OverDrive - OverDrive - December 20, 2024 - Hour 3

Episode Date: December 21, 2024

Join Bryan Hayes, Jamie McLennan and Jonas Siegel for Hour 3 on OverDrive! TSN NFL Analyst Luke Willson joins to discuss the Chargers' victory against the Broncos on Thursday Night Football and Hayes and Bro and O'Win Willson's selection for Week 16 in the NFL. The guys hand out their best advice to sports teams in the holiday-themed Dear Santa-B and Bryan hands out his FanDuel Best Bets.

It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal. Plan. Portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN

or visit askkelvin.ca final hour for the week overdrive continues brought to you by fanduel bringing you everything from the opening line of the final score brian hayes jamie noodles mclennan jonas siegel of the athletic luke wilson here in a moment. Al's brother here in a moment. And dear Santa Bee a little bit later in the hour. And our best bet still to come as well. And Jonas, I made a comment that I thought really wasn't overly controversial or polarizing whatsoever.

Yep. You found it in here to fight back on it. I believe the majority of Blue Jay fans, I cannot speak for all of them. if you said to them right now, obviously you've got to fill out your roster. You're going to have to make some signings, but if the

move of the offseason was a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. long-term extension, they would be very, very happy with that. Alright. How many wins did they have last year? 74? You're going to tell that fan. let's say that fan just like was locked in like what is it called like chron the frozen chambers

for like cryogenics okay and they woke up and you said and you said to them well the offseason's like just about done how did the jays do and They said, did they sign Soto? And you said no. Oh, all right. What about Corbin Burns, Max Fried? No, no. Bregman? No. Oh, but they did.

They did extend Vlad Guerrero. Yeah? Anything else? Yeah, they got Jimenez. That's it. That's all they did. There's no way a fan would be happy with that. That's nothing.

They haven't done it because they haven't added to their team. That guy's on their team. Exactly. And the one guy they added is like, yeah, he's interesting. Is he going to hit? I don't know. Okay. Let me offer you up the alternative.

You get back into that cryogenic chamber. Whatever it is. And you wake up in February. P of pitchers and catchers that have arrived and they've done nothing and they also haven't signed vladdy and it's become clear vladdy is going to walk at the end of the year okay what is the reaction no what's the reaction at that point well that's worse but that's like infinitely worse it's like if you had a plain ice cream and you had something with like a bunch of toppings Obviously, the toppings are better. That's what I'm saying, though. I mean, listen, obviously it would be great if they kept Vlade long-term

and they added, you know, you bring back Teoscar Hernandez, people would be ecstatic. We're talking about a pretty low bar here. And the reason the bar is so low is because of the front office and the lack of confidence that people have in Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro right now. So I think, again, it's relative. My impression would be a lot of Jays fans would say, OK, maybe the rest isn't going

to be so great. And again, they're going to still sign guys. They're going to fill out the roster. We're talking impact players who are still available or trades that could improve your team. But if they, at a minimum, committed to Vlade, at least you would have that in the bank, where it's like, I don't know how much that's going to affect this team this year, clearly, but whether it's Ross or someone else in the future,

Vlade will be here in the future to build with and build around. And at this point, I think there's a lot of anxiety that he's just going to walk, that they're not going to do much anyway, and he's going to walk, and then you're basically in a complete mess at that point. So that's my stance. When you frame it that way, it's a little better, but I don't know. I mean, ideally, they've got to add to this team, clearly. In terms of trying to win, the one trade with Cleveland is not going to do it.

Yeah, meaningful. Meaningful. And there still are guys out there. Again, Santander is still out there. Teoscar Hernandez. Bregman is still there. Trades are still available to happen. Corbin Burns hasn't signed yet.

He may sign here. I don't know. I mean, it sounds like he's waiting out the Giants, and he wants to go home, and he's from the Bay Area, and he wants them to pay a little bit more. I don't know. But as of today, he's waiting out the Giants and he wants to go home and he's from the Bay Area and he wants them to pay a little bit more. I don't know. But as of today, he's still available. So there's still an offseason ahead of us here.

They can still make some plays. But the longer it goes without them making some activities, scarier it gets. It does. But let me ask you this. Take this market because Toronto is a very forgiving city. You take what they've done here with the Blue Jays, and you put them in Boston, New York, Philadelphia. They would have been replaced.

That's what I'm saying. More than likely they would have. Now, I would say Brian Cashman's been the GM of the Yankees for 30 years or something. But he had such a base of success, right? Yep. You get some grace. He did, but still. Like five World Series?

Long time ago. 2009? Yeah. You're right. That's a long time ago. That's an eternity. But I hear you. Yes, I do think those markets would clearly react differently, for sure um all right so last night that was a crazy ball game i thought bo nicks looked really

good in the first half and then credit to justin herbert he made some throws in the second half the chargers came alive but they also had that free kick at the end of the first half i had the game on mute i was watching it i had no idea what was happening. I thought it was a skit. Like Amazon was doing some sort of giveaway. I've never seen anything like it. Chargers come back win and cover. Here's Luke Wilson joining us. Keep your smile.

