NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Bengals-Browns MNF Recap + Top 6 RBs in the NFL right now

Episode Date: November 1, 2022

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by the one and only Nick Wesseling to recap the Bengals at Browns Monday Night Football matchup. Then, Gregg gives his list of the six best pure runners in the NFL based solely on the 2022 season with the help of Nick and Gravedigger.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Now it's Brissette, who flexes out wide to the right, the right snap with two extra offensive linemen. Touchdown Cleveland. Nick Chubb. Brissette, looking there. Cooper, a juggle, and a touchdown. Chabble.

Shardley through, touchdown, Cleveland. Everything is coming up, Cleveland, at least on my. Monday night football, and the calves are doing great, too. The Browns rocked the Bengals, 32 to 13. This was a blowout. I can't believe it. Jacoby Brissette goes for 278 and a touchdown. Nick Chubb with two touchdowns on the ground and 1001 yards.

And the Browns just pushed around the Bengals. And who better to talk about a bad Bengals game with the Nick Wessling? Oh, Nick, I had you on. you know, hoping to have like a celebratory atmosphere here with your Bengals on a little bit of a role. You were highly confident going into this game and now we're stuck in this spot where it's a little awkward, to be frank. I really wasn't that confident after Chase was out. I almost backed out of the lock. Oh, no, I forgot you guys locked them.

Give the want-worn right now, Justin. Look at Nick. First time as like an official guest, of course, Nick, as you know, Chris, if you're new to the show, Chris Wesleying, are our longtime friends host and host of the show. And I'm in the Chris Wesleyan podcast studio. Nick's, his brother, his best man at his wedding. So, you're not just a brother, but a special brother. They're all special. But he liked to, you know, Nick likes to put himself above the rest.

So I will too. I'm going to talk about the Browns first, Nick. I know that's weird because you're a Bengals fan. But I've gotten into this bad habit of, you know, sometimes it's been a bit of a curse where the guest is the fan of the losing team or covers the losing team or I'm a fan of the Patriots. And I don't want to look past what the real story was on the winning side here, which was the Brown's kind of showing up. They have players. Miles Garrett, Nick Chubb. Jacoby Brissette certainly had his best game in a while. And then Amari Cooper had a night.

And you watch them play like this. And I know they're three and five. And you kind of believe, okay, maybe they can stick around long enough for Deshaun Watson to actually be part of a playoff race when he gets back. Yeah, the Browns, I've been waiting for this performance. They have players. And when you, when Jacoby Perciet has a clean pocket, he can make throws. And he showed it tonight again.

When the pocket wasn't clean, he wasn't that good. and when it was, he was able to pick the Bengals apart. Right. Now, a lot of that, obviously a lot of that has to do with Nick Chubb running it down their throat and Kareem Hunt getting involved probably for the first time this year in a meaningful way for a whole game. But if you can do that, the Browns can make some noise. Right.

But, you know, Jacoby Percette's played pretty well this year on balance. The difference tonight was like the defense played well. So Jacoby Percent did have his one kind of head scratching play where he tried to throw the ball, even though he's clearly going to be sacked, and it winded up being called a fumble. It was an interception, but they called it a fumble. But either way, he just needs to eat that ball. And he always tries to make one or two plays too many. But when you do protect him and when you can run the ball, but more importantly, when you can play defense, he's going to be fine.

They've been an above average offense. It's been their defense. It's been the problem all year. And I just don't understand why they dominate the Bengals like this. This is five straight wins for the Kevin Stefansky Browns over your Zach Taylor Bengals. Defensively, like, I guess it's just they have Miles Garrett. But other than that, like what? They just don't seem to have an answer, even though the Browns aren't doing anything tricky.

