Geoff Schwartz Is Smarter Than You - Dicey 6-Seeds, New England's Destiny & Green Bay's Sneaky-Good Season

Episode Date: December 24, 2019

Patriots: (2:087) 6-Seed Teams: (8:23) OBJ: (13:32) GB/MIN MNF: (21:09) 'Move the Line' Betting Segment: (29:30) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey folks, if you've been tuning in over the last couple of months, you've heard all about the Game Time app and how it can save you some serious cash on last-minute tickets to sports, concerts, all types of shows. We have the playoffs approaching the NFL. We have a game this weekend, Saturday Night Football, Niners, Seahawks. If you're in Seattle, you're a Niners fan, you're a Seahawks fan, the only place to get your ticket is on Game Time. Now Game Time is hooking you up for the holidays with $10 credit.

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Credit is only available to the first 1,000 people who redeem the code and expires the end of the year. That's December 31st, 2019. That's soon, everybody. So make quick moves and score last-minute tickets. You just don't want to talk, really. I'm just about that action, boss. From The Athletic, I'm Jeff Schwartz.

We're doing this taping during the fourth quarter of the Monday Night Football game. Packers right now, 17. Vikings, 10. So the Packers win, a great road to win. If the Vikings win, a great home win for them. We'll discuss this game in full, don't worry, at the end of this show. We will talk about the Patriots,

and the panicking was pointless on that. We'll break down how dangerous 6-0 could actually be, and we'll get that all going now. This Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you. Gabe Goodwin, what's up, buddy? Oh, hi. How are you? I'm excited for the show because we'll obviously see the end of this game.

And we talk about teams that you do not like talking about in a positive light. And I think we're going to start with the team you hate the most in the nfl the new england patriots yeah look the i i regret for even one second entertaining the notion that the patriots were ever in trouble uh we're all screwed now they're gonna be 13 and three with a bye and now making matters worse because we spent a couple weeks talking about spy gate 2.0. They've invented a chip on their shoulder. And as we all know, when Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have an enemy, that enemy must be destroyed. So we're all the enemy and the NFL is going to get destroyed again in January. They're going to be favored in any matchup until they have to go to Baltimore.

That's the only team that anyone will think is better than them, and they'll probably smash them too. So this was all pointless. They're going to be champs again. Kill me now. Get it over with. You sound like someone who's not a fan of the Patriots. I'm not. Just try to give me some piece of evidence that maybe they won't win at all.

Well, there's many reasons for that, but let's talk about the game they played the other night against Buffalo. From the very beginning, it looked like a team. It looked like the team that we saw in the playoffs last year. Ball control, running the football. They put Elandon Roberts, their middle linebacker at fullback for the game. Yeah, of course.

They hit play-action pass. They hit screens. Guys finally caught the football. They stayed ahead of the chains, meaning that they had third and shorter, or they actually got a first down in two plays. This looked like the offense that we saw last year in the playoffs. Brady was spreading the ball around. He looked confident.

The offensive line played well. They approached this game like a playoff game. Their defense played well. Now, I think giving up these deep plays is kind of a concern if you're on defense. The only concern, really, that the defense has. The thing about the way that the AFC playoffs are breaking down, Gabe, and this is something that I think will make you happy.

Baltimore getting the one seed was a big advantage game. And there's something that I think will, will make you happy. Baltimore game. The one seed was a big advantage because they get avoid having to beat Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes. So right now the chiefs and the Patriots are probably match up in the two verse three game in the, in the division around in new England, right? The primetime game rematch of a game a couple weeks ago.

Whoever wins that game will obviously have beaten the other ones. So, you know, the Chiefs will have beaten the Patriots and Tom Brady, and the Patriots will have beaten the Chiefs and Pat Mahomes. Then they have to go play the MVP in Lamar Jackson and that Ravens team. It's a tough ask for anyone, I think, to be able to do those two things. So even though the Patriots are playing better and they look like a playoff team, they look like a good playoff team, the Keel Harry caught the ball, they found unique ways to get him involved,

the offensive line played well, Gabe, doing those two things, man, is going to be tough. Remember last year, the Patriots beat, I would say, kind of like an okay Chargers team and then beat the Chiefs. They have to beat a really good Chiefs team, which I think they actually can do, and they have to beat a really good Baltimore Ravens team. It's hard to do all that.

