First Things First - Super Bowl and MVP Predictions, Cowboys’ best chance to win a title, Matt Leinart joins

Episode Date: September 4, 2026

(0:00) DROY Predictions, Is this the Cowboys’ best chance to win a title? (23:52) Patriots & Christian Gonzalez concerns, Can T-Law prove he’s elite? (40:42) MVP Predictions (47:13) Super Bowl predictions (01:06:04) Matt Leinart joins (01:17:40) Will the Bills miss the playoffs?  (01:25:42) Danny’s Super Bowl and MVP picks (01:47:39) Maxx Crosby to the Cowboys? (01:59:50) Will the 49ers upset the Rams? (02:07:03) Vibes the highest with the Cubs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, join thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Walk. Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcfwalk.ca.ca. All right, is everybody on? Brewer, are you on?

Yeah, I'm on. Nick's here. Good. All right, happy Friday. It's the final day of predictions week. Need some ideas on how to end on a high note. We really want to go out with a bang here. Final day of predictions week.

What do we got? Man, listen, the Ravens is the only option to start the show, man. Let's go. I mean, look, we just did a segment on Lamar. I don't really like that. Yeah, I think we've done the Ravens. I love it. Should we talk about another championship for the red and yellow?

Are we talking about you or the Chiefs? Okay, again, I say we start with the team in New England. Yes, the New England Revolution have been one of the surprises of the season. Thank you, Dax. We're not going to do MLS, though. Yes, if we look at the Premier League table. We're talking American football, y'all. The Bears. Wrong meeting, Parkins. Yours is after this.

Bears. Again, wrong meaning. Don't want to be rude here. Am I in the right Zoom call? and people are working out. Greg, you know your camera's on, right? Oh, my bad. We should just start the A-block with the Packers. Y'all know that.

I agree with Gray. Let's start with Green Bay. Coach, you know your camera's on, right? Yeah, I know. Look, no bad ideas in the brainstorm, but we do want to start off with something that grabs people's attention. Guys, you're forgetting about a team,

the New York football Jets. I don't like it. You love it? Hey, Wilde, so we here at the Pulitzer Prize winning podcast, Pablo Tori, finds out, have just discovered that there is a new SEC investigation. Hey, Nick, are you totally locked in? No, no, no, I'm just researching some odds, guys. I'm doing research, too. We're getting closer.

I don't think we've quite got it. Need to end the week on a high note. Yeah, I mean, I'm all in. Good? Not right for A block. My tempo. We got the A block. A block, A block, A block, A block, A block, A block, A block, A block.

Ooh. I'm with Nick. We could start with Kansas City. Yeah, that always works, to be honest with you. That's a really good idea, Patrick. Thank you. Yes, the Kansas City current are a little bit of a disappointment right now. Live in New York, it's the conclusion of predictions week.

Long Zoom call there. Long Zoom call. A little. That was a tough. creative leadership. Yeah. We're a little bit lost. But thank you to everyone for weighing in. Shout out Patrick for logging in right before the season. That was great. That is. Yeah. A lot of times he misses the call. Yeah. I think it's a time zone thing. He's central. We're always like, no, it's 10 a.m. Eastern. It's okay. All right. First hour of first things first. Today, as mentioned, Chiefs Camp, are we sure Kansas City's line is ready to protect Mahomes from this Broncos pass rush?

Meanwhile, college football already in full swing. Dionne got a win last night. Matt Leiner joins us live from Indiana as the Hoosiers get ready to repeat. And finally, it all comes down to this. The conclusion of Predictions Week, Super Bowl, regular season MVP, and the one Super Bowl fave that some people have missing the playoffs entirely. Some people? Some people have.

For a person? No, one person? I don't know. I haven't surveyed the world. but I know that's at least one person, so. Yes, at least one person. Chris Broussard, Kevin Wilde. It's Nick Wright.

Are you excited for the finale of Predictions Week? Couldn't be more excited. I am very curious when we see the full list of everyone's picks and everything if anyone other than me followed the historical rules. I'm just curious. You talk about it all the time. Worse to first is one. Do you have one of those?

Do you have five new playoff teams? Do you have that? A deep sleepers, we all know. Well, deep sleepers not a rule. I don't know if I have a worst at first. I have a, everyone thought they were the worst. You have the Vikings going to first, but they weren't worse. But everyone thinks they were.

That doesn't. It's just, I'm a narrative. Everybody thinks there. Okay. We're starting in Dallas. Stephen Jones talking about the cap. While the cowboys are moving some money around, very interesting. Here's Steven on paying Pickens and CD lamp.

The situation we have with George Pickens going alongside CD, it's, you know, most teams, I don't know of any teams that really can pay, you know, two top receivers, top of the market. If everything works out the way we think it is, which CD and George both have huge years again, then it'll be a bigger challenge next year. The other news today, Cowboys clearing over $19 million in salary cap space. They restructured some contracts, so they got about 30 years. million dollars if they wanted to make a trade. Little Max Crosby.

Right. That would be. I would love that. It would be for that. It wouldn't be to give pickings and extension because they're not allowed to. Okay. So franchise. Once you're past like mid July on the franchise tag, you're not allowed to get an extension.

So that would have to be. You can't after the year. But during the year, it would only be for trade or for other reasons. Cowboys best chance to win, bro. Well, look, first of them is I'm high on the Cowboys this year. but why is Stephen Jones even bringing that up? I'm sure he was asked about it, but why answer it? George Pickens has been a good soldier, no issues,

not talking about his contract, let it go. Can I add to that before you answer the question? I grew through 100%. First of all, he's factually wrong. I don't know of any team. There's 32 teams and one in your own division up until very recently was paying two receivers, you know, top-ish of the market. And the Bengals are currently paying two receivers topish of the market.

First of all, you're just not correct. Second of all, to Bruce's point, it feels unnecessarily, and I think unintentionally, antagonistic towards Pickens. To where Pickens's like, wait a minute. You're saying, like, even if I'm awesome, like, that's a problem. And so I just, it is, Stephen Jones really has filled the void of Jerry doing less media. where he has stepped in

and so I just, I agreed with Brew. I didn't think he needed to say it. He doesn't sound as kind of crazy and folksy as Jerry, but he's still saying that that just wasn't necessary. But that said, I don't want to say best chance since 95

when they won the Super Bowl because they've had some good teams. And I won't go through all of them, but remember back with Romo and Terrell Owens, they were 13 and 3, lost to the Giants that beat the 7th. 17 and O Patriots. That obviously was a good team.

And they've, look, those, I won't go to the 13 and 3 team in Dax's rookie year because he was a rookie. So I won't, I won't say that. That team was awesome. They were really good. I just felt, eh, he's a rookie, you know, what is. But look, those three straight years of 12 and 5 under McCarthy. I mean, they had top five offense and defensive teams twice during that run. So they've had some good teams.

and DAC hasn't been able to get it done in the and the rest of them in the playoffs. But I do think they have a legit chance to break their streak of not only getting to the NFC championship game but to the Super Bowl. Not saying I'm predicting that necessarily, but I feel better about them this year

than I have in a long, long time, including those McCarthy years. The offense, when Dak is healthy, it's going to be one of the top offenses and he's never had a duo like this at the receiver position. And Nick, I love the additions defensive. I mean, they had Quinn and Williams. You know, he's going to be good.

I think Oversone is just going to improve the draft pick. Rishon Gary, like, their front line's not bad now. Kenny Clark, you know, like, I think they're going to be pretty good. You know, middle of the pack defensively, which will be good enough with that type of offense. So, yeah, I think they have a good shot to do something. in the NFC. So listen, if they are middle of the pack defensively, I think you'll be right, Brew.

But I don't, when you look at what they were defensively last year, getting from what you're about to see, which is 30th or worse in most categories, statistically. Well, yeah, 30th and last in five major categories. Getting from there to average is very difficult. And you guys know how much. We've seen it, though. Chargers with Minter.

They were this bad? They weren't dead last, but they were like bottom five-ish. So the, and you guys, Caleb Downs was one of my favorite players in the draft. My favorite players in college football. I love that addition. Quentin Williams is a true, you know, perennial, all-pro-ish-level player and a real adult and a great player, a very, very good player. I still, though, have huge questions about their back end of that defense.

Now, maybe the pass rush will be improved enough that, the back end will be harder to exploit. But I have just massive question marks about this team defensively. And I also think, I think there are two teams that the last month, the way they have been discussed on shows like this are the most out of step with how Vegas season. And that is in one direction, the chiefs who have the fifth best Super Bowl odds, Fifth best. Vegas says, hey, they're not the best team,

but they have the fifth best chance of winning the Super Bowl. And most of the discussions that at least we've had and I've seen are, will the Chiefs make the playoffs? And the Cowboys, who have somewhere, depending on which book you like, from 11th to 15th best Super Bowl odds, that are very often being discussed like this. And when you look at again since Dak's been there, the Cowboys Super Bowl odds,

what they're telling you is this is a pretty run-of-the-mill Cowboys team. That, again, his rookie year, it was low, but then the year after it pops to six. But they have lived in this outside of the top five inside the top 12 for most of Dax's career. But it does feel like a lot of the media feels the way Brew does, which is this Cowboys team feels better than that. Like this Cowboys team feels more dangerous than the team a couple years ago or four years ago, like when they have been. around the same and the odds. Are either of the odds things, and you know this better than I do, just a little bit of financial momentum of just a bunch of money,

just betting on Mahomes and not, and like, I'm not, I'm just going to go. This team I know is going to be good because of Patrick Mahomes, and this team I know is going to be mediocre because they're the cow. Yeah, I mean, listen, the cow is historically, what you're saying is happening to the chiefs in the betting markets. Historically is what people have said. said has happened to the Cowboys in the betting markets. Yeah.

That they are, that, you know, when they have the 10th best odds, they actually should have the 14th best odds, but so many people like betting the Cowboys. So maybe that's happening somewhat to the Chiefs. I'm not, you know, I don't know if they have a wide enough fan base, even though they've had this type of success. But that speaks the fact that then the truer odds for the Cowboys is like 13 or 14, not 11th, but they are not being discussed like that. Like what Brew is saying is not a hot, I don't think it's a hot,

take. Like I hear a lot of people saying this is the best team of Dax career. This Cowboys team should win the division. This team can break the Super Bowl track. I think they're also, and I get it, it's only kind of one year, but when you saw the Patriots come out of

nowhere last year to get there, Seattle was good the year before, but you know, nobody expected them to be like a juggerna. And you've seen, now I know before that it's Eagles, Niners, chiefs and stuff. But maybe there's a feeling of, you know,

somebody's going to take a jump just like the Patriots did last year. The pickings being on the pick and steal just like, hey, you're on the franchise tag. And this comment's like, we might not have you. I'd go 49, 51. He's not on the team next year.

Them freeing up money. The idea that Jerry Jones says he wants to have a, get a Super Bowl. Do you think that they could make a, like a desperate like Rams ass? I don't care about our picks anymore. We really want to put all our chips.

Dax not getting any younger. So I certainly think it's on the board. It would be a stunning reversal from Jerry's rationale on trading Mika to then, which was, you know, we're going to use Mika to get four good players and young players and cheaper players and draft picks to then 14 months after you trade Mika, send Sons. similar compensation out to bring in an older, I think, Max Crosby. And remember, wasn't there doctor involved in the physical,

saw the physical that were the Ravens turned back? I think the cowboys. There was something weird about that. Josh, but the, but I do think that the cowboys are one of the teams most. The thing is, it would be a reversal from what you said, but Jerry Jones historically has not always been the most consistent with his messaging versus his actions. So I certainly think they're high on the list of teams that could make a significant mid-season move.

Yeah. And now, like you said, they've been financial flexibility. We're not the cheese. We're not trying to always be in the mix. We're trying to do it right now. We're trying to get it done. YOLO a long time. I think they could say, are we still saying yolo? No, we're not. I got terminology.

Well, depends on who's we. Had to Kansas. I'll throw it out there every blue moon. At Kansas City. We're in a home's offensive line. Already has some question mark. Josh Simmons miss practice again yesterday. We're 10 days away from the chiefs hosting the Broncos.

Who remember had a historically great pass rush last year. So second most sacks by any team in last 35 seasons. Offensive line with some injuries, quarterback coming off of a surgery. How concerning is this? Listen, Josh Simmons is either the chief's second or third most important player, depending on how you rank him versus Chris Jones. So that is, I think, undeniable, and I don't think anyone would debate it,

that he is, other than Patrick, arguably their single most indispensable player and inarguably one of their two most indispensable players other than Patrick. This has felt all along like because of that, they are being extra cautious with back pain. Like that's what this is being reported as, not that he suffered like an acute injury, but he has had back pain and stiffness, and so he's getting treatment and being very careful with it.

Listen, there were one of the reasons he fell in the draft were these kind of nebulous question marks about him, not being a bad guy, but about availability and things like that. So that makes it more concerning. I'm not, he missed time twice last year once because he left the team for an undisclosed family situation and the team was very, I think, gracious about, you know, never reporting on what that was. That one is what it is. The other one I don't hold against him at all. He was blocking and the running back tried to help chip and broke his wrist, like jumped into him and broke his wrist.

