NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Where We Were Wrong, Potential Cousins Trades and Marc's Big Day

Episode Date: October 11, 2023

In a virtual room full of heroes - Dan Hanzus, Gregg Rosenthal, and Marc Sessler look ahead and preview the Week 6 prime-time games. Before the heroes preview the games, they look back at some of the thoughts they had during summer and tell you where they were wrong (04:24) and get caught up on news from around the league (16:38). After the break, the heroes preview Broncos at Chiefs on Thursday Night Football (31:21), Giants at Bills on Sunday Night Football (38:05) and Cowboys at Chargers on Monday Night Football (46:10) Note: time codes approximate. NFL 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.

It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents.

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. Daddy needs his Tidos. Welcome to another edition of Around the NFL. My name is Dan Hansis. I come to you from a virtual room filled with some heroes.

Greg Rosenthal and the man who truly deserves the Tito's on this special, really milestone in his life, Mark Sessler. What's up, heroes? Mark has turned 50 years old today. Woo! Yeah, I thought I was kind of monitoring, self-monitoring. self-monitoring, self-scouting. Do I feel different?

I don't feel that different. Feel good. No Tito's yet. It's very early in the morning. And coming up later, Cessler looks back what I've learned in my half century on Earth. Really excited about that.

It's got to be a full week here. You know, I'm sure you didn't expect that you would be spending your 50th birthday on a bird with Dan and I. And then we'll have, you know, we'll get to celebrate with Sky. I'm sure Neil Reynolds won't say anything awkward about it during the week on television. And then end up with their live show. This is it.

And then a dinner, like it's all us. It's never ending, Mark. You know, it's because these London trips have come up, you know, in a similar time, multiple in multiple years. I think it's maybe the fourth birthday that I've celebrated in route to or in England. So, you know, and I don't really celebrate most of my birthdays that heavily or closely with anyone. So it's most of my, most of my passage of time has been with the two of you. And I could wish for nothing more. Well, we're happy to be with you. And if you're just tuning in, coming up a little later,

Mark at 50, a retrospective. The, the back end of the show is just going to be loaded with memories of Mark Sessler. Yes, it is, it's a lot of us. It's always a lot of us together this time of year. But, you know, it's nice that we're going to be together for your birthday and we'll definitely carve out some time, Cess Dog, when we're in England this week and then through the weekend for the close of the London Games, Ravens Titans, it's going to be a good one. It's one of those birthdays that I remember when we were doing the show like six, seven years ago. And we would always joke about how you and Wes were the old guys, you know, because there's about a five year difference between like the two of you. and Dan and I, roughly, we're all a little apart. Seven.

And I do remember thinking like, by the way, seven. I'm only one ahead of you. I do remember thinking like back in 2015, 2016, and thinking like, wow, this show is growing great. I hope it always is continuing. Like, it'll be crazy someday when Mark and, you know, Mark celebrates his 50th birthday on the pod. And now here we are.

And you look better. The day has arrived. Yeah, it's totally surreal. You know, like, we miss West for manifold reasons every minute. And it's funny because, like, I was looking at some photos that Nick, his brother sent of West growing up through the years and it just brought back so many memories. And there's one of him, like, as a youth baseball player, and it's like, it's the most West photo ever. And he's got a big head of hair. But like I do, one thing I do miss is that, you know, the ageism attacks that come on the show occasionally. Not today. Today's very nice. But, you know, when I'm dashed for being like 106 years old, compared to you guys who are like five years younger than me or whatever it's like uh seven i miss the west but you know west would step in there and be like listen you uh you children like we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna throw it right back at you but like uh i'm i'm a fend for myself now in my fifth or six decade whatever it is yes this is five yeah west would have turned 50 this year as well right

yep a little i think what in in february yeah it would have been at the very very end of this season And on my birthday, we share as well. But yeah, I always think about him a little extra on these weeks, special weeks, like London. So we'll have to throw one back. I'll have to actually drink a pint in honor of you and Wes. I think you will. All right. Let's get into it.

All right. Now, what do we have today? We're going to do some news. And there is some news out there. And we're going to get caught up there. We're going to do some previews. We're a day earlier than usual for a good reason. We're getting on a bird tonight, as we said, and we're going to England.

So that's coming up. But first, I thought a good way on this special day with Mark Sessler, take a look back as we head towards week six. I always find it funny that what we do for a living, it's really tricky in the summer especially because you you know once free agency occurs and then the draft you kind of these teams are a little bit locked in carbon um star wars reference mark for your birthday um thank you know uh i believe uh luke skywalker was trapped in no it's uh i'm not gonna i think you know what you're doing here but it was not luc he couldn't get out he was in that the concrete um job of the hut had locked

him in there um anyway nailed it uh we have these takes throughout the summer and then there's nothing too much that moves, of course, the training camp comes and that sharpens certain takes and then preseason, which lies comes and that sharpens takes or dulls takes. But let's circle back and this is what separates us, Gregi, from the other shows. All these other talking head shows and even the smart guy podcast, they tend to just dig in on points And then when the ones that work come around, the ones that they get right, they won't shut up about it. But the ones they get wrong, they quietly sweep under the rug.