What the? When Wilson is cooking. Luke, the free kick stuff last night. Yeah, what was going on there? Like, did you know what the hell was going on? Because I had no idea what was happening. I'm not just saying this. I knew exactly what was going on.

It was a weird thing, but Pete Carroll loved that rule. And every year he would come in and be like, Hey, if we get a chance, we're going to do this free kick. And we would practice it all the time. To the point where, like, our special teams coach would kind of make snide comments like, hey, we get a free kick shot, we better be ready because Pete's been waiting to call us for 10 years. So I did know, and, you know, it's a very quirky rule,

but it's kind of a fun one. I think for me with that free kick was actually the penalty. And why I say that is because the idea of a free kick in Pete's mind was that you could attempt a 65-70 yarder. And instead of, you know, the big fear is when you have a long field goal, kicking it short and it being returned. And part of that fear is because you have offensive linemen on the field goal unit. Your best chance at tackling, you know, a premier NFL returner

would be your tight ends that play wing. So it's kind of that risk-reward, but in the free kick, you can stroll out there with your kickoff team. So the idea that, you know, you're going to kick this field goal, it's short, and they're going to run it back against your, again, starting kickoff team, makes it a little more like, hey, we might as well go for this. And the second part of that is there's nobody trying to block the kick, so the kicker can use a lower trajectory and really drive the ball.

So it was one of those things where you can steal three points and the you know the chargers did you stole three points they executed it well and obviously the penalty helped but i was very familiar with that rule because we were practicing quite probably more than we should well obviously it worked out for harbaugh and the chargers. And I thought, and I'm not just saying this because it was on the Broncos, I thought the officiating was horrible last night. The Chargers had two penalties for eight yards. I don't even know how that's possible. It's such a blatant pass interference late in the game when Nix went,

I think he threw it to Mims deep. But also, the roughing the passer on Herbert when he's on the ground. No. Yes. Jonas, he touched his shoulder. You can't have that in professional football. You cannot have it when he gives himself up and a guy hits his shoulder. To me, that was outrageous, Luke, the fact that they threw a flag on that play.

Yeah. I think that one was a bit strange. Herbert did a good job selling it. But, Hayes, I'll also say it's getting disappointing, you know, with this officiating. But I thought the craziest one, I'm sitting there watching it above Jay's studio, and on Denver's first touchdown, they have an illegal man downfield. It might have been their second touchdown.

It was one of the early touchdowns. Illegal man downfield. And the officials picked their second touchdown. It was one of the early touchdowns. Illegal man downfield. And the officials pick the flag up and say the player was engaged. That's not even a rule. I'm like, what do you mean? And then I think it was Herbstreit came on and was like, I've never heard of that. And then whoever their officiating guy on Amazon is, is like, I don't really know what they're saying. Because whether they're engaged or not has nothing to do with an illegal man downfield.

It was an RPO, an offensive lineman took off. He clearly was past the line. Like, they literally made up something that doesn't exist. So that was one for me where I'm like, again, I didn't have a big effect on the game, no. But it's disappointing, and it seems like it's every week. There are these plays where you're just like, how are the officials getting this so wrong all of the time?

I mean, go back last week. They stopped the clock in the Saints-Commanders game. That was insane. Yeah, there's been a lot of them. I don't get it. There's been a lot of them, and it is just these, especially high-profile games like last night, Noodles, the whole world's watching.

My question is, though, now correct me if I'm wrong, are these refs like full-time refs? Do they make big money, or are they like working at an insurance company during the week and then show up and ref the game? The NFL is the biggest machine on the planet, arguably. I mean, I know soccer in Europe, but it just... What are these refs? They make big money?

Are they full-time? What's the deal there? You know what? I actually don't know the answer to that question, but I was watching something with John Gruden, and he was spot on with this take. He said the tough part is each crew,

they travel all together, and they call the game differently. So I will say when we were every week, and we're playing on Fridays, Pete Carroll would get up there in front of the team and be like, hey, here's the... he'd have a whole breakdown. Here's the crew ref in our game.

Here's our record with them reffing us. Here is what they like to call. Here is what they've called against us in games past. Here is what the league average is. And you'd sit there and be like, hey, like, these guys are a little tighter on pass interference. Or these guys, you know, hey, Richard Sherman, they let us play a little more last time, push that envelope, you know, or they're really looking for holes, or this guy's, you know, and it just gets to the

point where you're like, I wish they could find a way where it was just more black and white, and obviously it's never going to be exactly black and white, but we get to the point where, like you said, you know, you're sliding and getting hit in the shoulder, it's a going to be exactly black and white, but we get to the point where, like you said, you know, you're sliding and getting hit in the shoulder. It's a 15-yard penalty. A legal man downfield, we're making up rules. Oh, no, he was engaged. We're going to pick the flag up.

Like, come on, man. This is crazy. Yeah, well, I know it was a big topic of discussion about a decade ago where the rest were not full-time employees. Some of them were lawyers. You'd be teachers know whatever it was right and uh again the you know the league only goes on you're only playing games for like five months they might be involved in the preseason a little bit so guys are looking to do things for six months of the year the nfl wasn't going to employ them full-time i feel like there was some sort of summit a while ago where they started hiring guys full-time and

started training them, but historically it wasn't. It was a part-time gig. I just looked it up. Hayes, they're making better money now. Well, that was the thing. Back then, they would still make decent money, but it was like $100,000 or something for the year. Now it's like $200,000. Yeah, so they're making...