That to me was a fluke injury. That's not the type of thing you expect to repeat. But so I don't know if it's fair to be like, oh, he's an injury concern. Like he got hurt once last year by his own player hitting him. So I don't know. What I do know is this. I am incredibly optimistic about what this chief's team can be. I think the only, they have a major, though, question still at right tackle.

I'm okay with that. I think you don't have to have five lockstock offensive line. I mean, I think you'd love to, but most teams have a question mark at guard or center or somewhere. because they are still figuring out what they're doing at right tackle, they cannot all of a sudden be missing their left tackle for an indefinite period of time start the season. And so how big of a deal is this? It's, you know, something or nothing.

It's either everything or nothing. And so, like, I don't, the real practice, you know, the week of game day practice is next week. They won't practice again until next week. And we'll see if he's not out there for their practice. Well, I don't know if it will be Wednesday or Thursday. Thursday since they play Monday night. Whenever their first practice of the week is,

I will be a seven out of ten concerned. If he is out there, I'll just think that they were being very cautious to make sure he's ready for week one. Yeah, it's very concerning. So much so that, and I've picked the Chiefs to make the playoffs, if he were out, like

last year he missed half the season. If he were out like that type of run, I don't think they make the playoffs. Like Patrick's obviously coming off injury. Best offensive alignment is not there at the most important position. So that would be huge. And you know, Nick, there's reporting out there that the chiefs don't think he's that hurt,

which to me, obviously you don't want him to be seriously hurt. But that's alarming, too, if that's true. Now, that's anonymous, you know, it's reporting about anonymous sources. But that to me, if they think, if they really think he's not that banged up, that brings in the question your toughness, your heart. your fortitude, which are not things you want questioned by with your left tackle. Can I go on the record, though? I would rather that be the case.

Really? That he's not tough? No, no, no. I'm not saying. He's got a hamstring. He can't go. No, what I'm saying is. No, but if he's like, my back's bother me a little bit, well, you're going to be,

something's going to bother you a little bit. I'll see it. I get that, but it's also pre-season. He hasn't missed any games. And so if you're telling me, I have two doors to walk through. One is he's dealing with a significant injury. And the other is, he probably could be out there practicing,

but he doesn't feel 100% so he doesn't want to. I will take that door. Okay, that neither is good, though. But if he misses a game because of that situation, that's very different than the last couple weeks of, you know, the post-training camp before we get to real practice, this, I don't feel great. I'm not going.

He's not into it. Look, he's in his second year. No, so I'm not a long-time grizzled vet who's, man, I've been through eight training camps. I'm not doing it. this again? That would be, and now I get it, if that probably is the best of the two options, but neither the options is. No, but there is a third option, which is he is banged up. The team also does not want him practicing right now and that they're all on the same page, which is,

hey, you know, he made it through training camp. Like, it's not like he missed all, like a bunch of training camp. He was practicing in training camp, but it was at the end of training camp that his back flared up, and he's been out since then, hasn't been practicing. They're like, hey, take the time between the end of training camp and the first official practice week of the season. Get right. Because Trey Smith, the right guard who talked yesterday about his goal this year is to, you know, prove once again how available he is. He missed time last year. Trey was out with kind of like mysterious.

The chiefs are not very, they don't give you a ton of, I don't, yeah, they don't give you a ton of details on injuries. Trey was missing practice and Andy was messaging it the exact way he's been. messaging it with Josh Simmons. So I'm not disregarding the kind of anonymous sourcing on this. But we don't know. It could be a plethora of options as far as what's going on. But if he misses time, they better run the ball against – if he's not there against Denver, they should run the ball 40 times.

Yeah. You know, like that's what I can't have Patrick's blindside in his first game back be his first game with, you know, the left tackle they traded for. You know, that can't happen. All right, predictions week rolls on. Defensive Rookie of the Year, previous winners. Browns, linebacker, Carson Swayzinger, new teammate Jared Verst, won it before that, Will Anderson Sauce and Micah Parsons.

Who do you have winning this year? I think, Nick, you go first. So, typically, if a player is, without a doubt, the number. number one player in the entire draft at his position. And he not only goes in the top 10, but a team moves up to go get him. We say, okay, he's going to be an instant impact. We expect him to instantly be, you know, one of the better players in the league at that spot. And yet all offseason, all I hear about is, oh, my God, what are the Chiefs going to do at secondary?

Well, I don't know. They took the best corner in college football by a mile last year, and they moved up to go get him. Mansour Delane is my answer to this. I think that there are a few guys on the Chiefs who are going to benefit from the expectation gap that finally for the first time works in their favor, as opposed to the years, a couple years ago when they started out in 10 and O and people were like, yeah, but the games look funny. This year, I think people expect, the defense is going to struggle all year. They spent three top 40 picks on defensive players. Noel Williams is good another corner.

They brought back Ligerius Sneed. We'll see what he has left. They signed Kyris Tonga. I think the Chief's defense is going to be considerably better than people think. And I think Mansour Delane is going to be outstanding. So Mansour Delane's my answer. I am going with a defensive back as well. But for the Cowboys, Caleb Downs.

Because I do think they're going to have a big jump. I think their defense jumps up to the middle of the pack maybe a little higher. He's not the only addition. They even have a new defensive coordinator, which I like right now, Christian Parker. And I think he's a leader already. And if their defense jumps, I think he's going to get a lot of credit for it. One addition to that, I think the Cowboys are going to score so many points for you're going to have to start throwing the ball and he's going to get opportunities to make plays. A little bit like Miles Garrett.

I also have Caleb Downs. So no one likes Ruben Bain. I was going to say the trendy pick is Ruben Bain. Okay. And I did that was, I was debate. between him, pardon me, between him and Mancer Delane.

Small win for Will Campbell there if it happens. Short arms? Well, yeah. They play different. Well, nevertheless. What's that? Wow.

Trumpets. That's right. Wow. I have amazing stats here. About to prove he's elite and. They're his? Yeah.

A surprise message. What? Really? From who? An unhappy Jacksonville Jaguar. That's next on FS1, the Fox Sports Channel on Sirius XM. It's fake news.

Two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, join thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation walk. Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcf walk.ca. Don't forget you can take predictions week on the go.

First things first available on your phone on all the social media apps, YouTube, which has original content from Gianna, including backstage access to our fantasy football league that I for some reason have to participate in, but Brew doesn't. Brew's in it. Fantasy football league? Brew, you're in the league. Exactly. Somebody else must be making my pick.

We haven't done it yet. Yeah, Bru, what you're in it. I ain't playing. Brue. Wow, what a team player. I live in a nice. In fair, if you were born in the 60s, you don't have to play. There might be a chance at the Patriots.

That is me. Yeah. Take the field next week without one of their franchise cornerstones. Christian Gonzalez is at training camp working hard. Iron sharpens iron, a lot of people are saying with him and AJ Brum. After he took a little time off. For what? He missed some training camp practice.

He might take some more time. Yeah. Yeah. The word out. Negotiating a new contract, he wants to be in line with fellow corner Devin Witherspoon. They share an agent too. We just signed a four-year $132 million deal. Gonzalez was asked about his status.

What's going on? Here's what he said. You know, I'm focused on today right now. It's practice. How do you focus on today with the contract still lingering? I mean, it's football. It's my job. I got to do it.

I got to do. Have any impression of whether or not the contract. contract will get done before Wednesday. I'm not sure. I don't know. Okay. How worried to the Patriots. Welcome, Greg.

Welcome to Predictions Week. How worried to the Patriots and Patriots fans be? More worried than you are, which is not at all. Or you mean then he's letting it? Yeah. I'm not, for real. So I, so other things Christian Gonzalez said yesterday that were, because I really, I did more research on this topic than I've been.

this topic than I've done on any B1 topic in a very long time. Because I know this guy. They're all important segments for the record. I understand, but I usually, I usually, oh, God, I just kicked that. That's a little called. Patriots karma. Was that the sin?

Yes, the shit right into the, God, dog it. Well, you'll see a tweet that. We put it there. The, because I know you, you know, you get all, your algorithm sends you every last little Patriots news and note. Yeah, I'm also out there. I wanted to be buttoned up. Okay, good.

Part of his press, not press conference, but at his locker room comments yesterday that weren't called on camera, was when he said, quote, I'm frustrated. And when he was asked about playing next week earlier, he said, when the time comes, that's when things will happen. Whatever that means, meaning somewhat, okay, maybe. Pass that. Non-committal. Furthermore, two days ago, his trainer goes on the radio and says that the contract they offered him was, quote, garbage. He's asked about that, and he said, I back everything he says, and he and I talk every day.

Again, just, I know you did a lot of research into this. He went on through the radio because it was even worse. Did you know that? He put a tweet out, said, if you're not going to pay him, trade him, basically. He went on the radio to fix it. Okay, but he also said, he said, he said, I back every, I talk to him every day, I back everything. He says, there is then one additional complication. And I know you, you are very critical of certain head coaches for certain press conference things. Mike Brable a couple weeks ago was asked about their defense and called it dog bleep.

And then was asked, a follow-up on that, and he said it's because we're not a deep team. Correct. He then was asked, was that a shot at the front office? And this is the part that I think is most interesting here. He said, we are the front office, meaning I'm not taking a shot at anybody because I'm the guy in charge.

Well, that makes this kind of, contract dispute far trickier than a typical one with the team. Because the way I have understood it for most teams, great player is in a dispute with the general manager in the front office. The coach can at least to the player be like, listen, man, I'd pay you anything. Like, they don't, I'm not in charge of that. We love you. Put your arms around him.

Vrabel's made it very clear, I'm the one in charge of everything. So if Christian Gonzalez feels like, hold on, I have the same agent as Devin Weatherspoon, their contract got done he was just in the same interview he was asked about the Seahawks one of the things he said is they take care of their players I don't think it's nothing I don't think I think he's the second

best player on your team I don't know why you guys haven't paid him I don't know why you guys are dragging your feet on this and he's upset about it so I certainly don't think it's nothing and if it were the Cowboys it would be leading all the shows that this type of dispute is going on for no

reason Look, I don't think that Wilde should be very concerned. Is it concerning? Yes. But being very concerned, I wouldn't be because he's there. He's practicing. And if you listened a little further in that same clip that was able to be heard by any and everybody, talking about the game against the Seahawks, he said we, we.

He threw himself into it. Now, you might say, Greg, you're reaching a little bit because everybody. Everybody says we not when you are as frustrated as you're alluding to. Like I'm not saying he's not frustrated because he's definitely frustrated. I've been there. Contract issues are very frustrating. But as a player, your best ability is to show, you know what? Sometimes if I'm not going to be here, let's see how good you guys are without me.

The fact that he's there, the fact that they're trying to chase something, they're trying to bounce back from a tough loss against a team that, oh, by the way, you're playing. in week one, you get a chance to show who you really are as a defense and as an offense. Like he wants to be a part of that, I do believe, while being paid, knowing that he can be paid, and he is one of the better defensive backs in all of football. With that being said, the fact that he is there and present, that speaks volumes to. Greg, you're reaching a little bit because everybody says we. No, not everybody says we. I mean, I think he's looking at it.

I'm being a good soldier. I came here and I'm practicing. I'm giving my all. I'm not holding out or holding in. And I'm, they're still not paying me. I mean, you're under contract.

It's not like you're doing anybody a, you know, I hear you. I know, but it's like your job to be there. He said that too. He's like, it's my job to be here.

I'm getting paid millions of dollars. I have kind of taken the same approach as you throughout this. Like, this will get worked out. He'll get paid. He'll play. Not a time. I don't know if this is anything or not. But what does, would concern me a little,

or Stefan Gilmore's comments. Look, Patriots great, you know, all pro player, you know, veteran. I mean, he said if I'm Christian Gonzalez, I'm not playing. And I would imagine Gonzalez looks up to him to some degree. And he's a guy that's dealt with the Patriots for years and knows, you know, how. this can affect your career. So that would just give me pause that does Gonzalez really put a lot into what Gilmore is saying?

Look, the last two times he was on the field. He sealed the game with the interception against Jared the Javlin, the Broncos game. So he won that game. In the Super Bowl, he had a few great pass breakups. Look, the game wasn't close. JSN, who was supposed to go off, was four for 27. Again, those weren't all Christian Gonzalez. But he could have been, if we had won the game, which would have been shocking, he would have been in line for Super Bowl MVP if we lost.

That's how well he played. Does that make sense? I'm just saying he played it as well. The whole role would have to be. It's in a multiverse. Yeah. Which is why he thinks he deserves to be paid. When he played 18 games last year, we went 16 and 2.

He missed three. We went 1 and 2. We lost to the Raiders and the Steelers. So I think he has a good case. The fact that he's got the same agent as Devin Weatherspoon, and this is I'm starting to read the contracts, and I was getting into it, and like when the money comes and when the guaranteed money comes and how it's on their current deal. And there's a point I was like, I'm out. You guys figure it out. I think there's nuance in it that if I'm Christian Gazal's agent and I think I got Devin Witherspoon the best structured deal and the Patriots want to do it differently structured, I think there's some friction there.