Okay, so make me a little smarter here. Obviously, winning games is hard. Beating better teams is harder than beating worse teams but like why is it that playing the chiefs and then the ravens would be you know harder than i might imagine give me some kind of insight well i just think i just think that the chiefs and the ravens are outstanding teams and you typically i i think that that when you look at it i haven't looked i haven't looked at the DVOAs of every team coming through, but if you look at the way the Ravens are playing right now,

they're the best team in the NFL. The way the Chiefs are playing, there's arguments that say they're the second best team in the NFL right now. I mean, the way they're playing, who would you take them? Who would you take over them right now besides Baltimore in the NFL? No, no, those are the two best teams. And I think the amount of talent to have to win, really on the Chiefs' side too, for the Chiefs to beat,

and we'll talk about the Titans in a second, but for them to beat the Red Hot Titans, then go on the road and beat the Patriots, and then go on the road and beat Baltimore, we don't see six, and this would be a three seed obviously, but we don't see six in, and I mean, this would be a three seat obviously, but we don't see teams win multiple road games to get the Superbowl very often. And this is a situation where I just think it's hard to do that because

playing on the road is hard, especially when you're playing a team who's equally or better than you can't, you can't make any mistakes. That's the reason the chiefs won't win the Superbowl. I'm trying to find a reason why the stupid effing Patriots won't win the Super Bowl. And you're not giving them. I think the NFC team, whoever they play, would win the Super Bowl over the AFC, which sounds weird to say, even though I think the Chiefs and the Ravens might be the two best teams right now. But I – dude, New England's defense against Baltimore will be in the right place, but they're not fast enough to compete with Baltimore.

I mean, they're going to have to have some weird things happen for them to go to Baltimore and win that game. Weird things? They're the kings of doing weird things. Yeah, but not on the road. I think at home, there's some weird stuff happening, but yeah. Yeah. Well, do you buy the idea that perhaps if they just sort of coasted through with everyone saying nice things about them and celebrating Tom Brady's what what could be his last year in New England and everyone was just being positive about, wow, man, the Patriots, they're good again. Isn't that nice? And there was none of this Spygate nonsense or no two game losing streak to criticize them for. Do you think that they maybe then just get a little lazy and lose but now this this notion that they have to stick it up everyone's you know what

is maybe going to help them at all because that seems like their history like they create a chip on their shoulder that's how they've won in the past do you buy that um i definitely uh buy that they love this chip on the shoulder type thing like they absolutely love the idea that they love this chip on the shoulder type thing. Like they absolutely love the idea that they're the underdog. They'll invent ways to consider themselves underdogs even when it's not true. It's the same as Michael Jordan. They'll come up with a way to think of themselves. They probably told themselves they were underdogs at home against Buffalo. You know, like they're crazy.

These are the things that people on the internet believe. You're not really doing anything to invalidate it. So I'm going to move to the next topic because on this one, you are, you are bat shit. I just want to say it. Okay. Before I, I'm just taking shots before I even get to the facts on this one. It's very trendy right now to say that you are scared of the Titans. Don't sleep on the Titans, everyone. Okay, I think you tweeted something like this the other day. There is no reason, nothing, to support the belief that the Titans are a competitive team. They will probably go 8-8 and then get blasted by the Chiefs or lose for the third time to the Texans in the first round of the playoffs. I don't know why anyone is giving any airtime to thinking that Ryan Tannehill and the freaking Titans matter. Why is this a thing?

What part of the Twitter world are you all living in where the Titans are good? All right. So here's why the Titans worry me if they play the Chiefs. I'm not worried about them anyone else. I'm talking about the Chiefs specifically. I'm talking about the Chiefs specifically. Okay. Okay. worry about them anyone else let's talk about the chiefs specifically i'm gonna talk about the chiefs specifically okay okay first of all they run the football with the chiefs don't stop the run very well okay that's been their achilles heel two weird stuff happens when the chiefs and

titans play there's no explanation for it it just happens any reason one and eight against the titans i don't have a great i don't have a great explanation for that. That's so silly. If I gave you that stat, you would rip it apart. But it's silly because it's sort of weirdly, they have weird games. Okay, do you want examples for the weird games?

Yeah, that'd be nice. So, a couple years ago in the playoffs, Marcus Mario, they're up 21-3. Remember the Chiefs are. Marcus Marta throws his own touchdown pass to himself. Do you remember that play? Yeah, I remember when that quarterback was the quarterback, but he's not anymore. But all these things, okay, so that happened.

