NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - What's more likely: Packers or Cowboys making the playoffs?

Episode Date: December 12, 2017

A room filled with some heroes- Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, Gregg Rosenthal & Colleen Wolfe- recap the thrilling Monday Night Football matchup between the Patriots and Dolphins, which resulted in a surprising upset for the Pats (4:00); A look at news from around the league, including Carson Wentz's season-ending injury- a premonition Colleen had earlier in the season (16:00); A fan-favorite segment returns- "What's More Likely" (28:00), which includes possible playoff scenarios, coach firings and of course, a mythical creature reference from Sessler.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. The Around the NFL podcast is really weird. Welcome back to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansis and I am joined by a room filled with heroes. Mark Sessler, if it's Tuesday, it's Colleen Wolfe and Greg Rosenthal. What's up, people? Hey, gang. What's up?

What's up? You're all here. Good. I didn't feel like doing the hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. I like that branching into new territories. Yeah. You're an innovator. Yes.

Hey, gang. It's really something new. Trailblazer. This is the Tuesday edition of the Around the NFL podcast. Yes, presented, of course, by head and shoulders. Our boys. If you want to combine shampoo and conditioner mark, head and shoulders, I believe is the only product that does that.

Used it two days ago inside of my house. Really? Yeah. Your hair looks great. I was wondering. I noticed it. It's all because of that product. You've been known to use it outside of your house, too, just on the front lawn.

I will bring smaller bottles of it on the road to work trips. I've seen Mark drinking it on occasion. Drink it if I need to. Strange move, but I think you might have a problem, Mark. Maybe I should try that. Stay dehydrated. Big show today. Our Tuesday show, so much to get to.

In fact, I want to tell you what's coming up today. Monday night football recap, tough times to the throne of ease in Miami. So that game we will get into what happened to the Patriots on Monday Night Football. Also, we're going to get into the latest news. And, of course, the Carson Wentz situation. Oh, Connie. I'll give me credit. Your spirits are pretty high considering all this happened.

And we'll get into it. We'll get into it. But I've been waiting for something like this terrible to happen. Yes. I was prepared on that. And it's been a while. So let's bring back one of our favorite games on the around the NFL podcast. What's More Like Regular Season Home Stretch Edition?

Are you, is everyone within the guidelines of the game, Mark? Especially you, Mark. The guidelines. Is it connected to the end of the regular season? You're what's more likely. Not like the postseason. I mean, not. Not about apocalypse.

It includes scenarios. Wait. Wait. What are the parameters again? By the way, yeah, you're looking at me for the parameters of the game we play. Colleen infamously has no idea what the rules are ever with these. Well, that's a different problem. Wait a second.

I don't know. It's fine. That's fine. We'll make it work. So the action pack show coming up. Very excited to talk about football with you guys. And again, good to see you.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Good to see you. Tonight, by the way. Sounds like there's a party going on in here. Yeah. Did you get that cleared, by the way, Greg? That was Greg,

the shadowy league figures playing uncleared music on the podcast. Get him out of the company. I hope that was a Cardi B. Just sweep them right out just to be safe. I think that was an ad on NFL.com. So we're clear. We're good. Be completed us and sweep Greg out too.

By the way, the NFL Network holiday party is tonight. Uh-oh. Beautiful. Yeah, get ready. Watch out for my Instagram. Well. Mark. I will be.

I will be. Thank you for the alert. Collian also did like a 75 second Cardi B freestyle right before the show. Yeah. And one of these years recently, we ended up in a Westside famous karaoke established. The gas light. The gaslight. Um, if we end up there again, maybe a little Cardi B comes out.

100% I'll do it. That's, you know, Jewel goes there. I was, I've watched some footage of Jewel. I like to see Jewel has a little boat. Cuba, Cuba, Goodyng Jr. was there last week, apparently. Cuba? Yeah, you got Kristen, my friend Kristen, who I used to live with. Yeah, she was there and she said, uh, she ran into Cuba, Cuba, not Cuba.

I think you're right. Cuba Gooding Jr.? I don't know. All right. Anyway, yeah, so much to get to. So let's dig in starting. Yes. with Monday night football.

He has plenty of time and throws a deep bond. Cork trying to run up. And it's intercepted. Second of the night by Xavier and Howard is fourth in the last two games. Looking for blockers and runs out of bounds as he crossed midfield. Tom Brady intercepted two times by Xavier and Howard. Ooh, nice little two-week stretch for the Baylor product. And the Patriots never converted a third down as the Miami Dolphins.

snapped the Patriots eight-game winning streak a 27 to 20 victory at Miami Gardens at Hard Rock Stadium. So yes, Greg, the Patriots fall to 10 and 3. They've lost their first game on the road and I believe it was, what, 18 games? They had won 14 straight. 14 straight.

Not the most. rushing loss for the Patriots because if they beat the Steelers next week, everything seems a-okay for getting that first seed. But there's some troubling signs here. Yes, no, maybe so. Absolutely, because it was a thorough beatdown. The final score was very misleading.

The dolphins were significantly better. Now, you can say, strange things happen. Sometimes you play a team twice in three weeks. I think Adam Gase and his defensive coordinator, Matt Burke, deserve a lot of credit for coaching circles around the Patriots. They had a really good game play, and especially on offense. But the problems that you saw with New England,

I think, have been bubbling up for a few weeks. Number one, they don't have great protection of Tom Brady's taking a ton of hits. Six times he was sacked last night. He's missing practice. I think that's pretty significant, an entire practice for an Achilles injury. And then number two, someone named, you know, in this room, who is the best player in the Patriots Front Seven that played last night?

Eric Lee? Who's that guy? Who's the undrafted free age? Can you name a player? in the Patriots. I can name the players that they were missing. They were without a bunch of players on both sides. Trey Flowers, Alan Branch. Flowers was out. Eric Lee's

been great for the past month. I mean, he played two games. He was an undrafted guy that joined the team two weeks ago. To your point, though, they're lacking star power in the front seven. I mean, not just star power, but guys that were even in the role like a month ago, or have ever been in a situation

like this. I think at some point that catches up, and they were missing their two key players, Kyle Van Nuoy and Trey Flowers. And at some point, I think that's going to catch up when you play. You look at the box score, and if you didn't watch the game, you would have thought that they flipped the teams. Because New England, the one thing they have been week to week, able to use their running backs in so many diverse ways.