Yeah. But I'm not worried about him missing the game. I'm not worried about him being traded. I think Grable's a little worried about him missing the game. Brable, when he was asked about it, said they have to have multiple plans depending on who's available. I think Brable will say that. Yeah, but as a coach, you got to be prepared for any and everything. And it's on the board that he would, he could not play.

Yeah. However, again, back flares up. Again, when you look at. If that happened, that would be Armageddon. That would be. No, it wouldn't. Chris Jones sat out. And it was a huge storyline.

Right. And right. I agree. And I think this is a big story and you don't want it to be. But like if he sits up there with his agent and we're taking shots of him week one and you guys, well, that's the game. That's the Lions game. Yeah, that would be a big story.

Yeah. And I'm just saying I think that is a, if he does not get an extension by Wednesday, I think it's a 25% chance he doesn't play Wednesday. Wow. But I, again, but I think it's also, there's also a good chance he does get the contract. You know, but I'm saying if there's no, this is the exact player you've got to pay. Yes. You drafted him. He's been awesome. You've been successful. He's been a good city.

And so you can say he's under contract. He is under contract. But the implicit agreement with first round picks is if I am the elite of the elite, you will, and I am asking for a reasonable deal, which it, from all accounts, he is. is I will get it. The four highest paid cornerbacks, Devin Witherspoon, Denzel Ward, Trent McDuffie's on a new team, sauce on a new team. So it's weird. It is a highly valued position,

but it's almost so valuable that the guys move around a little. Yeah, except Devon Weatherspoon, who was drafted and signed and he's the highest paid. They have a really good past defense, or they did last year, largely because of that. Yeah. Yeah. Got crushing Super Bowl.

Head to Jacksonville. You just nag your own team? No, but we lost. You played a big game, well. Head to Jacksonville, where Trevor Lawrence and the Jags are the unofficial. Nobody believes in this team. Not official, unofficial. Won 13 games last year, but our friends at Fandulul, had their over and under set in only eight and a half.

It's so just. Here's Trevor Lawrence. One of the biggest things is learning to find that confidence within myself, you know? During a lot of crazy circumstances. And a lot of ups and downs. And I've learned a lot through every season. I've been able to figure it out. And I still come out the other side.

I learn something from it, and I get better. Yeah. And that, that right there, that gives me a lot of confidence. That's right. That's the shit Albert Brewerin Sports Illustrated. What's the question, KW? Can Trevor prove that he's elite? Before I answer the question, I would like to acknowledge something.

You guys have been throwing out the roller coaster allegation of Trevor Lawrence. That is 100% accurate. And in fact, whether, if you guys remember or not, when we used to do the Josh Allen roller coaster graphic, I talked about Trevor a lot about how he had similar roller coaster stuff, and everybody acknowledged it with Trevor. And with Josh, people acted like it didn't exist. But Trevor's career, if you break it down into buckets, which I know you guys hate, but it ignores, first 25 games, hold on, I'm just showing you.

First 25 games was terrible. The next 25 games until he got hurt and they didn't have a cart for him. He was awesome and they won a playoff game. The next 15 games, he was awful again. And then last year basically, almost after the first couple of games of last year, it's the last 15, he was excellent again. So that is a fair- Those ratings aren't excellent, though. No, but the win-loss record and the touchdown interception ratio is.

The passer rating is not, you're correct, but the win-loss and the touchdown to turnover. The end of last year, he was-cooked. And so he was excellent. So I acknowledge that, which is what makes this next graphic all the more impressive. Because can he prove he's elite? I don't know. Since he's been in the league. If he had multiple years where you were in the MVP consideration, if you won a playoff game, that's the full list of guys.

I don't know. There's no question about the other five guys being elite. Top ten. Top ten. I could have done top seven and clipped some people, but I didn't because you guys don't like top seven. because he's had a seventh and a fifth. So if you had multiple excellent seasons and won a playoff game,

six quarterbacks have done it. Multiple excellent individual. I don't think he's had multiple excellent seasons. Well, I mean, he's had multiple seasons where he finished. And then 93 pass. It's not excellent. Okay, well, then somebody should be stripped of MVP votes. I'm just saying he's had multiple years

where he got MVP votes and he's won a playoff game. In his career, there's only five other guys who've done that. And those are guys that we say are phenomenal. Those are the five best quarterbacks in football. So if he does it again, if he has another awesome year, then obviously. Excellent, awesome.

Like, he was good last year. And I get it. Okay, fifth in MVP. It's not the same as the NBA. If you're fifth in NBA, they just started giving, having the five MVP rankings. Yeah. So I mean, I-

How many votes did he get when he was seven? Yeah, I mean. In the MVP, right? I don't know. I'll tell you in a second. That was one of the weakest full screen. What are you? Yeah.

Oh, I'm sorry. Multiple top 10 MVP finishes won a playoff game. I'm sorry. You guys don't care about this. You got overstatting everything. What time? I'm not overstating. That's just what it was.

A 93 and a 95 pass rate. We killed Mahomes for that. What you know, exactly. He got three. The year, the year that he came in seventh, he got three points in the MVP. Okay. Which is what, one? You got three-fifths.

Three-face votes. Okay. I mean, come on. I don't know what you want me to tell you. That's what he got. I'm just talking to you that's what he got. It's true. Hey,

I would, look, I will give you this. It's like when a celebrity runs for president. I will give you this. Like, oh, wow. Can he prove these elite? Yes. Coming off a 13 win season. Coming off a second playoff berth.

It's there for him. I don't expect him to do that because I don't have to make in the playoffs. But yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, there for him. He's got, you know, Liam Cohen, we know is a good coach. And if you're, if you cook in your second year with him, then sure, he could prove it. Second. I just don't see it with Cohen.

I know. I just don't see it happening. But sure, it's there if he can go out and get it done. It's, it's, it's, he has to, he has to be elite, especially for you. He has to be elite. Exactly. In order for this team to have some. He's been elite.

No, a couple years is not being lost in the NFL. And I say this because, you know, the NFL, two of the five years has been elite. If you allow Travis Ittian to walk out the building and you say, now, who do we have in the backfield? Well, can you name them? Bachel Tootin. You got Tootin. Yep, you got Tooting. Outside of that, we don't know what that backfield is.

Kind of similar to how y'all feel about the Packers. We don't know what that backfield is going to present. Now, at the receiver position, you got Brian Thomas Jr. You got Parker Washington who came on strong last year. You got Jacoby Myers. You got Brenton Strange, like you got the tight-in. You're missing Travis. I'm not going to mention Travis because he's in the mix.

He's going to be on the defense side of the ball majority. But you're basically saying, Trevor, let's go. We got rid of one of our biggest weapons that you were depended upon in Ithian coming out of the backfield and in the passing game. So now you're, if you're Liam Cohen, you're basically saying and suggesting that, yes, I believe Trevor is going to take the next step. So he has to, in order for number one, the team to make the postseason and for you to keep having the trumpeteers come out. Two and five Canadians will hear the words you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, join thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation walk.

Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcf walk.ca.ca. Regular season MVP prediction time. Last year's tally, these are real. Oh, look who's there. This was a real one. So tell me, guys just tell me, where does elite end on this list?

This one? After CMC. See, I knew it. It just does. It's unbelievable. It just does. Oh, that's funny because so. Stafford, May Allen, CMC, and Trevor Lawrence.

This is not a Trevor Lawrence segment. And Justin Herbert, of course, got one. It could be a Trevor Lawrence segment. I'll bet you that $20 back that you're not picking Trevor Lawrence for MVP. Well, luckily, Greg might. Bet that 20. All right, Greg, do we have to go in order, Dust for the graphics?

Nick, you go first. Dusty said yes. And this time he means any serious. All right. I'll just get right to it. Patrick Mahomes. That's a shocker. Wow.

I don't pick him every year. I think last year, last year I did pick him the year before I didn't, but I think Brew did. One year you picked him and I didn't. So I, is the receiving court better than it was last year? Maybe not. Is Rishie Rice though? It should be. Yeah, well, that's what I was going to say.

Rishie Rice, though, was suspended last year. And so he missed the first six games. how did Patrick do without Rishi Rice? How did Patrick do the first half of last season when this is some insane take? Like, I mean, they lost that horrible loss to Jacksonville, which is the reason they hadn't won six in a row. Where was Patrick ranking at mid-season

with last year's running game, with last year's weapons, with last year's offensive line? He was the favorite to win this award at the midway point of last season. I don't think the ACL coming off the ACL is going to hamper him throwing the ball. Now, I think it will limit how much he runs the ball. I'm fine with that. I don't really want Patrick running the ball much until the playoffs anyway.

And I do think, narratively speaking, he finally gets bonus points for that. That's right. Where back in 2020, it was 2020, I think, where I was 2020, where I think, where I thought he got robbed of the MVP, but it was, he had won it recently, he was being compared to his, you know, previous version of himself. Now, I think narrative hurts Lamar,

because he's won two and won one, one recently. Josh Allen, the narrative always helps Josh, but I don't know what his numbers are going to be. Obviously, could win it. So I'm going to go with Patrick Mahomes. I looked at Greg's paper. I think Brew's next. Yeah.

Dust, who's next? We should have asked this ahead of time. I think it's Brew. Brew, you're next. Thank you. Yeah, look, my Holmes is never a bad pick, I mean, so I'm not mad at that. You guys know, this stunned me. Okay.

There's a team that's a flagship team in the league that's never had an MVP, and they've had some great quarterbacks. Okay, hold on a second here. They're a flagship team. It's not the Packers, not the Patriots, it's not the Steelers, not the Chiefs. Is it the – is it the Cowboys? Roger Starbock. I thought he had won an MVP.

Never won an MVP. Super Bowl MVP. Wow. So I'm saying this year, the Cowboys will get their first MVP ever in Dak Prescott. Wow. Love it. Like I said, when he played,

the last four years that he's played 16 or 17 games, he's going to throw for 4,500 plus yards. It was one year he threw four. 4-4-49. But he's going to throw for 4,500 plus and 30 or more touchdowns. And again, he's never had a duo this great. So I think Dak, Sumin Health, is going to have huge numbers this year. And I obviously think they're going to win the division.

So I'm going with that. Well, Bruy and I are in lockstep. Wow, man. And I kind of figured, just in case, somebody did this. I wanted to have a different angle of it. Okay. If you're going to win a Super,

or excuse me, if you're going to win MVP and you had a good season last year, you got to have areas where you can improve. Well, the Dallas Cowboys have areas where they can improve, and DAC is a part of that. If you look at their numbers in the red zone, they weren't great.

They weren't excellent. This is an area where this offense can definitely take another step in the direction that will put a notch in his cap if you will, or feather in this cap, to where we're like, wow, they score a little more efficient when they get down in the red zone. They don't turn the ball over. Third down, they're great now. This is all about Dak Prescott.

As much as we've been talking about this defense and this receiving, this receiving duo, Dak Prescott has to be what they are expecting him to be in order for this team to take the next step. I believe he's capable of doing that. He's shown in the years past that he's been able to do it. And this is the year where it's seemingly, in Jerry's mind, we need you to get it done, that. And he's talking a big game, so we've got a lot to back up.

This team is flying under the radar. This quarterback is flying under the radar, even though they put up a shocking season, made it to the playoffs, and befell some bad luck. Trevor Lawrence. No, just kidding. I also have DAC. You also have DAC? Oh, my God. Wow.

He led the league in completions last year. He threw the ball 600 times. And the little sprinkle I like is a little benefit of Matthew Stafford. Their defense was so bad, I got to put up points. So I think your defense has to be good enough that you can win games, but not so good. It's where like, we're good with 18. They got a tough schedule. So you have to light it up.

I think the numbers are going to be big. I think all of a sudden. Wow. One of your notes. 13 and 4. see you on television. Oh, yeah. No, that...

Voters aren't watching. They're not. If he has the numbers and the wind. One day Mahomes can get as much... Predictions week rolls on. My God. I have home last year. I am on last year.

I thought it was unique. Wow. Two and five Canadians will hear the words you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, join thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Walk.

Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcfwalk.ca.ca. Live from New York. The conclusion of predictions week. It all comes down to this. I'm very excited for the end of predictions week. We have no idea of who you and grow.

Greg are picking. I've dropped a few breadcrumbs along the way. Yeah, but you also sometimes swerve. You sometimes change your opinion. I gave Greg a little hint and he was unhappy. Oh, wow. Just Greg, I just, you guys maybe should have given each other a little hint about your MVP picks. So we had a little more MVP diversity rather than this is.

This is true. We're the shows they make fun of now. We're just doing all cowboys all the time. My God. Yep. We should have brought that up. But it's been a lot. Zoom piece.

All that time. That never came up. Worry about the show. Second hour of first things first. Today, moments away from our official Super Bowl predictions. Is there a chance the Seahawks could repeat? Meanwhile, Kurt Signetti and the Hoosiers start their championship defense on Fox this weekend. Matt Liner, live from Bloomington in just a few minutes.

But right now, all, it's the moment. We've all been waiting for the grand finale of Predictions Week. The entire off season has built towards. This segment, not only will we pick the Super Bowl champions, but it's also the last call for any final amendments to a previous pick before we submit everything to Dusty. He keeps all the predictions next to the extra Chipotle napkins and Tati's spare use, single use plastic wear. Nick, any predictions you would like to amend? What do they call, like, Mr. Consistency. Yes, so of course not.

