NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Ravens-Browns Recap; Holiday Wish List for the NFL

Episode Date: December 15, 2020

A virtual room filled with heroes - Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler and Gregg Rosenthal recap what they consider the game of the year between the Ravens and Browns (05:29) Lamar Jackson is facing a lot of #2 talk on social media, so Dan decided to officially name the game. The heroes give their NFL wishlist for this holiday season (26:26) and one of them involves clones. Dan wishes for JJ Watts last season with the Texans. To close the show, we preview the Chargers-Raiders TNF matchup. (56:50) Around the NFL is a part of the NFL Podcasts network.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

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Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. The Around the NFL podcast. It's no hustlers. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansus. I come to you from the room filled with some virtual heroes.

Well, they're real. The room's virtual. Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal. What is up, boys? That time of year. It really hit me today when I looked at the week 15 slate for the first time, you know. And this Sunday is December 20th. How about that?

That's something. How about that? Games being played on December 20th this weekend. Not the greatest week of games coming up, by the way. Just because at this point, you know, we can't, you know, align ourselves with cuteness towards like little upstart teams. Like some of them just at this point are they smell bad. They need to be put out behind the shed to rot to death.

And then they rebirth in spring. I thought we were sending them out to the cornfields and we would, you know, let them have a nice rest of their lives. But it sounds like you want to torture and murder them. No, I feel like some are just rotting where, like, there is, like, the vibrant part of those teams' lives. Okay, so you see where Mark's... Yeah, Mark get in the holiday spirit. Yeah, this is Mark.

For him taking animals behind sheds and murdering. This is Mark 12 hours after 4742, and we are going to dig into Monday night football in full, but I just do want to say, Mark, right off the bat, thank you for being here. Because I know there are no promises made on Sunday's show, whether if things worked against your brown, as they did, unfortunately, for you that you would be on the show. And yet you're here, which, again, just speaks to your professionalism. Well, a couple of things. I have nothing else to do. But secondly, what kind of scoundrel would I be to just not appear because a football team lost?

I think that would be something you could put on my record as a negative. So, you know, I intended to be here, win or lose. All right. And you are here, and we will get to that game. We have a lot to get. had to. Yes, week 15 is upon us in just two days, and we will preview the Chargers Raiders tilt, the Raiders' last chance to save their season in what has been a very rough, not a December to remember by Lexus and Nissan so far for the Raiders. So they have one more chance

to save the day. We will also, with the holiday season here, offer up our own little wish lists for the balance of the 2020 NFL season. So things that we wish to have happen between now and let's say Super Bowl 55. Is it 55? I don't know. Who knows? I can never, that is one thing where my brain just doesn't work.

I can't remember any Super Bowl titles. Don't like the Roman numerals. Just tell me what teams are there. I mean, according to the NFL, we're still in the 100th year celebration of pro football. So my math is completely turned around. It's so weird because it's actually now the 150th year of the NFL and you would think you could have a new logo and everything, but we're still rocking with the century mark for whatever reason.

Super Bowl 2021 is Super Bowl 45. How about that? Nice clean. See, Greg, you're not at 55, right? 55. You're not as like into like traditional things as I am. I love Roman numerals. I like it.

I like it. I just can never. Whenever, like, whenever people, even Patriots ones that they've won, whenever they're like, oh, yeah, back in Super Bowl 47, I, I just, my brain can't work. I can't remember which ones which. I remember the years, obviously, specifically, but I can't do it. I get in trouble when they introduced the L into the road, like, when they started going with the L business and, like, when it was, oh, Bears Patriots, Super Bowl 20 X, X, X,

it's like, I can work with that. But when we're getting into weird numbers and numerology, I'm out. Well, the beginning of the Patriots dynasty was also tricky because you have, You were at a point where there would be five, six, seven Roman numerals to describe what... Okay, okay. All right, the tranked art. Put down the gun, Ricky. She's like, I'm from a younger generation.

They never taught us things like cursive in Roman numerals, okay? I don't care. You're younger. What does that mean? It means nothing. I know cursive. I was taught it in third grade. Interesting.

When the NFL, by the way, went away from the Roman numeral for 50, they told me they weren't really in on it. Like if you can't do Super Bowl X, if you're not just going to be Roman numeral all the way, that's when you give up when it would have been the best one, then you really weren't in it to win it to begin. See, Rosenthal, you're so off on this, Gregie, because 50 is L. Super Bowl L. You're not going to call Super Bowl L. That looks ridiculous. 50 is a great round number. Absolutely. Absolutely. You go with the number there. I was all for that. Now, 25, could you've made the case that Giants Bill's and 90 should have used the numbers? They went with Roman numerals.

It really makes you wonder what happens when we get to Super Bowl 100. And we're going to dig into that for an hour today on the radio podcast. No, we're previewing the first game of Week 15. We're doing our wish list. But yes, Mark Sessler's here, and we're going to talk about Browns, Ravens. Let's go. Break, level with Jackson back out there. Oh, God.

Fourth and five at the Cleveland 44. Jackson in the gun Five on the line Shotgun snap fourth and five Runs out of the pocket Pass the hash mark on the numbers Downfield throws It's cut to the 20

Wide open is brown He goes from the 10 to the 5 It's a touchdown Baltimore comes right back And they get the touchdown pass Of 44 yards Unbelievable Kevin Harlan of Westwood one

With the call So many unbelievable things from this game But the fact that Lamar Jackson Returned from the locker room, ran on the field Put the Ravens ahead late in the fourth quarter With that touchdown to Hollywood Brown The game still had a bunch of stuff that happened after that But that is to me what people will remember most

About Ravens 47, Browns 42 On Monday night football Is the disappearance of Lamar Jackson For the mysterious cramping Leading to much internet derision his return and then just a wild finish between two AFC North teams that are very much equals it appears at this stage in time mark

obviously it had to be a roller coaster of emotion for you it went from nice start to uh oh to oh we're done to oh my goodness we're gonna win and then the way things played out tell us how you felt watching this game well I mean I like it was a wild night and I I chose to, I will say this real quickly, that I watched the first Cleveland drive, the touchdown drive, which I was impressed with, alone in my garage, because I'm very superstitious and antsy during these games when I'm not working.