And it's one guy this week, it's Rex Burke had the next. It's Dionne Lewis, 25 yards on the ground. I feel like Miami just came out with a much more physical game plan. Miami just ran through them all night. They were all over, Tom Bray. Brady that the defense was. But I mean, look at Xavier Howard. What a great game he had. He completely shut down Brandon Cooks. He had the two interceptions. And look at his last two games. He has four interceptions. Yeah, he really looked good. He was tight in coverage. And let's go to Jay Culler now.

I mean, Jay Culler, a guy that's career is supposed to be over and we've all had a lot of fun at Jay's expense. He outplayed Tom Brady and it wasn't even close. And he really, let's be honest, should have four touchdowns, if not for a drop by Joachim Grant that would have put the game away. Right. He played extremely well, was careful with the football. There was only one J. Cutler moment where he opted not to run for a first down and instead through an incomplete pass that kept the Patriots in business a little bit longer. But in general, this was a really, really vintage, when I say vintage, vintage, vintage good because there was good J. Cutler once upon a time.

Like, how old school, Jay? Where do you go back to? 2013. Okay. That realm, early 2013, that zone. College, maybe. Even 207. I mean, his second year for the Broncos, I don't know if that was 06 or 07, he was

awesome, fun to watch. It was a weird feeling watching this because I was obviously disappointed as a Patriots fan, but there was a part of me that has loved the Jay Cutler experience throughout his career. And this is almost certainly his last prime time game. And it just felt like a very Jay Cutler. thing to randomly go out on fillet the Patriots up and down. You're just like, what?

What does happen? And as much as they outplayed the Patriots, they deserve a lot of the credit. Sometimes it takes great performances to win these games, and you just assume the Patriots are bad, and they were bad. But Xavier and Howard, those interceptions were incredible. Jaquim Grant's touchdown was incredible. Kenyon Drake has been far and away better than Jay Ajai ever was in Miami this year. And so those guys deserve credit, too, for beating them.

spin move that's set up the third Dolphins touchdown. They set it on the telecast. It was Barry Sanders-esque. So, Jay Jai, who hasn't had a huge impact in Philly either, that trade is looking really good for Miami who got a younger player involved with better knees and all that. There's no facts behind this, but I feel like had this game, like, happened at 1 p.m. Eastern anonymously on a Sunday, New England wins the game. And then you somehow put the dolphins in these incredible uniforms from years of old.

Oh, my God. They were beautiful. It's just something about the whole energy of the game felt pro-Miamy from the very beginning. We talked about this last week that it's a real thing. The Patriots historically in the Brady era have struggled in Miami. I mean, it's something that the numbers back up and we saw it again. It's just a weird thing. And it's not just how Bill Belichick about it. Yeah.

In fact, let's hear from Bill Belichick, by the way, who the game ended. Miami actually got a first and goal from the one foot line with about a minute to play. They had a timeout in their pocket. and they were unable to punch it in, settled for a field goal, so they're down seven points. Patriots, they're able to get it. My bad.

And Stephen Gaskowski then attempts of really bizarre onside kick where he just kind of squibs it, like kind of almost laxadaisically. I think it was on purpose. It was trying to sneak attack. I don't know what was going on. You've done it two or three times.

It never works. It's always as embarrassing as this over the last like three or four years. And speaking of Belichick, not in the best mood. Bill is not usually in a great mood in the post-game presser, but especially after a loss... Not typically, but after a loss like this next level.

One reporter was brave enough to ask if perhaps the Patriots are kind of looking past the dolphins with a huge matchup against the Steelers on deck. Let's hear what happened. I think any of the guys might have been looking at it next week looking past Miami? break. Oh, no.

That was giving me a break for you. Any questions about the game or not? Oh, my God. I kind of love it. The give me a break under his breath is definitely a home run. He's so condescending to reporters, though. I would hate to cover the Patriots. I really think it's almost uncomfortable, watch.

It is condescending, but to me, it's more that he's hollowed out. Dan, you said, detached at some point, that football is everything to him. And when they lose, it's like he's an empty vessel. He has, like, he, there's, like, he's not even there. And I've seen it after, like, the Super Bowl. Yeah, but he's also throwing shade in everybody, too. Big losses.

And he's just like, that's like, the only thing he can muster up is that. I agree with you. It's a weird thing to look at. I agree with you. But that also dismisses the idea that 31 other head coach is, that football is maybe just 50% of their life. They don't care as much as Bill Belichick. No, you have media responsibilities.

Yeah. I'm over it. I'm over at Belichick. I don't like how everybody laughs. And they're like, oh, ha, ha, ha, look at the way that he treats everybody like crap. He also. Yeah.

I'm just saying, I don't like that the, I don't like that relationship. I don't like that dynamic. And I think he knows in his heart that that's the worst December performance they've had in a long, long time. And I don't think it was totally random. I know we've been saying on this podcast, like, clear the road. They're just going to do it. And there's part of me that has. a Patriots fan is hoping for that.

But if you look back, they played terribly against Miami two weeks ago. There were certainly issues, Buf. I know they ended up winning that game, but if you watch, it was a lot of crazy. They've had bad halves here and there. There's things that have been happening on that team. I don't think it means they're a bad team, but I just think it means they're one of the many teams that has a chance to win the Super Bowl, and they're just one of the Steelers, do you, could you pick a worse scenario than having to face Stomingland

after they come off a disappointing loss? I agree with that. That's bad. an extremely heavy favorite. Almost anybody that fouls the game sees the Patriots as a heavy favorite, not just another team in the mix. I hear you, and I know metrics aren't everything, but when I see them, for instance, in football,

in terms of their team efficiency, that they were the seventh team in the league going into this week before this performance. That doesn't shock me watching them week to week. I think they've overachieve. I think Belich's done an incredible job. I don't think they're a heavy favorite in Pittsburgh. I don't think they're a favorite at all. I think at best that's a coin flip game versus.

two teams that have both had some issues lately. They're going to have to shut down Pittsburgh's offense. That is going to be tough with the way they played last night. Mark, let's talk about you. You seem to be enjoying the game quite a bit, according to your Twitter feed. Very controversial, some of your comments. We want to maybe just read them back

if you happen to not catch it. Do you want to read them or do you want me to read them for you? I feel like I've had my say. Okay, here's what Mark had to say during the game. Patriots fans given a glimpse. Can we get some type of music in here? Patriots fans given a glimpse of the bone-black future, a time when self-absorbed mass holes,

vicariously seeing themselves as mini Belichick's in workplace and life awakened to an earth reality where New England gets throttled weekly and you must survive. Whoa. Dark. What else we got there? You got anything else?