And also in the same game, Jeff Triplett, the referee, blew a play dead the way they put the Chiefs up four touchdowns for no apparent reason whatsoever. So that's a weird game. They lost a game to the Titans in about zero degrees on like a 58-yard field goal with a frozen football. The weirdest thing is it's never going to happen. It'll never happen again. You're not even going to point out that the Titans beat them this year? That's not what you're –

I'm getting there. I'm giving you – I blew the story. Sorry. I blew the story. Sorry. They beat him this year when the Chiefs botched a field goal attempt. Got another kick blocked. It's weird. Weird stuff happens. Like Ryan Tannehill in that game went like 80 yards and four plays to win the game.

Like this weird. Like they ain't doing that again. He's not doing that again so i do think there's something in sports to these weird sort of records or weird sort of circumstances happen against someone i can't i can't say like like why that is or that's the reason why we should like a team but i think there's something too like for whatever reason the titans have weirdly given the chiefs problems like I don't know why it's valid to say. Okay. But give me something in this season on the field.

Talk to me about blocking strategy or something. I think their ability to run the football, play keep away from the Chiefs, and the Chiefs have had issues this year in two spots on offense. I know it's weird to say that. They've had issues in the red zone because they can't run the football. And also their offense will go long spurts without scoring. The last three weeks, they've scored three points in the second half,

eight points, and seven points. They don't score in the second half of games. I think maybe 10. They scored at a late field goal last night. They have long spurts where they don't score. And that worries me in the playoffs. I'm just a Chiefs fan, man. They have weird shit happen

to them. I don't know how you can look at the history of the Chiefs and think the Titans are going to come in there and just smoke them. That seems like you're trying to play with the juju here. You're messing with some weird luck charms. You're trying to out-jinx the jinx on football terms we're talking about a team that has lost

two in a row and may lose another one this weekend you know against the texans we'll see who they put on the field there would be an eight and eight team for for the most part i mean they haven't ever looked exceptional they're playing a backup quarterback i it. He's had a good run for 10 or 12 games here, but honestly, Ryan Tannehill gets us scared. Well, I get, I just,

I think it's just become a thing that you say about a team that you haven't covered all year. I remember a few weeks ago, I asked you at what point do I have to take the Titans seriously? And you said, I didn't. So why do I have to take them seriously now? They're not doing anything special.

They're not winning the AFC. In this specific instance of playing the Chiefs, as a Chiefs fan, I'm not looking forward to that game. Okay. Well, I mean, I would be, because I would be thinking, all right, cool. I get Ryan Tannehill at home for a playoff game. That's like a buy.

That's great. It seems like a dream come true to me. I disagree. Okay, fair enough. Let's move along. Here's a name that might trigger you. Odell Beckham Jr. What are you typing right now?

Are you typing an email? I'm just, I'm, the Packers scored. It's 24-10 Packers and I'm about to just destroy Cousins on Twitter right now oh you're tweeting stuff yeah I'm about to destroy Cousins on Twitter right now

you have to stay relevant with what's happening at the moment I just that's true you also have to stay present with one who you're in a conversation with I'm

dude I can do many things at once my friend you'd be surprised to know what goes down when I'm podcasting dude I can do many things at once my friend you'd be surprised to know what goes down when I'm when I'm podcasting or tweeting okay so you or or radio I don't think I actually want to know what's going on in some of those cases but here's what I'll say while you fire off some hit tweet I'm going to just tell you what's really going on in reality here all right and in real life you have your twitter stuff I'm going to tell you the truth on the field Odell Beckham Jr.

will be traded this offseason and where he's going to be traded will dictate the entire future of the NFL. No, no, no. You keep writing your tweets. I'm speaking to the audience right now. Okay? You speak about Kirk Cousins going 0-9 on Monday Night Football, some stupid shit that doesn't matter. And I'm going to be talking about Odell Beckham Jr., the league's most talented receiver who just can't find a home. We know this offseason was tumultuous. He ends up in Cleveland. We've more than covered how bad that's gone. All right. This week, we see him screaming at his coach on the sideline. I can't believe it took 16 weeks for that to happen. But finally, he and Kitchens have their blow up. Of course, I have to go back in time and remember all the things that have happened since he got to Cleveland.

We know that he was kissing Tom Brady's butt week eight after losing to the Patriots. He gave him goat cleats going into that game, kissing his butt there. We know that last offseason there were reports that he might be traded to New England. We know that Tom Brady is in desperate, desperate situation because he has no weapons. How can he possibly win? And Antonio Brown ain't going to be the answer there. So tell me why at the end of this year, it won't make every sense in the world to trade Odell Beckham Jr. to New England, give Tom what he wants, keep him happy and keep him in New England, which he won't be without a weapon. Tell me why that doesn't make sense.