Zach Taylor should know what's coming. It comes down to protection for the Bengals. When they protect Burrow even a little bit, he can pick teams apart. I know everyone's missing chase, and obviously he's a top five. receiver in the league and Higgins is great in his own right but he's maybe the 20th best receiver in the league and there's definitely a drop off even though Boyd and Higgins are really good players it's not Jamar Chase but did they win this game with Jamar Chase I don't know absolutely not okay absolutely not because that Jonah Williams got torn apart in this game and there was never any help

for him after the third time he got just beat flat out beat and one second flat why wouldn't you at least give him some help. I tell you to end, a chip from the running back, anything. But he just kept getting beat. And he wasn't the only one. It was the whole offensive line getting beat. Right. I mean, when Taki-Taki gets a sack and Taven Brian gets a sack and I don't even know who Thomas is. I, Thomas, got the cleanest sack where Jonah Williams didn't even touch him. That's the thing with these Jonah Williams sacks. He didn't get a hand on Garrett. and some of the Browns defenders on these plays. And you say, yeah, why don't you give them help?

Well, they did on one of them. When Miles Garrett did that spin move, it was around, I believe it was mixing in Jonah Williams, but it might have been P-Rind. But either way, it was one of the Bengals running backs. And that gets back to just talent. And Clowny didn't have a monster night, but like the Browns have top shelf talent. They have a pretty good coaching staff.

And you get Miles Garrett out there on Halloween, which he seems to love more than any other day of the year. And he was so confident he had like a sax celebration doing different parts of Michael Jackson's Thriller dance, like in three parts. He knew he was going to get to the third part because he was playing the Bengals, Nick. It was P-Rine, by the way.

It was P-Rine. Thank you, Graver. What was that, Gramer? Yeah, he forgot something there, I think. Yeah, I think Nick was just kind of waiting. Even he knows that something's supposed to happen before you talk. Even for that. great i'm here too hi okay

i don't remember what we're talking about now but yeah that's that's flat-out talent then miles garrett's going to get his and you know that and if he beats a double team he beats a double team honestly that's probably as much on burrow there he's got to be able to see that and get rid of it quicker or at least avoid it i don't know though some of these were quick oh absolutely i think the one they had the timer on it was less than a second he got hit. They were trying to set up a screen, and I can't remember if was the center of the right guard for the Bengals, but he just let the defensive tackle come right in and hit Burrow. You got to at least get a hand on him. And that was toward the end of the game

when it was already settled, but the Bengals mistakes tonight, too. Starting with the opening kickoff, bringing it out of the end zone, they get hit, you know, get tackled at the 14-yard line. We mentioned Jonah Williams and his problems. missed field goal when they had an opportunity to cut it before halftime after the Brissette mistake you were talking about. You know, McPherson, who's usually reliable, misses a field goal later in the game, he misses an extra point. Now, I don't know if any of this would have mattered in the overall scheme of things,

but you can't make the kind of mistakes they were making expect to win. Right. The weird thing is up until that late 12 men on the field penalty, they had one penalty for one yard, the Bengals, and they were still getting dominated. And that was on the extra point that they had 12 men again. Oh, my gosh. I mean, that's the thing. That's coaching.

Like, this is why I never gave Zach Taylor much credit for last year's run. I just thought it was players for the most part. When you have an offensive line that hasn't played well for four straight years, it's on the coach. Because offensive line is about coaching. It's not about just pure talent. Yeah, if you drafted Joe Thomas, he'd be Joe Thomas. But when you're trying to pick up. Ted Karris, and you're making these other moves that are just like mid-level moves,

guys that were okay, Alex Kappa elsewhere, those guys are just guys that other offensive line coaches and other coaches make into quality parts of a good offensive line. But here they are, we're in week eight, they entered tonight 29th in pass block win rate according to ESPN. Bengals fans had convinced themselves that they were getting better last couple weeks. I watched those games. They weren't getting better. They just overcame it.

And they got rid of the ball a little quicker. Tonight they tried some more seven step drops. That didn't like work at all. And to me that comes back to coaching at a certain point. If you're running backs can't figure out who to block like that that's coaching at a certain point. And credit to Cleveland for having better players. But Troy Aikman said it. I don't think they were doing anything too complicated there.