Show my 14 playoff teams. And then ask yourself, am I following the rules of the playoff teams? Well, let's see. Do we have at least two new teams per conference? Five new teams overall, ideally. Well, the Chiefs and the Ravens didn't make it last year. The Lions, the Bucks, and the Falcons didn't make it.

So that's two per conference, five new like that. You got it? Do we have a worst to first? Sure do. Detroit Lions winning that division from worst place. A new rule that is catching. on like wildfire. Do we have a deep sleeper? Yes, the Atlanta Falcons.

So I see no reason to amend any of those 14 playoff teams, which then brings us to my conference championship picks. In the AFC, I have the Ravens hosting Kansas City, much like they did a few years ago. In the NFC, I have the Seahawks hosting the Eagles. No. No way. No way what? What, KW? I just want to see it. I'm very interested in this. This would be unprecedented if you pick this.

There's a few things. You're saying if I pick the Eagles to go, if I pick the Ravens to go, let's be serious. If this AFC championship game happens, whether it's played in Baltimore, in Kansas City, on the moon, no one is picking the Baltimore. The Baltimore. If the Chiefs get there, Brew, I am. I'm telling you right now, you are. There will be trepidation. Here's what I know. Here's what I know.

If divisional round weekend, the Ravens have already won, and the Chiefs, because of some rule change, are playing an amalgamation of all the greatest players in the league. Brew will be rooting for that team over the Chiefs. Lamar doesn't want to see Patrick. No, I don't want to see the field from him in the AFC championship game. The Chiefs get back to their rightful play. in the Super Bowl representing the AFC.

And I don't know why, but I feel like the city of Philadelphia is going to do a lot of winning this year. This is, this is, this is what uncouth. What's uncouth, KW? I don't even, you can make your own picks. You pick the Eagles, you do whatever you want. If part three, part. The rubber match, a trilogy.

Every other year we get this Super Bowl. That would be incredible. It would be incredible. It would be shut. Many would be saying we'd be playing for Team of team of the decade. And if there's going to be a team of the decade, who's it got to be? The Can't City Chiefs.

Nobody believes in us Can City Chiefs. All they've done is go to five at the last seven Super Bowls, seven of last eight AFC championship games. They're back atop the mountain. Those are my official. Official. Dusty. Put it next to the Chipotle Knapkins.

Philadelphia. Remember, I believe in you. I believe in the... Your whole... What? Just before we move on. Sure. I'm not saying all of it is because of LeBron at all.

Just 90% percent. I'm not saying zero percent of it is. Do you believe in vibes? Of course. How do you think the vibes of the city of Philadelphia have been? If it comes down to Kansas City, Philadelphia. And do you think that the wonderful people in the city of brotherly love, they're like, no, you know what?

He rocked with us the whole year. Even though he's picking us... lose the Super Bowl. It will all be gone. All of it. You know what? That's a risk I'm willing to take. Okay.

Tell you that much right now. All right. It's submitted next to the single use plastic wear. Yes, yes, yes. Okay. Here we go. No amendments. I'm like, I made my picks.

I'm sticking by my picks. I don't change my picks. And I do meet the criteria, except his little deep. sleeper thing, which isn't real. But the other, the lions are in there, some new teams, the chiefs, the Ravens. I got the whole, the Bengals. I got the whole thing.

That's right. You do. You check all the boxes, bro, except for deep sleeper, which is a shame. You see my MVP is DAC. And I, look, I woke up in the middle of the night. Really? And I thought to myself. Am I really going to do this?

Am I really picking this team to get to the Super Bowl? Well, what's your conference championship games? And I actually was like, I'm changing that pick. And then I woke up and I was sober-minded. I said, you know what? I'm not changing that. Wow. Wait to see that.

So in the AFC, I've got, I don't know how they're going to show it. Just show, reveal the conference championship matchups. Ravens and Texans. I'm expecting C.J. Shroud to bounce back. And the Cowboys and the Rams. Wow. The Cowboys, I'm high on them. It's been what, 30 years?

I love it. 31 years. But I have Lamar exercising his playoff demons. And I'll CJ, maybe bringing a few back. To the Aves. And this was the game in the NFC. where I was like back and forth. Because if the Rams get this far, that means they're cooking.

But if the Cowboys get this far, that means they're cooking too. So I got the Ravens finally getting it done against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. Ravens over Cowboys for the Super Bowl. Wow. That is, wow. Cowboys in the Super Bowl. That would be that would be that would be that.

The Knicks got there. What, what, 53 years? Yeah. Okay. There was a team USA. The Dodgers were really good. No. The Knicks.

Powerhouse. But the. Indiana. Was it hockey? Indiana. The Indiana. Women's hockey. Something like that.

There was a men's hockey. So I'm just going to reveal my playoff teams. I actually looked at it after you had all these stipulations on your playoff teams. Uh-huh. And I'm like, you know what? I think I meet the requirements. All right, well, let me see. So when we look at my playoff teams, we got an AFC.

We got a new team in the Bengals. Uh-huh. We got a new team, obviously, in the Colts. Yeah. And the Ravens turned. And the Ravens. So you have missing, can we stay on the AFC for a minute, Greg? Yeah, please.

So you have missing the Chargers? The Chargers? The Chiefs. Wow. The Chiefs. Those are the two main characters. Yeah, those are the. The big boys.

Yeah. That everybody's, like, extremely high on. Look, Justin Herbert, we'll see what you can do. One playoff team. Wow. And the NFC, I got the Rams with the number one overall. The Dallas Cowboys. I got the Packers.

I'm the sole Packer believer right here. So, again, that's true. The Saints, deep sleeper. They're not deep sleeper. They're not, no, they're now a trendy pick. They're not a trendy pick. They're a trendy pick. I'll give you this is a deep sleeper.

Tyler Shucks, the court. I mean, come on. Obviously, the Seahawks, Lions, and the Vikings. I got three. And Danny. Can I ask you? Oh, sorry. Your bears are nowhere to be fine.

Wow. A lot of hype around the bears. No Eagles. No Eagles. No Eagles. No Eagles. No Eagles. Wow.

No Eagles. Some risks. Graham. You have the Vikings getting in over the Bears and Eagles. I do. Greg, before we move on to your Super Bowl, did you set this up with division winners? in your first before.

I did. I did. So you also have the Patriots over the bills. It's straight. It's, this is one, two, three, four, and then five, six, seven. That's how Greg has it. That's how I had it. That's how I had it.

This is how I have it. Wow. Okay. And obviously the Seahawks, they're going to have a great season. But if they don't have a good, they don't win the division. They drop in the championship game. You ever felt like somebody was like peeking over and looking at everything? I'm scared of floor my office building.

So you've been there before. He's always like coming in, knocking on the door. Listen into your production meeting. He's in there lifting weights. We saw that. I'm in there grinding, y'all. My room is full of my house. You do have a lot of protein power.

You up in there working out. I do. I need to eat and oatmeal. Ensure that my brain is fueled when I'm making these picks. What's the conference championship? In the AFC and NFC. Oh my God. Oh, what?

Well done, Greg. Well done. And I didn't wake up in the middle of the night. I just felt like, you know what, if the Rams got this far, they're going to get to the Super Bowl. So I didn't have the Cowboys representing the NFC. I did have the Ravens representing the AFC, and I believe this is the year for the Ravens. And the box, broo. The box, I love it.

I love it. You know what, Greg, if this comes true, and it will, I'm going to share my sandwich and chips with you. Okay. I'm going to share my sandwich. You know what? I will eat some bread and I'll eat the sandwich. I'll take the chip. What about the soda pop?

That was the easy. I'm going to take a sip of soda pot. A sip. And a crumble cooking for you too. The crumb cookie is a stretch. Can I, before I reveal mine, Greg, can I ask one more question, go back? your old coach, your old quarterback. Did you have any flirtation or like, you know what?

They won the AFC North last year. I was, I wanted them to surprise me, but you didn't pick them. To be honest, it wasn't hard for me at all. Really? I had none. I didn't even think about the Steelers getting out of that division. Okay. All right, KW.

I'm ready. Mine is. I can't wait for you. Mine is fantastic. You must have thought. the bottom. So this morning, and I should have done it earlier, so I apologize. A little bit of crunch time. You know, it's like Saturday Night, right four in the morning on Friday night. I went through and picked every game as you.

You're a liar. No, I'm not. You picked all 272 games? Yes, it's just an app. You just sit there for a half an hour and you just start picking stuff. You did it via app? Really? Yeah, I didn't do it by hand. You did it by hand. You did it by hand. You did it by hand. It's obvious. Oh my God. There's an app for that. You literally probably did do it by hand. It's pretty fun. Yeah, he did it by it.

It's fantastic. You can get through it. It's an annual thing. You can start giving people wins. You can start seeing who's on a buy, who's here. So you start to move around. And then I just went where the data told me. Where it led you?

Okay, I will see. Okay. Are we ready to reveal, Dusty? In the AFC, I have the Ravens, the mighty Texans, who I have is actually the number one seed. The Patriots. I have the Broncos winning the AFC West. The Chiefs are in, and they did surprisingly well. The Bengals, I kind of believe in this defense, and the Chargers sneak in there.

I think they might have a tiebreaker with somebody. They sneak in. The team that is not there is the Buffalo Bill. Wow. Who will finally. Just wow. They've gone to the playoffs for seven straight years. This would try to, this would be year number eight.

Look, do I think Josh Allen? I think it's been longer, right? Because they made it the year before Josh got there. I'm sorry, Josh is on the same. seven year. Yeah, Josh seven year, but the team's on eight. Yeah. Josh is on a seven year run. Yeah. Do I think that Josh is a great quarterback, obviously? Do I think he's in

another dimension out with like Patrick Mahomes has recently missed the playoffs? Matthew Stafford. Lamar. Lamar. Joe Burrow. Guys missed the playoffs. The chiefs were slated to miss the playoffs. In any of that. I'm not rooting for an injury certainly, but I think the ball bounces the wrong way.

the NFC, the Panthers, the Cowboys. Panther, you have Panthers number one seat? No. I was going to have. All right. This is not. No, because I have the Texan. No, I have the Texan.

It says not seated. No, no, no, no. Okay. Here, I think I have the Seahawks on number one seat. Panthers, Cowboys, Seahawks, Vikings win the NFC. North. Wow. Lions, Eagles sneak in.

And the Rams. Don't win the division. Go through the Rams schedule. Go through the Rams schedule. Go through the Rams schedule. RAM schedule and it's hard to all of a sudden to be at like 14 wins for the Rams. For me at least, they play the Cowboys. Well, the Cowboys are off a by.

I'm like, well, okay. I like that game. I think there's a little bit of a trap game right away with San Francisco who's already down there relaxing. Like, we're going to fly in 20 minutes before the game. I think it's a terrible idea. And then in the Super Bowl. Wait, still, you don't have, you don't have the beer. No, I didn't do a conference championship.

Oh, you didn't. No Bears hype for you either. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, this, I mean, I didn't even know that needed to be. be discussed. I like defense. I just do. And if you have a bad defense and he had a mediocre to bad defense last year and you led

the league in turnover differential, which is going to flop back. I don't think Caleb and Ben Johnson are going to make this magnificent leap. I think they're going to be, make a little bit of a leap. Why do you like the Bengals and the Cowboys if you're so worried about defense? Those teams. The Bengals defense got better. But it was so much worse than everybody. I don't know.

That's the, you got a lot of teams on there that have shaky defenses. The Lions got shaky defense. The Cowboys got shaky defense. The Bengals got shaky defense. The Panthers got shaky defense. And I don't believe in the Bears' offense. Is that when you want to hear? Oh, well, that's what I was going to say.

I also don't believe in Bears' offense. And just real, now I, I'm the only person on the show that has the 13 win Jags with an occasionally elite quarterback in the playoffs. Yes, or no. Their defense is pretty good. Am I the only one on the show that have a consummate team that's always good in the Packers in the post season? You're missing your star player, Greg. Whose Jordan Love is available?

Your star defense. The quarterback is the best. If you guys had won one game without him, just one. I know you're like, hey, they weren't prepared for it. But at week five, it's like, hey, is Mike a playing? Like, no, for the last time he's on that little scooter. You can't come up with a plan? He's still in a walking boot.

Keep this same. I'm just saying they didn't win one game. Keep this same energy. What's your super? I've got DAC for MVP. Yeah. And Greg, you should rock with me here because you're from Michigan.

Wow. I know it's hard to get back to the Super Bowl after you lose. But when you put the graphics up, the only team that did go back to Super Bowl after you don't lose has the same logo. So I will take the Patriots defeating. Patriots winning the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl. I just saw it last year. Pretty close. It was all them get stomped. And then they went and reloaded and got better. You got A.J. Brown at Romeo Dobbs and fixed the offensive line. Seems like a pretty simple formula. Over the lions. Quiet lions.

Wow. And Jared Gough, I like offense. I was going to say, what are you, you're... Not to win. Your defensive complaints. Excuse me. It's called defense wins championships, right? You get to the, you get to the, you get to the defense.