That's a full-time gig. It should be, and it should be big bucks because of how important they are to the game now. We talk about it all the time with gambling and everything else that, you know, the NFL is a massive machine. Those guys should be the best of the best, which I'm sure they are, but they should be compensated like it so that they don't have to pick up a second job and, hey, I'm going to rep a huge, rep a huge Chiefs-Bills game on the weekend, but I'm working on my garage or fences on the Friday. It gets ridiculous.

Guys, you're accountants on the Friday, and then you're like, that guy's on TV. He just threw a flag, and he's costing me money now. This guy's supposed to be making me money. He just cost me money. All right right let's let's get my boy in here because brother i love the hat you look beautiful as always it is a incredible incredible look for

you and myself noodles i'm sure you heard about this by now, but yesterday was established if there's a tie at the end of the year, the tie break is a 40-yard dash, Luke running backwards, Al's brother running forwards. So that is the tie break if and when we get to that point. And last night, I would say, didn't necessarily help our cause. I liked our process, Al's brother. I liked our process. I did too.

And honestly, that field goal free kick at the end really turned things around because you take those three points out. Denver's driving with two minutes to go, and instead of settling for the field goal, they could go in and score if it's only a seven-point game. That really did come into play at the end and screw with our cover. Yeah, it did, and it's disappointing. It's a goofy rule. It should be thrown out, but they don't even

pay the refs enough money. Why would they do that? I'm not allowed to use profanity, but we all know the saying, if my aunt had a you-know-what, she'd be my uncle. I could say that every single game. Oh, we almost covered. That was a brutal pick. I reversed

my reverse psychology. No one on planet Earth would have taken the Broncos yesterday. No one. Only two dummies that read the headlines on Twitter, which is exactly what you guys did. The Broncos are 1-6 against teams above 500. Oh, but because somebody on Twitter said Bonix is good now. Bonix looked good that first half, man.

Justin Herbert smacked you. There it is. We're one back, and we're humming. We're humming. Okay, let's get to the games because naturally Doogie of course is affecting the Lions and they're only our games, which is so great. I was of the impression at 6 p.m. when this segment starts

everything's locked. But Doogie's decided that he wants to maneuver Lions, which might garner a complete investigation. Third party, big budget, everything. I thought he worked for you guys. No. What's that?

I mean, it may or may not. He does. He does. He does. He doesn't. All right. Owen Wilson on the clock with the first game of the weekend. Chiefs laying three and a half.

Chiefs three and a5 at home against the Houston Texans. Who are you taking and why? I'm taking the Chiefs. Do I feel great about it? No, but I'll tell you exactly why I'm taking the Chiefs. First and foremost, C.J. Stroud has not played well this year. You look at his stats, they're pretty much right

at the level of Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins, and both of them have not been great. Statistically, C.J. Stroud is the 20th, 21st best quarterback in the league this year. He has not been on it. They've been relying on Joe Mixon. That guy has been incredible. However, one thing the Chiefs got going here, it's been a phenomenal run defense.

So I expect them to be able to minimize, or at least to a degree, Joe Mixon. And now C.J. Stroud is going to have to go on the road and go down and score points. So I like that matchup. And on the same breath, Mahomes is playing. This is a very meaningful game because they do not have the one seed. Not yet, especially with the schedule they have. They've got to come out here and take care of business. Will I get jammed by the hook?

There's a possibility. The hook might jam me, but I'm not rolling against Patrick Mahomes in this game right now. I like the idea he's got a bit of a banged-up ankle. They're going to simplify the playbook. He's going to grind this thing out, and I think they'll win by six or seven. All right, Alice, brother.

I think we might see Carson Wentz at some point on Saturday. That's what I'm thinking. I really don't know how much belief or faith I could have in the Chiefs right now when it comes to covering a football game. They could squeak out a win, and they've been able to do that all year. Squeak out wins. In the last six weeks, they've won by more than a field goal one time. One time. And they have not had a good season. Look who they're playing.

The Browns, The Chargers. The Raiders. Carolina. They're not playing world beaters out here outside the Buffalo game, which they lost. So for them to come into this game, you've got a banged up Mahomes going up against a defense that could generate pressure. This defense, they can get after the

quarterback. They're second in the league in sacks per game. So you've got a team that could do that. I think they could keep it relatively close. This team has not scored a lot of points. The Chiefs, they have not. I think it'll be a lower scoring game than we initially thought it would be. They could maybe win by a field goal. I'm with you.

I think you're going to get jammed by that hook and I am very happy about it. It screams 2017 Chiefs. Screams it. The same number I have in my computer right now. 2017 Chiefs. Screams it. The same number I have in my computer right now. 2017 Chiefs. The computer even agrees, man. TG's coming together, man.