Their guys were just winning. Yeah. It's amazing what football sometimes. comes down to when the offensive line or defensive line is dominating the other side, you can't win the football game. And that's the way it's always been and it's the way it always will be, no matter who's on your outside, no matter who your quarterback is. If there's a guy in his face, he's not going to win.

Right. And Jacoby percent rarely had guys in his face. Trey Hendrickson took a shot to the back slash ribs at some point. It looked like he might have had an injury there. He played through it. but that looked like a broken rib if I ever saw one. They didn't announce anything. Chidobia Wuzier left with an apparently serious injury.

You sent me a picture of him in a pretty heavy-duty cast. That would be a brutal loss if that turns into a long-term injury. He is their best cornerback by far. And in the Bengals defensive line, while they started the night pretty good holding up against the run, there wasn't enough pass rush pressure. and that's because the Browns have a really great offensive line. When I said that the Browns have players and they have assets, it's like Garrett, Chubb, Cooper made a great catch on a deep ball

and some other nice plays and got open throughout the night. And then the offensive line, I consider, like, better than all of those as one player. When you have that good of an offensive line, you could have a top 10 offense with Jacoby Brissette as your quarterback, and that's what they've managed to do. So they're at 3 and 5. They enter the buy week, and then they come out of it. it with two pretty tough games against Miami and Buffalo.

They also have the Bucks and the Texans before Watson comes back. Give me a Brown's record after those four games before Watson comes back. I think they can go three and four. I mean, I would, if I was a gambling man, I would probably say two and two. Yeah. You figure they're going to drop one of those games. I mean, Tampa Bay still, I don't know what their deal is. Who knows, but the Texans, they don't.

don't have much fight in them. And in the dolphins, I don't know. They're hitter miss week to week, just like every other team, it seems, all these middling teams that four and three and four and four that they're all the same team. All right. Have you accepted that the Bengals are there, though, because they are four and four. Absolutely. Yeah.

Yeah, I want to let you in on a little secret, Greg. I've never been a Bengals fan. I'm still not a Bengals fan. I like the team last year because they were fun. But I wasn't like Chris. I never disliked them. I just was kind of, I like to see them do well. This is such a Nick move.

This is such a nickname. Now, you said that now, you're right, I do remember we were at the Super Bowl last year. It was one of the great things the NFL's done to help Lakeisha get you guys all those tickets. And it was one of the coolest things ever. And some of your brothers are living and dying with the Bengals, certainly Eddie. I think Tim was quite, you know, was very into it. And then some, like you, you were saying, I'm not really. a Bengals fan. I'm just wearing this old Bengals jersey from 20 years ago. And I've just lived in

Cincinnati my whole life. And I just grew up a Bengals fan, but I'm not really a Bengals fan. I borrowed that Jeff Blake jersey from one hilarious friends. So that should tell you about it. I'm actually, I changed out of it earlier. I was wearing the only Bengals gear when I unzipped my jacket the other day on the log. That's the only piece of Bengals gear I own. My mother-in-law got that for us. But you, you know, you work, you're a, you know, you're a real working man here. You would win the common man rankings, I believe. And I could see that your fingers are all cut up because you work at a dining establishment, right? Bar, bar restaurant.

And isn't the bar restaurant more successful? Everyone's happier when the Bengals are winning. Don't you want your town to be happy, you know? Of course. Not the four and four coming off of a Super Bowl and just getting waxed by the Browns for the fifth straight time? Yes, watching the city come alive last year was unbelievable. And the Bengals have had a lot of loyal fans over the years, too.