We're not going to do that. So what do we get wrong as we enter week six? What are we feeling like we totally botched? And maybe at the end, we'll throw in something we got right so far. Let's start with you, Greg. Well, it's honestly hard to look past just the last two weeks. I know that's not the exercise, but I've literally done one rainmaker all. year and it was on a Patriots team that lost 38 to 3. And then I stupidly picked them again

to win the following week on game debut where I make my picks. And they lost 34 to nothing. So that is sticking in my crowd right off the top. But going back to the summer, the Miami Dolphins are the team that I did the thing that I have tried to learn through 12 years of doing this to not do. And then I do it anyways, which is to overrate the pre- season. And to totally give up on a team that like early in the off season, I think a lot of us, and I was included, but I certainly wasn't alone, was thinking, wow, this is one of those teams. If you're kind of looking for a sneaky team to go ahead and make the Super Bowl, the Miami Dolphins are a great choice. I just love this roster. They could be the next

Super Bowl. Super power. By the time we got to September, I didn't even have them in the playoffs. I thought they had the worst month of August period. Practically no one at them in the playoffs. but like I went from thinking they're going to be my Super Bowl pick to replacing them with the Chargers. And I feel like a total moron for both parts of that, but especially the Miami Dolphins part of it. I do think like almost everyone slept on the nature, like the insane nature of their offense. Like we knew it would be creative. We knew that under Mike McDaniel, you had explosive wide receiver play. And we were like, Tuo was a real TBD. But, then the balance with the run game and what they're doing on a weekly basis,

really outside of that Bill's game, I didn't expect that. I think I maybe tagged them as a wildcard team just because, I mean, they made the playoffs last year and I didn't think they got worse, but I did not expect them to be as devastating a product as they are. They're a little bit tricky because a lot of people, including I think all of us, got the preseason playoff prediction wrong here, not that we know they're going to the playoffs, but obviously they're a power player in the AFC. And some of that's a little bit you got to keep in mind.

People were getting behind the Jets when the Jets had Aaron Rogers. And it kind of came down to a choice between the Jets and Dolphins for a lot of people in terms of like kind of pumping up a team. And a lot of people, including myself, made the wrong choice. The Dolphins are the team. I have it on my list here, Greg. But this one is one of the ones that's like, yeah, I'm pretty sure I got it wrong. My offseason take and summer take that I know this offense is fun and exciting

and explosive, but are they going to be unstoppable like they were for stretches last year? And we know they, they, I won't bring it up, Greg, but yes, they have the record now for the most total yards in the first five games of a season. Mission accomplished. And that attack was, their attack has been unstoppable against the Chargers, Broncos, and Giants, even if they were a bit sloppy on Sunday. They were generally contained in wins over the pats and a loss to the bills. and I think they'll have another massive day

of this upcoming weekend against the Panthers, you know, hide the women and children of Charlotte. But I guess I want to see what happens when the competition ramps back up. Week 7 is a big one at Philly. They have two matchups against a tough Jets defense, including a week 12 Black Friday game. Crazy.

They have Baltimore in Baltimore on the schedule, Tennessee is on the schedule, and then they have a week 18 Bill's rematch. So I'm excited just to see, how they look when this competition stiffens again because when it has, it hasn't been quite the joy ride. So maybe they're just lingering, just a tiny sliver of doubt that they, this is an attack that will play in January, for instance, but overall, definitely wrong because they were so dominant in the first five weeks for the most part. Well, it's also because I replaced them with the

chargers. Like, and I know the chargers are two and two. And that's the thing we're making these evaluations after week five. We're probably got to be wrong about these too, because it's hard to know what's coming forward, but I don't feel good about that. I know they're two and two and Herbert's played well individually, but I feel like this team hasn't changed. It isn't changing right now and it hasn't given me any reason to change. And so between those two teams, I did the Cardinal Sin, which I let the offseason like go too long and I totally flipped it. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Chargers don't miss the playoffs at all, much less win the division, which I had them doing over the Chief. So I think that was a bad pick. I had the NFC North all wrong.

I thought the Packers would be better than they have been, got sucked in by the Jordan love hype and this idea that the baton would simply be passed. I saw them as a playoff team potentially. I thought the Vikings were being overly dismissed for last year's deceiving win-loss record, which obviously is proven to be the wrong take on it because they're one and four.

I thought the bears could be ready to make noise and accepting what we saw on Thursday night. that hasn't really been the case. And then I mentioned this a couple days ago, but I think a lot of it was just like my connection to a downtrodden historical franchise. I was less high on the lions, and I just kind of,

I saw them being heavily pumped up as the favorite in the NFC North, and I wasn't totally believing that that's what was going to happen, but that's exactly where we are here in the middle of October. They are head and shoulders above the rest of that division and seemingly playing at a level that's, begging the question whether they should be talked about with the San Francisco's and Philadelphias of the league. So definitely slept on how good the lions and them continuing to

level up. I got that one wrong. How about you, Mark? Yeah, I'd join you on that because I thought Justin Fields make a big jump and I thought the lions would be frisky, but not the way I see them right now, which is just the tier beyond the Niners and the Eagles. I mean, they were kind of alone in the next tier for me in the NFC. So I didn't predict that. For me, I mean, I think I look at my predictions in general. And it's like I could be in the ballpark more often on some of these if they weren't so hyper-specific. Like, I don't know why when I talked about the Pittsburgh Steelers saying, I think they're a wildcard team. I think they're going to surprise people and win more games than people. I say they're going to win 12 games

and I'm banging the table all offseason on the specific number. They're three and two. But that's, I mean, everything we see about them does not look three and two. And I think that one thing I really fell for, and, you know, Dan, you were from the very beginning of this preseason saying, I'm not going to watch it. I don't care about it. I'm not going to pull takes from it. There was no team that was sung them out more poetically than Pittsburgh and their offense and Kenny Pickett and sort of the idea that they were going to grow together and become this explosive, maybe, but way better than the people expected attack because of pristine August games. I fell for it. I trust the coaching.

I always feel like Tomlin's going to give you an extra win or two than you'd get in a different situation. He already has. He has, yes. So he will do that. But like I was kind of looking at their schedule. And to get to 12 games, and I'll go through this quick,

I think you've got the Rams. Like they could win that game. Jaguar is tough. Titans maybe. Packers, yes. I'd say they probably could sweep the Browns potentially, but you lose that one. You'd maybe split with the Bengals if you're lucky.

You could beat the cards. You beat a bad Pat's team. The cults, way better than I thought they'd be. The Seahawks are tough, and you've got the Ravens. So the path to 12 games is very tight and very tricky, even though they sit at three and two. I could see them get into 10 or 11, but that would also be a bit of a mirage. I think their offense is a disaster. They are ripe for a mid-season coordinator firing, although Tomlin seems loyal to Matt Canada, overly loyal.