And so I ran into, I went in between the house and the garage like five or six times, and every time I would go into the house to watch with the rest of my family, the Ravens would score a touchdown like two seconds later. So finally I said enough of this. But then I just said enough with all of this superstition, I'm going to go inside the house and watch it with the whole family, and it was a roller coaster ride. For me, I could tell right away, as I think we all could, that this was the version of Lamar Jackson that was MVP level, hyper dangerous and totally plugged in. And, you know, you put that against, I think, a Cleveland defense where Cleveland's defense has a bunch of guys on one-year contracts outside of a couple stars.

they're missing Denzel Ward. They're back seven of their defense had no idea what to do with Lamar Jackson. And I thought they got tricked, they got out-schemed. They're not the first team to wake up on Monday morning or Sunday or Tuesday morning thinking what the heck did we do with ourselves on defense. But Lamar Jackson fried them from wire to wire.

And when he came out of that locker room, I think we've all watched enough sports where whether or not the football gods to arrange that little moment, a bit of television magic. I didn't know that it was over, but I knew that it was, that seemed to me like a psychological shift

in a game that was going back and forth. And you're right, a bunch of stuff happened after that, but something in my heart just knew, this is Baltimore's night, and I kind of just chilled and watched from that point. It was a wild ride. I don't know how to express it in bullet points or briefly.

I'm sorry. It's okay. You don't need to. This is what it's like, Mark. Now, you know, when the Patriots were always kind of in the mix, it's like it was a lot of asking my reaction, which felt like, I don't know, I don't want to talk about that. Let's talk about the page. Now that the Browns are the next great AFC powerhouse for the next 10 years, you're going to be the focus. Kevin Stefanski. That was one of my takeaways, though, though. I think America got to see why, and we'll get to Lamar, too. I want to talk about him. But that was such a great game for Stefansky. I never thought they were out of it. I don't think they were necessarily. even out-schemed on defense, because it was Lamar just making up plays as he went. I mean, with two minutes left in the first half, he had been sacked more times than he had thrown passes.

Like, it was just him like spitballing and running, and that is the toughest and scariest thing to try to stop. So it's a blast to watch. But I love when Stefansky goes for it on fourth and eight early in the game. We're an offensive team. We're going to need to score about 40 points in this game to win. He knew it. He knows his team.

They got the fourth down late. They went for the two-point conversion when they were down eight, which put the Ravens in a tough spot. I liked even at the end of the first half, he was super aggressive, let Baker Mayfield throw the ball. It ended up setting up Lamar for a big score at the end of the second quarter because Baker had a really poor drive right before the half, but that's what they got to do. They got to go for it because they are an offensive team. They are a great offensive line. They don't need to baby Baker. And when Lamar had that fourth down play,

I immediately thought they probably would have been better if he had just thrown the short one and they could have ran the clock down and had Tucker kick the game-winning field goal because the Browns are going to go back and score right now. The only problem was the Browns scored too quickly too. It was crazy. I came out of the game on the Brown side of things,

very impressed, obviously, with their fight and their resolve and the fact that they just wouldn't die. But also Baker, who I've been very up and down on, his whole career because he's been an up and down player. But like he definitely has that it factor. I think that's one of the reasons why the Browns took him first overall in 2017. And like he's exactly the type of dude you want behind center in a game like that when it just became like this like this two gunslingers just going at it.

And it wasn't just that they went down the field after that Hollywood Brown touchdown and tied it. They just went down the field. ease. I mean, bringing back memories of that insane Chiefs' Rams shootout from a couple of years ago, where it almost became like the rules of both teams and just the logic went out the window. Like, if you come out of this game thinking, oh, what is wrong with the Ravens defense? They gave up 22 points in the fourth quarter alone. Well, yeah, the Ravens, this isn't not the old Ravens anymore on defense. But also that was a, there's one of those weird special nights in the

NFL where just everything goes crazy and you just sit back and enjoy it because, you, you know, You're watching something that doesn't happen too often. And the only thing I thought, and Mark, I very carefully texted you later in the night after the game just to touch base with you. The only thing I would have done differently, and I know it's crazy, and it probably doesn't make a difference, but you never know. Stefansky had been so brilliant and hanging onions all game. Why not go for two when you go down the field and have the chance to do it and maybe take the lead? then who knows what happens when the Ravens get the ball back. That's the only thing I wanted to, you've gone all the way at that point.

Go for two and just try to steal a one-point win in that spot, 43-42. I agreed with you. I mean, I think, like, you know, there's logic on both sides of that, but it would have fit their daring DNA for the night. I mean, I, you know, I think it came down to one of those games who made the more critical mistakes. And for as good as Baker-Mayfield's been over the past, you know, two or three games. and mistake-free over the last month. I thought that interception was a

deciding, a huge deciding factor. And Cody Parkey, who's been money for the Browns, you miss a gimmie field goal and a PAT, and you look at how the game ended. You know, that said, I mean, I think I'd point to the Kareem Hunt's scoring too quickly as something that, you know, this team's a month removed from Nick Chubb, you know, being kind of ripped for it,

but not wanting to do that and running out of bounds and giving the Browns a chance to run out the club. clock. I just kind of feel like if you wanted to look at deep, deep strategy, the idea of maybe not scoring there and taking it down to the very end. It's too hard there. I mean, they were, where would that place, you know, they scored so quickly. They couldn't have strategized on that. You know what I mean? It's just, it's just one of those things. Like, they went, they went so quickly. And that play wasn't even inside the 15-yard line. It was a little short pat. I mean, that is a play call you don't expect to score.

If anything, maybe Stavansky is thinking about getting the first down. bleeding some clock we don't know but they they scored too quickly i thought about them going for two there but i think you know the analytics move would be not to and for the reason that you saw which is that it's not worth the juice isn't worth the squeeze when there's such a decent chance that tucker's going to kick the game winning field goal anyways you know like you got to get a stop either way um and is it worth that that risk of not getting the two when you know there's such a good chance, you know, the Ravens can go score either way. But I love the fan. It's just, I just wonder what happens if McSorley didn't get hurt? Was Lamar really coming back in that game? He said after the game that,

like, oh, I was coming back either way, but I don't know. He didn't run out. He didn't run out until McSorley got hurt. And it was literally fourth down. Like if McSorley had fumbled that play, which could have easily happened, the game's over. Let's hear from Lamar Jackson talking about the events surrounding his absence. And in general, the wild nature at the end of the game. It's on a great job, dropping the ball down the field, then I see my goggle down. And as I'm seeing him go down, like, I'm still stretching.

Like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm catching the attitude because I'm like, man, it ain't going the way we want to. And then I see him go down, and I'm like, we got to start. And I'm like, we just got to go out there. And I start running out there, kill running with me. It's fourth down. And the offense line brought their tail off, and our guys just made great catches and we came out with the victory.

