoff wins

or against Trevor Lawrence or certainly against Bo Nix. Of the four games you just mentioned, this would be the most impressive win for the Chargers. The problem is this. We just saw the Texans do it. We saw Denver do it. The other AFC playoff teams that the Chargers will be. No, no, no.

Right. They beat the Chiefs. I was focused on the in Arrowhead part like you. We saw them do it. And so if a team is the, The quarterback and the team are the people that you really seem to believe they are. The opportunity with the chiefs hanging by a thread to debt them, I would, I think it is, and the very real part of,

if you don't all of a sudden, like the one in three into a season becomes, oh, well, now it would just be one and two, and we're going to be underdogs in two of those spots, and we might be playing a divisional rival on the road, who is playing for the one seed, peak motivated. Who they've beaten? There is a real concern that this whole thing falls apart. That's the part of this that I am.

It is not that there would be massive concern because they lose this game in a vacuum. If this were week 18, I don't think you have opened up your mind of the possibility of if they lose this game, this could be step one of a three-step chargering the likes of which we haven't seen since the last time. We've seen plenty of us.

They played a win and you're in, week 18 game, and they lost it in cartoonish fashion. Well, I also want to be pretty clear here, and it'll blend into the other side of this. I wish Justin Herbert sometimes wasn't on the Chargers. Because, like, I don't have all of the belief in everything around him with the Chargers. Justin Herbert's a top five quarterback in the NFL.

Yeah, but you... The situation around Hurst is. The situation around Herbert won him Monday night football. So that's the other part of it. Monday night football, he had winning plays and gritty plays, and I really, really respect the toughness. A lot of guys would have just been like, I had hand surgery five days ago. I'm not playing.

Of course. And not only did he play, he got beat up and ran with the ball, all of that stuff. But this Chargers defense that folks refused to give credit to. Last year led the league in points allowed. and it was, and it was, they were the supporting actor in the movie. This Chargers defense turned to Jalen Hertz over five times, including the game winning play when the Chargers offense could only get three in overtime, and it looked like they were going to lose.

So I think the defense is good. Obviously, the coach is excellent. You love the quarterback. The offensive line injuries are devastating. There is no doubt about it. But we are, what I, I don't think it is fair to frame it as if he is at this massive disadvantage year over year. The offensive line injuries are brutal. Everybody understands that.

Like, I recognize that. But it is, it is so brutal that it's at the point where it would actually be historic if they actually went on and won the Super Bowl this year. He would be the most sacked quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Okay. That is an unreasonable. reasonable expectation. So I don't I'm not expecting him win the Super Bowl. I'm expecting him to beat a Chief's team that has lost four out of five.

You are? What? You're expecting the Chargers to win? No, I am under the auspices of this conversation. I am saying you beat the opportunity to put a stake in the Chargers call in the chief's coffin and to beat a team that has shown over the last month, it is imminently beatable. If you have any shot to me of going on a real playoff run, this is the type of game you win. So what would you then say if they do it?

Like what would your level of, like, how much credit do you give them on Monday if they beat the Chiefs? Oh, if the Chargers do this, then I think they are absolutely a legitimate AFC contender. They will. So Philly didn't prove that, but beating this Chief's team in Arrowhead does? No, because I, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Because I, for all the reasons you've kind of alluded to, because of how big a dogs they are, because of the, I don't trust this quarterback and this team in spots like this. If they do it and the fact that they will essentially lock up a playoff spot with three weeks to go and really be able to maybe try to get come into the playoffs as healthy as possible, I think they'd be super dangerous. So this would prove a ton to me as a win, which is why it's such a shame they're not going to get it. Can't wait to watch.

Coming up, we bring Willie Colon and Coach Manjini out here. Can't wait for the player perspective on what Joe Burrow had to say. Coming up. Welcome back. We got Coach Manjini and Willie Cologne with a crazy story out of Cincinnati ahead of the Bengals hosting the Ravens on Sunday. When the two met back on Thanksgiving, the Bengals, of course, got the win. but their playoff hopes basically over now, officially over, with the loss of the bills.