That is great information, tremendous information, and gut instinct. All right, so here's Doogie. I'll be honest, boys. We get a 21-17 win here, and oh my goodness are we rumbling. Yes. Oh my, we'll be dead even coming into this next one. No DJ Humphries by the way out. No DJ Humphries protecting the blind side either.

Yeah, that's big man. That's a left tackle with a bum ankle. That's concerning. We're on Raven Steelers which at 6 o'clock when everyone else on earth shuts down the book and decides the numbers are in and this is the way it goes, it was Ravens 6.5 against the Steelers. But Doogie decided that that's not the way he operates

because he is the shadiest character in the history of gambling. It's now Ravens minus 7 against the Steelers. The line has moved to Ravens minus seven. Roger Dugel is what I'm now referring to as. Roger Dugel. Dugel, yes. I like it. Yes, and this is line movement gate, courtesy of Doogie.

But what's your tremendous information on this one, Al's brother? Well, what this might tell me, though, is that there's a lot of sharp money coming in on Baltimore, and a lot of people might be backing the Baltimore Ravens, which is kind of perplexing. You look at this line at first and you think six and a half, but this is a divisional game. These two always play each other insanely close.

Tomlin absolutely owns Lamar, owns Baltimore. How could it be so high? Yet the Sharps are still betting and still putting money on the ravens for it to grow to seven points i'm kind of confused here but i think i may be willing to lay the points where are you at azb what's your gut tell you my gut says you take the points in a game like this that is my gut especially the history of of tomlin the steelers tj watt is playing i know ge George Pickens isn't playing for the Steelers, and that's

significant, and Russ has slowed down. Deshaun Elliott also is out, and that's a big miss for me, because the Steelers, why they've been able to really limit Lamar Jackson is because they've had the too-high-safety look, and they're limiting the explosive plays. You're missing one of your safeties, and Lamar Jackson,

outside of that game against Pittsburgh this year, has a quarterback rating of 124.7 with the deep ball, passes 20 yards or more with 7 touchdowns. If they can't get the safeties working and that leaves a little bit of a crack for some explosive plays,

I think we could see Lamar finally, finally, beat this narrative. Figure out the narrative? Possibly. I will say this. Coming off a buy and beating the Giants and playing great is completely meaningless. That we agree. It's nothing what he did last week in the Raiders.

The Steelers are coming off a bad loss, too. They kind of got punked. Well, and they can win the division with a win here, too. That's the thing. There's a lot on the line for the Steelers to at least show up. Okay, so we're split on this one, Hazy B. And honestly, I'm like 55-45 Ravens. It sounds like you're 55-45 for the Steelers. I have an idea.

You let me know if you're okay with this. Where are you at? Jonas. Jonas, a non-athlete. Where's your head at? A non-athlete. What? A non-athlete. A non-athlete?

Where are you at with this game? I'm curious. Ravens, Land 7. I just want to know, Luke, are you okay if I help these guys out? Of course, Jonas, but all I'm saying is, Hayes, if I were you right now, I would cut AB from the team. This guy doesn't

want to handle the pressure. He needs to be cut. You're one game up right now. It's the end of the season. It's crunch time, This guy doesn't want to handle the pressure. He needs to be cut. You're one game up right now. It's the end of the season. It's crunch time, and he doesn't want to make a pick in a big game? I don't even know where my partner is. I'm making all the picks over here. I do feel like Kyle Shanahan a little bit here right now.

Devondre, Al's brother Campbell. No, no, no. I'm willing to make the pick. Let me ask Jonas where your head is at, and then we will take that into consideration. For me, this felt like a tap-in. Yeah? Steelers.

Steelers. Like tap-in. Look at all those points. Steelers already beat Baltimore once earlier in the year. Tap-in. I don't like that offense. I really don't like that Steelers offense. How many points are they going to score?

I understand what you're saying. The question is Lamar against Tomlin, the Steelers. It's a divisional game. It's a touchdown. Could be a push. I think I'm going over the top. Steelers, I think we've got to lock in Steelers. Jonas is throwing it out there.

Jonas is throwing it out there. He is our Yoda right now when it comes to this our Yoda That's a big move though From 6.5 to 7 That's a key number That is enough to maybe Push this thing If Tom and the Steelers Roll and they come through

The Steelers won 8-9 last They're a good club They're a good football team They need to redeem themselves after last week Moving on We're on the Steelers They're a good club. They're a good football team. They need to redeem themselves after last week. You're right. Moving on. We're on the Steelers. Doogie McMahon, throw that in.

Eagles 3-1 against the Commanders. Owen Wilson on the clock. There's no world where I don't take the Eagles. Absolutely no world. I'll be honest with you. I really am cold on the Commanders right now. I think that they are a bit fraudulent. Obviously got off to a hot start.

Even last week, like, struggling to beat a Saints team. The defense, to me, is not great. I think the Eagles, you know, obviously have a bunch of drama. But they've figured a lot of things out seemingly last week. I think Saquon has a monster game. Bounces back with about 170 in two tutties. They just beat this team up. Might take a while.