People from New England did not enjoy that tweet I'm discovering today. Weird. I can't believe that. Patriots fans aren't comfortable losing games in December. This is a separate tweet. Let's ponder how that might feel for the most dangerously self-entitled, self-obsessed fan base on the orb. How will they endure?

Will they hang? And last one. How quaint, small and shriveling it all becomes when your sports team suffers. Suddenly you aren't the smartest human in your insignificant workplace. Oh, my God. Suddenly your so-called table. don't hold up Earth's infrastructure. What a stunner.

Mark, first of all, Bravo. I like to call that in... That's like a trilogy of tweets. That's Lindsay's excellence behind the glass. Mark, Bravo, first of all. But it has not gone too well in your mentions. A little RIP scenario for you? It's, as the show proceeds, I'm actively blocking people.

Because I have a problem with them saying, hey, I hate your take. I hate what you said. Leave us alone. We don't, you don't understand Patriots fans. But some people, I logged into Instagram this morning and people are ripping my family members and other stuff. I said, you're kind of proven my point a little bit with that reaction. But I went Adam hard and I understand, you know, look it, I respect the Patriots enough over the years.

Greg knows that. And I'm a little excited to watch a different type of result last year. Mark doesn't hate all Patriots fans because he likes Greg. And Greg is not, Greg is not a. I think that's not a – let's be real. Greg is not a typical. I would say Mark has mixed feelings about Greg at best. No, that's –

But – You're not a typical Patriots fan, though. You are. That's what I wouldn't even put you in the category. So we can't hate Patriots fans. That's a separate issue. But it's always – it is always fun. Whether you hate the Patriots or not,

it's just a little bit more fun when the Patriots are facing some adversity. Let's be real. We see these comments in some form or another every single Monday night. The only difference is Mark put it on Twitter instead of a – group text. Some of the, I mean, I one day will release a book of Mark's text about the Steelers from this season and it will blow the lid off society. The text themselves, like I love when I somehow get on these chains and then I will

get a Mark Sessler text that is you just have to continue scrolling and scrolling and scrolling and then just end with a blue butterfly emoji. I like, I like, sometimes like my wife and I are wrapping up dinner on a Friday night and suddenly I look and wait, there's 38. I have been actively working to calm down on that tendency, but Anyway, well done, Mark. Let's do some news. I look in NBA, NFL, baseball.

Ain't nobody seen a bringless hat. So I wanted to put the first one, you know, behind the scenes with the brimless hat. So you've seen it here first, Cam Newton, Brimless hat. Okay. That's a walkoff. It looks like a member of like the Masonic Lodge. Yeah, it was, you know, come on. That's his campaign speech.

The, yes, the dreaded possibility became official for the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. Eagles coach Doug Peterson confirmed that Carson Wentz indeed did suffer a season-ending knee injury tearing his ACL and his left knee in Philly's 43-35 win over the Rams in week 14. Wentz will undergo surgery and hopefully be ready for the start. of next season. The big surprise, I guess, that came from Peterson's press conference was the injury did not come when he got hit by two players at once as he crossed the goal line. But when he planted his leg, I guess, before he made that dive, which, you know, I don't know, it's just one of those things.

It's just one of those things. How do you avoid it? And it's just very depressing. Connie, we'll start with you. Actually, I want to let's set you up this way, Connie. Great. All through this incredible eagles. season, and there's still a lot to be excited about despite this, as you know, but we had been

checking the temperature of Connie Fox to see where you were. In fact, after I think it was a particularly It was the Monday night breakout game by Carson Wentz earlier in the season. Yeah, earlier in the season last month maybe, we checked in with you. Here's what you had to say at that time. Oh, no. Super confident that every week now, they're just going to roll. No, no, because I've been hurt so many times by this team it's like i can't it's hard for me to trust them and they look so good and i keep saying myself are they really this good the eagles are good this is weird i don't i don't feel comfortable i'm waiting for you fear like a major like catastrophic injury injury that's oh i'm telling you i've been waiting for this to happen i knew it was going to happen

so this is going to sound crazy lindsay you're on fire back there i What can I say? I felt like this. I love Echo effect. That was a great clip. Go ahead. I felt like this was coming. There have been several times in my life where I have, I guess you would call it a Sessler,

where I've had a bad feeling about some of the things. My mom, it's the same thing. We both get bad feelings. It's never like something good. We never sense something good is going to happen in the future. Like I've gotten in two car accidents in my life and I knew they were going to happen right before they happened. Like, I got a feeling about it. Like, I sensed it.

I swear to God. You sense a disturbance. Yeah, and my mom does the same thing. And he just steered your car. And I got it a couple different times with different things. And I felt this happening. I felt, I knew it the whole time. This is why I couldn't get excited about the Eagles.

I felt like there was going to be a massive injury. And I never wanted to say Carson Wentz, but I felt like it was going to be at the quarterback position. And it happened. So I feel bad for you. All Eagles fans, I mean, keep a reminder that Super Bowl 52 is being played in a couple of months. and the Eagles have never won a Super Bowl.