I got this wrong because the team that I was talking about is, the team we're watching on offense defense sure isn't so much of it like yeah the the canada thing has really ramped up in heat but a lot of people were much higher on picket because the way last year ended and then of course all the summer hype but the fact that he has not continued to develop this year has really hurt that i don't think they're going to sniff 11 wins at least based on what we've seen forget about 12 uh they kind of have the look of a eight nine nine and eight team to me right now but there's still time, I guess, for them to figure some things out. I just don't, I haven't seen any evidence, Greg, that this offense,

even in the wins that they've had, there's a lot to get excited about so far. No, they're the worst three and two team in the league. They're one of the worst offense in the league. The only case for them is that teams do evolve and change. And sometimes teams do get better. And the fact that they've gotten to three and two while they stunk, if they can just get their offense to average, maybe they'll do the Tom and thing. And they're not getting to 12.

all right anybody else want to share anything i i uh i think we all gave ourselves the lashings we deserve i'm not i won't take a jet cell on it because that was unfair that was cruel and the world is a mean place but maybe i should have known it was coming when i predicted them to win the super bowl but i like a lot of mine but commanders as the seventh wildcard team is not feeling too good right now that always felt a tad suspicious although i thought it was uh you know daring Bold, bold, bold. And again, coming up a little bit later as we celebrate the big day for Mark Sessler. Counting down Mark's 50 craziest moments on his 50th birthday.

I don't know. I know like, you know, Greg's child listens to this podcast. I think other children listen to it. I'm not sure I could cover all 50. We could get a solid 10 or 12 in there, though. You think you got. more wildness inside you in the in the back 50 mark oh you think it's going to be a a toned down version of mark no i think the trajectory is heading in one very specific direction so yes i think there's

more to come very good all right let's do some news i mean i'm twice your age plus a few years that's concerning right yeah you guys on the way out there's old friend kvon tibito i guess young friend Kavon, Tibodeau, who just relentlessly disrespected Mark and I last June. But the good news is he's starting to accumulate a lot of empty, meaningless sacks in a totally lost season for the New York Giants. So good for him. Well done. Let's get to the news. I still think Greg quietly is on Kavon's side with that. It seems that way. No, but I do enjoy that when I was removed in in Japan hearing about this that I was not involved whatsoever all right we talked about it on the Monday night show Justin Jefferson there was some signs pointing to the superstar

wide receiver of the Vikings missing time with this hamstring injury he sustained in week five and sure enough the Vikings planned to put Jefferson on injured reserve according to the pell razor that means he's going to miss the next four games. against the Bears, Niners, Packers, and Falcons. The earliest he could return November 12th against the Saints. So, Greg, the Jefferson is the NFL's reigning offensive player of the year. He is obviously the driver of all things Minnesota-related. And now you take him out of the picture.

The team is one and four. What does it mean for Jefferson? What does it mean for the Vikings from a big picture sense? I think they are going to start. start thinking about who they can trade if they don't pile up some wins. So to provide a little context on Indy Reserve, Kevin Seaford on ESPN and some others have reported similarly, they think it's going to be longer than four weeks, that it's a very serious hamstring strain.

And it's no guarantee he would be back after four weeks. In fact, they would probably expect it to be longer. Then you start raising questions about where they are in the season, his contract. status. He was looking for a contract extension. Didn't make a big thing of it, but he's eligible for one and they haven't given him to him one. So they're not going to rush him back at 70, 80%. They're going to try to save him from himself and keep him happy and not put him in an awkward situation. And if they don't win games, and their schedule's quite easy other than that 49ers game, so you never know. But if they don't win games, I think you got to think about if Kirk

Cousins is on this team in November. If Daniel Hunter is on this team, there's a couple of people. that would make sense to possibly move. Yeah, because, I mean, they are very clearly in a rebuilding project of some sort. I mean, look what they did with their cap. They let people go on defense outside of DeNeil Hunter this offseason. I think it was widely presumed. I just have always felt like even if they don't trade cousins, this is the final go-around with them, and they move on from that point.

So your centerpiece is Justin Jefferson. So the idea of getting into one of these things where the play, comes out of a bad campaign saying, you know, I got rushed back into the lineup. Like, yeah, there's no reason to do it. They've got the Bears. Then they got the Niners. But I think it was a really realistic roadmap where they're, you know, two and five or, you know, two and six get to the eight game mark.

And it's like you start shutting things down and looking at taking a realistic look at your assets and what you can trade them for. And well, you also have to look at like where, let's say the Vikings did decide to go down this road. like what teams would make sense? I mean, obviously you connect them to the Jets because of the Rogers situation, but I don't know if the Jets are looking to take on a lot of money

and give up draft assets and who knows where they'll be by Halloween if they're even in contention. What other teams even jump out to you that would say, let's welcome in this guy and pay him a lot of money and give up a draft pick to play for half a season. Like, what's his market? Right, that is the tricky part.

I don't think necessarily, you know, the money to me is a positive because you just have to play his base salary and it's not that high. As long as you can fit him in, that's fine. As long as he's okay, he's not looking for a long-term contract extension right away. There aren't a lot of super logical teams. I mean, the Jets are the most logical. If Rogers was okay with it, if they can be competitive, I don't think that's crazy at all to give up a mid-round pick for half a year of Kirk Cousins. Would the Vikings do it just for like a third or a third that turns into a second. Maybe the other one that, you know, came to mine and it's a little crazy. But it's his old coach from Minnesota and Cleveland. And is that a trade that could make

sense for both sides? And Deshaun Watson actually gets involved in that trade. Like, crazier things have happened. Maybe I'm turning it. I'm turning into the NBA pods I listen to. All NBA pods are are speculating about future trades. And then they eventually sometimes happen, but usually they don't happen. You're telling me, Greg, that the Cleveland Browns would take a reputation dirt nap, wait all this time to finally get this guy in the field, and then they would quit on them after eight weeks and send him out of town. That would show like a complete, like, Jesus take the wheel situation.