Joe Burrow met with the media yesterday. He was discussing the highs and lows of his season, and it was pretty interesting. Take a listen. If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. You know, I've been through a lot, and if it's not fun, then what am I doing it for? What was the changing point?

Changing point. I'm not sure there was a singular. moment or time of time. It's just a reflection, reflection on a lot of things that I've done and been through in my career, I think. I've been through more than most, and it's certainly not easy on the brain or the body. So it's trying to have fun doing it again. Willie, what's your reaction to hearing that?

It's tough, because I do have some empathy for him. I was a guy who was on back-to-back IRs, and I know what it did to me, mentally and physically makes you question your football mortality, especially in me because I was on a historic team. But I also, you know, this man has been sacked 203 times in his career. He's beat up. And now he loses his bad one to Buffalo, his arch rival, and Josh Allen. And he feels like right now, I don't know if he's starting to see the light. And he's starting to look at Andrew Lux's career. And he's starting to look at everything he's been able to accomplish thus far. And it's not good enough to his standards. So I think it's a little of him licking his own wounds. And honestly,

he may be their fault for it, right? They paid him a boatload of money. They gave him. gave him the weapons he needed. They didn't do nothing on defense and they didn't really re-up the office line to the point where he can stand upright and be efficient as he wants. And the injuries are the cause of it. So, but I do feel for him because when you're sitting there, you're trying to figure it out, you're watching your team work day to day and you're just in rehab by yourself. You're ostracized, you know, pretty much isolated, excuse me, it wears on you. I don't really understand how he got to that question. Like what were the questions leading up to that? Or is that just him being introspective as to where he?

he is now, but I do think that it's very sincere, what he says. And he doesn't strike me as a type of guy where football totally defines who he is, his whole personality. I believe he does love playing football and he loves being competitive and it being fun is a really important part of it to him. And similar to Andrew Luck, when it's not that, he's probably going to be very comfortable moving on. And financially, he's made $177 million at this point. So that shouldn't be a number of issue. He's not over the top extravagant spender and flirted with a batmobile for a while. I was sorry he had to walk that back. That didn't seem like it would be cool. But that also gives you a little insight into he's not necessarily your traditional quarterback in the NFL when you're

buying the batmobile as opposed to some other vehicles that. So he's his own guy. And to me, this is very different than the Carson Palmer situation. Carson Palmer back when he wanted out and retired until they traded him, that to me was, I was, I'm sick of the Cincinnati Bengals. This, to me, feels more like I'm not sure if I still want to continue to play football as opposed to continue to play football for the Bengals. So I think Andrew Luck everybody thinks of, but there have been a lot of players that have just been like, yeah, too hard on my body or the CTE scare.

Look at a laced way to spleen. But I mean, so I was like shredded knee, serious wrist injury, serious toe injury, calf strain, appendix removed. He's had a lot of injuries. But I'm wondering, like, if I'm the Bengals, sometimes like when a coach says something in the media, they've already said it to the team. You know, like, it's, I'm not going to say something publicly

that I haven't said privately. I wonder if that caught the Bengals off guard. Because if it didn't, to me that is a like, let's stop the season. Like, let's stop game planning for the Raiders. Mike Brown, get on your jet, come here, Duke Tobin, stop scouting, come here, Zach Taylor, stop looking at film. We need to get in a room. Because if Joe Burrow decides I want to retire or I want to ask for a trade out of Cincinnati,

it is a, the Colts are calling Philip Rivers because they still haven't gotten over Andrew Luck. It would just be so devastating. So I feel like it is just a, it grinds the organization to a halt of like, we need to figure out what is going on inside Joe Burroughs. Mine here. How would you handle it as a coach? Well, first of all, I don't think, I think all those people could get in the room with them. Yeah, they can't make him happy.