Might have to grind them down for a couple quarters. And you've got to respect the Eagles' defense. One of the best units in the league right now. They're playing a rookie. And I think it's going to be one of those things where they have their way here. Eagles got a legit shot to 1-2. They need this win. I'm going Eagles all day.

I feel good about it. I can't argue with that. I think that's the play. I mean, I do. I think that's the play. But, again, three and a half. The hook. It is big.

The hook. In an interdivisional game, you may find a way to see a three-point ball game there. All right. Vikings-Seahawks. Vikings laying three against Seattle. Al's brother, tremendous information. Please. Yeah, it's another fishy line, kind of.

Especially since the Seahawks, look at their home record. They're only 3-5 in front of the, quote, 12s that Luke used to play in front of. This, to me, could be a blowout. I really don't understand why it's only a field goal game. The Vikings, their offense is absolutely humming. We're talking about a top 10 offense against the Middling Hawks defense. Defensively,

you've got an injured quarterback with a bum knee. This team gets after the quarterback and they generate pressure more than any other team in football. They lead the NFL in interceptions. You've got a terrible offensive line who's given up sacks the 29th

they ran 29th in sacks given up per game I really don't see how they're going to be able to move the football. The Vikings do an absolutely tremendous job stopping the run so even with Kenneth Walker coming back they're going to stuff him every play. They're going to get after Geno Smith on every single drop back they're not going to put up any points to the Vikings

you've got Jay Jettas, you got Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and you got TJ Hawkinson. I think this Minnesota team is going to put up a bunch of points. Blowout City, I would hammer the Vikings in this one. That's where my gut instinct is at as well.

I guess Geno's going to try to gut it out, but we saw what happened last week. I don't think he's in a good place. I'm not sure he gets through the game, even if he does. He's passing for a lot of yards this year, but that's going to slow down against Brian Flores. We've talked about him a million times this year. The Vikings, they're still chasing that top seed, too, just like the Eagles. They're inspired to do that.

I know there's a lot on the line for Seattle as well. They're trying to keep up in the NFC West. Back-to-back home games, But we're laying the points here. We're on the Vikings minus three. Lock it in. School all day. Sunday night are Bucs minus three and a half against the Cowboys. Owen Wilson on the clock.

So, to be completely transparent here, probably similar to you guys picking the Vikings, every fiber in my body wants to take the Cowboys because the line is just too fishy. How this isn't a 10-point spread, I don't know. Like, what does Vegas know that I don't? But that being said, you know, I go back a couple weeks ago when my party, wherever he is, told me, hey, you know, we got to stop being cute.

We got to stop being cute. We got to stop being cute. And I think about the Bengals game versus the Titans. The layup Doogie gave me a couple weeks back. And even that one, I was like, it's too good to be true. And I suck with the Bengals. And I got to do the same thing with the Bucs. As much as I sit here and think that the Cowboys might cover this game, because it's something that I just cannot understand

why the line is so low. I can't do it. I've got to go with the Bucs. Again, I sit here and I say, Mike Evans, Bakers, Ripon. They just smoked the Chargers last week. Is the Rico Dowdle backfield slash Cooper Rush

going to cover a potential playoff team? I don't know. I don't think so. But, again, I'm a bit uneasy about this because it seems like it's too easy. What does Vegas know that I don't? That's a great question. But you're locking it in, box three and a half, locking it in.

I'm locking it in, box three and a half. I got a lot of three and a halves. Lots of three and a halves. I love where FanDuel's head's at i know like like again we got jammed by fan more by doogie than anything else but uh we're taking the points anyway so actually it ended up helping us in the end because we got an extra half point there for all the stealers but these guys are riding favorites across the board she's three and a half e Eagles 3.5, Bucs 3.5. Two of them road favorites at that. Yeah, that's crazy.

We'll see. I kind of like Dallas in this one. I'm not even saying that. You look at it. What does Vegas know? They're looking at the numbers, and they see that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot stop the run. They've given up 5.5 yards per carry this season,

and their win rates, they're 31st in run-stopping win rates this season. And what does Dallas do well right now? They've figured out the run game. Rico Daudo, the last three weeks, is rattling off unprecedented numbers for what this team is. He had 150 yards last week and is averaging 130 yards per game over the last three weeks. They finally have an identity on offense.

And I think they can keep this with a field goal, maybe even win the football game. I love that. Tremendous, tremendous information. All right, Jonas. Out of curiosity, do you know who those three names were? That's what I was going to say. I have it in front of me. The Giants, the Bengals, and the Panthers.

Does not matter. It doesn't. Jonas, you're on our side now. Stats or stacks, facts or facts, I said nothing that was not true. Whatever. Jonas, you're on our side now. Hey, stats or stacks, facts or facts, I said nothing that was not true, Jonas. That's right, man. Who cares? That's just deception.

You're telling me right now, you're telling me, Al's brother, if you had this pick, you would have taken the Cowboys. I would have taken the Cowboys. I would have took the points for sure. Three and a half, home dogs, absolutely. Tampa Bay can't stop the run. That's the thing.

You may be talking about teams that are good. This run defense. I like the way Baker's playing right now. I like the way Baker's playing. But I like where we're at, too. I'm going to be completely honest with you, Hayes. And as a GM of your team, depending on how this weekend goes, you need to take a look in the mirror and make some decisions.