They would also get out of that, they would also get out of that guaranteed money, and they would get a quarterback that they think is probably as good, or maybe their head coach thinks is as good a fit in their offense are better than the guy that they have. I think that contract is a bit of an albatross and there's concerns. Way too soon, Greg. I know you don't like talking about this player

in any positive, but you're acting like it's already a, he's a bust. I just think it's possible. I think in two weeks it would be possible. Football is completely different than basketball. Wait, but why would the Vikings, and I think their front office is pretty forward thinking and there's hope there.

Why would the Vikings take on? Like the Watson contract starting next year, I know you can read, do the money and stuff, but is insane. And we haven't seen evidence that he can play. And a trade needs to happen pretty soon. You know, there's a trade deadline for this to happen. It's like, why on earth would the Vikings take on Cleveland's

ostensibly biggest problem? Well, they wouldn't look at it like that. Because there's a lot of people that think he's a top flight quarterback, just what he does on the field. And that's why the Browns sold their soul to the devil on it because they were looking for a quarterback for 30 years. And that's why I don't think they would get out at this point. Because then they're right back into that QB wilderness with a 35-year-old cousins on a rental deal where they guess they start over. Go ahead, Greg.

It's crazy. I'm just throwing it out there partly because there weren't logical teams. And the way I always start these are who are these players with previously. And Cousins and Stefanski, you know, had that time. The 49ers don't really make sense. But just for a little back story, Cousins is only making $10 million, actually, in terms of his base salary. So you'd be like paying nothing to get Kirk Cousins for eight games or whatever, 10 games.

How about the Falcons in a wide open? Yes, that was the only, like, logical team that I could think of. That's the better one. But the only thing is, like, I feel like Arthur Smith keeps getting in the way of these concepts that we have because, you know, we talked Ryan Tannahill for six months. And Arthur Smith, all he does is turn around and back down. Desmond Ritter against sometimes, like, our wishes. And it's like, I don't, there's not a big link between Arthur Smith and Kirk Cousins at all, but

you think Tennessee could talk into it? I don't know, probably not. If they were like stay competitive and they're hanging around and Ritter has another like really bad game or two, like maybe ownership would get on board with that. I mean, you give them hope. The only trick is Arthur Smith is like the system. Everything is about the system. Yes, we can draft these top 10 wide receivers and tight ends. my system, you know, dictates, they only get the ball twice a game. And his system is like, I want a running quarterback to run this system, to someone with mobility. And so I do wonder about the fit with cousins.

All right. Interesting. Very interesting. Intrigue in Minnesota in a transition period for the team. Let's move on to other injury news. Unfortunate news here that the dolphins will be without Devon. Uh, Yeah, his name just gives me trouble, the first and the last name.

You got Devon, A. Chan, A. Chan. Devon A. Chan. Not Devin A. Chan. Devon A. Chan. He is headed toward injured reserve, it appears. And he is likely to miss according to Adam Schaeffter, there are multiple weeks with a knee injury. Mike McDaniel, we played it on the Monday Night Show,

was cryptic about what exactly was going on with the knee. And we still don't have a clear picture as of, recording today what exactly is up with the knee unless I miss something. But he steps out of the picture after an electrifying last few weeks. And Rahim Moster moves back to the front of the line in that incredible offense. Everyone always goes right to, well, see, he's 183 pounds. That's why he fell to the third round. Okay, let's see. I mean, it's true. It didn't take long and they weren't going to overload him. So that that's a concern. I don't think he's going to go on injured reserve, Dan? It sounded from rap sheet that it would be like week to week. And you, that might end up

happening anyways, but for now it sounded like they were hoping maybe would be closer to two to three weeks versus more. My, like my concern is because I like Rahim Moster a lot. And they've essentially, you know, adopted with Jeff Wilson, they've adopted the Niners backfield from years of old. But it was like Moster was another player that you'd get two great weeks out of them. And then he'd get injured. Like his durability's been a big problem. And It's been such a huge plus for their offense. I mean, A-chan, his season, we just did that NFL plus thing yesterday where, you know, we didn't know what was going to happen with him, but now he's out of the picture.

But 12.1 yards per carry. There isn't really a comp for what he's accomplished over the first five weeks of the season, because he really didn't play in week one and had five yards in week two and then utterly exploded. And he has like 50-something, 60 less carries than Christian McCaffrey and yet has the second most yards in the league. So it's a huge loss. And I mean, you hope he's back sooner than later. Finally in the news, the Rams, man, score another one for the culture because it was decided

that Van Jefferson did not fit into their plans. Puka Nakua has risen up. Cooper Cup is back. Tutu Atwell is doing some things in this offense. So Los Angeles makes a move. And they, I mean, they do Van Jefferson dirty. They must have really, he must have really done something behind the scenes to get them mad because they send him to the falcons.

for a sixth and seventh round pick. Get in line, buddy. If you didn't like your role in the offense with the Rams under Sean McVe, enjoy the Arthur Smith system. It just wasn't working, though. He wants to play, and he wasn't going to play anymore

in Los Angeles unless there were injuries. He's like, can you send me to the CFL? Is there another option here? In Atlanta, you know, he's the number two or three receiver behind Drake London. Mac Collins is there too. At least he'll get to play in theory. Van Jefferson was always a little more of an in theory guy for the Rams. I mean, I know he played a lot on a Super Bowl winning team, but it just, I don't know.

I never got into it. The, like the thing you're so right about the Falcons where it's like Drake London, like he's sort of stuck and hijacked in this offense and same with Kyle Pitts. But they have like for being this system where you think they want to run the ball and do nothing else. Like, Ritter's had these games where he's throwing the ball 40 something times. Like it keeps happening. And like, I mean, that doesn't mean that he's completing great passes downfield. But like it's not as if Van Jefferson goes to a complete and total wilderness because there's not much around them.