And this was by far, in my life, there was some really good Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb teams. But this team really seemed like the best Eagles team maybe in the last 20, 30 years. And now what are you going to do? It's Nick Foles or Bust and probably Bust, let's be honest. Probably Bust. I do think they have a chance to make the Super Bowl. And I don't think they have a better chance than some other NFC teams. But I think they are one of, you know, five or six teams that.

could make it and they have one clear advantage, which is that I think they can get home field. First of all, they basically clinch the buy on Sunday. So they're going to have a home game in the divisional round. If you look at their next- Yeah, if they beat the, if they beat the Giants, the Giants, Raiders, Cowboys. Their next three games are Giants, Raiders, Cowboys. I think they can win all three of those with Nick Foles. We've seen Nick Foles in a highly schemed offense play pretty well. And this time he's got a great O line, a great D-line and a lot of things around him. So I think if they can get home field advantage, they got a shot. That's all I'm saying. I agree with you. You're going to an experienced starter.

I'm not saying he's a backup for a reason. But if he doesn't get into a scenario where he's turning the ball over and killing them in certain situations, they can wind up at this point 14 and 2 with the tie breaker over the Rams. They will get home field advantage and we'll see where it goes from there. To be honest, like this is, I feel more comfortable with this team now. This feels more like an Eagles team. Expectations are lower now.

Right, because now you have fools in there. They've had so many different injuries that they've been able. able to overcome. This is obviously so much different than Jason Peters going down or, you know, Darren Sproles going down or anybody else that they've had go down during the season. Could it be wince? Anybody but wents. I thought Kevin Clark, who writes for the ringer, made a good point that, yeah, if the Eagles

do get to the Super Bowl with Nick Foles, it's not so much because the Eagles are so good that they still make it. It would be kind of an indictment of the NFC. And in general, the league not having another team that could be what is clearly a compromised Philly team. I don't want to see the Eagles in the Super Bowl. If the Eagles win in the Super Bowl, it's like, oh, God, that was an awful year. It's not even like the Eagles and Eagles fans would be able to, like, celebrate it that

much because it would be like, well, what I'm saying is everybody would be like take that stance, like, oh, God, what an awful year. The Eagles won with Nick Foote. My concern would be they would sneak into the Super Bowl and then get waxed in the game. That's silly, though. Case Keenham is the starting quarterback of the other favorite. Case Keenham. I've thought about that.

Can we see Nick Foles playing this offense before totally making a value? He's going to be a huge downgrade from Carson Wentz. But he's been in this offense under Andy Reed for a while. Some of the run-pass option stuff is similar to when he did well under Chip Kelly. I'm just saying let's... What's not silly is to say that the season has been incredibly soiled by star players going down. And I think that's the point, that it all feels like a shadow of what we should be experiencing from the Eagles. And, Colleen, you're an empath, by the way.

Highly sensitive person. That's why you feel these things. That's like the singer Lord. She sees music in colors, like in her brain. Really? Yeah. Like, you might have those type of situations going on. I swear.

My mom and I both have it. It's weird. It's a good lane to be. And be the Lord of NFL. Weird. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, you're not the only upset Eagles fan.

Let's check in with some sports talk radio in the city of Brother. We live. We lived and died by Carson. We live and die by Doug Peterson. He's a riverboat gambler. And Nicole can manage the game, but Doug is past happy. Run the ball, Doug. I don't have confidence in Doug Peterson and his play calling anymore.

He's too past happy. I think the evil are destined for great things still, despite Carson's injury, as bad as it could be. I've been waiting for a championship for 57 years. I can't wait 57 more years. How are you guys going to get sound from the fanatic and not WIP? Really? Ouch. Come on.

Little Philly burn. Yeah. WIP is the only station. Is that your old home? It is. And the fanatic is trash? You know, it's just not as good as WIP. Okay.

Good. That's on the record. That was rough to listen to. By the way, not the only quarterback injury. Josh McCown will miss the rest of the season with a broken left. hand. And this is also sad, not at the same level in terms of the impact to the league, but Josh McCown is one of the good guys in football and was so close to finally getting through a full season, healthy, having the best season of his career. And in true McCown fashion,

in true Jets fashion, at the cursed quarterback position, it is not a happy ending. McCown, very emotional talking about the bittersweet nature of his season. Let's check that out. it's it just sucks you know um you know we we started slow and trying to get back going and and uh guys are fighting and uh and you know when you can't be out there for your guys I think it's that's you know it's the hardest thing and uh so it's just disappointing and um you know I just hate that it went this way today real bummer mark you remember last year when McCown went down with the Browns, he had a similarly emotional press conference.

Yeah, and I think at that point, you know, he's not young, and he was confronting the concept of, will I be a starter again, will I ever play again? And everywhere that Josh McCown goes, and he's been to a lot of places, he leaves with people who cover the team or people who are his teammates, his coaches, saying this is an unusual guy,

for all the tedious personalities that we cover, this is a complete breadth of fresh air in the NFL. And I'll tell you what, one team is going to get him as a coach, he's going to become a great coach. They've been saying that about him for a long time. Yeah. And if they do go the route, they're most likely going to draft the quarterback, I think the Jets. If they do go that route, if they can afford it and they can make it happen,

I think Josh McCown being in the building would be a brilliant move. Great idea. To have somebody as a bridge guy slash mentor. I expect it at this point. You see McCown and all of the injuries that happened this year, and it just makes Eli Manning's streak that he had so important. impressive when you take a step back and look at it. Yeah.

How do we protect these guys? Finally, one more bit of injury news with quarterbacks. Tom Savage, who suffered that scary concussion in the loss of the 49ers, Bill O'Brien, the Texans coach, told reporters that Houston's medical staff initially cleared Savage to return before the coach asked him to examine him a second time. And now the NFL announced that the league has initiated a joint investigation. with the NFL Players Association into the handling of Savage's concussions. So obviously that did not go the way it should have gone.

And to, I guess in defense of Bill O'Brien, Tom Savage said, I'm not allowed to talk to the media when I'm in concussion protocol. But he tweeted that O'Brien is one of those guys that really does care and look after his own players. This was just kind of an unfortunate situation. Just seeing the replay of that and the highlight. And if you're watching the video show, you just did, but it is so upsetting to see what happens after the hit and when he's on the ground and he's just shaking.

There's too much time on these Tuesday shows talking about investigations. I know. Every week there's an investigation. This is an investigation. We're not even mentioning that the NFL is investigating, you know, the Seahawks, the end of that game situation and how that all went down. The Jaguars have been saying they're going to find those fans and not let them in the building again. It's like too many investigations. Yeah, no more investigations.