They've went through about as bad as it gets, along with the Browns probably. I think those would be the two. I think Dan needs to update his sadness rankings or whatever he called them. The pain rankings. pain rankings yeah factory of sadness whatever you want to call it um this is more of the bangles nonsense though this is the stuff they were doing when they were more a bun or below average but i just can't get over the play calling the protection early on i thought mixing looked like he had a little juice in that first series they got on the ball in space a couple of times he made a couple guys

miss and then he didn't get the ball again it seemed like until the second half and he hasn't been great this year but when he's had a little bit of room to run he's had some juice and i don't know why they completely abandon it when when he's he's there especially if you can't protect you got to find a way to get him the ball right i think they look at it like running unsuccessfully is not a good idea and i do understand that he hasn't looked like he had as much juice in general this year you're right. They tried to get them involved in the passing game, and you made a couple of plays early, and they went away from it. It's a little bit of a dose of reality here, life without Jamar Chase, because I'm just thinking about that meme that was going around when they drafted

Jamar Chase. And it was like, should you take Paneuil or should you take Jumar Chase? Because like, will Joe Burrow have time to throw it to Chase, or is he going to get knocked over first? or if Sewell's there, is he got to, you know, have time to throw it, but throw to lesser receivers. Tonight, like, you needed that protection, but I think they obviously made the right choice. I'm sort of being glib here, but they just haven't solved this problem, and I don't really see a particular reason to believe that it will get any better this season, or even while Zach Taylor is their coach, unless they just make insanely good draft picks. And Jonah Williams was a top 10 pick, and he's one of, if not their biggest problems. The schedule does ease up.

They have the Panthers next and then the buy. Like you couldn't create a better setup really than those two weeks. And then you have games at Pittsburgh in Tennessee. And you hope maybe Jamar Chase can get back around that point. So they can hang around. But it was kind of a reminder just this is the NFL in 2022. like any team can has the potential

to just have their week like the Saints had their week this week Nick and they just blow out and you look at the Saints you're like oh that actually makes sense that they are capable of that and you look at the Browns and you think oh that makes sense

that they're capable of that but unfortunately the Bengals are defending AFC champions and they have Joe Burrow who to me is a top five quarterback and the expectation should be higher and it's hard not to look at them and see them as a solid number two

behind Baltimore in my mind when I look at the two schedules and I look at the two rosters. Do you feel that way? That game in Baltimore could have gone either way. I think it's 50-50 before them, but the Bengals blew games early. They could easily have one loss right now or two. You know, that first game against Pittsburgh. But everyone could say that. The Browns could say that they could be seven and one. These two teams are those in that mix, Although this is a game where the Bengals could not say they should have won. Like this was a humbling night of how are we going to fix our offense without chase and with this offensive line.

And now what's going on on the defense where our run defense and, you know, everything is a little shaky. Beo! Beow! He's like, he's like, oh, it's like, it better change my polo. I don't know why he pressed that button. I don't care. I enjoyed it. It's about Zach Taylor.

Oh, that's Zach Taylor. I can't remember my own bits at this point. So the Bengals run defense hasn't been the same since DJ Reader's been out. And then they lost Josh Tupo, who also was a pretty good run blocker or run stuffer. Now they're out without now Eli Apple will be back. We don't know what happened with Flowers. It looks like a hamstring toward the end of the other cornerback. Yeah, got hurt.

So they were playing their first round safety. and Hill at cornerback, along with their second round cornerback, Taylor Britt, and Awuzi, if that's a long-term injury, that's as valuable as a guy. So, yeah, they have defensive issues. The problem now becomes when all these really good players get injured, the average players like Von Bell getting burned on that deep ball to Amari Cooper, he was in position and he was lazy. He started jogging, thinking there was no way he was going to get thrown over the top and they'd complete a 50-yard pass down into the 10. That was a beautiful throw by Jacobi.

It was a beautiful throw. Jacobi can do those those high-arcing bombs like Russell Wilson and you're like, okay, that's why he got taken in the second round. When he was the starter for the Colts that one year, he created out as the best deep ball passer in the NFL that's right. He's great at it. Yeah. And we've talked about Brissette possibly being a good quarterback in the past.

I don't know if you remember our text message. is probably not. We go back and forth so often. You mean, your brother, your brother loved the Jacoby Brissette experience on the Colts, and he was good. He just has a ceiling. He's okay. He's okay. Like I said, when he's protected, he's a good quarterback. And if the Browns play like this, and I know it was a wounded bangles team,

and on the other side, the Bengals were awful on offense, but they could potentially get in the mix in the north as well. The Steelers, I don't believe in them at all. I don't know what they're doing. And I still think the Ravens have flaws. And obviously, the Bengals have huge flaws. I think the Browns could make some noise. They got players.