Like, what's the competition outside of Drake London? Great food, great strip clubs, you know. Well, he could. He might be a good Christian man, great. He might be upset that those type of establishments litter the landscape of A-town. I suppose there's plenty in Los Angeles, too, so that's true. I don't know what my point is. Yeah.

Many a time I have driven by Seventh Vale here in Los Angeles, and it's just Greg Bime's self-smoking a cigarette. It's disturbing. All right. That makes me think of, by the way, in that old Tom Selleck vehicle, baseball from, I think, 91 or 92. And he learns he's been traded and he goes, anywhere but Detroit. And they actually got sent to Japan.

Like, do you think Van Jefferson would rather be sent to Japan right now to live with like your wife's family, Greg? Maybe you could hang out with our old boss, James, John Marvel's son, James Marvel, pitching over in the Japanese league. Oh, good for him. Oh, wow. You're doing well, too. Great ERA.

Oh, beautiful. Beautiful. Yes. shout out to James Marble, big right-hander with plus stuff. All right, before we take a break, a little tease here on this special day coming up on the other side of this break,

50 and fabulous, Sessler Sheds Blackjacket and everything else. Ooh. I mean, if I do two of the things you're telling me I'm going to be doing on this show, it's going to be a new territory. Now that's a tease, a strip tease. I'll be here all week.

We'll be right. right back. What's up, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and show.

the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a diehard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level,

we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you don't miss it listen to the move the six podcast on the i heart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hey this is matt jones i'm drew franklin and this is nfl cover zero we're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different did you see the colts pretzel that was my other big takeaway from that what was that oh my we think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining.

And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Fiorio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast,

your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. 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. All right. Welcome back. Mark, that was quite the show. I agree. It was the right move to do it off camera,

but really enjoyed it, I have to say. Yeah, I wanted to see if you guys, if you guys approved, then I could bring it to a larger audience, take my act, you know, to a higher, larger venue. Yeah, that, uh, that Mani Pacquiao gym membership or whatever you got, uh, it's paying off. Give it to us. And we got the, uh, boy and Mayweather. I don't belong to the gym, it just We got the big live show at the sold-out Shaw Theater coming up in a couple days. I mean, that's, you know, that might be the spot. That might be the spot for us. All right, let's get to the island game previews before we say goodbye, starting with Thursday night football.

It is a matchup of a one-in-four team against a four-in-one team. However, you know, based on what's going on with the Chiefs, I can't sell it. The Denver Broncos are going to Arrowhead on a short week after melting down in the second half against the Jets against a, I imagine, ticked off Patrick Mahomes and company who are still trying to find their stride. Greg, you're good at this.

Sell this is a game that America and the world needs to check out. Okay, well, number one, Patrick Mahomes is involved. It's he's in it. I guess I lead more towards Tony Romo than I know Mark does. I always enjoy watching Mahomes. Number two, hey, last year, when who is, who is their interim head coach, Jerry Rossberg or something? I don't even remember.

They almost beat the Chiefs. How do you remember that in like week 16, week 17? So it was like down to the last second in that game. But more importantly, this is not the same Chiefs defense, the Chiefs offense. And so I am curious how this thing is evolving. Marcus Valde Scantling and Skymore are just not happening. Like, it didn't happen.

And so you saw Justin Ross get a few more snaps, really more targets. He barely played. And Rishi Rice has been solid and Justin Watson and Tony maybe at his best game of season. Like, are those the guys? They're going to have to start figuring out who their guys are because they thought MVS and more were going to be their guys. And they're not their guys. And Kelsey is supposed to play in this game.

He did practice Tuesday. But his yards per target, his yards per catch. Mahomes is yards per attempt and yards per game they're not just all down like they're all down a lot and I think they want to put it on this team that's one of the worst defenses that we've ever seen. The worst defense through five weeks in DVOA history. So if they're anything like the old

Chiefs, this is like that Bears game where they put a 40 spot on. Captain. Captain agrees. I mean I, Greg, you did a you did your best there. I am looking at a team where I think like on a a short week, Thursday night, what can you lean on? And like, I think the Chiefs can run the ball. And if the Denver run defense is, is a dark void. Your best performance was the 122 yards you give up to Washington, 350 to the Dolphins, 171 to Chicago. The Jets got right with 234 yards this past weekend. And you mentioned the DVOA. It's funny because like our friend Aaron Shats

talked to the athletic. And he said that, you're right, it's the worst. ever measured going back to like 1981 and that the gap between Denver's DVOA at number 32 and Chicago's at number 31 is the same gap as Chicago's at number 31 and the Titans at 20. They are historically putrid. And I just think like, yeah, the chiefs have to work themselves a little bit out of their funk. They just won two road games and they didn't do it in massively impressive fashion. but I would be stunned if there's any result to this game other than Denver, who aren't that special on offense in any way either and were handled a week ago

can do anything against this Chief's team. It's like it would be an Andy Reid, unusual Andy Reid meltdown to not go completely punched Denver out. Well, Cadarie's, excuse me, Travis Kelsey not being physically right is obviously a major detriment to this offense. So if he's kind of gutting through another game and instead of picking up 25, you are, just galloping through the second level of defenses is he just doing those nine yard, you know, little turnarounds and it's, you know, maybe a shovel pass near the goal line. That makes such a big difference because obviously, you know, I was watching this morning the Giants Dolphins game.

I was like one, you just got to knock out. And, you know, we saw Tyreek Hill catch a wide receiver screen and then run diagonal across the defensive line through the linebacker core and then into the opposite side of the field. for like a 50-yard gain. And it was the first time I thought to myself, I wish Patrick Holmes had, you know, a dude like this again. Because you didn't really talk about it last year because he just kept motoring last year

because Kelsey was so great. They need the idea of the summer storyline, which I don't think any of us like totally bought into to our credit on this case, that Cadarius Tony was going to be their number one. It's just not going to happen. But can he give them more? And we maybe got a little bit this past week.