So going to New England makes complete sense. By the way, the Browns are going to do anything. I don't think they're going to trade anyone, and they're running the whole thing back next year. I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. GM, John Dorsey, who, by the way, when he was

my GM in Kansas City, for the entire time I was there, for one whole season, all he said to me was, man, it's short to be with you. That's it. Every single time he saw me. Totally respect that. That's all he said to me.

That's all he said to me. If that's all he's going to say to you, that's pretty good. The reason why – well, they ended up not resigning me. The reason why they're running everything back is because of him. He brought in Freddie Kitchens. He kept him on staff. He drafted Baker Mayfield. He brought in Odell. He brought in Landry.

He brought in Olivier Vernon. He brought these guys. If he goes ahead and trades these pieces away or gets rid of the coach, it falls back on him. He's the person who's getting fired, who's losing his job because he made all these deals. How does the ownership trust him to trade away Odell, to get rid of Kitchens and hire the right coach,

get the right competition back for Odell, to make all those decisions when they've not worked out, none of them have worked out so far? So I think the best option for John Dorsey is to say, look, we'll try to do this again next year. Hopefully we've learned enough about what we should and should not do, and hopefully we're better next season. Okay, but that's a very cynical view on it.

You're saying that they're going to be in a situation where sort of politically he maneuvers it so that he gets another chance at a bad situation just to protect his own ass. But if he could unload Odellell who clearly is not a fit or he could be a fit if they could throw him the ball correctly but they have a bad coach and a you know a quarterback who you've talked plenty about who can't get him the ball why why waste that talent why not get something for it wouldn't new england give up a lot i think you have a first round pick for that okay so why wouldn't they want a first round pick

they seem to love picks in Cleveland. That's all they ever talk about is all their picks. Yeah. He could also then have a fall guy. If Dorsey, if your theory is that Dorsey needs kind of an excuse and he needs to kind of give it another try next year, you could say, oh, you know, it would have worked. Except it turns out Odell is kind of a nutcase. And so I got a first rounder for him, everyone. Aren't we happy now?

We still have Landry. We still have Chubb. I understand what you're saying. And I think the Patriots, the Niners, the Saints. I think there's a lot of teams that will be very into trying to trade for Odell. I don't think Dorsey is going to do it, though. And if you're wanting to trade for Odell, I like Odell a lot. I think he's very talented.

I actually think he's not that big of a distraction. Honestly, I think people make too much of some of the stuff he's done. But like he, but like, what do you, I just, I don't know if teams are going to be as excited to trade for him.

Just kind of based off of what's happened the last two years with them. Injured. Things haven't really gone very well. He's been kind of more vocal than usual. I think he's still supremely talented. If he were to fix the sports trainer, which is a pretty easy surgery, he could be the great Odell again. But he hasn't been great in a couple of years now. And I do wonder if teams are like, I don't know if I want to give a first round pick for him.

You know what you're describing? You're describing the exact profile of a guy that the Patriots trade for. A guy who's just a little, maybe like the market is a little sour on. And they know that there's really nothing wrong yet. I mean, whatever Odell has done wrong in this life, it doesn't even come close to Antonio Brown, who they made a... Oh, no, I agree. Odell's... I know you're not suggesting that.

You've been very cool to Odell and very fair to Odell. You've complimented him way more than you've ever criticized him. But I'm just saying, if the stock is a little bit down on this guy, they're exactly the team that would make the move, no? Isn't that their whole modus operandi? It is, but then John Dorsey's going to – I just think when you go back to Dorsey again, is he going to trade him for less value than he got them,

then he had to give up. Like, I just, I don't know, man. Well, do they have any other solution there? Because it obviously isn't going to work.

I mean, I can't imagine we're going to see anything productive out of him in week 17. You know, the fans there seem to think they have a great running back and Chubb. I can't see them giving up on Baker yet. So who else are you going to blame? For, for the season? Yeah. Well, Kitchens. Of course,

but they've already said they're keeping him, haven't they? Yeah, but that's not my point, is that they're not going to do anything. They're just going to run it back. Wow. Okay. Well, in that division, that seems like a very stupid choice. This is what I think they're going to do. I think they're going to just run it back. The blame is everyone. It's John Dorsey, it's Odell, it's Baker, it's Freddie, and they're going to hope that they end up being better next year. It sounds like you're saying Odell Beckham Jr. is staying in Cleveland, though it would make sense for him to go to one of the best teams in the league. And some of those teams would be interested in him, but the team who has him is too stupid to

trade him. So he's just going to wither away next year. I guess that's what you're telling me. So I don't know if I'm smarter yet, but I think you might be right to wither away next year i guess that's what you're telling me so i don't know if i'm smarter yet but i think you might wither away next what's he gonna do next year it's gonna be the same crap but it's not but again i think that this is more to do with dorsey's ego than it has to anything else okay so that's going to be a waste of odell beckham jr because this guy's ego most Most likely, yes. All right. Well, may the Schwartz be with you for explaining it to me so well. All right, Jeff, we've vamped enough about Odell Beckham Jr. and where he will or won't play.