A lot of them. A lot of investigations. All right. There you go. That's what's happening in the news. All right. Now, yeah, we haven't done it a while. In fact, here I am.

Dear old dad took Jackie Boy, my son, my three-year-old son, to Rockos, the bar and grill. Good place to take a little lunch. Well, it's not just like one of the bars you go to Mark where it's just like a depressing hole in the wall. Everybody just gets drunk up. Why does it have to be a depressing hole in the wall? How dare you talk about the cozy in that way? Just like, no, no, no. Cozy doesn't do it.

Everyone's on their third year at like 11 a. It's like the only. Shuffleboard. Look at the two of you. The only thing. Look at the two of you. I know Colleen's on my side. I am.

I am. You on your high horses. Okay, everybody, calm down. I took my son to a bar and grill. And on the television above the bar, I was drinking water, by the way, was a ESPN program that was playing a game called What's More Likely. Hey, you know what? Actually, it wasn't What's More Likely.

It was like, all right, I see you. You're thinking because we haven't done it in a while, we're done and you could take our IP. That's intellectual problem. Never. Sorry. Nah, bra. Not on this word.

Nah, bra. So here we go, baby. Shoulders of greatness presented by head and shoulders. Oh, yeah. It's so important. We have a sponsor for our next segment. I love it. What's More Likely?

What's More Likely? I feel like we needed an applause there or something. Take it back. Look at that. We're going to go around the room twice. Connie, let's start with you. I want to get both of yours in because I know you have that infernal production meeting. It's so important that you have to leave one of the most popular NFL podcasts in America early every show.

I mean, talk about just internal just like, what do you call that, a bureaucracy? Just a labyrinth of nonsense. I did not set the meeting time, but got to go. But I do wave to you guys from my seat in the meeting when you walk past the conference room. Do we see you? Yeah, last week I did. Okay, so my first one here.

Let me just let the audience know. If you are new to the show, we are going to present two options. The general plan, and maybe it wasn't clear with you yesterday, Colleen, so don't worry about it. Yours could be more open-ended. Okay. Was as we look to the final three weeks of the regular season, an either or game.

You throw it out there and then the rest of us decide which one's more likely. It's pretty basic. Okay, definitely not within the rules. IP, ESPN. Ever heard of it? Here we go.

First up. Take it back. So we're going to the postseason here, everybody. We're jumping over these next couple weeks. All right. A few weeks. So the Vikings become the first team to play a Super Bowl at home.

You went for it. I know. Or the Jaguar go to the Super Bowl. Wow. Yeah, so, I mean, hey, look, both could actually happen because I feel like with the Patriots the way that they're playing right now,

I don't think that they want to face the Jaguars with that defense, especially what we saw this past weekend, and Blake Bordles, he's actually playing a little bit better lately. So what you're asking is... What's more likely? Yes. I would say this. I think the Jaguars, no matter where they end up the season,

that fan base should be very excited about the future. They've got a lot of young players in-house for years to come. I'm going with the Vikings because you've got a dominant defense still, a little concern about the offensive line, but you just saw the Eagles. We talked about it. They lost their star quarterback. The Vikings can get there,

and there's a lot of motivation to play that Super Bowl at home for the first time in NFL history. I wouldn't have said it until your boy Carson went down. Right. Now that the NFC is super wide open, and I think anybody that qualifies for the playoffs in the NFC could conceivably end up. playing in February. I will say the Vikings

more likely than the Jackson. That buy will be huge to get for Minnesota. And it's not a sure thing considering their injuries in a pretty tough, relatively tough schedule coming up, especially if Aaron Rogers get back, that they get the buy. But I got to go with Minnesota. It's still Blake Bortles we're talking about having to be either New

England or Pittsburgh or possibly both. And I just don't see that happening. They might get Baltimore in the first round too. That's a dangerous wildcard team. Minnesota's my easy choice. All right, Mark, you're up. We didn't want to do a second one with Colleen. I think we have,

we still have 10 minutes. Let me guide the show, okay. Oh, hey. We got a host, dear. Hello, okay. This one has multiple options, but it is a stretch run.

Okay. Scenario, what's more likely? John Fox survives the next three weeks and returns in 2018. Marvin Lewis survives the next three weeks and returns in 2018. Hugh Jackson survives the next three weeks and returns in 2018,

or none of them do, but Hugh Jackson winds up as the Bengals coach in 2018. Wow. Wow. Well, only one of these coaches actually has public ownership support. The catch there, of course, is that it's the Brown's owner that's given the support. So you have to devise how to figure out how to dig into that.

I don't know. I'm going to say a Hugh, though. I'll say Hugh just because of the ownership. Okay. The Hugh. Survives. Survives. Just because the owner said it.

They've said it. Right. But I don't know that's true. In theory, this, though. doesn't really go with the rules that you set up either, because this could go into February or something like that. All right, Greg, thank you for that, asterix. I'm just saying. I am not alone.

I just want to be. Precious time ticking away with Colleen. Thank you, Greg. I will say it's more likely that they're all fired and that Hugh Jackson ends up in Cincinnati. I agree with this. That just feels like a thing that can happen in the year 2018. I don't think any of them will be back.

I think the Bengals owner may be higher on Hugh Jackson than the Browns owner ultimately. I think you're right on that. I kind of, I like this prediction a lot. I feel like that's almost like a sandwich point, right? Here's the thing, though, that the Browns have to lose out. I think if they win a game, then it'll be tougher for Jimmy Haslam to go back on what he just said. But I think they will lose out. Don't they play the Bears this week?

John Fox and Hugh Jackson. Ravens Bears and Steelers. They can go in. Bears is a very winnable game. It's one of the worst teams in football. Yeah. The Hugh Jackson-Sin-Sin-Sin-Sinternity connection is obvious, but is it a possibility that a coach will go one 31 and pivot immediately into a new job at his old gig.

I guess it's possible. I don't know. This is a very difficult scenario. Mike McCarthy was the offensive coordinator of a one in 15 team, not even a head coach and he got the Packers job. Give me Hugh in Cincinnati. You can do it. All right. All right.