Can he become a guy in this offense? That's what they need. And until we get somebody else that steps up in this offense and maybe they'll be active at the trade deadline, I think some of these games that we see is like total blowouts and one-sided affairs are going to be surprisingly less exciting, less fireworks, less scoring. So maybe the Broncos hang around. But I could also see as I have, I think Pichenko can have a huge game here because that Denver run defense is horrific. That could be the storyline coming out of. of the Chief's offense on Friday morning

that they ran for 250 yards and a blowout win. Well, plus the Chief's defense is just making life difficult for other quarterbacks. Legerious need is really playing well. Trent McDuffie might be a pro bowler this year in his second year, really one of the best

slot corners in the league. And I saw that quote from Mike Greenberg. It's the only time I ever see quotes from Mike Greenberg. So this is a little unfair is like when he says something stupid and then it's tweeted around. I don't know. Maybe he says other good things, but he was saying like, this is the worst Russell Wilson we've ever seen. It's because he hasn't watched him all year until that Jets game. And he's not worse. He's a little better. This offense is okay. He's better than he was a year ago. But he'll be tested versus Spagnola,

who now can really do a lot of things in terms of the blitzes that he sends because he has such a good back end. It's a top 10 defense. Like Chiefs fans are getting ahead of their skis. It's like 10th, 9th or 10th. But it's a good defense. And that's enough. that was a total la raveo magnifico from greenberg got to be careful with that stuff and i know the accountability is at a different level with those morning shows and you got a lot of time to fill but anybody that's even half watching the broncos knows that wilson is far better and more productive i mean going into uh week five like he i know it's deceiving a little bit and he's not having a big year but he was like a top 10 producer and a lot of stat lines that was

he couldn't complete anything. He couldn't get anything going last year at this time. But whatever. I'm glad you called it out because that annoyed me too. The second primetime game, we're hurting a little bit here, guys, because what could be more lopsided than Denver KC? How about Giants at Buffalo? Oh, my God.

My God. And we have a rematch of Super Bowl 25, but there ain't no LT and there ain't no Otis Anderson and Jeff Hossettler, I ain't going to hold on to that ball when Bruce smokes him in the end zone. Geez, this, Mark, it's your turn. Explain to me how this game is something that people will be wanting to watch after halftime.

The only way that I really could is there is some optimism that Daniel Jones will play from his own words. We'll see, although Daniel Jones hasn't really been, in a reason for optimism. There is a chance. I mean, there is a chance that you get Seekwon back.

It sounds like Andrew Thomas, according to Brian Daibald, your left tackle, has a better shot than Seekwon. But if you get these people back in the lineup and you get healthy and you catch a Bill's defense, you know, maybe on a couple big plays, a Bill's defense that is missing Matt Milano, missing Trudevius White,

missing Dequan Jones. That's a big thing. The Jaguars were able to move the ball on Buffalo for portions of that game. The Bills had 19 missed tackles against Jacksonville. I really like guys like Terrell Bernard and A.J. Epinessa and Ed Oliver this season. So they're getting, they have depth. But I guess if you got a weird Josh Allen game, which is outside of the Jets performance that hasn't really been the case,

and your Giants team does one of these things where you show up for a couple quarters, and maybe they had three turnovers against the Dolphins. I know they still gave up 500 plus yards, but they had the 102-yard pick-six and two other turnovers. If all that stuff came together, maybe the Giants keep it interesting. But we've watched the Giants like 42 times on primetime,

and they've not fulfilled that promise. So I am suspicious. It is four out of six weeks. And this is the last time, I think. So congratulations to us. I mean, the fact that the Giants got a pick-six, as Mark said, another interception when the dolphins were going in for a score

and a fumble recovery. that set them up with good field position, and they still lost 31-16. It's like, it's so telling. I think the Daniel Jones situation is, it's noteworthy. You know, he had the neck injury and he's had neck issues before. And if they choose to play him in this game, I just, you know, I think what you might be seeing here with Jones, and I don't think he's being buried in criticism right now, but, you know, he got paid mostly because of a strong closed-down.

the last season. I know he was in general better than he had been previously before Daibel got arrived, even in the first half of the year. But it was really that closing month or so where he was starting like really shred D defenses, but also the, in retrospect, and even in the moment, it was like the schedule's pretty soft right now as he's doing this damage. He lit up the Vikings twice, for instance, including in that playoff win before

reality hit against Philly. I just wonder if Jones is not a bad quarterback or even a quote, unquote, problem. But if he is in that rather large middle class where if you set him up really well, you're going to be okay. But if you put him with a bad core, he's going to not help you and sometimes look even worse because he tries to force things. So like as you try to like diagnose what what has happened with the giants surrounding this kind of quarterback with a very bad core around him, maybe it shouldn't be as surprising because I'm trying to, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how they could nose dive the way they did, the way they do. And I think the

quarterback not being able to raise a team plays some part. Well, I think we put too much faith into most coaches. And Daibold did a great job, but the offensive line miscommunications are just so bad. They're just so bad. And that isn't on Daniel Jones. And it's like it's high school football stuff or, you know, even before that, where just guys are just coming free. Like, it's so often in a Giants game where a defensive end is just

coming free, but it's not even, they're not even doing anything crazy up front where it's like, oh, they're sending seven guys. It's like, no, they're just rushing four and there's some crazy miscommunication and he gets killed. So that's on coaching. I hope Seekoine comes back. Waller looked okay last week. That's a positive. And for the bills, we're going DVO heavy, DVOA heavy today. They are the best three and two team in the history of TVOA. And I believe in like rebound effects for good teams like when you're picking games like if a good team loses the week before in a way they weren't happy with like they usually show up ready to play and von miller maybe he plays a little more he only played 20 snaps last week and didn't do much but