There was a lot of talk on social media that you were kind of, jogging like yes he used the bathroom or something i was cramping i ain't put no paul pierce i didn't put no paul pierce i didn't i didn't pull no paul pierce i don't know greg you're boston sports and i don't even know what that reference is but i really yeah i kind of forget what happened with pa there was that there was a famous former celtic yeah there was a famous playoff game geez was it against the nets but he got pulled he got taken off the field in a off the oh the wheelchair wheelchair injury he's a shoulder injury he had And he pretended that he was hurt.

And then he finally, and there had been rumors forever that he just had to poop. And he finally admitted it on ESPN a year ago. So it kind of came back into the news. He did say like, yeah, I really was just pooping. But the thing is, I never bought the poop story because of a lot of NFL players tweeting about it and stuff. Because like, why would he be back there for 30 minutes? The timing was just weird that he was suddenly able to come back in and then he could run. on 4th.

It's not like, I don't know. Every man and woman has a different journey when it comes to that world. And some people are in and out, one, two, three. And some people, you know, they go in there and there's a candle lit, there's a magazine out. And there's, you know, there's some time to take. I don't know. That is, it's one of those funny, like, subplots that we'll always remember when you look back at this decade of NFL football, what he said it was cramps.

You don't know what it was. But I was amazed, amazed that, all right, you miss one series. He's okay, he's going to be back. When McSorley comes out on the field and they're losing, I'm actually a little bummed as a football fan because you wanted this game to go out with just the Browns and Ravens trading haymakers with their best players.

Then it looked like the Browns are going to win because Trace McSorley was on the field when it mattered most. So the way it played, it was cinematic really, and you hope McSorley's okay when he wrenched his knee there. But for him to come in, run on the field. And then, of all things, to throw a touchdown pass, that really was remarkable. I mean, I was saying to Simone,

and the kids, like, I don't want them to sneak away with a win with Trace McSorley closing this out. Then Lamar came back on the field, and I thought, well, maybe I do. Right. Maybe I do want that. Let's take it. Like, the crazy part, and Greasy kept pointing this out, you know, he had 81 yards passing when he reentered the game on fourth and five.

And he had 82 yards more the rest of the way. It wasn't just that one throw, I couldn't have been the only person thinking, don't throw it. Like, run for the first down. Like, oh, and then you see it's Marquise Brown who's dropped everything. You're like, don't throw it to Marquise Brown, but he actually catches that one. It's also the next drive where it was a minute left and you're thinking, oh, I think the Ravens are going to do this. But I didn't expect them to do it throwing all these out routes, which they couldn't complete once the entire game.

Suddenly he goes four for four throwing the ball to set up the win. It really was kind of an MVP, put the team on my back. Like, I'm just more athletic than everyone else in the field. I don't know how far that takes this team. Their defense is a problem, I think. But, man, the schedule sets up. I think this is the game that's going to get them into the playoffs. Well, their schedule is, it's very workable.

And I think that Dan's prediction that they would, you know, run the table to get into the postseason is, it will happen. And they suddenly look extremely dangerous now that they don't have, you know, 15 players on the Corona list. But their defense was looked bad against Dallas. They have no pass rush. Kaleas Campbell is a shell of them for them. And they are as thin at cornerback if they can't get Peters and Jimmy Smith back. I guess Peters did return in that game. That was so much.

When they had end good job by John Harbaugh, what's it like to have a good head coach, calling that timeout when the Ravens were about to have too many men on the field because Kaleas couldn't get off the field. They showed Kaleas, like, leaning over to say something to Harbaugh, and Kaleis looked like he was like 65 years old. I don't know if something has happened and he's aged in dog years or something, but he looked like a beat-up old man at that moment. He's come back from an injury, I think, too quickly.

He had this calf injury, and he has been pushed around the last two weeks, and they don't have much. But I hope you enjoy it. Mark, it is something cool that that was the game of the year. I felt like that was the game of the year in the first half, too. Maybe it's because of you partly, but it's also like the history of these two teams, the fact that it's the biggest game that I think that the Browns franchise has had, in a long time, certainly one of their biggest ever, their chance to get Baltimore out,

the Lamar, like being Lamar factor. Like, I didn't, even before the great ending, to me, that was awesome. And I think it's a step in the right direction that the Browns are in the best game of the year, you know, in week 14, and they were right there at the end. Well, I think it's highly surreal for most Browns fans. And, you know, I heard moral victory thrown around a lot. And I get that. I think the difference would be had they done that.

If that game had happened between Cleveland and, say, the Kansas City Chiefs, I'm all about the moral victory. But, like, I lost a few followers a couple weeks ago when I tweeted a rather heat-seeking diatribe against the Ravens when they lost that Wednesday game to the Steelers. And some of them were our listeners who I like. But, you know, they're in England and they became Ravens fans. Well, no, I don't even remember this. It was, you probably, you've heard anything I tweeted about them, you've heard me say before when I, I get irritated. Ricky, can you find that tweet, if possible?

Go ahead, Mark. It's from a while ago. I just, you know, the Ravens are different to me. And I, like, I really, one thing I like about Stefansky is that he completely shot down the idea of that specific opponent, equally an immoral victory. That's not the peace. It's not a moral victory. It isn't because I keep hearing that, you know, the Ravens are, and I think for someone

that lived through the move, it's different than if you picked up Baltimore 10 years ago or if you picked up the Browns 10 years ago. There's just different deeper layers. And we've been through all. all that, but, you know, they called the Ravens Cleveland's Big Brother, and the Ravens were also ripped from Cleveland's belly. So even if you looked at like Greek and Roman myths, the idea that a big brother is taken out of the stomach of a little brother is a plot that those myths didn't even attempt to cook up with. So it's a very odd, you know, relationship between the two

teams. I thought it was kind of cool to see Stefanski and Harbaugh at the end of the game. They showed extreme respect to each other. And if there's even respect going towards a Cleveland, coaching staff at this point. That is a massive sea change. So it is a step forward. And believe me, like, and Dan, this will be the Jets at some point. Anyone that follows a struggling team at some point, if you live long enough, it will be there. It's totally surreal. I'm not catching up with it emotionally. I just hope that they don't flounder and somehow get knocked out by the Ravens because everyone sort of booked them for the playoffs. And they have work to do for that to be true. They're not in yet. Things could go wrong. They've got to stick to who they are.

I think they'll be all right, though, Mark. We've seen so much this year that they know how to take care of their business. That would be a real change of personality for them at this point. And I agree with you. Moral victories don't take you very far, especially when you have a chance to beat the Ravens of all teams. But yeah, like when we were texting yesterday, three years ago in April, Mark and I were in the cozy here, the bar in Los Angeles by our office, taking a shot, because Mark his team had taken Baker number one and the Jets took Darnold number three. And it felt like a new beginning. The Jets obviously have gone the total opposite direction and worse off than they ever were.