I'll go. Good one, guys. A lot of good energy there. My turn. Good post what's more likely wrap up scenario by you, Dan. All right. Here we go. Here's mine.

It was Bella Chekkey. Now, this is based on the last three weeks of the regular season. Good job. What's more likely the Eagles hold on to that number one seed or the Falcons missed the playoffs entirely. Ooh. Okay, what's the Falcon's schedule here? Pulling up the old playoff picture.

I don't need to look at the schedule. I'll tell you what. I'll go Falcons because we just talked about that Eagles schedule. Oh, they have a rough one. And I think the Eagles are going to win home. You said home field advantage. Number one. You said, keep it.

Right? That they keep it, they end up getting the number one seed at the end of the regular seat. I'm going there. I think the Eagles, the Falcons could fade. Here's the Falcons remaining schedule. At Bucks, 4 and 9. But you have to choose which is more likely. That's the whole thing. The Eagles are more likely to keep home field advantage. Okay. At Bucks, this is the falcon schedule. At Bucs, excuse me, at Saints, home to Panthers. Not an easy slate. The Saints and the Panthers, those last two games are going to be really tough for them.

I think they miss out on the playoffs. And they right now, they are in the playoffs if the postseason started tomorrow or even in like three seconds. Oh, postseason just started. They're in. They would be the sixth season at eight and five. They have to figure out probably most likely a way to win two out of those three games at least. Yeah, that's the hope for those other, you know, the seven and six cowboys and Packers and everything. It's because the Falcons and Seahawks, both have pretty tough schedules here.

And they could both fall out of it. And you can at least see a scenario with that. I'm going with the Eagles because the Vikings also have some tough games. I don't think it's a lock that they're going three and O and can pass Philadelphia. I think it's home field advantage and maybe all that energy in Philadelphia. Oh, God. And then what if they lose in that first game? That's very pot.

I kind of can see that. Like New Orleans goes there. It gives me a little flashbacks of, although it was different because they didn't end up winning the division, but all the excitement around the Raiders last year. And then they got to the playoffs. So, oh, well, it's still fun to have the Raiders back. And then you watch the game and you're like, all I'd say is this is a much better team than that Raiders team was.

It's true. A lot of that was because the greatness of Carson Wentz, though, isn't it? I mean, I know they're a very solid team. Yes, they're very solid. That Raiders team had no defense. And it had Connor Cook. These are probably the best weapons that Nick Foles has ever been surrounded by, too, in terms of the offense.

Are these the best weapons you've ever been surrounded by? Just like, apparently not. She's four minutes away from going to. I know, oh, my God. Four minutes left. Good morning football Saturday edition, October 17th show when Victor Cruz sat in. That was the best. Goose bumps.

All right. Before we get to you, Greg, let's get one more from Connie Fathers. Here we go. What's more likely? It's like you're reading like an essay in junior high. Okay. I know. I hated reading out loud.

What's more like? I used to like get really nervous and sweat when I would read. It was awful. The quality is for a host using a telecompton. I know. It's ironic. I don't know why I chose this. It's a professional career.

Nobody knows. Okay. Cam Newton launches a Halloween superstore filled with all of his game day outfits as children's costumes. Or Mark Sessler spends one final year at the NFL network before deciding to quit and open a cat sanctuary in Mexico, with satellite locations later expanding to Moscow, Medellian, and the Hague, the Netherlands. Medell. Wow.

Wow, I love that. This one, well, at least this one is. You woke up at five in the morning, and your first thought was, I need to come up with the What's More Likely. And this is where your mind went. Very interesting. And thank you for connecting this one to the regular season. No problem. Yes.

It's within the rules. I'm going to go, Cam, because although A.T. and Cat, you know, briefly warmed up Mark's heart for a little bit. He still doesn't really not into cats. And I think those. He's allergic to them. I feel like maybe he has a change of heart, though, with all the cats running around his yard. Cam Newton outfits could be big sellers. He's looking to break into...

I guess you could do a more corporate, like, overview. I'd have to take overview. Yeah. I don't think I'd move personally to Mexico, but I'd open a cat shop or whatever we'd call it in Mexico and all these other places and kind of fly around and oversee it. Mark does often talk about leaving this job. So that part of it matches up.

I don't talk about that very often. Would you move to the Hague? Well, I would zoom in between all these locations, sure. Also, Cam takes himself way too seriously to open. up a Halloween store. I could totally see Cam opening up something on Rodeo Drive post career and his like Cam line.

But he would never do something that was tongue and cheek or had any semblance of a sense of humor. He doesn't view those clothes as Halloween appropriate. They're simply his clothes. Yes. The Titanic's do it has to go. So the game, you have to say what's more likely? Yeah.

The more likely scenario would be Mark ending up being the overseer of a massive conglomerate cat savior. Sanctuary. Sanctuary. Yeah. Everyone would kind of have to like you for doing that too. That's kind of a good role to take. Yeah.

It could be worse. Could be worse. All right. I just don't get who's behind this meeting, the bureaucracy at play. There are shadowing league figures there. It is funny, though, no matter what situation we set up trying to avoid this happening again. I have to leave every time. No matter what.

Yep. Sound the buzzer. I have to reach under and unplug this. I know. Every week, it's kind of original. Thank you. What is going on in that meeting, honestly? It's the power ranking show.

Yeah, you guys should watch it, everybody. It's on Tuesday. It's a great show. It's not that. It's, but Elliot Harrison writes the column that you guys then, you, MJD, and Elliot argue about. We argue about what we're going to argue about on the show. In the meeting, yeah.

I would say just go into the taping, just fly blind. I always say, can we? please save it for the show. Like you always say, save it for the pod. You could just read the article out loud on the air. That could take a while. That's true.

That's a great point. You should be a producer. Wait, before you just one, Christian, you had a comment about Colleen's garb today, and you could watch. My garb? Well, it's such a big week for the nerds out there,

and she looks like she's dressed for the Star Wars premiere. She's got like the Jedi kind of rowing going on there. It's kind of like 70s. I would call it flowing. Yeah. It's like a blanket that is wrapped around me. I think the lightsaber on the hip is a little bit of a... I kind of like it because it's like a robe.