Listen, I think everyone out there just forgot about the Packers. I honestly think we've just gone 16 weeks and talked about them only a handful of times. And now all of a sudden, as of seconds ago, they are the NFC North champs. They beat the Vikings again. They are going to be a 13-3 and maybe the one seed with a bye, you know, in home field the whole way through. That's possible right now.

They need a little help from the Seahawks beating the Niners if I have my playoff scenarios right. Here's the whole way through. That's possible right now. They need a little help from the Seahawks beating the Niners if I have my playoff scenarios right. Here's the thing, man. Matt LaFleur, rookie season, has done a hell of a job. Aaron Rodgers has only thrown three picks all year, one tonight, but unbelievable touchdown and interception ratio. Devontae Adams is healthy, set in career best tonight.

They've got this zone run game that you'll tell me all about. Their turnover plus minus is second only to the Patriots. These guys are really good. They're just not as sexy as previous Aaron Rodgers Packers teams, so we forgot about them. Why aren't they the best team in the NFC? Well, they're not the best team in the NFC because, and this game is different because they play really well tonight.

They've had, they don't win pretty and that's important we talk about whether we like a team or not they have been slow methodical their offense will disappear for certain portions of the game um and defensively they're just they're like okay defensively now tonight they play really well and maybe that's cousins just being as usual losing on national television he's oh-9 in my night football games how's that even possible you know the Packers defense right now is ranked you know 17th their offense

6th in DVOA entering tonight obviously and I just I think the other teams NFC are just far superior to them that's why we're not talking about them as much but if Rogers gets hot then man it's freaking Packers man with rogers like they're they're tough out yes i agree with you i mean that like it seems like we've just forgotten that

it was only a couple years ago he was clearly the best quarterback in the league then you know he's quiet there's some injuries they turn over the coaching we hear some bad stories about him not being such a you know a great teammate for a couple years there, but all of a sudden, without any kind of talk, like he's having one of his best years ever. He doesn't have 40 touchdown passes, but he doesn't turn the ball over. I mean, we saw one silly pick tonight, maybe you could explain how that happened. Looked like he just sort of showed where he was throwing it but for the most part he's running the offense the way that teams that win the super bowl run the offense no mistakes good time of possession trust a couple good running backs have one or two good weapons like what am i not saying it seems like the patriots they kind of just seem like a slightly less good

patriots um to your point by the way about the packers where they are right now. If the Niners win on Sunday night, they're the one seed. If they lose, they're the five seed. Yeah. But if the Packers win and the Niners lose, the Packers are the one seed. Right. Yeah, so, I mean, so the Packers are playing the Lions, who've given up, understandably. I mean, I don't call the players quitters, but that isn't a win.

Packers should win that game. The Niners have a super tough test in Seattle. Seattle wants to win. We'll get to Marshawn Lynch and what he might bring them. I want to hear your thoughts on that later. But, man, like, how are we at week 16 and just now realizing that Aaron

Rodgers is this good? And by the way, like, sneaking into the MVP race, you'll probably laugh at that. I brought it up recently, like, sneaking in, he's going to get MVP votes, isn't he? Um, maybe I just,

uh, Rogers Rogers has not been as normal. Good self this year, like normal good stuff. He's been good, but now we've come to expect about him. And that's part of it as well. There's this,

if you look at his advanced stuff, and I know people don't always agree with, and I think you have to, you have to incorporate all that into your thought process. He just hasn't been as crisp as he has in the past. Again, they're still winning games, which is the most important thing, but he hasn't even tonight.

It was okay, right? I mean, they scored late with rushing the ball. They're doing enough to win, but if you look at the Saints, you look at the Niners, you look at, I guess that's really the NFC right now, those teams feel way more complete than Packers do. That's what we say now.

I could see us looking at that handsome devil Matt LaFleur hoisting the Lombardi trophy and going, yeah, man, wow, what a run. That's amazing. Boring is good. Colin Cowards what a run. That's amazing. I just – boring is good. Colin Coward's always said this. Boring wins. You know, boring has been winning in this league for two decades with Bill Belichick.