But look at where the Browns are now from then when they were coming off their own 0 and 16 season. So there's so much to be excited about. And two quick points. First of all, Justin Tucker. You guys know my feelings about Justin Tucker. The fact that it felt like it was a done deal when he's on the field, just tells you everything you need to know about him, just drilling a 55-yarder.

To the open-air end of the stadium. Yeah, with the eyes of the world on him. Never a doubt. That guy is a Hall of Famer to me. And how about a name for the game? What do you think about the Holy-Sah game? That works on multiple levels. I like it.

I like it. I want to speak one thing into existence. Well, finish what you were going to say, Dan. No, no, no. Go ahead. I'm speaking this into existence because the way I see it, then this will not have.

happen. There is a scenario where the Jets and Dolphins end up in total hell, the Jets and Browns end up in total hell, where if the Browns lost to the Jets, if Sam Darnold out Dueled Baker-Mayfield and the Jets beat the Browns and it somehow compelled to knock the Browns out of the postseason and the Jets out of the first overall pick, that would be very dark. So this will not happen. We're going back to the cozy. I don't care if it's closed, Mark. If that happens, you and I are going to go to the cozy. Stop it. Stop it. And yes, that was a certified lockoff, and it gave me no pleasure to feel your pain, Mark. But I got to take the W and move forward. That's a Dan Hansis, shout out. I got to take that dub. Well, over Erica, too, she's back in a corner. Just like we knew Justin Tucker was going to smoke that field goal, when Erica aligned herself and she was hemming and hauling.

Should I pick the Ravens or Browns? When she picked Cleveland, you knew it was all over. You knew it was all over And sure enough, that's how it played out Way to go, Erica. Thank you. Erica, are you on the show? There she is.

Yeah, I don't like this narrative being spoiled. It's not a narrative. It's actually now just the way society is and that's your fate within this realm. I really thought the Browns were going to pull it off when they went down and scored and I was just like, this is it. Like, I was really, really rooting for it.

And maybe that's my downfall. Yeah. Don't blow this, Browns. I don't think they will either, but don't blow this. Don't blow it Sunday. Win that game in New York, beat the Jets, and then have like a dead, boring game in weeks. Don't even thwet it out in Week 17.

All right, there we go. Mark, we can close the book on that game. I'm sure it will never come up again. In fact, as we're taping us, it's playing on NFL Network. I know that for a fact. And you might have to deal with some replays of that for the rest of time. But, you know, that is, I guess, the price of being a involved with a classic game when it goes your way.

You love when it comes on all the time. When it doesn't, it's just one more thing that makes life kind of annoying. I will take it, assuming that they replay a game that they win at some point, NFL network. They seem to specialize in playing Brown's heartbreakers. I don't know if it's a personal note towards myself. It might be the inventory they have to choose from, ultimately. I mean, I feel like it probably outweens.

Anyway, let's move forward. All right, it is the holiday season. Greg, we're smack in the middle of Hanukkah, or as Smokey Robinson calls it, Chinooka. And I know that's a big-time celebration in your home. No, we don't, unfortunately. Sometimes people that aren't really that close with me, they'll, like, text me like, oh, happy Hanukkah.

And I'm always torn of, like, do I bother to tell them we don't celebrate onica or not? You got a manure in the house? No. Oh, wow. So you're really not. You are hands-off. This is a hands-off opportunity. You're borderline anti-Hanica.

No, I'm all about it. I support it, but I wasn't raised that way, so it hasn't really been passed. Well, we're off to a flying start in this holiday segment. We do have Christmas trees up all across the Southland. And with Christmas here, Hanukkah, Kwanza's role in big time in 2020. So let us share our wish lists. And I know, for instance, my kids, Jack is just learning how to write. So he sent his letter to Santa, Harrison, just a boy of barely four years old.

So I helped make his list, which I think just had slime on it. It was very limited in scope. Very valuable. Those were sent to Santa. And then Santa hopefully listens and brings the children, the gifts that they desire. So why don't we put together our own. holiday wish list here, hopes for the rest of the 2020 season, how we want it to play out. Mark, do you want to get us going?

Sure. You know, I think that I've had to take a long look in the mirror at my attitude towards the Los Angeles football teams in the December and the holiday season is the time for healing and giving. And I want to give a gift to not the Rams necessarily, but the Chargers who I think that they've been through a lot this season. Well, you want to give them a gift with, I might have the segment wrong. I thought we're asking for something, or are we giving something? I thought we're putting, yeah, it's a wish list. It's like we're like those little children writing to Santa. Well, I never, I obviously didn't master the writing to Santa part.

I will suggest that they, I will speak to someone inside the charges organization. We know a few to put this on their wish list. Tell about that because I think they don't, they don't know about this object, but they, they will like it. And it is, it is Bridgett. It is Bridgett, the supercomputer. The technological minstress. Because, you know, the Chargers, to an embarrassing level, we know that they can't handle end-of-half scenarios,

end-of-game scenarios. It's become a national narrative. And it seems to travel from era to era and coach to coach. They may have Eric B. Enemy paired with Justin Herbert a couple months from now, but even if they stick with Anthony Lynn, who were fans of, they could use Bridget, who is a, as far as we know, technologically advanced. Also a bit of a biting.

She's not going to mince word. She's going to tell you how things are. A caustic witch she has for a robot. She does. So I think the chargers need some tough love. Good one. Mark. Okay, there she is.

And I would just say, let's give them Bridget. It gets Bridget off the hands of this show. I don't have to deal with her again. So it helps me as well. Any gift you give someone else should partially help yourself. You basically have brought her out of the dumpster. I mean, I had forgotten about the Bridget 5,000. And if I would have had,

one wish that you would have granted on my behalf was give me a little heads up on this bit. I want to have Bridget like synced up for major laughs for the audience. Well, we, I did speak to our producer about this and it's up to her what she chooses to do with that part of it. What was that Bridget? Good one, Mark, not. Good one, Mark not. Bridgett's one of those characters on the show where I could just remember which bits brought the most anger to Mark, and that was one of them, to the point where Bridget had to be tossed in a dumpster because I needed to keep the show floating for another decade or so so we could pay our rent and things of that nature. Well, I sorted through some of the other clips that she has at her disposal, and it's all like Greg is

back on the acid. Mark has no good thoughts. Dan is hot. Oh, Dan made a mistake. No worries, Dan. How would you have known? You know, things like that. So it felt, you know, get it out of our ecosystem and give it to the chargers. Enjoy it, bolts. Wow. So the logic here is that Bridget helps with time management. Yeah.