Super Bowl, you get cross. Yeah, but they won the, this team's top three secondary guys. One is on Pup, number two is on Pup, number three is on the Calks now. Yeah, I think that might be got indicted. A positive, yeah. See, it's called defense wins championships. Yeah, the NFC championship. No, no, I don't have an NFC championship.

So does it- Defense wins championships, winning the championship, not getting there. It's not called defense wins getting there. Okay. Nothing alive. Wow. We're getting some interesting picks. You can rock with me.

No, why am I rocking with you? Because it's the Lions. He's an NFC North guy. He played for two of the four teams. The Lions aren't one of them. And I got the other one. I actually have the Dolphins doing okay too, Greg. I do it.

They can surprise me. It's true. They get hot. There's more faith on this show in the Vikings than there is the Jags. The Vikings, here's what I have the Vikings made. Two, three. Two more games with Kyler Murray. That's it, two.

That's it. They win two more games. They win one of the Max Brosmer games. They did win one of the Max Brosmer games. They did win one of the Max Brosmer games. Two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, joined thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Walk.

Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcf walk.ca.ca.com. Fox Big Noon Saturday is back. Defending National Champions, Indiana. Start Saturday Strong Big Noon kickoff live from Bloomington, 10 a.m. Eastern. Pusiers taking on North Texas. Join us now from a beautiful lobby in Indiana. It's Matt Liner. Welcome. Hold on guys. I got a center here for you boys.

It looks great. It looks fantastic. Do you guys like the background? It's good coloring. I thought it was your room. I thought it was like the presidential suite. Hoosiers are 40-point favorites. Pretty good.

They're expected to win. What can Signetti prove in this game when you're 40-point favorites? Look, I think just they're the defending national champions. So people are just excited to see what they what they have in this team. Again, I don't know how much you can show when you're playing North Texas, but I think the bigger question is just they're kind of flying under the radar. They're a little bit underrated this year. I think this team has a chance to be better than last year's team. Does that mean they're going to win a championship?

No, but some new faces, Josh Hoover, a quarterback. I think, you know, Coach Signetti talked to Brady Quinn and Brady told us that he told him this is the most talented quarterback he's had. So we'll see what he can do with them. But it's all about the foundation that's been built here. the culture. I think they're going to be a really, really good football team. They're going to handle their business, obviously, tomorrow and the game. And then we'll see in Big Ten play.

But it's still wild being here, man. This place is buzzing. People are excited. And Indiana football's back, buddy. They're back. By back, you mean over there for the first time. Right. They're here.

They only arrived two years ago when they're here to stay. So I'm, I didn't see those quotes by Signetti about that Huber could be better. than number one overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The question I was going to ask you was how much of a drop off should we expect Indiana to have at quarterback? The coach is optimistic. What do you think? I mean, but still, I think it's very hard to duplicate what Mendoza did.

Certainly early in the year, I think there'll be something of a drop. Like, tell me how you view it. Yeah, I mean, Josh, well, first of all, you got to look at Josh Hoover. He started multiple years at TCU. I think he's the passing, the active passing. seen leader in yards in college football this year. And there's a lot of great quarterbacks coming back. He was good at TCU, you know, he had a lot of turnovers.

I get that. But if you look at what Signetti has done with the quarterbacks the last couple of years, like he just has a belief that he knows he can get the most out of these guys. And when he took Mendoza from Cal kind of came out of nowhere and we're like, who is this kid, right? And he was awesome. Hoover, Hoover can spin it now. He can throw the football.

He's not as big as Mendoza. He's not a, you know, Mendoza is 64 or 65. But this kid can run. He can spin it. He's got some mox. He's some leadership to him. And I think now going into this system where Signity knows that he can get the most out of these guys. Look, again, we can't paint the picture that Hoover's going to win a Heisman to be the number one pick. But I think he has those types of traits, right? And I'm going to talk about this on the show this weekend.

But where Mendoza was so great was like the clutch factor, right? All of the things that you can't teach that you guys talk about. We all talk about as quarterbacks like the fourth quarter drives, the throws and crunch. time. How do you play on the road? Mendoza was was unflappable throughout the year. I'd like, I want to see how Josh Hoover handles those because that's a difference of winning games, right? When you have a quarterback like that, that can handle those types of situations at the end. So I'm excited to see what he's got. So Matt, let's stick with quarterbacks. This is supposed to be a great class of quarterbacks entering next year's NFL draft. One, do you think that

this class will live up to that? Because we've heard this before and the class didn't live up to it. You think they'll live up to it. And two, I want you to zero in on one of those guys, Trinidad Chambliss, from Ole Miss, who's getting a lot of great publicity. Yeah, it's, well, first of all, just talking about Chambliss. You know, he kind of came out of nowhere last year, you know, was married to Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. Obviously, Lane in that system and those coaches are gone. So I'm actually curious to see how he handles this, but he's played a lot of football.

I love him as a Dark Horse Heisman winner. I love him as a potential first round draft pick. I mean, he's dynamic and he's played a lot of football, man. Ole Miss is going to be really good this year, so I'm excited to see him. And then the overall class, I mean, gosh, I can name every starter in the top 10 in this preseason top 10, arguably could be a Heisman candidate or lead their team to a playoff or potentially win a national championship. Obviously, some teams have a better shot that at Arch Manning finally, right? C.J. Carr is a dude at Notre Dame.

Chambliss, Julian Sane, Dante Moore, who probably was a first round pick last year, comes back. Sam Levitt at LSU, who's getting paid a trillion dollars to go try and win a championship for LSU. So the list goes on and on. I think this year's class, again, I think it was about two years ago. We had six quarterbacks draft in the first round, right? That was the record. Last year, Mendoza, I think this year it's going to be really, really special.

Matt, I have a very interesting question for you. Because, you know, when I was growing up, the system was you went to, high school. And then if you play football, you go to college and play football. And then you go to the pros and play football. It's kind of a linear progression. Sometimes Canada. Sometimes you go to Canada, but that would be an exception. And now it's, you go to high school and maybe you go to college, you go to another college, you can switch around college and you can pop up to the pros, and you can come back down. And there's another team with like a 47-year-old father who's playing. So my question is, what's going on with college football?

Gosh, I don't know. How bizarre is this? Look, I do think this is kind of like a one-off thing, obviously with the rules and the years and eligibility and all that stuff. But never, I mean, God, I said this other day. You guys remember Maurice Claret, right, fought the laws years ago to try and leave early. Mike Williams, my former teammate at USC, he team, I mean, gosh, he left early, right? People were trying to leave college early to go.

Now we're seeing this year players come back. I'm not for it. I think it's ridiculous. Look, at the end of the day, once you declare for the NFL and you declare to be a professional, go, go try to live out your dream and go try to make a team and do all those things. That's what life is. So I don't think that we're going to see much more of this after this year, obviously. But man, when you got a conference suing a head coach, you know, like trying to, like, it's just,

it's bizarre. This is why we need a commissioner. This is why eventually we're going to see college athletics. Yeah, essentially, yeah, there's our guy, Lane Kippen right there. And Lane, man, I love me some Lane, but he just, he loves, he loves all this stuff. Flip side to that, Matt, I don't know if people, I assume a lot of people know, but everyone might not know. Matt's a bit of, I see you and your family on Instagram, I assume you guys are also on TikTok. You guys are big social media celebrity folks outside of your football career.

And you know what would be and social media Bonanza? What? Matt Liner with his final year of eligibility. You got one more. You play on the game. I mean, the flip side is the attempted comeback is something I am interested in, whereas all

this criticism about USC not filling the stadium. I think it would feel to see if Matt Liner made a comeback. I mean, it's worth a consideration. First of all, first of all, a lot of thought about that real quick. A lot of thought I would look I would look terrible in my uniform that's for sure um I wouldn't be able to move around as much and and sadly dude I used up all five years of my eligibility when I was

at USC you guys got to remember I came back for my senior year I took ballroom dancing and I lived it up oh look at look at the old highlights man spin it by the way I would get I would give anything just to go out there and just lace them up one more time that's what we're saying Give it a shot. Nobody. Using all your eligibility talking as if there are rules at this point. Yeah, you just go. There's a guy in an NFL locker room who was like, I think the college game is more for me.

I'm going back. I'm like, what? Isn't that wild? And I'm going to go back and make a lot of money too, which is crazy. Yeah, you get a race. Real quick, Matt, we talked about the defending national champion kind of flying under the radar. Our social media ace, Gianna, is a big Miami fan. Her dad is here today from Miami.

They're the national champion runner up. They're flying even further under the radar. Could Miami find itself back in deep in the playoff this year, in your opinion? Absolutely. I mean, they're stacked. I love Mario Cristobal. I finally kind of got over the hump last year. I know they lost in the championship game, but Carson Beck was great last year.

And I mean, Carson Beck has been good in the preseason. We know that. We've seen in the NFL. They get Darian Mensa, who's been. comes over from Duke, who's another kid I didn't mention, but he's another potential first round guy. He's a stud guy. I think he's an upgrade for talent purposes from Carson Beck. We'll see, obviously, but you guys keep an eye on him. They're going to be stacked. Malachi Tony, probably outside of Jeremiah Smith is the best football player, non-quarterback in college

football. He's an absolute stud. The schedule shapes up. I think, you know, obviously I'm a little biased with SMU because my son's there, but I think SMU, Miami might be on a collision course to an ACC championship game, which is crazy. But yeah, Miami is the real deal. I fully expect them back in the college football playoff to make a run. They're really, really good again this year.

Matt, we just made our NFL picks, and I got the Ravens and Lamar Jackson finally getting over the hump winning the Super Bowl. For that to happen, USC receiver Jacoby Lane probably has to have a great rookie year. They've been loving. him so far, right? The reports out of training camp have been fantastic. How

much of an impact do you think he can come in and make in the NFL right away? He, well, big time, he's a stud, man. I mean, you know, Mackay Lemon got a lot of love for USC last year. And Jacoby Lane kind of battled some injuries and all that. And he just, you know, kind of was playing second fiddle, I guess, to

Mackay. But the dude is every bit of 6, 4, 6,5. And when I was around him at USC, I was just like, oh, this kid kid's a Sunday player. No matter what happens in college. He's going to go to an NFL team and be a real deal. And I think it's a good compliment to Zay Flowers. Obviously, Zayflower's smaller, fast. Jacoby is big, man. And he's got great body control. He can go up and get the ball. Obviously, you've seen the highlights here. So I think that was a steal.

I think he was probably, you know, like, probably first second round type of receiver just based on talent. And I think what do you go, third round or fourth round? But, but yeah, I mean, I think you can never give Lamar enough weapons out there with Zay and then Mark Andrew. and obviously Derek Henry running the football. And I'm with you, man. I'm a big fan of Lamar. I've known him for a long time. I'm always rooting for him.

I'm also big Josh Allen Buffalo Bill's guy. So I'm hoping one of those two guys gets over the hump this year and wins the Super Bowl. All right. Well, thank you, Matt. USC on tonight against Fresno State Friday night football is excellent. Excellent. And then of course, Big Noon kicking off tomorrow in Bloomington. Matt, thank you very much.

Enjoy the game. Thanks, Matt. All right, boys. We'll see you guys. Yep. Predictions Week rolls on after the break. Fox College Football Friday is back. Fresno State at number 14 USC tonight 9 p.m.

Predictions week right now, 4.42 p.m. Shockwaves felt across the AFC East when one noted analyst who perfectly called the entire AFC last year. You did? Well, I don't know. The team that I thought was on the George. You called one thing, right. Well, it's the most important thing.

It's like calling the presidential election. Actually, in Iowa, you got a congressional district law. You're right. I called the most important thing. Right, but that's not what you just said. You said you called the entire thing. You called the most important thing. The entire thing, the AFC.

No, okay. I called it. Okay. I said, and you know when I said it? I said, we're on the doorstep. of destiny. First things first, trivia, everybody. When was the doorstep of destiny announced? Not

week one when we are playing the Bills. And I said, we are going to beat the Bills. Like, oh, I don't know. This Drake May guy doesn't win games. KW. Get to the Bills thing. I'm already in it. Streak of making the playoffs, longest active season. God, it hurts my heart.

The Chiefs is in it. But you know why they're not in it? Because sometimes the dice don't roll your way. Yeah. Which I think is the bulk of my, the bills have the fifth longest streak of making the playoffs. This century. This century. The other teams, dynastic patriots, the bills aren't that. The dynastic chiefs, the bills aren't that.

The Peyton Manning Colts, the Aaron Rogers Packers, and these bills. They might be the Peyton Manning Colts or the Aaron Rogers Packers. They might be that. They might be. Yeah, I mean, they, but they could be. So here's the thing. I don't think in the NFL it's ever crazy to pick a team to miss the playoffs. It's not the NBA.

Coming up next. It wouldn't, like, I do think, I think if it would be crazy if somebody going into this year's like, I think the thunder, I think the spurs are going to miss the playoffs. I just don't think like, even with injury, I don't, those teams I would expect to make the playoffs. The NFL is a totally different animal. so I don't think it's crazy. But I think you are, whatever the opposite of rose-colored glasses are, that's how you're looking at the Bills. Every, almost every game they play against a good team,

you are finding a reason that they will lose. And the idea that Josh Allen and the Bills will go two and seven against good teams, I think is very unlikely. Can I ask you a question? I didn't mean to put you on spot. What was Patrick Mahomes record last year? No, and it's not a Patrick Mahomes shot. No, I got you.