Boring wins almost every year down in Alabama. You know, boring is a good thing. The opposite of boring is a team we talk about a lot, the Browns. No, I understand that. And maybe that's a good way to look at it, thinking of it like that. And I agree with that wholeheartedly. But that's an interesting point. Boring does win.

That's a good point. I didn't think about that because I agree with that like 100% that Boring does win. Interesting. Maybe they need to reconsider the Pack packers i just think that their defense is not good enough and i think rogers has just been okay to good and not been his great self this year all right he missed a lot of throws tonight still yeah i i've seen him play better and he's had he's had some brilliant games this year and a few duds let me ask you this and we'll leave them alone we'll get to moving the line.

I read that the zone-blocking offense is really contributing to their run game and that I believe they've led the league in basically like zone-blocked run attempts. I don't even know how to describe what I'm saying. So can you make us a little smarter on what that is and how that makes them a successful team with the ball? Well, so zone run is you kind of just all go one direction, right? So you step to the right or the left. And what it does is it allows you to pick up any kind of messes that come your way

because you're working to one side and you work kind of in conscious. You have offensive linemen that are able to block in the scheme, and they have those guys, and the backs are able to read it properly. It's hard to give a zone tutorial on a podcast, honestly, but that's kind of the best way to put it, is that your offensive line can pick up all the messes, and your running backs they have are very good at running zone. Look, there's guys that are – I play with Adrian Peterson, for example.

He was very good at running downhill. He liked to fall back in front of him, right? I put Jamal Charles who liked to run zone. He liked to find the hole and kind of go where it has to go. I think the Packers have backs that are very good at zone. Okay, that's well said. And then Aaron Rodgers, has he succeeded one way or the other more often in his career? Like what is good for Aaron Rodgers?

What, with the run game? Well, yeah. This is also the offensive floor has run in his career, which is the zone too. So I don't know what's better for him. By the way, breaking news. Yeah. Marshawn Lynch officially back in Seattle.

Oh, great. Well, we're going to get to that soon. That's wonderful news. Fantastic. I know on the weekends you're super into your sports and you might forget that you don't have any food at home, but don't worry. You can connect to DoorDash.

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Do not forget that's promo code SMARTER for $5 off your first order from DoorDash and have food delivered to you instantly when you're hungry. Well, shit, let's just move to moving the line. I mean, I'm so excited. Why don't we just start with that topic? And I'll ask it simply. Over under 137.6 decibel levels in Seattle week 17 when Marshawn Lynch presumably is on the field. I'm going to go over here.

So the Marshawn Lynch signing is fascinating for many reasons. One, because he hasn't played in, what, two years? And now he's going to come back and play well. It feels like this is a signing that... Well, hold on. Let me correct you a little bit. He hasn't played all of this year and almost all of last year. He did play, I think, six games last year.

Okay. So he's been out almost two years. He's been out almost two years. So this signing to me feels like a signing to kind of fire your team up. It has less to do with him actually performing well on the field, and I'll tell you why. Look, he hasn't played like we just talked about in two years. He's not going to be good at football on Sunday night.

I'm sorry, folks. He's not, okay? But what it's going to do, it's going to fire up his team for him and Marshawn being back. He is mostly the most favorite player of any Seahawks fan right now. And it'll fire the crowd up. It might not produce a lot of yards, but I think the idea of bringing him back and telling everyone, we're all in, we're doing everything we can to win right now,

will fire the team up. It might not provide much more than the first quarter jolt. The Seahawks are beat up right now, but it's going to be loud. Seattle, for my money, is the loudest place in the NFL or New Orleans. but it's going to be loud. And Seattle, for my money, is the loudest place in the NFL or New Orleans. They measured the loudest field, and so it was Arrowhead. But what they did is they measured in the corner of the end zone.

You need to stand in midfield in the fourth quarter with two minutes left in the game and measure the sound there because Seattle would win. New Orleans would. They're loud all game. And Seattle's going to be roaring on Sunday nights. Can't wait to watch it. Well, so then if I'm going to take what you said seriously, that this is more to motivate a team and a fan base.

So then why isn't this a thing? Why didn't Minnesota sign Randy Moss for tonight's game? Well, I mean, Marshall actually, they're hoping they get something out of him. But because the idea, look, if Randy Moss can't play in this game. They actually probably Randy Moss could absolutely have played in this game. We know for a fact,

he's, he's officially retired though. I think part of that is to retired twice. Well, you know, he's not a, whatever. Is it Moss?