They do. They entered tonight with the number eight ranked offense, according to DVOA, that should go up. Offense is more consistent. Their defense had a nice night. Like, hopefully they could build off that. They have more upside than almost any three and five team in the league. So Browns fans, I know he spent a lot of time on the Bengals, but you're looking like you have a second receiver in Donovan, People's Jones.

Maybe you trade Cream Hunt. That's fine. You know who you are, and I don't feel like this season is done. At one point in this game, they were leading the Bengals in Yardage 415 to 163. I think occasionally they get out coached by a guy like Bill. Belichick like that happens to them but they don't have to worry about that when they play Zach Taylor that 415 to 163 looked worse than that right I would have guessed 500 to 80 at that point the it was a Molly whopping it was a Molly Wrapping did anything they wanted on both sides of the ball

the whole game the Bengals in the first half actually were daring them to pass and they contained the the run really well until that touchdown drive where cream or I'm sorry Chubb ran it in and pretty much ran it down their throat the whole drive. In the second half, it was a different story. And I have a question for you. Why do we assume Deshaun Watson when he comes back is suddenly going to be as great as he was? He hasn't played football in two years. No, I don't.

We'll get to that certainly as the weeks get closer. I don't assume that Deshaun Watson will immediately be an upgrade from where Jacoby Brissette is. obviously you're playing Deshawn Watson and that's the play on long term. And obviously he's played at a much higher level in his career. But considering the break that he had and I think what he has to prove

just what a difficult situation he put himself in and the Brown's organization, it's going to be a different season when he returns. And I have my doubts how he can handle that because when he tried to play in the preseason, he looked like he had never played football before. And so at the very very,

least there's rust and I think there's a lot to overcome and the country will be rooting against the Browns. They're not really right now when Brissette's in there. I've lost my intipathy for them. I still am mad at that decision that they made as an organization, but when he's not out there, it's sort of, okay, this is a different team. But when he's out there, they're going to be the least popular team in the league. Yeah, a month from now, I'll hate him. Yeah, me too. That's my analysis on that. But for now for now they're they're happy. They got to win.

This had to remind you of some dark days as Bengals fans. I know you gave them up. Sort of I know really had. Chris gave them up. Do you have any before we get to the top six list, and I should have mentioned tonight because

it's Nick Chubb out there, I thought let's do top six pure runners in the NFL right now. Just pure runners. I'm not talking about like the receiving game. I'm talking about pure runners in the NFL. Nick Chubby is on the list. Before we get to that, though, just do you have any,

uh, do you have any like Chris or Wesleying brothers sort of Bengals connected memories from your childhood? I don't know if you guys like went to many games or anything like that or just watching games and fighting over the, you know, the piece of Ross steak that, that, uh, that, uh, that, uh, your dad sent to you down the stairs, you know, during the games. that's a fun bit because you know who would look at me you know who would have won that one anyway anyway uh no the only game i remember going to as a as a kid was the the 88 super bowl year

uh the bangles started i think six or seven and o that year and they were playing the jets which dan was on here to hear this but they just laid it on the jets that year and i almost became a bangles fan but at that time i didn't really know much about football and i didn't care much about football. And then what really sealed it with me for the Bengals is I, uh, this is just all the kids at home. This is a teach you not to gamble. But I bet $2 that the Bengals will win the Super Bowl and against the 49ers. And, uh, and I lost that $2. And I, you know, after that I was never in on them again. Could you remember? Oh, my God. What was Chris? It was a good time to get out, by the way. What was Chris like in that time, like as a fan? Because I can only imagine,

considering the dossier that he built up, um, detailing all the reasons he decided to divorce, uh, the Bengals. I have to imagine at that age where he was, you know, in high school around at that point or, you know, that it was a passionate marriage, a passionate fandom. Yeah, he would have been an eighth or ninth grade at that time. But yeah, he loved the Bengals for the next five or six years. Mid-90s is when he started to sour on them. And by the end of the 90s, the turn of the millennium, he was way out on them. I know. Ownership. It's ownership. That was the whole thing. And I do think, I don't know. I want to believe because they have Joe Burrow. They have Joe Burrow, so everything's going to be okay. And as long as you have an elite quarterback, you're always a contender. All you need is something to go right or for him to get hot. And that's what happened last year.