I'm just saying it was really bad against good teams. Which is, I agree. And that was wildly unlikely. And it happened. Unlikely events occur. But that's different between saying with your chest and 10 toes down, I am anticipating that this unlikely event will happen. It's unlikely once every eight years.

Missed the playoffs? KW, I am not worried at all about what they, that's the roulette wheel thing. It's like, hey, well, it's come up black seven times in a row. Red is due. The future is independent of the past. I am looking at this Bill's team and I am simply saying, do I think there are seven teams in the AFC they're going to have a better season than them? And my answer to that is unequivocally no.

Can I walk you through the schedule real quick of how I got here? Sure. Because I picked all the games. And did I look at it a little through opposite rose-colored glasses? Of course. The first six weeks, I have them at two and four. Week one, Josh Allen's worst two games of his career, two of them have been against the Texans. Yeah.

This Lions game, you can go either way. Hey, it's a, well, it's a home field game for the Bills. Well, guess what? The Lions have never played there, Lions didn't ever play there. A lot of this is based on, hey, I think Dan Campbell will have the Lions ready. to play. I saw Dan Campbell go to Kansas City when they were hung a banner and win the game. I believe in the Lions. Okay, I'm just a short week road game for the Lions with that secondary against the Bill's offense. I think that is a short week. If it's going to be a short week,

I'll take week two short week rather than if there's an easiest short week. Typically you take the home team though on a short week. Yeah, they're a home. Guess what? Guess how many Bill's games they've won in that stadium? Zero. So they're oh and oh, both of those teams are are playing. I have them beating the Chargers. I have them losing to the Patriots, which they did last year. I have them beating the Rams. I have them losing. They're starting one and four.

And then losing to her, beating the Raiders. Here is before they're by. Here's the defenses that they'll be playing. Second, Detroit, 22nd last year. Again, injuries, but they still got them this year. Chargers 9th, New England, fourth, and the Rams 10th. But that's obviously going to be much better. Then after the buy, I gave him the win.

against the Ravens. I am losing at the Vikings. Again, I think Kyler is going to be good. I have them Vikings winning. And then you get to this funky thing. Now this is a big, or the Vikings, this is a big Warren Sharp thing. Okay. You guys hate this. But me and Warren's Sharp, it's not just when I used to have a mustache. The bills, this is Warren Sharp's thing, not mine, but it's again, it's just a schedule. The bills are the only team. He said is they play four games in 17 games, in 17 days. I say 18. So you got a game here. So you got a game here. playing Vikings on a Monday night. Then you get to practice and rest, you see.

And then you got to go to the Jets. You're like, oh, the Jets, that's an easy win. Well, it wasn't when they, Aaron Rogers popped his Achilles. The Jets were terrible and he lost that game. Then you're going down, oh, you got the dolphins at home. Okay, the dolphins should be terrible. Dolphins were also terrible last year, and they beat the bills. And then you got the bills in Kansas City on Thanksgiving.

They're the only team with four games in 18 days. But can I, hold on, that's fine. I'm going to step over here now. I want to show you something. But there's nine teams that have four games in 19 days. It's one less day. Every team that plays on a Thursday that had played, they didn't have a by leading up to it, has that.

So the reason you're saying it's Warren Sharps thing and not our thing is because the only reason that's noteworthy is because three weeks before their Thursday game, they play on a Monday. It's a game inches, right? As opposed to a Sunday. It's a game inches or not? That's it. It's a full day's rest? Greg, do you like a full day's rest?

And the games they get in between. that Monday and Thursday are the two worst teams in the NFL. They lose to the worst teams in the NFL. They lost to the dolphins last year. The dolphins were not. The dolphins were bad. Exactly. They were worse.

Wow. What? Do you think the dolphins last year are worse than the dolphins are going to be this year? The bills lost to the dolphins last year. Everyone's like, well, the bills, they lost their chance at the playoffs last year. Because they went to Atlanta and lost and went to Miami and lost. That's why they didn't have home field. That's why they lost.

This is tough. Because how many games do you feel like they will have a disadvantage or they won't have the better quarterback? How many games did the Kansas City Chiefs have a disadvantage? I'm asking. This is what I'm saying. Not many. But I've seen Lamar not make the playoffs. I've seen Joe Burrow not make the playoffs.

I've seen Matthew Stafford not make the playoffs. I'm not saying the injuries. Chiefs were slated to miss the playoffs without injuries. Time's up for the bills. Chiefs were trending in that direction. Wow. You're off your rock. I'm going to be right, guys.

Oh, live from New York, first things first, overtime. What I like this story. I saw this in the rundown. Snatched it, move it up in regulation, too. I love it. That would even bolster my faith even. I love this. Could Max Crosby be a cowboy this year?

What's your answer on this, Danny? Moving around some money. Spoiler alert. Yeah. You think it's going to happen? Yeah, if they're losing pickings after this year, trade a future draft pick go all in for this year. Love it. Why not?

Meanwhile, Jared Goff underrated or headed to the Super Bowl. A lot of people are picking the Lions now to go to the Super Bowl. I like the Lions this year, but you didn't sound like it. Well, your total abandonment of your defense wins championship. It's actually exactly in line. First of all, I invented it as you know, you tell Steve Jobs how the iPhone works. And finally, final day of predictions week. Danny reveals his Super Bowl and MVP predictions.

And you know what? When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade, he picked too many playoff teams and all of a sudden we got a new segment out of it. One of them's got to go. New segment called Gotta Go! I read on the Internet today. Kevin Wilde, Nick Wright, and Danny Parkins, who's going to lead a statement called Gotta Get out of it.

What did you read on the Internet today? I read on the Internet today that Nick Wright humiliates Danny Parkins over his NFL playoff. It's a really an article people should read on awful announcing because it also included this. You didn't read it because you would have been, you would have dropped your phone when you read this, this part of it. Nick Wright with, and I quote, perfect comedic timings. Maybe. You humiliated for it. I mean, that's just what it said.

I'm just telling you what it said. It also accurately said that I won the picture test. Yeah, and somehow at the end, he's like, now Nick got even on Danny beating him in the picks. last year, which he didn't do. Playoffs included. Like the English Premier League, everybody knows that it's a regular season championship. Go ahead. Playoffs included.

Head to L.A. Oh, sweet. I like this. I like this story. Jim Harbaugh talking about his quarterback, you're not going to believe it. Giving him some compliments. Take a listen. There's no one-man bands in football.

I mean, we all know that. But Justin Herbert is, I just thought it was a great fit for the, skill set that Justin has, which is he can do anything. And also, just the way Mike McDaniel sees the game, both are so, you know, gifted intellectually, the way they, you know, book smart and football smart that it's been a, it's been an even better fit than I was hoping for. That's nice. Danny, what's a successful season for Justin Herbert? And I'll add this caveat. Honestly. Okay.

With perfect comedians. Be honest. What is really successful for this guy. Oh, you want me to be honest? Yeah. The caveat is honestly. The caveat was be honest. Oh, I don't know how to take that.

He has to honestly win multiple playoff games. But I thought wins were not. I thought that was a team. That's what the answer. You want. It is. So then why does it matter? Nick.

Yeah. I am not blind to the reality that not everybody sees the NFL as clearly as I do. Okay. And that a great talent in order to be viewed a great talent by the masses needs to ultimately accomplish. Everybody else deems to be the most important thing. But you don't think it's important. It's obviously, it obviously is important. But like, I know that Charles Barkley.

is an all-time great player, even though he didn't want a playoff game? I know that Dan Marino is an all-time great play. He didn't win a playoff game either. He will win playoff game either. Do you honestly think Justin Herbert will not win playoff games in his career? That's not what you believe.

I think, well, I don't think he's going to win one this year, and we'll be, how many years in? We'll be seven years in. I don't, the, he's due to do it. I think he's due. But he's been so abysmal. I think it is far more likely, far more likely. that he goes O for his career on winning a playoff game,

then he wins a Super Bowl. I think I will, that's one of our many long terms. Add it to the ledger. Add it to the ledger. Now, the odds are, you know, that he wins a playoff game or two. But no, I, yeah, I mean, I don't, the, we are nearing the midway point of his career.

Nearing it, yeah. The high watermark by a mile is year two. And he is seemingly getting worse and worse in the postseason with better and better coaching staffs around him. So like it is, it is starting to be a flashing red light of

concern that even if they are able to get to the post season, you know, in my opinion, the third best team in their own division, what he will look like once he gets there. I interrupted you. I apologize. No, I mean, listen, I still think Justin Herbert will be an MVP

and a Super Bowl champion. I, I haven't, as Bruce said, 10 toes down, I haven't lifted one toe off. I still fully believe in his talent. I don't think there's a handful of quarterbacks on planet Earth that would have won 11 games. You want to just talk about wins that would have won 11 games being sacked 50 plus times last season. The only guys sacked more than him being Cam Ward and Gino Smith. I think that he was really good last year and then he was really bad in the playoff game. I'm not saying he wasn't.

But I, in the aggregate, in the many, many football games that he has played in his six-year career, I see an excellent football player. So may I go again real quick? So am I correct in saying the Charger wins are Justin Herberts and the losses are the other guys? Because I don't often. No, I'm not about the playoff game. I'm talking about the 11. you you you you you throw things at wilds when he talks about jalen hurts his record when we when we when i

talk about the you know mohomes versus josh allen and the the playoff success and the team record and it's team success and wins are not a quarterback stat and last year your defense of justin herbert is the team won games it's not look at his numbers it's not look at his gaudy stats was jaylyn hurts sat 50 times? No, he's a little more mobile maybe. I don't know. He was sure the situation to be successful offensively.

Drake May was, yeah, Drake, so, but I, no, but that so last, so last year, what we're hanging in our Justin Herbert had on is the Chargers win loss record. That's what it was, right? That's what we're doing.

I think Justin Herbert was good last year. I mean, I, I mean, I, good is fine. I think Justin Herbert was good last year. I agree with that, actually. Look, what he asked to do this year, I even think it's less than you. He has to win a playoff game

and he has to play well, like really well, and then in the next playoff game, they can lose, but he has to play well. Like he has to get over this playoff hump and play well. Now, I expect more.

I expect him to be in the MVP conversation. I expect him to play well, you know, do more than I'm saying. But at a bare minimum, he's got to win a playoff game. and he has to play well. You mentioned winning two playoff games. If he's struggles but they win, which happened.

Drake didn't play great in the playoffs and they won. That is still a little bit problematic to me. Because he's been so bad, so bad that we have to see him get over that playoff hunt. I just want. If he runs up against the Texans or the Ravens in a good defense. It would certainly be better than what we've seen. But so let's just, you know, In case the audience, you know, is unaware of Justin Herbert's playoff resume.

Just show it real quick because then I have a different question for Danny. So that's what it looks like. O and three, but that's a team stat. Team points per game, that's probably a team stat too. Forget that. Completion percentage is receivers be dropping them. Touchdown to turnover. I don't know.

Some of those might be Justin Herbert stats. Some of them I think are Greg Roman stats and some of them might be who is the coach you loved until you hated. Brandon Staley. Brandon Staley. I give you that. The idea. So here is the question I have. If six months from now, leave that up, please,

that record not only says 0 and 4, but that team points per game now says 13.7, because they only score 10. They make the playoffs. Yeah, I got to lose. And the touchdown to turnover now is three touchdowns to seven turnovers. seven turnovers. The past rating is still around 65, meaning they make the playoffs and he's who he's been in all the playoff games. Awful. Your confidence level that you're right about

Justin Herbert will be what? A hundred percent. So then why do we play the game? Then why? Then what's the point of any of it? I think that a player who in the aggregate, in the larger sample, shows that he is excellent. And by the way, the people who scout coach and evaluate, the game agree. Like in the, the Jeremy Fowler. They may stop agreeing though. They might,

they might, like in the Jeremy Fowler poll that every, that we cite all the time, he was the seventh best quarterback in football after that playoff game. There's a lot of like anecdotal evidence when a defensive player gets on a podcast. Justin Herbert. Yeah, he's got an amazing arm. Yeah,

he's got an amazing arm. His talent, man, his toughness, his arm, his accuracy, his production. You know what he's a person? For the record, after year two, you cannot find a season where he has elite stats. He is the fourth most yards of any player in football since he's been in the league. Yes, I understand because he started, yes, he started as a rookie, week two of his rookie season, and he barely misses games.

I get that. But I will say it again, and you know I'm right. Post year two, tell me the year, Justin Herbert, had an elite individual season. There isn't one. There is not one. Do you think he's not going to have an elite offensive season this year with Mike McDaniel? No, I don't. I do think he will.

You think he'll be an MVP candidate. Of course I think he can be an MVP candidate. I think he would have been an MVP candidate last year if his tackles were healthy. Well, we, I know. I understand that. A lot of things could have happened. And the year before, okay, I mean, it's just, it is, it is frustrating to me from a rhetorical standpoint. that your stance is, if seven years into his career,

he is not only 0 and 4 in the playoffs, but with four absolutely awful playoff games, your confidence level will be the same as if he had won two Super Bowls is baffling to me. That's what you're saying. I know. You sometimes just like, I know I'm right. I know I'm right that Justin Herbert is great. I know I'm right.