You know, Bridget, I think if you were to reconfigure her system a bit could become one of those. They apparently don't hire anyone from the analytical community. So let's just give them a robot to handle late game situations. Can you imagine Bridget on the headset with. that with Eric B. Enemy or Anthony Lynn, they'd be like, Bridget's got it handled. See, in this case, you could be like, Anthony, do not run the ball with 20 seconds left and no timeouts.

See? Unbelievable. Greg is back on the acid. All right, there you go. So the wish is that the chargers have Bridget the robot to help with clock management. All right. Up next, Greg Rosenpaw. All right.

They do have this, like, mailbox in my neighborhood where the kids drop off. They're wish list for Santa, which is cute. We did it. We have a Christmas. We have a tree. I do wonder, like, is this another, like, way they're collecting personal information? Who knows? Who knows?

Just a beam of holiday sunshine. It was great. I love, we got the tree, we got it all. I'm asking for something just a little bit after Christmas. I'm asking the football gods for a week 17 that matters. Because I'm looking ahead, and I am seeing a scenario here where the, The final week of the season has what they call in tennis or cricket, sometimes a lot of dead rubbers. A lot of games that don't really have any impact on what's moving forward.

Imagine this. All of these are more than 50-50 to happen, so it's very possible. A scenario where the chiefs have already clinched home field, probably. The Steelers have already clinched AFC North but have no chance for home field. The Packers have already clinched home field, very possible, considering the Saints Matters. matchup this week and the tie break advantage Green Bay has. The Rams have already clinched the NFC West. All they got to do is beat the Seahawks.

The Seahawks, the Browns, all these other teams are in, and we just have a whole bunch of Week 17 games that don't really matter. Maybe we have like a Cardinals team playing a resting Rams team to make it into the playoffs. And that and some NFC East nonsense is all we get in Week 17. I'll give you another example because I was looking at the schedule this morning. let's say by the grace of God the Raiders beat the Dolphins next week and that becomes a stone cold race for the seventh spot and then the Dolphins need a win against the bills

and a great division showdown but the bills locked up the East and can go nowhere so they don't play their starters and then the dolphins end up getting the seventh seed potentially by default against a bunch of backups it's it's for real it's a concern here I think part of the thought of making just one team get the buy, you know, you're trying to get an extra playoff game, basically. But I think one of the side effects is taking away that second buy.

Yes, you're adding the 7th team, but you're also taking away that second buy. And especially this year where there's no home field advantage, why would teams, I wonder even if the Colts and Titans would play all out to win the division? Like you would assume they would, but I don't know. If they're both in the playoffs, do they really care that much? Would a week off in the middle of this pandemic be a little more valuable? Philip Rivers and Derek Henry than trying to get the four seed instead of the six seed?

Like, I don't know. I would play for the matchup you want in January if there's any way to do that, you know, versus the seeding. Like the Browns fans are great. That was the first time the entire season. I felt like there was a any level of home field advantage, not that it was huge,

but you sense that that game was being played in front of humans and humans that were fired up and, you know, maybe a little close to each other and not practicing that master. diligence. But at the same time, it felt like a real crowd there. If you look at the numbers, I haven't checked in a while, but the last time I did, the road teams have a better record than the home teams this year. So yeah, that is a big part of this too. I think if you're playing at home and you have no fans, it's almost weirder because you have like muscle memory of remembering

there being 70,000 people. But to your point, Baker had to quiet that crowd last night. There is one thing I like about week 17, whether or not the matchups are good or not. And I'm with you, Greg. I'd like to see four or five that really matter. But you are sort of of waving farewell. And I don't mean this the way I normally would mean where it's like, oh, you know, get rid of these teams. Like, you're seeing teams for the final minutes until next September. And there is something really weird about Week 17 where, bang, they're gone. They're out of your life. They're just, they vanish. See you, Zach Taylor and Brandon Allen. It's like, we'll miss you. Not really. Some of them we do need to say goodbye to.

All right. I will go next. All right. So I wish that J.J. Watt is playing his final games as a member of the Texas. Wow. You know, so many great memories for Watt. He's been in the league since, I believe, 2011 or 12. And, you know, the defensive player of the year awards. That cut, he used to reopen above his head right above his brow line. And then he would bleed out like the Iron Sheik in a cage match every week.

The infamous varsity letter jackets, before the Patriots blowouts, you know, those, the grueling injury rehab efforts, which are commendable, that hard-knock season where he set up his own private workout under the lights, which was awesome and fun. The noble and wildly successful Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund,

which raised, this is real, $41.6 million, making it the largest crowdsourced fundraiser in Houston. In history, he's a Houston deity. But it's time to let him go. He's 31 years old. He has one year left on his contract. He's owed $17.5 million.

It's not guaranteed. The Texans could simply cut him and move forward. They could trade him, which feels like a better route, potentially, for them. As long as you play ball with JJ and send him somewhere where he wants to play. But I don't know how many years Watt has left. I know he's not the same guy. He used to be. TJ has probably even eclipsed him within the family rankings of defenders.

in the NFL, but wouldn't it be nice to see J.J. Watt playing for a contender in the twilight of his career? It would. It also would be a tough first move for whoever's coming in there. There aren't many players, I think, that are more beloved by there. He needs to kind of put that out there that he's part of this decision, for sure. Yeah, he doesn't strike, you know, he always talks about how much he loves the Texans. You're right. Maybe things could change. It depends on who gets there, but that would be a tough one for whoever is coming in and being the general manager. Because by the way, I think he's still a good player. Like, I think you could get something for JJ Watt because his contract's fine. He's still really good. He's not quite a pro bowler,

but he's not far off of that. I would just say, because you have Deshaun Watson, and it seems like some of the stuff there is fixable, if he were super fired up about who they hired his coach, It's just, I'm with you, Dan, that if he's, if he gets sunk into a more depressing version of the Texans going forward, he's earned the right to go somewhere else. And we've earned the right to see him win with a team that knows how to organize. We have earned that right. It'd be nice. It'd be nice.

I agree. This popped in my head because after they got their ass beat 367 by Mitch Trubisky on Sunday, he was quoted. He said, we gave up 36 points today. We're not competitive. we gave up 36 points. And it just seemed like he knows what's going on here. The Texans are in such a weird spot

because you have Deshaun Watson, who can speed up any rebuild, obviously, but they're in such a hole because of the Bill O'Brien GM experience that they're not going to be able to get better quickly, especially on defense without any draft resources. And JJ, it could work for both sides. JJ gets a fresh start at the end of his career with a contender,

and they could bring back a draft resource that they desperately need after those. deals at the end of the Bob tenure, let him go. But only if he wants it. And he, and Greg, you're right, he needs, if they're going to do this, whoever takes on this job, and I don't think it'll be Greg Esterby, JJ has to be out in front and saying he's part of the decision that they've mutually decided this is the way to go. You just call them Greg Easterby. That was a slight on me, really. I mean, if Jack Easterby just at this point just let him go, I mean, there will be, you know, torches and pitchforks.