You're sitting here. You had a six-point lead. It's dwindled down to one. There's a strong possibility. I need a little bit of luck, as do you guys. You guys are going to potentially be trailing here, or at least tied or whatever, going into this game. You had a partner who tried to shell off one of his picks,

and now he's going to take the Cowboys? Come on now. Listen, man. You either send him on the Iowa Oscar retreat or something. He's not in his right mind. I stand by him. I refuse to believe he's gotten to this point. Devondre DiStefano.

I stand by him. He's my guy. Don't say that. You're my guy, man. I can't be Devondre DiStefano. I can't do that. You're my guy, man. I can't be Devondre. I can't do that. You're my guy, Devondre. You'll always be.

I will never sewer you like that snake Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. How could they do that to him? He wasn't feeling well. He didn't want to play. Leave him alone. Or a Packer Devondre. I know. It's ugly, man. It's ugly.

All right. We'll leave it there. Picks are in. Doogie, do whatever you can to make sure the other guys make it a match, and we'll do what we can to continue to roll. Al's brother, great seeing you. Jonas, throw it up. You're a part of the crew now.

He will not do it. That's Steelers pick is all you, Jonas. I can't do it. Steelers pick is all you. Don't do it. Don't do it. He will not do it. All right, Luke.

We'll chat early next week. There's Luke Wilson. See you, buddy. Luke Wilson, Al's brother. Partsy, great stuff as always. Best bet still to come. Dear Santa B, so that means it's going to really turn into a professional show now after whatever that was for 15 minutes.

Now the real stuff begins now the sports emmy gets one overdrive continues tsn 10 50 and on tsn2 it's a brand new year time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025 kelvin the money guy suggests the three step approach one clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal, plan, portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. Insight. The ability to see and understand why you do the things you do.

Dear. Bee. We're going to go down there and have a donkey barbecue and I'm going to furnish the ass, right? You don't want to hide a Mars bar in your sleeping bag when there's a bear outside the tent. And you better watch out. All right. I love it. Dear Santa Bee. It's a little bit of a different spin on it, right?

Noodles, you've been a part of these many times in the past, and usually the O-Dog is kind of running the ship here, but the O-Dog was, I'm sure, in Ottawa last night taking notes, diligently taking notes on that junior game. Doing a lot of prep. Lots of prep for the world juniors. And by Boxing Day, he'll be in Ottawa, and he'll be ready to rock, and he'll be back on the show in the new year.

But, Jonas, you're going to take his place here. You're going to read out, what do we have, like a wish list for some people, and we're going to try to help out as much as we can. I'll be doing it, and Noodles, you can be my little elf. How about that? Noodles will be my elf. You'll be my little helper. Here we go.

What do you got for us, Jonas? Oh, you got to turn the mic on. That's your first wish. I was cramming all this time getting ready. Dear Santa B, as an Oilers fan, all I want for Christmas is a Stanley Cup. How can you help me with this? Oh, that's a great question. I don't think you're alone.

Here's what I'll say first, Noodles, and then you can chime in. I'm going to take Stuart Skinner aside for a little chat. We're going to have a little conversation, and I'm going to let Stuart Skinner know that, in my opinion, he needs to play better than just mediocre, but he has proven that he can do that. He has proven at times throughout his career that he is capable of giving them more than just mediocre goaltending.

I don't think it can just be mediocre and that's enough. That's not the way you can win a Stanley Cup. You've got to be great at times. You're going to have to win some games. And I'm sure they'll be active come the trade deadline, but Santa B is going right to Stuart Skinner because I know what I'm going to get out of McDavid. Dry Settle's been unbelievable this year.

Unbelievable. He just racked up his 900th career point. I think he should legitimately be up for the heart. I think he's in the running for the heart. For me, he's ahead of McDavid on his own team. I think he legitimately should be ahead of McDavid on his own team the way he's played this year. And for me, it's skinner

so santa b will pull him aside and make it very clear to him if he doesn't know already everything relies on you everything is on your shoulders and you better play well because that's how you're going to get your stanley cup so that's it's a good and and probably start there. Here's where I would go. I would pull Jeff Jackson aside and, what's his name? Stan Bowman. Stan Bowman, sorry. Stan Bowman aside and say, you've got to use some of that cap space and go get one more defenseman. Because I think that their D, if they shored up their D,

where you had a four-pack, that was, because that home trade was unbelievable. I think that was organizational changing for them because it helped stabilize Bouchard. You've got Nurse, who's playing really well this year. Like, they like where Nurse is at. Regardless of what you feel about the contract, Darnell Nurse has really played well. In fact, Darnell Nurse has really played well. Now, in slot four to six, I think Kulak is a perfect third pairing guy,

but they need that right shot. Now, Stetcher's been good, but I think if you had another right shot, and again, believe me, a lot of teams want this, but if they had a legitimate top three know three four defensemen which they can afford to go and get um that's where i think it stabilizes the goaltender as well because all it does is just help with the team in front of them we see what the leafs have done with the four pack you know really all six have played pretty well but a four pack of uh you know and team defense in front of the goaltender i think that's where they circle and go, we need a defenseman, a critical defenseman, a game-changing guy.