Okay. I know I'm right. It's hard to argue against I know I'm right. Okay. I love it. Predictions week. We're going to start with a bit of an amendment.

It's the final day, Danny, and... Well, we all had chances to do an amendment. We don't know that he's going to do an amendment. Who and I both had to do amendments? We said we weren't going to do it. That's true. But this, hey, it's a good segment. It's a new segment call out of here.

First team eliminated from the playoffs. I've decided to amend my NFC playoff picks and no longer put eight teams in the playoffs. So I am going to, it came down to the Lions and the Niners. I'm going to remove the Niners. Out of here. From the postseason, the Niners, get out of here. So, yeah, that is not an order of seed, but in order of division.

And then the Wildcar team, if they come from the division below it, those are the 14 teams that will make the playoffs. Can I ask you a question? I know we've done it individually, but just if everyone hasn't been dialed into a lot of people binge watch predictions week. Yeah, of course. Yeah. The Colt, only I think you and Greg, the Colts. No one else is high on the Colts. Can you give us the quick Colts, the 30 second preview?

I think Shane Steikin's a great coach who's demonstrated that his teams have a really high floor, no matter what the quarterback situation is. Gardner, Minchu, Anthony Richardson, and Daniel Jones, and now Daniel Jones is healthy. I think they should have the best offense in that division, and I think they'll win. So can we, let's stay here for a little bit longer and talk about the teams that aren't there if we can. I hit a lot of your rules, by the way. No, you did. No deep sleeper. Seven new playoff teams. Yeah, that's actually too many. And a worse and a worst to first with the Giants.

And the idea that the Giants aren't a deep sleeper is. The Giants aren't deep sleep. They're definitely a deep sleep. Thank you. They won four games last year. Do they have better than 125 to one Super Bowl? That's because he's probably moving the markets. All right.

Just staying on the AFC. Okay. The Texans don't make the playoffs. Why? C.J. Stroud is not good. Not good. Okay. I don't.

What evidence do we have in the last two years that he's good? I mean, he's been... He wasn't horrific last year in a regular season. It was a playoff that he really was bad. He did not play well. Like somebody else we know. All right, the Jags and the Chiefs miss the playoffs. Why?

The Jags, I think I don't trust the roller coaster of Trevor Lawrence, and I'm not allowed to put eight teams in, as we've covered. And I think Mahomes should be great, but I think there are way too many questions that I don't think he can overcome. Offensive line with left tackle, depth of playmakers, and no pass rush. All right, and last but not least, the Packers missed the playoffs. Why? Micah Parsons is going to miss a third of the season, and it's the toughest division in football, and he's missing games against the Cowboys, Bears, and Viking Eagles. Well, yeah, Eagles. Why are the Eagles miss the playoffs?

Because they were a bottom half offense in the NFL last year, have a play caller who's never called plays and lost. their second best player on offense in A.J. Brown. How about the bills missing the playoffs? They're making the playoffs. Just testing. MVP or Super Bowl, whatever you want to go first here? Well, I think we're doing MVP. It's not whatever he wants.

We're doing MVP. Yeah, yeah. I don't think I have that power around here. Let's just put them up. I don't know if the graphic has the mustache. We need to change it. I like this. I mean, it's a decent pick.

The defense is going to be. Horrific. Their defense, the defense is going to give up points. Their offense should be excellent. We always talk about great quarterback talent in great offensive system in year two, whether that's year two in the NFL or your three in the NFL, you're two in the system. Obviously, it's year three for Caleb in the NFL, year two in Ben Johnson system. But it's also Roma Dunzee's second year, Colston-Levelin's second year.

It is Luther Burden's second year in the Ben Johnson system. It's a young offense with really, really talented playmakers at every level. A very good offensive line. I think they are going to score a ton of points. I'm not being a smartest here. Is it a very good offensive line? It should be. Listen, left tackle is a question, but they've got a lot of experience.

Guys, now, you can argue if the experience is good. But Braxton Jones started 40 plus games for them between 2022 and 2025 at left tackle. They, you know, Dahlman retired with two options at, at center, including a second round pick. Right tackles an all pro, right guard, very good. Left guards, Joe Tooney, maybe the best offensive line in football. Okay. Conference championship games? I'm ready.

You guys ready? Yeah. Conference championship games. All right. The teams I'm higher on than most people and the quarterbacks I'm higher on than most people. It's Justin Herbert against Josh Allen and the Bills. And my Chicago Bears make it to the NFC championship game. And the Seahawks return to the NFC championship game.

So my MVP, my two quarterbacks that I've staked a lot of reputational take equity on against the two teams, the Bills and the Seahawks, that I believe I'm higher on than anyone at this desk. You're okay, Nick? You see him upset. You see him disturbed. No, you're fine. I'm fine. Can I say something real quick? Please.

If the Chargers get to the AFC championship, it's almost like a free role for Justin Herbert. Oh, yeah. Of course. He's just like, I'll just play free. Yeah. And the bills are hosting that game. Yeah. That's true.

I don't love that, though. All right. Who do you have winning those? I don't love cold weather Justin Herbert. I'm going to show you right now. I have the Bills and the Seahawks. Wow, you have the Bears losing. I give you credit on you.

I have the bill. I have the bills. I think this is the year of Caleb and the Bears take another step forward. But ultimately, they need more help on the defensive side of the ball. I do think Jalen Johnson is going to make a huge impact for them. But I have the Bills defeating the Seahawks. And Josh Allen. It's over the top.

Gets over the top and gets his Super Bowl. Seahawks make it back, we don't quite go back to back. Listen, I think that is one of the most likely Super Bowls, the one that you just said. So I take no issue there. Oh, thanks. I think you two should talk about the bills. KW's got the bills missing the playoffs and just explained to us that it's because other teams have to play four games in 18 days, and they have played four games in 17 days.

And it's going to ruin. It just got her. I saw the counter. I got to be honest. It didn't move me. You know what? I think it's easy when you're sitting in the comfort of your own home. Saying that that's easy to do.

It's certainly easy to watch. Once you lace them up, it's a little more difficult. Okay. Yeah, go ahead. What is stopping the bill's offense? We love the offensive line. We love the quarterback. We love the running back.

We really like the tight end. And they added a number one receiver. What is the version of a team? And they kept, while they promoted him to head coach, It's not like it's a new system or a new play caller, so there's continuity of system. Like, what happens for a team that's won 10 or more games seven years in a row where they're not going to score a ton of points this year? I think the offense will be okay. Okay.

I don't like the decision making to get rid of Sean McDermott. That was a defensive team with a great quarterback. They had decided to steer the ship in a different direction and put the offensive coordinator in charge. And is famously, Danny, and I've been saying this since I was a little boy. There's three things in this world that I hate. And I don't use that term lightly. That I hate.

Injustice. Famously. The French art of pantomime. And half measures. You want to fire your coach? It happens all the time. Patriots fired a coach. Bears fired their coach.

Chargers fired their coach One regime out New regime in Let's see what happens The bill's ownership went in Saw their players crying So they couldn't get over the hump Said

We need to go in a change of direction Let's have a big search Then they got a little scared Like we actually are pretty good Like do we need to change everything We just need to change a little bit They're like let's just Let's just change a little bit

So is there a new culture there Not really It's a lot of the same stuff and it's not new. You know what I call that? Well, it's not injustice. It's not the French art of Panama. But it is a half measure.

It is a half measure. And I can't support it. Okay. I didn't think the culture was the problem. I thought the defense became the problem, and they hired Jim Leonard. Do you think Jim Leonard calling his, I like Jim Leonard, go badgers.

Yeah. But Jim Leonard calling plays for the first time in the NFL versus Sean McDermott, who is considered a bit of a defensive guru. I don't think it's necessarily a step up. Can I just put? back a little bit on the mimes? Say it again?

No, I do like the French art of pantomime. But those other teams that you talked about fired their coach in large part because they had disastrous seasons. That's usually how. Usually it's like, oh my God, the bottom is falling out. We need a full reset. The Bills made the playoffs, won a playoff game, lost in round two and overtime. and I think felt like we don't need a full.

I'm not saying the right or wrong. I'm just saying it is a little different. They don't need a full reset. Also, famously, the last team I remember to have the coach move on and promote from within was a team that you supported that decision 1,000 percent. Learn from my errors. In the Patriots and Girard Mayo. Now, that did not work.

Obviously. Okay. No, because you run into a lot of stuff. Like, are we taking down the signage? We're keeping the signage up? Or we're practicing the same time? Signage is the reason. Oh, yeah, great take, Brew.

Tailu David Blatt was brand new. That was just the wrong decision. So you got Josh Allen getting over the top. I got Josh Allen getting over the top, and I have 14 teams making the playoffs. But Max Crosby. Be a cowboy. That's next on first thing, first overtime. I hope you're right on that one, Danny.

I can bring my calendar back up. Welcome back. Thanks for hanging out with the OT. Greg Jennings out here, and we'll go to Dallas. It's been a oddly quiet off season for a. Cowboys franchise that normally talks Super Bowl back in March. This year, though, the Cowboys had a good draft. George Pickens agreed to the franchise tag. And per report from Todd Archer yesterday, they restructured several contracts and now have more than $30 million in cap space.

I got ideas on what this could mean because that guy, Max Crosby, he used to do about 30 million bucks as a base salary this year. So the question, Greg, is, is this something or nothing? And I'm going to tell you, it's something. I don't get why Stephen Jones would say it's going to be really hard for us to keep George Pickens into the future, other than it's true. But you shouldn't say it a week before the season starts seems unnecessary. The Bears needed to restructure some contracts to get under the cap, right? You have to be cap compliant by a certain day. Cowboys were under the cap. So restructuring Duran Bland and Jake Ferguson's deals to get them this money, If they think they are losing pickings next year, then that means that this team is the most talented team they should have for a few years.

And that's the exact situation, especially when you add in veteran quarterback, owner in his early 80s, 30 plus year Super Bowl drought. That's the exact situation to mortgage a little bit of the future, like trade a draft pick to go get a player. So I think Max Crosby is going to be a cowboy. I think September will be an audition for the rest of the league to show that Crosby is healthy. There's no reason for him to stay on the Raiders. He doesn't align with Mendoza's timeline. They already tried to trade him and the Ravens backed out of it. If Crosby has a good September, he won't be a Raider in October.

And I think Dallas will be at the front of the line. Yeah, I think you're on to something. And you've kind of been alluding to this for a while about. You don't, it's hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. They traded him for two first round picks. Yeah. Like, I just, I can't, I don't get why this would work. They will move off of it.

They are willing to do it. So it's definitely something. Anytime you start seeing money reallocated and moved around and contracts being restructured, there's vision, there's a visionary, there's things that people are upstairs. Executives are thinking about that they are looking down the road of possibly exploring or doing, there's a plan. That plan very well may be, Max Crosby, when we think about the, Cowboys, there's a lot of things that we are excited about defensively.

We know that they added a lot of guys in the draft and we got got some guys last year, Rashon Gary. The defensive end position, the past rusher has been a point of topic ever since trading away Michael Parsons. We know that they wanted to bring in a big name guy. Right. They didn't do that. And so now to your point of letting September be kind of this, let's see what Max Crosby

looks like in terms of health and productivity. Is he the same version? What does that look like? How do we even look defensively to see if we need to go and make that splash? But you have to prepare. You have to prepare. And to your point, I do believe that Jerry Jones and everyone else and Stephen Jones feel like this current roster as configured is one of the best rosters that they've had in a long time.

And they feel like they have an opportunity to do something special. If you do and you are a player short, you feel like you are a player short, you prepare to do whatever is necessary to make an addition. Also, I don't know if you buy your car's new or used. I bought my couch as a floor model. Get a little discount. You know, people don't want the floor model. People have sat on it. Man, doesn't care.

Who cares? It's floor model. It's fine. Two first round picks for Max Crosby is what the Ravens paid. And then they backed out. yesterday's price is not going to be today's price. Not at all. Right?

Like, he will have not started the season with you. He will have not gone through training camp with you. He will have played some regular season games for another franchise. If Max Crosby is fine this year, it's not going to be two first-round picks. What if it's two second-round picks? What if it's one first-round pick? And Dallas can get Max Crosby on a discount, and they've already proven that they're a Super Bowl-Caliber team and a player away. So I just, I think the acquisition cost for Crosby is going to be significantly lower than it was in the off season.

Yeah, but that's very well true. I think this is an audition for every every pass rusher involved, though, in terms of not if you, even if you're not on the Dallas Cowboys, but the guys that they brought in, the young rookies that they have, the current guys on the roster,

they want to see where they can take this. And if they have what it takes to be a great pass rush team, because they, you got to think, when you have the interior linemen that you have and Kenny Clark, Quinn and Williams. And then you have the linebacking core

where you have a guy in the middle where you feel like, okay, overshone, we got a guy. Then you got a guy on the back end. A couple guys in the secondary. Now you feel like you can build around. Caleb Downs being the number one. You have guys at every level.