I think after that Sports Illustrated profile of Easterby, something tells me Easterby's days are numbered in Houston. We'll see. All right. Ricky, you said you had one. Yes, yes. Okay, so hear me out. If there's anything not necessarily positive that has come out of COVID,

but my wish for this Christmas and, you know, goes into the next season, is that I hope some teams and reporters kind of take a different, similar approach to training camp. You know, I want them to have the normal training camp time and a lot of time and practice. However, I don't need to hear that Randall Cobb was taking more, you know, reps than normal, and he's going to be the, you know, wide receiver one. I don't need that in my life. And I don't think we all, I think we all do. And Mark's pumping his fiscs, you must agree with me.

Just let them have their training camp. Give us our limited access. Let's leave, you know, the narratives and the BS alone. And we'll see you in September. So you don't want, for instance, you just want to skip training camp. Well, no, I just don't want media to have this access that creates these narratives that we talk about for months on end. That means absolutely nothing. This is an annual, yeah, this is an annual Mark bit.

I like it. No, you've said that. Can we just fast forward to the season is what she's saying. But a rare member of the media saying less access. Please keep us out, billionaires. I like it. I think there's a difference between, for instance. Erica, pro-billionaire, stunner from the woman that grew up with a healy pad.

Please. There's a difference between like what Mike Garifolo said the other week where he, you know, you've got to give reporters access to give us information and to develop stories that should be told. my thing is not about the season so much is that August training camp preseason thing I personally thought that the NFL this year with no chance to play the Pro Bowl that should have been gone as a game ages ago and the preseason it got fixed for you by Corona okay we don't need the preseason one game I could do one game like maybe the idea of even one game or two games where one is just simply no veterans or whatever

it is but the idea of that team is still playing five preseason games I already worried about this. I'm not already worried about it. At least you can be grateful. This was your dream year, Erica, with virtually no access in training camp. It was. Wait, wait, wait.

Do you hear that? What is that? Oh, silence. It's nice. It's quiet. I don't care who's showing up late and doesn't seem like their hearts in it, this training camp.

Oh, please. I adore it. I adore it. I will stand up for the Everyman. And when you make people that love your football team and want to be season ticket holders pay full price for those two preseason games, that is Hocom to borrow a damn shirkism.

So, yes, I'm all for defunding the preseason. Feels like a long way off. Feels like another world. Mark, you got another one? Well, I do in... Is it Bridget Related? In Colleen fashion, honestly misunderstood the exercise, and I gave a gift to someone.

So I don't know. All right, sure. Go ahead. I'll do it real quick. It's actually a gift for Erica. It's not based on a recent comments. Oh, okay. You know, a little bit off the NFL sector to some degree.

But if we don't have a podcast, we don't have the NFL in our work. Listen, Mark had a, it was a tough night at the Sessler House. I want to learn more about the garage house dynamic because the way Mark told the story was that he started the night watching the game in the garage and the Browns did well. He goes to the house, the Ravens did well. strike back each time. And then at some point, Mark just threw his hands up and said, ah, I'm going to be with the family. I believe what's left out there is a bit of a dust up between Simone, your lovely wife, saying, Mark, grow up, don't blame us for the Browns.

Get in this house. And Mark went, okay. Well, no. Like, she knows me well enough. She's like, if you're going to be super stressed out, she's like, I totally get it. But that's fine if you want to watch it in the garage. I just started to realize the idea that, like, when I was 12, I used to stand on one little tiny patch of carpet during Browns games for three straight hours. Because if I moved off it, I thought they'd lose.

And it's like, I don't have powers over these events. Maybe you should have moved off that spot. Well, you're not wrong. All right, so my gift for Erica, shall we get to it? All right. Sure. So, Erica, because I think it's in our best interest that you stay safe and sound, I am going to clone

Eddie Spaghetti and have him stand watch outside your apartment against any additional creepy men asking you to open their frozen pizza boxes and cook their pizzas and borrow your knives to cut their pizzas and maybe do other things with knives. But there is one catch in our technology. The cloning technology is a C-plus, C-plus at best right now.

So cloned Eddie, he'd be standing there, very guard-like and consistent, but with like 2% of the... Eddie's real personality. He also has like a ravenous appetite. So you and Jet would have to make bowls of fresh piping hot spaghetti because according to his name,

that's the only thing he'll eat. On the ready 24-7, he eats a lot. He has access to your restroom. Merry Christmas. But I do think that the upshot will be that you would stay safe from hooligans. Unless he's in the bathroom. Well, that's part of the price.

Thank you. My wish is that the next time a mentally unhinged stranger comes to the door and asks Erica for a machete, a pair of gloves, and to turn off the security cameras, Erica doesn't go, A-O-K. A-O-K. That would be good, too. Sign me up. Do you want my credit card? All right. So there you go.

Eddie Spaghetti Frankenstein Monster to protect Erica. Thanks, Mark, you are on fire today. I love it. My second one connected to Monday Night Football. I believe that the Monday night football crew earned their button last night. And I know Greg's going to push back on this. But I think they've been very good this season. Steve Levy, play-by-play, greasy, Lewis Riddick.

I think ESPN should take last night's game, which I thought was really handled well in a huge spotlight, with tons of twists and turns, back and forth. They found the moment. They rode the moment. And it felt like we were all watching the game. together. Steve Levy goes down and Monday night football has his iconic line of his own now. And here comes Lamar Jackson. They'll be playing that for years when he came back from the

locker room. And my thought is ESPN should put a ring on the finger, make this relationship legit. We know that tested to our burger era was an obvious mistake. And this current setup wasn't their first choice. But give me this team with solid chemistry over shoehorning, you know, Drew Breeze or Drew Carey or Drew Barrymore or whatever. Just let these people grow together because I think it's been a really promising rookie season for that trio. Well, Drew Breeze is signed with NBC, you know, unless they had a clause in their contract.

But what about Drew Barrymore? Saying that he couldn't get into any hot water with some. Some hot takes. Remember that? Remember when Drew Breeze broke up the Saints locker room forever more over the summer? That was fun. Yeah, I really haunted them this season. I know.