I'll tell you this, like he may have got them to the playoffs, but that defense got him to the Super Bowl. And I'm questioning that defense now without some of these superstars. And some of these average players suddenly aren't going to look very good, I think. and the scheme isn't going to work quite as well when you don't have the elite players. I think that's right. And when I think about ownership,

I don't think like things are going to go south. They're going to be contenders. And I think they'll make the playoffs this year. I just think of how long Marvin Lewis was there. And I think Marvin Lewis did a good job on balance. As Solomon Wilcox like to say, he raised the Titanic compared to where they were before. But I can just imagine Zach Taylor in year 11

and they win some of these wild card games that Andy Dalton couldn't win and maybe they get to a conference championship here or there but the offensive line's still there and they're just loyal to Zach Taylor and that they're never quite fulfilling their potential. I hope that's not what's going to happen but I think that's where ownership might have to think

is this the guy we want with Joe Burrow for the rest of his career? We will see. Let's talk running backs. Before we talk running backs, one more question. And it's just yes or no. If Joe Burrow was on those teams instead of Andy Dalton, do they win playoff games? Of course. What are you talking about?

They probably win a Super Bowl. The 20, yeah, I don't know about winning the Super Bowl, but they would make it pretty far. They could have been in the mix. Those teams were better than last year's Bengals teams. At least a few of them were certainly. Well, the offensive line certainly was. But I think the coaching was better on both sides. But I know I'm too hard on this guy.

the running backs. Okay, six pure runners, best pure runners in the NFL right now. And I'm basing this on this season alone. So this was really painful. It's like when people make these lists, oh, he's a top five running back. It's like you just like to say that. And then you have to look at the list and think about the players you're not including. And it's very difficult. Here are some players that aren't even on this list. Austin Eckler is not on this list. Dalvin Cook, who I think could be the best running back in the least. I'm saying for this season when I'm trying to make this list and you'll hear these names. Tell me who you would put him on over.

He didn't quite make it. Joe Mixen definitely didn't make it this year. He's not running that well. But normally he could be in that mix. All right. I think I had a tie at six because I had too many. I cheated a little. So you had seven.

Tie at six. I can't make a list and not put Alvin Camara on there. And then I tied him with Aaron Jones. one of your brother's favorite runners. And even if you take his receiving out of the mix, as a pure runner, those two guys are just incredible. Any problems with them? I don't have problems with either one of them.

Well, here's the thing. You're not going to have problems because all these players are so good. But I'll give you the whole list, and then we can talk about the whole list, and then we'll say goodbye. Josh Jacobs is next for me on the list. The way he just has earned it, he breaks more tackles, I think,

than anyone in the league in terms of, making that first guy miss. He's earned it. Saquan Barkley is there. Of course he can do everything. But now he's more decisive. And when he makes his cuts, he's always moving forward.

And he's just better at it. I think he's a different player than he was as a rookie. I'm probably going to forgetting someone here. But Derek Henry is now next. And he was at number one on my list. Maurice Jones Drew, who I do Monday Night Football's with on Channel 5. He convinced me, Derek Henry has to be. number one because there's no one in the NFL that can do what he can.

No one that you can put an entire offense on for a month at a time and he's just going to carry you. And that's a pretty strong argument. But you know what? Tonight was the Brown's night. And I want to give the number one slot to Nick Chubb because if my children's life depended on it and someone told me, you need someone to get you four yards on this play or six yards on this plane. You can pick one running back. Who are you going to pick? I am taking Nick Chubb.