they got dory and williams from toulain university stepping in for milano and he looked pretty good last week at lineback did you just did you just throw out something that's a record through week five there i said i didn't say a record i'm fine saying it as a stat but we're not saying break the record. You can use it for context, but it's like, he has broken the record. It's just the wording of records. What did you say? I don't know. Maybe I messed it up. I'm just saying like what's honestly the difference. It's not like there's some museum where they're, that's my point. Yeah. But I'm saying like what's the difference between what you just did and people bringing up the dolphin situation. When they're making like a huge deal of like the moment that they reach it or whatever,

like, hey, you just, it's, you literally the words broke the record. That's it. Hey, you just kind of did that. Did I say that? Well, you know, I don't know if you said record, Mark. I don't know, were you listening or closely? I mean, I do matter. You, you, we're in the words business. You made quite a notation out of, um, a five game stretch for a team. Uh, you know, I said they're the best, you said they're the best three and two team ever. In, yeah, in DVOA, they're the best, you know, three and two team. That's a, that's providing, I'm all about stats providing context. Even the yards for the dolphins is a good thing to mention.

I think you're misunderstanding my point. It's not a record. That's it. We're in the words business. Words matter. Thank you. Thank you again, Greg, for clearing things up for me.

Okay. Mission accomplished. I get it. I'm with you, but anything else in this game? No. One quick thing on Daniel Jones where it's like, I'm with you.

Like, I think last year was probably the aberration campaign. And he stayed healthy and so did a lot of other people. Like, when Tyrod Taylor came in this game, like, you know, and Tyrod Taylor can move around and he's not, he's, he's a solid backup. Like, he was getting killed. I mean, it's like, they allow 11 sacks on Monday night, seven in week five. The PFF has them as the worst, not only the worst pass protecting unit,

but the worst run blocking. It's like, it's kind of hard to evaluate what's happening in this offense. When I think Daniel Jones at this point, it's like, you kind of worry about the fact that he's probably just seeing ghosts and, like, concerned about his own safety. I mean, it's like these Giants games, it's like the Monday night game, get Daniel Jones out of there, but then you have to put another human in there. I'd be worried about that person's safety too. This is a disaster. And I don't know how you get your way out of this because offensive line coaching matters. There's obviously a problem there, and you don't have the

people to make this thing work. You know what else could be a disaster? A segment we have coming up right after these previews here in a very special day in the history of Mark Sessler. Coming up in just a little bit. Sessler at 50, what you don't know may surprise you. That's one that I'm tuning in for. I think the thing about the, you know, the trajectory of the next 50 years and the, in the other 50 things you didn't know about, like, I could, I think I could pack a punch here. You know, there are some things I think I could do well, and this would be one of them

in terms of divulging information that would surprise some people. All right. Finally, okay, this one feels competitive and perhaps even fun. The Dallas Cowboys deeply humbled once again by the San Francisco 49ers. Now three and two, they head to SoFi Stadium for a matchup with the Chargers who are coming off a biweek, who are chemically dependent on creating drama within games and making sure no matter what the circumstances are, the game will come down to the final minutes.

So on one hand, Greg, this feels like, and I, you know, I like the Chargers enough to think that they're not just some pushover that the better team comes in and gets right against them. So I'm not saying that. But if the Cowboys have a little chip on their shoulder after being embarrassed, this is not a great time to catch the Cowboys for me. So I think that the Chargers are going to have a very angry Dallas team that is going to have a lot to play for after being humbled the way they are.

What do you think? I agree with that. And that's why I'll probably pick the Cowboys to win. But I expect this to be one of my favorite games of the week. One of my favorite matchups of the season so far, just because it's like drama. You just know they're going to bring it. Justin Herbert will do some crazy stuff.

Mike McCarthy will make some crazy decisions. So will Brandon Staley. It'll go late. Troy and Joe will be having fun. just can't imagine this game occurring without a crazy ending. What two teams have been more reliably like drama merchants than these two over the last five years? So I'm into it. I'm with you. I think Dallas is going to do things like this all season where they're going to disappoint maybe places you didn't expect, places you did. But then they're a bounce back

team. They got a lot of talent. And I just think this, this Chargers defense is an opportunity. They, right now, they have allowed explosive passes on about 16% of opposing dropbacks. And we just talked about Denver. Only the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers have allowed those plays at a higher rate. So I think that fits well with like a bounceback. Maybe Brandon Staley went into the lab mark in the byweek and Brandon Staley figured out. Sure. Maybe he went to Toronto and took a week off.

I mean, we don't know what he did. Like, I mean, I feel like he's been in the lab for two plus years with. a lot of with a lot of additions last off season too and parts that fit his defense and we didn't see it. I mean, I think like one thing that's kind of like to trade J.C. Jackson away is sort of like, you know, a bit of a tell that like you get these guys, you're spending, you're spending this money and they're not working. It's like this defense just is not a difference maker. But I do have hope in like what Herbert's done so far this season. I think you're going to get the best version of Herbert all year long. And so it's like, you know these chart. We talked to Daniel

Jeremiah on Sunday night in the viewing room and we were just like, that's a great game you got coming up. He's like, yeah, it's be like every single game. Like the charges could play your high school and it would still come down to the final drive. So I just expect to, you know, be there with about 50 seconds to go, someone knocking on the door. Good news for the bolts. It appears they're going to finally get Austin Echler back. He said last week that there is a quote, long time between now and Monday night football versus the Cowboys, so expecting to be back by then for sure. He's been out three weeks with an ankle injury. And, you know, he is such a huge addition for that Chargers team, especially I've always found in the Red Zone where he is just so gifted it and has such a

nose for the goal line. So there is, Greg, for the Chargers dreamers out there, of which you are one of them, there is certainly even post Mike Williams injury, this world where Herbert it continues to play at an MVP level and then you bring in this dynamic all-purpose running back and they go up a level on offense and then they start to kind of really build something here and they become a truly frisky contender in the AFC.