The one premier spot that you may still have questions and Rashon Gary, formidable guy. But can he get it done by himself? Rashaun Gary is not Max Crosby. Exactly. He is not. Now listen, is it weird to have Micah Parsons trade him away and then trade a bunch to go get Max Crosby?

That's weird business. Let's Dallas Cowboys. It doesn't have to be rational. As long as we're talking about something and it looks funky, Jerry Jones is all about it. Hey, add Max Crosby to that team. They are very dangerous. I expect it to happen. Let's go to Detroit and talk a little Jared Gough because last year, golf was top three in a couple of categories that matter.

Passing yards, passing touchdowns. Passer rating. Dan Campbell, his head coach, shockingly riding for his guy, says he is still underrated. Telling Albert Breer in Sports Illustrated, quote, he is massively underrated. He's a rare breed of man. His processing speed reminds me of breeze. He sees it. He sees it. And every year, it's gotten faster and faster. And then watch him under duress. Nobody makes a more accurate throw under duress than Jared Gough. Do you, Greg Jennings, consider Jared Gough to be underrated? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. He's a more. not under I think there's a difference between being underrated and overlooked.

Like he gets overlooked because of the type of play. His, his, his, the way he goes about it, the way the Detroit Lions have to be structured in order for him to have success, we don't see other quarterbacks in this league. Today, needing to have a firm pocket. They're immobile. can't really get outside of the pocket. He is excellent. Everybody talks.

He's always going to be up there in yards. He's always going to be accurate. Nobody denies that. Nobody denies that Jared Goff is one of those guys that if you had a team that you're building and you're building with a great offensive line and you can support him and he can stand up in that pocket and deliver the ball, he's great for that.

Where the separation comes and where I think we start to overlook him, not underrate him. We overlook him because that's typical, that's all he does. He doesn't do the, he doesn't put on the cape. He does not put on the cave. He doesn't do the off-scheduled stuff as much. Yes. And so when we look at the quarterbacks that can do those things, those are the quarterbacks that we feel like, man, they can go win a Super Bowl.

They can go and take their team if they're a mediocre team. They can elevate everyone around them. we don't truly feel like Jared Goff elevates everybody around him. He adds to what you're doing because he's a very smart player. He's going to study. He understands what his strengths are and you do too. That's why the Detroit lines are built the way they're built. That's right.

I would say that he is underrated by the public and appropriately rated by the league. And I'll try to illustrate it with a couple of graphics here. the sheer production is kind of shocking. Like since he has been with the Lions, if we just throw this up, it's like, okay, he's second in the NFL in passing yards behind only Patrick Mahomes. He's third since he's been in Detroit in touchdowns behind only Mahomes and Allen, third in rating behind Burling Lamar and, of course, fourth and win, Allen, Mahomes, and Hertz. why I say that the league evaluates him fairly is I don't think anybody

I'm not sure that Jared Gough or Dan Campbell would be like yeah he's the second or third best player in football but look at where the league ranks him players and that executive poll that I love so much from Jeremy Fon the players are like seventh the coaches scouts and executives ninth and that feels

about right to me like he's definitely not top two, like his number suggests, we can understand that some of that was Ben Johnson, some of that is Jemir Gibbs, Jameson, William, Amon Ross St. Brown, Sam Leporta, before last year. Great offensive line. They were injured last year, so he got sacked 38 times, which was a career high. But normally, Jared Gough doesn't get sacked, he stays in the pocket, he throws, he throws on time, the whole thing. So I think the public underrates him, because I don't think the public would say that he's a top eight quarterback, top nine quarterback. But the guys who scout it and know are like,

Yeah, he's a fringe top 10 guy. Yeah, so again, when you look stylistically, it's not sexy. He's not the one that when you put those stats up there, they are, they are. It stops you. They are staggering because it's like, wow, I know he puts up tremendous numbers, but at the same time, if we are just rolling on the tape and we're closing our eyes and we're imagining who puts up these types of numbers, Jared Goff doesn't come to top of mind.

No. Because we think stylistically who can do it in any system with it not being perfectly built around them. Jared Goff is one of those quarterbacks. And no, not. Like, it kind of has to be perfect. Well, so the DeBreeze comp is interesting

because as a professional take artist, if I could help Dan Campbell. Can I help him with one thing? Yeah, go for it. When he's like, and under pressure, there's nobody better. I'm like, ew.

Yeah, no. I don't know if I agree with that. Like it's under, that's like that's the cryptidite because he doesn't have the off schedule. Golf under pressure last three seasons, 19th in pass the rating and a very pretty. That's why they had such a huge investment with with Ragnow and Glassnow. Correct.

And Taylor Decker. Everyone on that office of line. They invested a ton. And it's like, as soon as they're like, okay, we have to move Penaisual from right, tackle the left tackle. What are we going to do with our first round pick? We're taking Blake Miller out of Clemson. Like, we, like, I don't think that Dan Campbell believes what Dan Campbell said. Like, you can make a very compelling Jared Gough as underrated case.

I just wouldn't use under pressure because they have invested a ton in that offensive line because they know that's actually what disrupts Jared Giff. No doubt. That's the key word right there. What disrupts Jared Gough is pressure. Right. Because you know any quarter. It's like the one thing you got to leave out of the Jared Gough argument.

Absolutely. Why are you doing it? Not a flush him out the pocket. You get him out of pocket? You should have consulted me, Dan. I could have helped you make your case for Jared Goff. Coming up next, we got real games fast approaching. Forty-niners.

They basically have taken up residency in Australia. They've been there so long. Rams aren't leaving for a while. Are the Niners ready to pull off the big upset for the second game to open the season? That's next on the OTH T. Don't get to say this often. Let's go to Melbourne.

The Niners, Jet-Like has to have worn off. By now, right? They've acclimated from their 16-hour flight. Meanwhile, the Rams, Rams don't believe in jet lag. They're just like, we're going to sleep on the plane, we're going to play a football game, we're going to get back on a plane. It is a 16 hour flight.

Might have mentioned that. Brock Purdy, though, he sat down with Niners reporter Matt Mayoka to talk about facing this Rams defense, which, by the way, has added Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald, in case you haven't heard, and how that will impact the division matchup and the division race. Take a listen. Everyone sort of heard the news with Miles Garrett and stuff. I don't hear a whole lot with all the little intricate things about what each team does, but all I know is we have an extremely competitive, great division.

You know, I think the best in the NFL. And that excites us because, you know, for us, it's like you've got to be your best every moment, every play, every drive. Every game matters. Every little thing matters. It all adds up. I like the idea that he's like, yeah, I don't know every intricate move of teams. Like, yeah, no one's expecting you to like scan the waiver wire. But I'm pretty sure you know that Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald.

He knows. He's well aware. How surprised would you be if the Niners pull off this upset? I wouldn't be very surprised. I would be surprised. Your big week one weird things happen, guys. Anything can happen. There's a lot of unscripted things.

Even with familiar opponents, there's a lot of things, new wrinkles. When you turn on the tape over the course of an off season, you're not only evaluating your opponent, you're evaluating yourself. And so you're trying to find tendencies within the things that you do so that you don't put that out there on tape come week one. And so with that being said, like, it doesn't matter who the Rams are coming over, flying over with.

Yes, they have the names, all of that. But at the end of the day, the 49ers are like, we got to play football. It's still football. The one thing that would be surprising to me is if they come out and they just look great, both defensively and offensively.

I wouldn't be shocked if it's like a grind of a game, but if they come out and they're click on all cylinders offensively, I would be shocked. A Kyle Shanahan team. I would be shocked because in my estimate, like, they're going to have to run through Christian McCaffrey. In his career, if we go back to 2019, he had an outstanding year.

Outstanding year of 2019. He's been great. A lot of touches. Next year doesn't get through the season. Yeah. 2023. Outstanding. A lot of touches.

The next year doesn't get through the year again. And last year, we were talking about it. Man, his usage rate is high. They're running everything. And then they needed to. They had to. But again, that leads us to this year. And we will see what that looks like.

I'm not saying he's going to get hurt. But the likelihood is kind of like the Sequin Barkley deal. Like high usage, high volume running backs tend to not follow up with a fantastic year. Listen, I think that that is something that a lot of people are considering for fantasy football this year. Like, how do you follow that season? and do you expect the drop-off for him. But he's healthy for this game. You know, like, when McCaffrey plays for Kyle Shanahan, it goes well.

You know, I'm not saying that they will win and the Rams deserve to be favored. And listen, there's a chance that the Rams who were the second best team in football last year behind Seattle and added Miles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Aaron Donald might just lap the field with everybody. Right? Like, that is certainly on the board. But I do think the Niners are the forgotten really good team. Like Kyle Shanahan's a top three coach. They were a bottom five team last year in terms of injury luck,

in terms of most players who missed games who were starters. And they won 12 football games. They are a really good organization that is really well coached. That also was like, we added Miles Garrett and Bosa got on the flight, and Kittle got on the flight, and McCaffrey got on the flight. They do have old guys, and they do, I think they are the safest bet of any team, because we don't like to predict injuries, but we acknowledge the reality that this is professional football injuries will happen. If you said, Danny, who is going to be an above average injured team this year? The Niners would be the first pick in the draft because of how old their best players are.

Of course, I'm with you on all of that. But they're looking pretty healthy for week one. So I wouldn't be surprised at all because it's a weird game, man. It's week one, division, two great coaches, two neutral sight. Neutral sight and like two drastically different approaches to getting. This is not flying from Baltimore to London. This is a 16-hour flight in a place that they've never played before. I just think this is going to be a weird game.

So I think this is like a throw-out-the-record-books type of situation. There's just, there's so many unknowns. What is Aaron Donald going to look like? Is Miles Garrett's knee okay? There's just a lot of question marks. On the unknowns on both sides. On both sides. Like, is Aaron Donald even going to play?

Like, is Nick Bosa playing? Is he going to be available? George Kittle, he's been practicing, but is he going to actually be available and ready to play? Speak to this as a player. If Nick Bosa's not playing, doesn't he not get on the flight? No, that's, no. Because that's, you're flying, you're flying him to Australia if he's not playing? Because he just started practicing with the team.

He's just started participating in full team activity. So it's like, okay, if we can have our opponent, it's no different than the Aaron Donald issue. If you can have your opponent preparing for one of the better pass rushers than all the football. I'd be furious. This is what this is. I'm Nick Bosa and I'm not playing in the game and I had to fly to Australia to be a decoy to not play. You would be furious to go fly to Melbourne? Well, I mean, I don't think he's like hanging.

out with the kangaroos. But this is a part of our job. This is what we do. I understand. You're asking me. I'd be a little annoyed. I personally would be a little annoyed. I've got to get on the flight. Got to go to Australia. I'll be back, family. I'd be a little annoyed if I have to go and acclimate to the time change and they know I'm not going to play and that it's just because I'm a decoy so that Sean McVeigh can game plan for me. I am assuming that if you got on the plane, you're playing. Oh, well, I hope every player's... Stop.

Hey, I got on the plane. Stop. That's not what I'm talking. Aaron Donald, Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Chris. I expect all the main guys who got on that plane, I expect him to play. Okay. We're going to improve the vibes around here. Is this a playoff team?

They were, and then they got out. When eight teams were making, they were a playoff team. Wild Flicks to Measure vibes. Chicago. Number one, number one five team right now. We're gonna just run that video on a loop, Greg. Should have been there. I wasn't spirit.

Those are good people, those are my people. Those are great representatives of Chicago. You know, they wanted to sit behind home plate, but maybe we get them there one day. Greg, this is, I think I counted my 47th time watching this video. since last night. That is Matas Buzellas and

Caleb Wilson of the Chicago Bulls. Connor Bredar to the Blackhawks. Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. Behind the dugout cheering on Pete Crowe Armstrong, your soon-to-be National League

MVP of the Cubs leading a MVP CA chant, a Go-Cubs chant. The vibes in Chicago couldn't be higher. Stars across all of our sports. You a little jealous? No.

Small jealous? Not at all. Oh, not even a little bit. You gotta root for something. Look, I got a video that vibes are pretty high down in Dallas too. They're enjoying, this is your sport. I do love golf, what has happened? Everybody's out here with one another, laughing, having a good old time.

George Pickens. You prepped the segment for the question, does anybody have better vibes in Chicago with a place that you think has better vibes? You actually prepped the segment and didn't just let me enjoy. Why would I not prep? That's a part of what we do. We prep. And of course, I'm not going to just let you feel like Chicago is the only place where lives are high. Thank you.

The whole point was to see this video and have it run on a loop and just realize that we got young stars across. Caleb Williams has shaved the beard. That is a good look. It's a good look. Good is understated. It's a great look. What do you want me to say? I want you to say it's great.

I want you to say it's a great look. No one's got better vibes. They're in a great spot. And I will say somewhat serious point, those guys are not from Chicago. And to actually like embrace the city, embrace each other. They've been at Blackhawks games, you know, on the glass.

They sit courtside for Bulls games, hanging out. Caleb was on hot ones and he's like, I didn't even know if I would like Chicago. Oh my gosh. Now I love it. They're not even from Chicago. We just play for the table.

teams and the organizations that are in Chicago. And they root for each other. Don't dim my light. Have a good weekend.