And nothing super flashy about it, but it's the vision, it's the patient. It's waiting until he can see a hole. And then as he's cutting, he's moving forward as he's cutting, and he gets what's there, and he gets a little extra. Nick Chubb and Browns fans, Monday night, this is your Super Bowl. That's it. I honestly am not going to argue with it. As a biased Titans fan, I came in the studio when you said this list, and I told you, I think Nick Chubb is the best running back. Derek Henry has, now, last year he got hurt, but the durability to handle the workload that he handles, and you have people arguing on Twitter all the time, like, oh, if this running back had as many carries as Derek Henry, he'd have more yards. But that's the whole point. No. No, those

running backs can't handle 32 carries in a game and continue the efficiency that Henry does. But what you just said is true. Like, there are some plays where Henry gets hit in the back, field by a guy that he should break the tackle on and he just doesn't always break that tackle and it's like a four-yard loss and the whole drive is killed for the Titans. That doesn't really happen to Nick Chubb. So I agree with you. I think Nick Chubb is the best pure runner. That list is fair. And if I was picking a team or picking one to build a team around, I'd probably take Henry. But when I look at rationally, Nick Chub's the best running back in the league. I just want to be able to beat people. people into submission, and especially in the north, you can't get wrong with Chub or Henry, but I want to, I hate to say it, but Henry's going to beat up the defense and they're going

to get worn down and they're going to potentially lose games in the future and put me in a better position to get home field advantage in the playoffs if you have Henry. That's the only difference, I think. And he runs so hard. Oh, my God. He just, he's been slalom and through people. I think he was looking great. But this felt like the Browns night. And that was only six players, by the way. I guess Dalvin Cook was going to be my tide for six guy, but I had integrity.

I kept the list at six, but Dalvin Cook fans, you know that he would have been seven Graver wants to talk. Where's Jonathan Taylor? This season, he's not there. I know. He had the game losing fumble on Sunday. That's what I mean. E.T.N's not on this list either. And I'm not

saying he's in that category yet, but in terms of what he's doing right now week after week like Damian Pierce Kenneth Walker could be there there's just so many good

running backs sorry I thought Nick was going to just yell at me and argue just for the sake of it I mean it's LeBron you know Jordan style No I mean yeah that was me having more fun

than anything with that argument because I know it would get a rise out of Chris but you know it is what it is I really can't argue and with running backs it's all a matter of style and preference pure running the football

I can't really argue with those top seven. You could put Dalvin Cook instead of Jones, whatever. It's, it's, I'll take either one of them on my team. I, uh, I, uh, I would take Nick on my team. I, uh, I, uh, you know, had this picture and with Dan and, uh, all the Wesleying brothers at, at the Super Bowl. And we just like, we look so out of place because Dan and I are just clearly, like, you guys all look just like the Wesleyan brothers and then there we are in the middle and I love it

and I love that you're still part of the show every week locking up the wrong team week after week for the Cincinnati Zoo. I mean what's our magic number to eliminate you right now? I think I think we're almost there. The Browns have a much better chance of making the playoffs than you do winning this lock competition. I'm just happy you weren't the wimp this week and it was the the other three that took the six-point favorites this week and not you. You took a good game. Titans were only two and a half point favorites. You don't even look at the stats when you're making things up.

That was actually a pick-em by game time, the Texans game, because Malik Willis was starting. Right. But you're right. I don't care what it was. Everybody in the world knew the Titans were winning that game. You hit out at me all week that I only take big favorites while you're taking gutsy ones.

By the way, you took a bigger favorite this week in the Bengals than I took in the Seahawks. And Gino came through. All right, that was Monday night football. I appreciate it. Great job by the Bengals. Great job by Nick Wesleyan. Great job by Gravedigger. We will be back on Tuesday with Colleen Wolf and our regularly scheduled week of shows.

On we go. Week 9. Can you believe we're here? We're not halfway, though. There's 18 weeks. It's one more week for that. Until then, you know what to do, Nick? Say it.

Oh, he's a call. You know, This is an IHeart podcast.