It looks comfortable. You wear comfortable clothes. See, I'm practical. Christian, so you're a big Star Wars guy. I'm a fan, sure. Yeah, so you... See, now Mark's got anybody to talk about it. Are we allowed to talk about Star Wars on the show?

No, not allowed. We could throw some lasers in there. Yeah, there you go. Okay. There you go. All right, bye, guys. By the way, I didn't be comfortable like you wear sweatsuits. Just like the material's typical.

Like the juicy guitar ones that used to be really cool. I'm staying out of this. It's usually like a nice soft fabric. See? You know what you're doing. All right. We'll see you at the holiday party, Colleen. I'm sure you were going to be ready to roll.

Tiny box. There she goes. All right, Greg, you're up. All right. Here we go. What's more likely? Philip Rivers leads the Chargers. Greg couldn't stop thinking about Star Wars.

He's like, wow. The last Jedi. It's finally time from me. me to get into this franchise right now. I'm going to start checking it out. Philip Rivers leads the Chargers to a 10 and 6 record and rides the wave to win most valuable player in a now wide open field. Or the Seahawks don't win another game.

Finish 8 and 8 setting off a stormy off season in Seattle. What's more likely? That's a good one. Two things I'll just throw out there. Fairly unlikely. Fairly unlikely. You gotta decide what's more likely. Hmm.

I can't see Seattle go. I could see them having a rocky offseason even if they don't go 0 in 3 and finish 8 and 8. So I'm going to, I will presume they go 0 in this scenario and that they have a rocky off season. I see that coming one way or another because I think that there have been whispers for years that Pete Carroll may be not a coach who stays forever at this point,

that he may be ready at some point. He's done a great job. He's done a great job, and he's going to have to assess, like, is the future... Yeah, he does hack young. Absolutely. No, he doesn't seem old. My mom likes him. It's not Rod Rust, but, I mean, I would just say that maybe a stormy off season would be in store for Seattle.

Back to when the throne of ease was much different. It was not a throne. Rust was coaching the team. Yeah, my mom finds Pete Carroll attractive. He has excellent. You guys always like to kill me about my... You could look at age chronologically. I think the key is to not.

look at that way. The Pete Carroll does not care how old he is. He's got good. Young at heart. When you see him in person, we've all met him in interviews and stuff. It plays I love Pete Carroll for that reason. Yeah. Anyway, that's not really what we're talking about. What we want to get to the heart of is this is what more likely. Greg, I believe these are two highly, although a good what's more likely, highly implausible scenarios. Who makes a good what's more likely? I think there are like two things

that there's just like a little bit of a chance. Yeah, it's not, it's not ridiculous, but they're very implausible. And I think the Seahawks, I view their floor at 9 and 7. They've been around too long. They have Russell Wilson, who I still very much believe is a guy that will always will them to an extra couple of wins. And they've just been, even with their injuries, I think 9 and 7 at worst. So I don't think they're going to lose out.

And then Philip Rivers, that's the pie in the sky that's fun. I'll say that's more likely, but it's more because it would kind of be a fun ride to see him really kind of late in his career have this huge national moment. So I'll say that's what I want and it's probably a little bit more likely but it's not very likely. I don't know how he would ever.

Is he actually going to play the Rams this week at Cowboys with Zeke? But let's say one thing. Let's say Brady after, let's say things don't go great for the Patriots at the quarterback position for the next three weeks and let's say the same thing sort of happens with Russell Wilson.

I think Antonio Brown becomes the obvious MVP candidate. This there's this game. Brown versus Brady could be for the MVP. That's fun. Wentz going out for the year, it looked like Tommy was, if he blew up the dolphins,

he would have been in the driver's seat again. And now it does feel wide open MVP. I think he's still the favorite because his season's been better, but the fact that that happened on prime time, and then it also, does it auger like a bad three weeks to follow? You never know.

That's what you do. Does Wentz get any votes with just three games remaining? I don't think you can. I think you've got to play the old. It's such a mess of year. I mean, I think Antonio Brown, in the course of 72 hours, he's shifted in a lot of votes last year and he missed four games. But a little different situation.

That was in the front. People forget about that. Yeah, that will be, wow. Now I'm interested in the race. If Antonio Brown goes nuts or continues to go nuts and they take that one seed, then I think he's the guy. He's got to be. We'll see.

When's the last time a wide receiver won MVP? I think it was like Jerry Rice. Never. 88? Wait, Rice never won? Well, Montana was winning. He never won the Associated Press, which now is the only MVP award, no receiver has ever won it. Rice won back in the day, there used to be multiple MVP awards.

People kind of forget this, like the pro football writers had one and people cared about that. And Rice did win that ones. But no one's actually won this award. Rice is, I think it was his 87 season maybe. That is when you look at within what the rest of the NFL was like at the time, he was putting out Antonio Brown numbers now with 22 touchdowns or whatever. Multiple years in a row.

Multiple years in a row he was doing this too. The best season ever from a wide receiver. All right, Mark, you got another one? Yeah, okay. What is more likely? We use the contraction around here. Oh, okay. Qualas to Fantasia.

Now, all right. Dan holds on to win our season long lock it up challenge. This dips marginally into the playoffs, by the way. Oh. Dan holds on to win our season long lock it up challenge and convinces NFL media to put up the ample funds to purchase a high-octane name-engraved fancy trophy that he keeps at his desk all season. The trophy lights up every 20 minutes, emitting a high-pitched wailing siren while inferling a loud recording that screams

over the newsroom. This one's for Media Insider Dan. This one's for Media Insider Dan. Or, when New England's lost to Miami spirals into an ugly, late-season swoon, followed by a one-and-done playoff loss, Los Angeles firefighters are signaled to the third-story apartment a mega-pats fan, Erica Tamposi, who they find stationed dangerously out on the building's ledge in her Danny Amandola jersey shouting into the wind about the utter meaningless of contemporary adult life in the United States.

I'd have to go with the Tamposi scenario. I can see that. You know, the trophy feels like cutting your nose to spite your face. Dan wants to, you know, show everyone he's a champion. But it's going to make his life a living hell to have that noise every 20 minutes. I can see you, Dan Wormon. I kind of like that. It's got to make our life a levied hell.