This is a nice way to announce yourself as that way against Dallas in primetime. It would be fun to see it. Let's see if they can do it. Right. I'm with all that, but they've had a pretty favorable schedule in terms of opposing defenses, and this is a step up in class. I thought their offensive line was going to be great this year.

It's been good, but it kind of struggled in that Raiders game, which was conserving. Herbert also hurt his finger in that game, and it was definitely the worst game of Herbert's season in terms of his accuracy and decision-making. I don't know if it was the finger or not. I don't know if he's going to be able to take snaps from center. We never really heard, like, I think he broke the finger, right? But it was on the offhand. So that could be a factor.

And I just, I do worry, do they have the horses to go deep? Because Keenan Allen has been making plays down the field. But it's Allen. It's Josh Palmer, Quentin Johnson, you know, make a tough catch, Quentin Johnson. Like, I can kind of see why they're not giving him a ton of snaps. They're kind of giving their return guy some more snaps. Like, I do worry whether he has enough against a good Cowboys defense. But maybe it's not as good of a Cowboys defense as we thought, certainly in the back end without Trevend.

Well, I mean, I mean, you know, that Arizona game, I get that it was a weird contest, but it was this first moment where it's like, wait a minute, what are you doing giving up 222 yards rushing? And then they got gashed against the Niners. They've given up 400 plus and two of their last three games. So I think that there's like, this matters for them to come up and show up. And it is this week where it's like you just kind of presume that Dallas will bounce back and win.

But like imagine the NFL landscape if they don't, if they go into their bi-week happiness. I don't assume that. I don't assume that. I mean, like I said, I'm picking the Cowboys probably. Let's pick this game. They got a lot of questions. I got a great game. I have DAC thrown a huge interception late

that allows the Chargers to steal one with another Herbert big throw as he really takes hold in the MVP conversation, 35, 31 bolts. I like that. I also think that in their home stadium with probably about a 75% Cowboys crowd, the charge we're going to say,

we don't care about that. You're going to get. one of these great Herbert games that shuts up the remaining Herbert Doubters for a while. And I think they take it 28 to 24. Final seconds. I'm spooked. I hope you guys are right. I'm going to take the Cowboys. You know, they did finally get their offensive line. Let's go 34 to 33. This thing is just wild. They did finally get the offensive line back that they intended to have when they drafted Tyler Smith. with everyone healthy,

Biotis at, you know, at Center and Tyrone Smith at left tackle. It literally had never played together until last week. But, you know, so that's a year plus four games until last week. And they weren't amazing against San Francisco, but maybe they'll get better. I think it's a big game for your boy, McCarthy,

because he got rid of Kellynmore, and now he's going against Kellynmore, and the old Texas Coast offense has limited Dax interceptions relatively until last week. But even then, as interceptions have gone down. But every other offensive stat has gone down this year for Dallas. Yards, yards per attempt.

They can't get Brandon Cooks involved whatsoever. Now here comes a Chargers defense that's pretty soft. And you should be able to take advantage of it. Let's show me something. You know what's really jumped out? The DAC CD-Lamp thing hasn't happened really this year. Right. And Tony Pollard hasn't in general.

Yeah, you're right. The offense is not necessarily humming right now. And, you know, yeah, Mike McCarthy's going to have to face some criticism if they don't show up in this game. But I think they will. I think we're going to get points. I don't know. I think maybe for me, I got to say it. For me, I've always, I've been on the fence a little bit the last year or two on DAC. It's almost like Sunday night was a tipping point for me. I just, I'm kind of out on DAC. So he's got to win, he's got to win me back. Get hot. I think it's totally fair. I mean, he's, I'm waiting for. for the string of games

that announced him and the Cowboys is something different than I already thought they were. It's been a while since he had a special game even as a DAC. The wild card game

against the Bucks, he was awesome. But like in general, it's been, you know, since the, God, I mean,

if you really want to dig in a little bit, which let's not because we got to catch a bird, but really since the leg injury has Dak been top 10 quarterback. I would say no,

but. Stick a pin in that. Let's see what he does on Monday night. Anything else? Well, yeah, we got those banger mark segments, right? Oh, we have, oh, yes. I got developing news here, by the way. On Tomoroha.

Out of Los Angeles. Bessler at 50. New docs cast doubt over podcasters' actual age. Oh, let's see the bird. birth certificate, Sessler. We've gotten to this place. I mean, so am I actually pretending that I'm older than I am? Is that what?

There's a, you're actually like a 68-year-old leather-faced old man that's been using a filter for years, decade on the show. That would be incredible if that were true. No, in fact, if there was doubt, I mean, the Manny Pacquiao workouts, the Hector Macho Camacho workouts, you're looking great, buddy, at 50. We're very lucky to have you with us. How about we have a couple two-tree drinks at the airport bar to celebrate this momentous day? That's only in a few hours from now.

I genuinely am excited to go to London with you guys on this day. And that is exactly what we'll do when we meet at LAX, which outside of the airport bar is a disaster of a place. But we're going to mine our way through that airport scenario. Why am I still talking? I don't. It's okay. This is your day. All right. And that's it for us here from America for a week. Next time you hear from us, yes, we will be overseas in London. So make sure you check in with all our content out there. Until then, happy birthday, Mark, and be the call. In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you.

Don't let them down. Unlock elite gaming tech at Lenovo.com. Dominate every match with next level speed, seamless streaming, and performance that won't quit. So you can push your gameplay beyond performance with Intel Core Ultra processors. For the next era of gaming, upgrade to smooth high-quality streaming with Intel Wi-Fi 6E and maximize game performance with enhanced overclass.

When the tech search, power up at Lenovo.com. Lenovo, Lenovo. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move to Six, 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. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents.

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. This is an IHeart podcast.