I can already in the hall of fame already. Yeah, I think so. I wonder if that's possible. I can you, can you like play after you've been in the hall of fame? If anyone could do it. I think the only person who I might have a tiny bit more confidence in than

Randy coming back would be Dion. I think Dion could play a safety for a full drive and not get exposed. Do you think that like a Favre could come back? Yeah. Oh, hell yeah. I'm sure he's told people he could. No question. Yeah. I'm sure he's told people he could. No question.

Yeah, I'm sure he could too. All right, let's stick with running backs. So Christian McCaffrey, I want to know the over-under for catches next season, 99 and a half. Is he going to get another 100 catch season? We have one week left. He might get 1,100 this year.

You think he'll do it again next year? I think he probably will. He's a monster. I think that the Panthers not being good, we've kind of ignored what the season he's having. He could, in week 17, end up becoming the all-time leader in all-purpose yards for a season. Um,

and I think that whoever they hire and I see, look, it seems like Mike McCarthy might be in the mix there. Uh, they're going to find a way to get him the ball as much as possible. He's a nightmare matchup. There's no one you can't, you just can't guard them.

Um, I go over again. It's a lot, but I go over. If he sets the all-purpose yards record without even returning kicks and is the first running back in history to have a thousand rushing yards and a hundred receptions two years in a row i mean be credible it would change the position right like are we at a point where we're just having to talk about oh well now like guys who were receivers maybe a

little undersized at receiver just become running backs and catch 100 balls out of the backfield like are we talking about changing the running back position forever after this um i think the running back position already changed i think you have to be a dual threat guy to even be an NFLer now. Right. Right? I mean, like, I thought about this. Would Adrian Peterson, what would he be now if he was draft eligible? Well, from what we see in the league right now, he'd be spelled by Malcolm, whatever the hell the guy's name is in the Rams. The guy who subs in. Malcolm Brown whatever the hell the guy's name is, and the Rams. The guy who subs in for- Malcolm Brown.

Yeah, that guy. They would not use him on every down or every drive, which is crazy. So I think the position is changing altogether. All right. I want to know odds of a Pro Bowl quarterback at some point in his life, not recent, a Pro Bowl quarterback signing with the Chargers. Better than 50% chance? They're not going to have Rivers next year, right?

We think that? Yes. The way he ended the season or is ending the season, it's bad. I mean, I read, and tell me if this means anything at all. I read that they had to go to a silent count in their own stadium. Yeah, that happens often there, yeah. Okay, because there's more fans of the opposing team than them, so it's louder when they're on offense,

which is never how it is at your home field. So do you think that they'll get rid of Rivers and go sign a big-name guy to welcome them into that new stadium? So we're talking about Brady or Cam Newton, right? Well, yeah, our buddy Sheck thinks it's Brady. That's his theory. Cam Newton, right? Well, yeah. Our buddy Sheck thinks it's Brady. That's his theory. Cam Newton has been floated. You love Ryan Tannehill.

Maybe it'll be him. There's a few other guys who could be floating around out there. Oh, you said Ryan Tannehill's a pro bowler? No, you love Ryan Tannehill. You love Ryan Tannehill. I would not sign Ryan Tannehill next year to the contract. You're crazy. Oh, sorry. Sorry. I got distracted. Tannehill. You love Tannehill. I would not sign Rand Tannehill next year to the contract. You're crazy. Oh, sorry.

Sorry. I got distracted. I was tweeting. See, the difference is I was not distracted while I was tweeting, and you were clearly distracted because you didn't pay attention to my take. There's a big difference between when I'm looking at my phone, watching a game, tweeting during my show. I'm paying full attention to what's going on.

Wow. I tell you, you'd be surprised. When it goes down, we're going to do three hours of Pac-12 radio. You're being very cryptic about this, what I'd be surprised by. I don't think I want to know what I'd be surprised by. I just have, like, many screens going. I'll have two games on. I'll be, like, on my phone.

Not during the podcast. During podcasts, I don't do that. But, like, radio, I mean, come on. It's like Pac-12 radio. Sometimes you got I don't do that. But like radio, I mean, come on. It's like packed whole radio. Sometimes you got to watch a little TV. Okay. Well, you know, the after dark crowd is paying close attention, Jeff. It is.

No, that's not. Trust me, that's not happening. I would go under 50%. I don't really. I'd feel better with under. Okay. Eli Manning? Okay. Are we listing every Pro Bowl quarterback ever Okay. Eli Manning? Okay.