Finish their nine-game winnings week. That was like we needed something. I mean, it was rough. I do like the theory behind what you're talking about because moving to another booth next year is basically admitting you're like the early Hazlomer-Browns that like we can't, like no one can last with us for. more than a year or two, and you're making this crew into being Rob Chidsinski, which isn't

fair to them. It's basically a bad, it's showing what poor management ESPN has. Go for some consistency. I think they've gotten better, and I think that's a good sign. I mean, week one, I thought that Kirk Herb Street and friend were, Chris Fowler, just have flat out more chemistry, and it concerned me that like a couple weeks in a row when these other games got put into prime time because of corona, that they were outshining, I thought the Monday night crew over and over. And, yeah, I was waiting for the version of Lewis Riddick that we get, I think, in talk segments and on Twitter. And I think we're getting more of that. I heard him this morning on Dan Patrick, and he did an excellent job with his observations of the game. So I think just letting

them be more of who they are. I'm with you, Dan. I'd stick with it. I don't want another crew starting from scratch. I don't think it's the, I think they keep trying to recreate magic from the 80s when it was really special to watch Monday Night Football and have a three-person crew. when usually a two-person crew just simply is the way to go these days. But if you're going to do this, I think they've earned it. My one concern would be that Lewis Riddick could be pulled away to a front office sooner than later. I mean, I keep hearing that, and there must be a reason you keep hearing it. I mean, if Riddick were to go, I think it would survive with no disrespect toward him.

But I think I really liked Greasy a lot. I think he's done a good job, and I think Levy's a pro. Those are the two guys that jump out to me more than perhaps Riddick does. But as long as greasy isn't acting like no one else in the country has watched Carson Wentz play. It's just like sometimes where it's like be up to speed with where the rest of us are in terms of our cynicism towards certain players. Sometimes it's like this over-celebration of both teams where one of the teams has major issues going on. Be real about it because we're not, we're too savvy as viewers in 2020. It's a tough spot.

Levy's never done NFL games. To me, that's the hardest job in sports playboy. play and and I think you can just see out there there's a there's a a big cast of characters with a ton more experience being on NFL play by play so if they're going to do this you got to be patient with them all right Greg you got one more I'll throw in just some speed round ones uh number one let's let's get Brian Flores the coach of the year I'm so impressed with Brian Flores win one of you know beat the Patriots beat the Raiders and uh you win coach of the year love love him I want to see Alex Smith back in the lineup this better not be the end of the Alex Smith story

Give me Week 17 and Alex Smith being carried off the field for the division-winning football team. If this calf injury is it, that would be a big-time bummer. And then this is for all the writers of around the NFL. We don't do it as much anymore. But the Cowboys, just give Doc Prescott his contract like January 5th. Surprise everyone. That there's no drama to it. That the story's over right there.

Like just on a quiet Tuesday way way before the playoff games. Here it is. We don't have to worry about it. When I heard like greasy or it was some, or maybe it was like, there's going to be one heck of a negotiation coming up. It was like, give me a freaking break. Every year with the team. Erica.

Pay the man. That was a good one. Yes. My wish is that hopefully with the vaccine being rolled out and everything for Christmas, I would really love to go to Tampa for the Super Bowl. Bowl with my best boys and get to be in the stadium and watch the Super Bowl and then do our tradition after the game together. I would love that too.

We can't even tell you what the tradition after the game is, but it gets wild. Crazy. I would love that, but that ain't happening. We have not heard anything internally. There's no chance. Let's be realistic here. We've been very blessed to go to every Super Bowl since this podcast started. and even a couple of years before

for Mark and I but obviously this is a very different year and I got a good feeling this will be the first ATN podcast we do from back in L.A. covering a Super Bowl, which will probably be a lot easier of a lift but you trade the lift

for the experience of being at the Super Bowl because there's really nothing like being at a Super Bowl City for that game. How about kickoff? Week one, that feels more realistic. We're not going to be, you know, cutting the line for, I don't think they're going to have us cut the line for vaccines

to do the Super Bowl. Mark and I already got vaccinated. Let's do kickoff weekend, you know, give us, send us to the week one Thursday game. Do a special podcast there to celebrate. All right. I mean, it will be weird to not be at like the Super Bowl week festivities where you're trying, you know, you're one of like 30 rotund, you know, pasty journals attempting to get, you know, Russell Wilson to say three words.

I will miss that, but I will miss it in the sense because, like, will that ever happen again? I don't know. But there's a lot of, you know, we will not be apprehended by the FBI on a boat out on Florida waters. And you know Tampa's probably going to be on fire. They don't even know that coronavirus exists.

So we are probably missing out on what would be an escape from L.A. society. I thought you were going to say we're missing out on a great case of coronavirus that we would catch in Tampa. Well, we definitely would. And that would, you know, get my phone stolen at a barstool party and then get locked under a tree and a hurricane with an Uber an hour away. That can't that won't happen this year.

And that's upsetting. I'll quote Don Draper. And by the way, that's what you get for going to a bar stool party. Yeah, I know. I'll quote Don Draper, Mark Zessler. And because what you're saying is basically what is more of a super spreader event than media night at the Super Bowl. And totally true, just like the scouting combine. as well, and a lot of body odors and sweat, and it's just not pleasant in a lot of ways.

But Don Draper and Mad Men speaking to Peggy after she had her secret child, and she had the child in shame, and it will, yeah, spoiler alert. And Don Draper, who of course was Dick Whitman in an earlier life, spoiler alert, and started over and hid his past and moved on, says to Peggy, it will shock you. how much it never happened, move forward. That's what's going to happen here. As much as we're in this moment in life with COVID right now, I just get the feeling that in a couple of years after hopefully everyone's vaccinated and it goes away, if all these things that you think are never coming back, actually do come back because it will shock you how quickly people can move on and just move forward.

Well, I think there's going to be a reverb of people going absolutely crazy. Or that will be one of the greatest pull quote. we've ever had on this show if society continues to go down the two I mean people moved people moved on in July in this country that's pretty much we're like yeah we'll take it we'll take it right so

if nobody's getting sick from that particular bug anymore it will shock you how much it never happened maybe we will have not learned our lesson but that's a conversation for another time all right before we move on so there you go there's our wishes

that was nice good sag enjoyed it. Here is the first game of Thursday. Wait, real quick. Real quick. A wish from all of us before we move into this Chargers preview. Is that what you're previewing? I don't even know. Correct. We wish that Chris gets feeling better and is with us for every show next year. And maybe even after Christmas. All together, all of us wish, the listeners wish, we all wish for that. Absolutely. Great call. Ricky, it's been a really hard year for this podcast and for Wes it's been an unbelievable battle and at

times a struggle at almost all time perpetually a struggle it's amazing how brave and tough that dude is especially with a newborn in the house and Lakeisha also she's the new Lenny Dykstra she's nails. Shout out to Rhoda her mom, Keisha's mom coming into town and whooping and hollering for her favorite player, Lamar Jackson, last night. She was on, unfortunately, for you, Mark, she was on the right side of that lockoff. I love her enjoyment of football. It got in my way last night to some degree,

but I totally honor her enthusiasm. Right. And when I call Lakeisha Wessling a version of Lenny Dykstra, I don't mean the version of Lenny Dykstra, whose teeth fell out and was in jail over fraud, consumer fraud. I mean just the hard nose grinding, you know, take one for the team five. And that's what she's all about. All right.