The guy I don't think Calgary would ever trade with Edmonton, but like Rasmus Andersen, somebody like that, who's like a really good defenseman who can play in power play, play in all situations. There are guys like that throughout the league. I think that would put the Oilers over the top as far as now you don't have any weak points. Yeah, still the goaltender's got to do his job. Yes, he's still got to make stops.

He's got to make stops. But I think the D-man is the guy that would help stabilize the group a little bit. Okay. What else do you have, Jonas? Dear Santa B, diehard Leafs fan and Mitch Marner is my favorite player. Can you help the two sides work out a deal this year, please? I can only do that if the two sides have success in the spring. Now, I will say this.

Santa B has been paying attention to this market, and ultimately everyone's just going to accept whatever happens, and the Leafs know it better than anyone else unfortunately that's a reality no one revolts no one no one loses their mind not that Mitch is worth is deserving of that individually I'm talking about the team and if they lose again they lose again in the first round and they sign Mitch Marner they'll still sell the tickets and people will show up and they'll boost the prices nothing is going to ever, and they'll boost the prices. Nothing is going to ever change. And unfortunately, that's the reality of this market and the fan base,

and everyone knows that at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. So I guess maybe that's what I need to tell you. I'll be blunt, Santa, that it's probably going to happen. But if you want both sides to be happy about it and it to be a kumbaya, jolly, merry type of vibe, which is the whole point of this thing. Mitch throws the team on his back. He's capable of doing that.

I think Austin goes first in terms of the packing order. But this injury, I don't know what he's going to be like in the spring. Hopefully he's at 100%, and it's all good. Packing order clearly is Matthews' one. I think Willie and Marner are both kind of 2a 2b but i would say the fact that marner's deal is up it puts more of an emphasis on him to be great he's just there's gonna be a lot of pressure on him it's gonna be difficult to handle but if he plays well like he's capable of playing like he does all the time during the regular season and it

coincides with winning and again i think the bar is low you'd think it would be cup or bust again in this market it probably isn't for some fans it is but for a lot of them they just want to see some wins get you know win a round or two and people would be happy so that's what has to happen and i guess what i'm telling you is if you're a leaf fan and you love mitch i think he's just going to return i think they're going to sign him regardless of how it all plays out. That's kind of the way I'm reading the tea leaves. But in order for it to be a true celebration, he's got to play great. He's got to play great, and they've got to win.

Yeah, I think just time is going to sort this out. You just said it, Brian. It's playoff success. But regardless, the question is, well, if you let Mitch Marner go, because if he decides that he's not going to sign here, then he's unrestricted free agent. He can leave, yep. So people will say, well, then, you know, we'll use that cap space. And all you're going to be doing is trying to replace that cap space

with another Mitch Marner, which is very rare. But the only part is, like, you could take that money and you could get multiple players, right? You could get two $6 million players, correct. I'm not sure you are better, but you might make a case that maybe you're better. I don't know. Well, it depends. Again, my argument is I think nothing should happen until the end of the season.

Yes. On both sides. 100%. Totally agree with that. Because I think you have to let this play out because we have seen this record. We've seen this dance. We've seen all of this. And if they do have some success, I think regardless, he's going to make a boatload of money,

whether that's with the Toronto Maple Leafs or with Team X out there. So the urgency to sign him right now would only be if he went to them and said, I want a deal right now or else I am going to free agency, and then we'll see how that shakes out. So to me, I think he controls all of that. But Bradtree Living, Brendan Shanahan, the organization's on top of everything. We're talking about it. They've talked about it a million times. They know all the scenarios.

But to me, I don't think anything gets done until the dust settles after this season because he's going to make a boatload of money. So I think it's a moot point, unfortunately, and the fan base is going to have to just chew on it until it happens, and it will happen. You'll get your decision probably, you know, whatever it'll be, June 1st. It's not going to be February, unfortunately, unless he demands an extension and they get something done.

Dear Santa B, listening down here in Nashville, and it's a messy scene. Unless he demands an extension and they get something done. Dear Santa B, listening down here in Nashville and it's a messy scene. Can you help us out of this basement? Would truly be a Christmas miracle. Listen, I got some magic. I am not a miracle worker. There's nothing I can do for you. All right? I'm sorry.

Coal in your stocking, not happening. I would suggest you just almost play it out. My concern as a Santa B is that Barry Trotz is getting a little bit fidgety down there. He's going to make a move that he's going to try to add, and he's going to move picks around, and it's going to blow up in their face. I would suggest that you just have to chew on it this year. Pittsburgh got you in overtime again last night. Your team stinks.

You're not that good. It's gone. The ship has sailed. Get a high pick, reset, and figure out what you're going to do in the summer. So that is what I will do for you down in Nashville. I will whisper in the ear of Barry Trotz to sit tight, and if anything, try to make shrewd moves where you sell pieces and reset in the off season because you know i got again like i got some magic i am not a complete miracle worker there's nothing i can do to turn

that ship around in nashville yeah no i i think i agree i think what you do is understand that this year just it didn't work out. Whatever's happened, you're having an off year. It's not working. But what you do is you accrue cap space. You fidget with your roster on things that you can improve for the future. We saw the Justin Barron trade with Carrier to Barron. I think that's a cap space move.