Are we listing every Pro Bowl quarterback ever? Eli Manning is not a Pro Bowl quarterback right now. I just said a guy who won a Pro Bowl, like Jameis Winston, or was in a Pro Bowl. Oh, Winston's being re-signed by the Bucs, for sure. I don't know. Thought he was, and then he lost this week. All right.

How about this? Since we're talking about guys who may or may not be worthy of accolades, All right, how about this? Since we're talking about guys who may or may not be worthy of accolades, over under guys I'd never heard of in the NFL's top 110 best wide receivers. I'm going to say over under four and a half. Oh, I think it was over four and a half for me. Who the hell were they talking about?

This shit, I know it was done just to inflame us but what the hell were they thinking who's elroy hirsch i thought i went to hebrew school with him how is that one of the 10 best receivers of all time i don't care how ignorant i or you sound about this that is it this is insanity that they left calvin johnson and tarallones out of this do we have this discussion at dinner the other night no we didn, you probably had it with other people. I'm so pissed about that. What are they doing? So here's what,

okay. I understand the idea that you want to take one guy from every generation and you want to put them in there. What generation is Elroy Hirsch from? And this is part, well, let me get, this is,

I agree with you here, but you know, we have guys that are bigger, faster, stronger now. And there are some players that could have played in this generation. If you had given some of the players back then, like Jim Brown, for example, if you had transported him now, given him the technology we have now to train,

recover, all that stuff, he could play in the NFL now. Elroy Hirsch couldn't do that. He wasn't big enough. So it's tough for me to leave out like calvin johnson for elderroy hirsch i agree with you i think there's some guys that can can do that transcend generations if you if you give them the options and technology to you know to rest recover all this stuff now but i do not think that um a lot of these guys could have done that. Okay, so is Lance Allworth one of the people that could or could not have done it? Who knows?

Raymond Berry? I don't know. I haven't watched their highlights. Don Hudson? Who I thought was an actor, but all right. Bill, I'll tell you who loves these. Bill Belichick. He knows all.

He's got their film breakdown. He's ready to go. Yeah, he's all over the Paul Warfield film. I mean, what the hell, dude? Like, how are we supposed to take this seriously when they've hyped this all season long? All right. And then they get some of the guys we all love. They're in there.

Randy's in there. Marvin Harrison is in there. I'll go with you on Steve Largent. You know, of course, Jerry Rice needs to be in there. Like, there's Larry Fitzgerald. That's a fun debate. Does he belong in there. I'll go with you on Steve Largent. You know, of course Jerry Rice needs to be in there. Like, there's Larry Fitzgerald. That's a fun debate. Does he belong in there or not? But, like, Elroy Hirsch?

Dude. Ugh. Okay. So, the answer was that I had not heard of. I didn't know all these guys either. Even some of the offensive linemen. Yeah, it's brutal. All right.

We got a last one. Jeff, I want to know, over guys either. Even some of the offensive linemen. Yeah, it's brutal. All right. We got a last one. Jeff, I want to know, over under two and a half hours, you spent searching for your family's coordinated Christmas pajamas. The Hanukkah ones, first of all. Oh, sorry. And my wife found those. My wife called up Hannah Anderson. Hannah Anderson, if you want to send us some free gear,

please go ahead and do that. Your stuff is, I learned, very expensive. And she called him up and said, like, hey, my husband's big. Will we fit in the pajamas? And then they said they had an offensive lineman who wasn't with the Panthers, now plays with the Giants. They sent him pajamas and they fit him. So he ordered them. And great family photo.

You have young kids too too so you know this the kids to look at the camera and smile is a is a miracle and to get we had one smiling good my son was doing a weird face then we had a separate one with me and with a family my parents both kids first try with a tripod looking right at the camera couldn't believe it yeah that's that's beating the odds that's like the titans winning a game this postseason kind of odds what i've noticed and i'm surprised uh your wife is this kind to you is it kind of doesn't matter in a picture with me my wife and my kids it does not matter what i look like the picture is going through to the family album if the three of them look good. I might as well not be there.

We've made people smarter, haven't we? We totally have, as usual. All right, guys. Another wonderful show. Thank you guys for tuning in. Hope you enjoyed it. As usual, you can rate, review, subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, The Athletic, of course,

athletic.com, their pod network. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, whatever you're celebrating. Hope you have a wonderful couple of days. We'll be back Thursday with a year in review. How do my takes go this year? We'll do that on Thursday. Until then, take care, everyone.

Have a great one.