Let's get to, everybody's like, who the fuck is Lenny Dykstra? Let's get to the game to be played on week 15. Chargers, Raiders. I'm into the game. Not as much as I, a month ago, this felt like it would have been a great game because the Chargers, yes, even a month ago, the record wasn't good. But we all loved the excitement around this team with a young quarter. back, but there's been more of a depressing and true and fitting L.A. fashion, kind of a smog that's now settled over the Chargers with Anthony Lynn being in over his head and Herbert

coming down to Earth a little bit. And the Raiders, you know, obviously this is a team taking on major water, the USS Gruden. So they have one last chance here at 7 and 6 at home to keep their season alive. And then if you win this game and like I said, you got the dolphins after that who you're chasing for a playoff spot, who knows. You never know. But you got to win. in this one first. Greg, do you think this is not going to happen? You think the Raiders are just going to completely implode and continue to go down in flames? I'm torn because the Chargers have looked worse, even though I know they won on Sunday,

overall, you know, over the last few weeks than they have all season. But I think I'm going to take the Chargers just because I want it to happen. It would be kind of fun for me to see the Raiders go down in flames. It's too bad. This podcast is not a fan of the Raiders organization. I've wanted to be. I really have. I mean, ultimately, Nelson Aguilar is like their number one receiver, and they're an offense first team.

So how far are you going? Because since Gruden has taken over, they are dead last, 32 or 32 in expected points added on defense or allowed on defense. And so that hasn't changed each and every week. And if the Chargers win this game, I think it'll be because Herbert plays well. He did the first time against the Raiders. That was a really fun game, a high-scoring game. game that the Raiders won at the very last second with Isaiah Johnson, you know, bashing that a couple of plays out on the goal line or else they would have lost that game.

Joey Boas is playing great. Austin Eccler's back playing great. How about the stars show up for the Chargers and bury their rivals, the Raiders? Well, and the Chargers didn't have Joey Bosa in that tight contest earlier in the season. Now they do. I look at a Raiders team that's given up 150 points over the past four games. we all know that the defense is a disaster. Jonathan Abram has a concussion.

Nicholas Moreau, their linebacker is a concussion. Clellan Farrell has a shoulder injury. They have 14 guys on the injury report right now. They're really banged up. And Gruden talked about the fact that, like, I think, you know, there was residual corona effects with this team, too. That they, I mean, they just were battered on defense on that sense and have never really recovered.

And, you know, to me, like the last two games for Justin Herbert, I don't know if teams have figured them out. I mean, one was the Patriots game, but two of his lowest three yardage outputs have been the last two games. And so that's coincided with Austin Echler coming back. I don't know if that threw them out of their normal offense a little bit because he's been really productive, but they've looked a little different to me. I mean, the Raiders, I'm not anti-Raders,

but I'd just be like any of these teams that get into the playoffs, earn it. And they've looked like a team going in the opposite direction in the last few weeks, which I think, you know, Dan, while you're appropriately lower on them, earn it. I don't have a lot of faith in them. They seem to be coming apart at the seams. And, you know, Gruden is firing a friend and a defensive coordinator as sort of a scapegoat. But some of this falls on Gruden, too. They can't run the ball. They have 10 turnovers over the last three games. Derek Carr, you're getting the bizarro version of Derek Carr. You need the best version of these guys.

Can they do it on Thursday night? Josh Jacobs has not been 100%. I know he was back in action this past week. they need to get back to what they were doing when the season was going well, which is running the ball, being a tough physical team, hitting hard on defense, being smart, keeping the penalties to a minimum, which always seems to be a problem with the Raiders. And then Derrick Carr just has to, you know, avoid killer mistakes.

I can't, like I said, I don't have the confidence in them anymore, but I just, it just would seem strange to me that a team that was playing as well as they were, including those two great games against the Chiefs, without any major injuries or COVID disasters would just completely go in the tank again. So it doesn't quite add up to me, which makes me think, who knows, maybe they come out of a funk here

with a big performance against the bad Chargers team. But at the same time, if you pick the Chargers, Greg, I don't think that's crazy because the Raiders have done nothing to earn our confidence over the past month almost. Yeah, the Raiders are a better team. I'm just picking for what would be fun. And they've missed their players.

Some people just like to watch the world burn. I like to, I want to see Justin Herbert light it up. Because to me, that's probably the best chance for a really fun game here is two pretty flawed teams in the 30s going back and forth. I can envision that sort of game. But I don't like that Gruden's doing the thing

at his press conference this week where he says, hey, I never make excuses. And then he like lists 15 injuries and he lists 15 excuses. Like you don't see that. I know it's only like their conversive. It's like you haven't heard that out of Kyle Shanahan. You haven't heard that out of a lot of people. It's like I've heard it out of Gruden.

I'm with you. I'm with you that the Chargers will take this thing because you can't rush the passer. Justin Herbert's not going to be, you know, terribly taxed mentally by what the Raiders do on defense. I'm predicting. And I see the Raiders as a team, to your point, Dan, like why were they playing the Chief so well?

That, you know, there's been whispers that they've had bad practice weeks, you know, here and there. They get up for games. They get up for the Chiefs, but then they totally don't get up for the Jets. They totally fall flat against Atlanta. Where are they mentally? Did they feel like a team that is prepared to do whatever it takes to get into the playoffs? They play the Dolphins next week.

Good luck with that. Yeah, if it's a motivation issue, then they should play well in this game because this is a playoff game for the Raiders. Lose their 7 and 7 and totally cooked. So there you go. I believe Mark and myself will handle the recap of this on Thursday night in addition to our Week 15 preview that will come on Thursday, so be on the lookout for that, and good luck to everyone sorting out their own Christmas wish lists in their home, trying to deliver the goods for Santa.

All right, that's it. Dan Hansa signing off for Quiet Storm, the old boss, and Ricky Hollywood. behind the glass till Thursday. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters.

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