And then in the offseason, you can add as you are retooling, but I think this season is unfortunately done in a sense of trying to make the playoffs or whatever. But it doesn't mean you can't tinker and look at your team now and go, okay, this guy's going to have a better season. and look at your team now and go, okay, this guy's going to have a better season. Sometimes it's just Marcius and Stamkos aren't going to have ridiculously underachieving seasons every year. I could see them bouncing back. You would think not.

They both scored, I think, last night. Sid scored last night. It was just good. It was a kind of fun game, but it's over. It's over. I think, to your point, Brian, I agree. You build for next season methodically and then retool. Or you tank it out and just, hey, maybe get yourself a young kid.

Maybe you're brutal next year. You get Gavin McKenna. I don't know. Let's get crazy. Why not? All right, Jonas. Is that it for us? I think we got one more.

This one came via email from John. Yep. He says, Dear Santa B, slidingdney sweeney's dms can you make sure she reads it i'll do i don't know i'll do my best john i'm sure i got a million hellos what am i gonna what am i supposed to do santa b how am i possibly supposed to make sure that sydney sweeney reads your dm do you know what her direct messages probably look like do you know the archives you know it would take her weeks to get through and find all the degenerates around the world like you john who i'm sure were just a

really nice upstanding citizen trying to say hi to the lovely sydney sweeney but i'll do my best not really what i had in mind with Santa B. I thought it was more of a sports thing. But naturally our audience had to take it in that direction. Some creep wants to slide into people's DMs. Sliding into DMs and they want us to help. We'll do our best. That's all we can tell you.

We'll do our best. And that's why we're here. We're here to help people. All right, Jonas, good stuff, man. You ran that show beautifully. I watched a lot of game tape. I watched a lot of game tape. You watched a lot of game tape. I will be ecstatic that you stepped in in his place.

Think about that. The O-Dog will love that, that you were there reading off the e-mails and the texts and the tweets. All right, Jonas, you're out of here for the game tonight. Thanks, fellas. And I appreciate you doing this, buddy. We'll see you again soon. Good stuff, buddy.

There's Jonas Siegel of The Athletic. We'll come back with our best brett's best bets brought to you by fan duel on again a busy nfl weekend very very busy nfl weekend and a busy one for the least mail it in friday brought to you by boston pizza's new game day menu stop by your local bp for seven dollar touchdown pints shareables for the whole crew and weekly prizing up for grabs football game days are better at your local BP. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 2. It's a brand new year.

Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal, plan, portfolio.

Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. Melvin Friday is brought to you by Boston Pizza's new game day menu. Stop by your local BP for $7 touchdown pints, shareables for the whole crew, and weekly prizing up for grabs. Football game days are better at your local BP. The holiday seasons, holiday vibe at Boston Pizza. I love it, man. I bet you it's rocking down there, right?

You've got a Leaf game tonight. You've got tomorrow. You've got football. You've got college football all day. You've got the NFL two games. You've got Leafs Islanders tomorrow night. It's going to be awesome. I'm down there.

The Scepters are playing too, right? I said that the other day. I'm going down to see the Scepters play the Victoire tomorrow. I'm bringing my girls down. Cannot wait for that game. That'll be really cool. Yeah, it's going to be great. Well, it's a sports weekend.

That's exactly what it is. Hopefully the weather holds up. We'll see. Yeah, it's been cool. It was snowing today, but it's all good. We'll what it is. Hopefully the weather holds up. We'll see. Yeah, it's been cold. It was snowing today, but it's all good. We'll make it through. Today's best bets powered by Fando. Make your picks and assemble a same-game parlay in seconds on the Fando Sportsbook app.

I'm going with the over tonight. It's a big number, 6.5, and Nick Robertson to score. When he gets hot, he stays hot. He scores in bunches, paying big plus money, almost plus 800 on that parlay tonight. Today's best bets powered by FanDuel. Live same-game parlays are now available for every NHL game on the FanDuel Sportsbook app. Please play responsibly. 19-plus physically located in Ontario.

All right, Noodles. That's it for you and I for the new year, I believe, or for 2024 for that matter. So the show will go on at times next week. Obviously, Christmas coming up and Boxing Day and all that. But we'll be back and better than ever in 2025. Absolutely. Cannot wait for that. Ready to rock.

We'll have lots to be yelling and screaming about. Absolutely. I guarantee you that. Absolutely. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes for helping out. We appreciate it. Everyone for tuning in. TV, radio, podcast, web, we appreciate that.

We're out of here. Enjoy your evenings. Enjoy the weekends. We're back Monday at? 4 p.m. We'll chat then. Chat then. TSM Plus is taking game day to a whole new level with NFL Red Zone.

Absolutely incredible! Subscribe now for every touchdown from every game every Sunday afternoon. NFL Red Zone, available on TSM Plus.