Oh, yes. I hope. You know, sorry for Tampa City out on a ledge. Yeah, I don't want that sound every 20 minutes. By the way, it's still a race for the trophy. It's a two-game lead that I have three games to play. Yes, actually, this is why I initially had. The second scenario had me picking the 49ers for the rest of the year

and then going into the playoffs and tying you up and then beating you. But I felt like... Well, the playoffs, yeah, there's a playoff. Who was going to vote for that? But here's a real question. And try to look at it from just take a big overview, look at it. Birds-eye view. Should Birds-eye view, thank you.

Should this trophy, the ATN lock-up trophy, should it be a regular season prize like the MVP? Well, didn't we keep track last year in the playoffs? Well, that's what I'm saying. maybe we should establish it. Just because locking games up in the playoffs, it's kind of a different beast, and maybe that is not the, especially if it's close.

I mean, I'm open to however you guys want to do. I just don't want to be caught in like, oh, Dan decided it ended early. It's like. I'd say go in the playoffs because we're picking close games anyways. Half the time we're picking an underdog. Yeah, if anything, how about this? We'll do a trophy.

This year goes to the Super Bowl, so it's not essentially already a wrapped competition. And next year, if we want to make it just regular season. No, I think we have to decide right now what it is. We did. these games we've always picked games all the way up to the Super Bowl and you know last year someone in this room predicted an overtime Super Bowl would have gotten a bonus point there potentially you know I think we go all the way because number one if you continue to perform the way you have the playoffs

shouldn't concern you yeah you're going to be fine well it's it gets tricky but I'm not afraid of it if that's how we want to do it let's do it that way well that brings the trophy into a realistic consideration it also it was always going to happen by the way I know Lindsay oh wait so do I get my trophy from last year for winning last year? I think I won last year. I was ahead of the all-time standings, wasn't it? Well, you know, there's going to be like 12,

obviously be doing the show for another 20 years, so we'll have a room for 20 nameplates, and I think it starts with this year. Sorry. Yeah, you do miss out. That's a tough situation for you, Greg. Lindsay, you have a couple extra weeks to get the trophy together.

Okay, good time. All right, here we go. What's more likely? You ready for this? We've got to get out of here. So let's be a little quick. Here we go. What's more likely?

Packers went out. None of us any of whether they make the playoffs. Packers went out or Cowboys went out. As we tape this, we don't know if Aaron Rogers is going to be back this week. And Ian Rapport, maybe this is going to be old news by the time, you know, you listen to this. But the signs to me are not overly positive. And they have a really tough schedule anyway, so I'm going to go Cowboys.

Panthers, Vikings, and Lions for the Packers with Aaron Rogers in my mind. At Carolina versus, you know, home for the Vikings at Detroit. I don't think with Aaron Rogers, you're winning all three of those games. So I'm going to go Cowboys just for the heck. Cowboys at Raiders, home against the Seahawks, on the road against the Nick Foles, led Eagles. I'm going to go Packers. I think the Cowboys are more likely. And I would say the Cowboys get hot here.

And I know they've had it up and down season. But if they get hot and the NSC playoff picture, I wouldn't be surprised if they could make a run this year, too. Actually, wait. I got my eye on. I am nuts. I'm going Dallas. That's what I thought. Yeah, no, no, no.

Forget Green Bay here. Okay. Last one. Greg, take us home. What's more likely? The Patriots win Sunday in Pittsburgh. Still thinking about Star Wars. And eventually earn home field advantage.

Or. Who won the Steelers? The Patriots won. And they earn home field advantage. Or Blake Bordels is playing a home game in the AFC playoffs. Well, By that, meaning we'd say they'd win their division. Yeah.

They still have to win in Tennessee or else, and they lost that game the first time. I think the smart desert money is always to say that the Patriots will win. So I will go with that for that reason. Then they're also the best team in the league in my opinion. You think they're going to win Sunday in Pittsburgh, even more than you think the Jaguars are going to hold off the Titans. Yeah, because I don't trust, I still don't trust Blake Bortles. I could see him kicking away a game or two down the stretch here.

I think they're both going to happen. What's more likely, I think, is that Jacksonville is going to run away with that division. They are by far the better team, and they can beat any team in the league in any week if they continue to get what happened with Blake Bortles. And Marcus Mariotas's injury is also something in track now. Remember when he was so limited with the hamstring injury, and I was going to sprain knee. And it's like, what is it going to happen on the Titans now? I wonder if they just fade out of this entirely.

I think they have been fading, and they will continue to do so. All right. There you go. Shoulders of greatness presented by Head and Shoulders. The What's More Likely Edition? Listen, ESPN, we respect what you've done. But if you want to use our ideas, there's probably got to be some type of transfer. I would say.

Monetary transfer in the future. You know, they've got money. Give it to us if you want what we come up with. Then you can have anything you want. It's not like we, it's not like we'll give you all of it. It's not like we'd be like, no. You know, that means a lot to our show. It's out.

You could take anything if you just take out the checkbook. Right, Greg? Money solves everything. It does. All right. That is it for the Tuesday edition of the Around the NFL podcast. By the way, this, of course, was our live stream. If you want to, for instance, see Colleen's flowing shirt, you have to watch a video show.

So right there is a sell for the show. Also, Greg is wearing one of his Henleys. and it shows off his collar bones. Yeah. That's pretty sexy. It couldn't be easier to find on our website, so just dial right in, NFL.com. It should be sitting right there for you.

The live stream is airing at 6 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Eastern. Today, Tuesday. And, oh, a reminder, NFL Pickham, which we're going to, we do those shoots during the week. But that air is on Saturdays at 6 a.m. Eastern and 8 a.m. Eastern. Looks like we lost some airings on that one. But, hey, listen, nothing lasts forever. And nor does that show for us.

All right. That's it. Let's have fun at the holiday party tonight. Don't you get in any trouble. You're talking to us. Yeah, just be good boys. That's all. Let's go home.

Look in the mirror, please. This is Dan Hansis. Signing off for Quiet Storm. Connie Fox, the old boss, Lindsay Fulton, final glass, Christian Anderson and everybody else. Thanks, everybody. Until Thursday. This is an IHeart podcast.