I'm just saying they need to know where, like, because we don't know. Is this, is you have happened to the bang? What does fun look like? Like specifically, what does fun look like for Joe Burrow? Is it winning? Because those are other issues outside of him. It's not just about, when I hear somebody say fun, football is not a fun sport. Like, you have to internally love it to get through it.

It's tedious. It's a ground in your body. And it's a lot pressure. We're guessing. And I watched the press conference. I mean, he didn't reference this at all in this one. But like, you know, his house was robbed. And then he thought that the reporting of that was kind of an invasion of privacy.

So is he kind of saying, I don't want to be in the public eye anymore in celebrity. Like, I don't know what it is. I'm saying if I ran the Bengals, I would need to be sure that I figure out what it is. Like, what is he talking about here? I don't think, to your point, I don't think he can figure it out now. Like, what do you expect the ownership for the Bengals to run to Joe Burrow and say what? Right. Like, there's a game to play.

There's a whole roster to it tend to. You just signed two of his top receivers. You want me to cater to one guy who we just. Yes. Yes. He matters more than all of them. I get it, but you're a millionaire in your house got broken. and do that happens, you're getting scrutinized because you're the quarterback.

How do you think Kelsey in the Holmesville? They both got wrong. I'm not saying, and I have no idea if it's about that or not. I'm just saying whatever it's about, whatever made Joe Burrough say, I only want to do this if it's fun and I got to figure that out again. Like, it would just, it would scare me. It would scare me if I ran the Cincinnati. And you could go and bend over backwards and do a thousand things,

but unless that person decides that this is what they want to, do, it's too hard a job to kind of sleepwalk your way through. Man, 22 to 24 teams would call the Bengals tomorrow. Right. But look at the comment we're talking about. You're talking about a quarterback who's been gifted a boatload of money, gifted weapons on the outside, valid to have issues on defense and on the office. I'm all right.

But if you're the Jets or somebody, do you want a quarterback talking about he's not having fun? Yes. That's a bigger issue. The Jets? The Jets would be thrilled. But you're not getting Joe Burrow wants to play quarterback. You're getting Joe Burrow and that's what New York means. A depressed Joe Burrow.

That's what exactly would be doing. I'm saying the Jets would roll the dice. Philip Rivers wants to play football. He practiced. Shane Steichen was like, yeah, we'll see. And then now all of the reporting is he's going to start. In line to start against Seattle on Sunday. Five years, Hall of Fame semifinalist.

He's going to play a top five defense in the end of the first. NFL, Willie. Your thoughts? I just pray he doesn't get broken in half. I mean, he's been on the couch. And I mean, everybody can jump off the couch and lead a team down the field. Obviously, his resume speaks for himself. He hasn't played since 2020, but I don't know what you're really asking him to do. I really don't. So if you feel like he can put on the cave and do something today, you know, bless us to him, but I just don't see it happening. Yeah, I watch all those fights where it's like Mike Tyson, Jake Paul or all the old fighters that come back. And I'm always hoping like, oh, we're going to get Mike Tyson. Yeah. And then it's always a little depressing

and really disappointing. And I think Seattle's going to be a better fighter than Jake Paul would have been with Mike Tyson. And you got a really good chance to get lit up here. And they'll bring the heat. And this is different than running around in that bubble where nobody's really hitting. That's the thing.

You know, Red Jersey, Texas, Jack. Right. I heard Brady with Colin the day, and it was awesome. And Brady was talking about, like, you know, quarterbacking is, you know, from the neck up. And I, obviously, he would know. But he's been on the couch for five and a half years. He has to run around.

Right. It just, it seems reckless and crazy, and my guess is it's not going to look good. That was never Phillips game. Phyllis game was always scrambling, thrown off platform, being mobile, big plays down the field with his arm. He's not a pocket quarterback. Yeah, that's my time lasts it so long. It was from the neck up, and that's how he always operated. This feels dangerous.

Enjoy the game tonight. We're back tomorrow. Thanks for hanging out with the OT. Thank you.