PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast - Can Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense KEEP UP with the Rams’ high-power offense?

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

Well, Vic Fangio, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, Zack Baun and Nolan Smith will have a lot to say about that too, but the onus is on Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and co. to bring a little more to the passing game this week. Plus, Saquon Barkley has a lot to do with the result as well. We preview Eagles-Rams before a riveting swooper, including the Trial of EJ Smith. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, from the Xfinity studio on a beautiful Thursday afternoon. It's the P.H.O.Y. Eagle Show with Bo Wolf, Fran Duffy, E.J. Smith, and we are, of course, presented by the good folks at Bet365 and Ashley. I do feel like we could probably, and probably should have done a remix to back that as up instead of shut yo ass. We could have done that whole thing. Now that I see it written on the, on the header. we could have made this a whole musical melody to start the show. Frankly, a little disappointed that you, now that I see it, you know. Let that slip through your fingers.

Terrible job. What's going on with you? Slipping a little bit? I'm not slipping. I just, you know, we've, we had cake to celebrate our two-year anniversary. I got a little bit of a sugar high. Yeah, how about you guys doing? I'm excited.

We got a fun game to talk about. I know E.J. has been crunching numbers over the last, I don't know, half hour. We all know what the numbers do to me. Yeah. It's going to be an interesting show. We also have super coming up. And, you know, we try.

This is, you know, the Julia and some of the other people behind the scenes. It's a tough thing for them to put together to create these graphics ahead of time. So the people who care about the behind the scenes, people, we try to give them the graphics as early as possible. Night before, maybe. Night before, early this morning. You know, one of the first things you do today. E.J., you sent yours in about 15 minutes ago. I apologize to Julia.

I don't really understand why you're Is this you like trying to curry favor Because you've been going after Julia's the mic that she gave me You've been coming after me for that Which feels like really an attack on Julia I don't know you know I feel like you have an ulterior motive That's pretty usual

How new for you to pass the buck to a Julia That is fair But I mean I again I apologize to Julia It's been a busy day How do you guys feel about separating the art from the artist when it comes to like a Michael Jackson

or an R. Kelly, how do you guys, how do you feel about those situations? I would like to know where this is going before we... I'll tell you where it's going. No, no. I am usually able to separate the art from the artist. Interesting.

So like if you liked a particular song growing up, you will still listen to it. Yes. Even though there might be some things have come to life. Yes. Yes. You? I mean, I've been on record on this show as like for my appreciation for John Mayer,

who has said some pretty terrible things in his career. Yeah. Probably doesn't rise quite to the level of some of the other artists out there. But I do think it depends on how much you love the music. I don't really listen to like that much R. Kelly anymore. Yeah. For some reason, R. Kelly is the one. Yeah.

I mean, I think I know the reason. Well, yeah. But is the one that I have like totally cut out of my life. And even Michael Jackson, I'm like I'm mostly out on. but if it comes on, like, you know, that's okay. Now, where is this guy? But I'll tell you where it's going. Last night, I did one of the most amazing things.

We have had this dishwasher that has been just, like, ruining our lives. Like, this thing has been a pain in our ass for, like, two years. We get a dishwasher mechanic to come fix it. We get a plumber to come look at what's wrong. We get a general contractor to come look at, like, all these things. It's always beeping. It's always doing these things. And so yesterday, a general contract,

character comes, is like, oh, well, the whole problem is that the tube is down below the, uh, the food processor. It's got to be above because then when you're running the food processor, it's going in. So he was right. I don't know why it took so long. But still, when we plugged it back in, it was like it's given this service beep. And so I got to work, man. I got to work.

I started and I'm like, I'm Googling like what the specific error message is. I go, I get down underneath the dishwasher, real blue collar, hardcore stuff. Like, I like, tweezering out the screws, fix the thing underneath. And it works. And I felt like, I felt like Tom Hanks in, uh, I have created fire. Like I felt like I had really done something. And for the first time in probably, I don't know, five plus years, I put on world's greatest.

I had to celebrate. And like, it just felt like the one thing that was, I was the only thing that could, I felt like the only thing that could properly mark the moment. congratulations number one i'm sure everybody out there is thrilled uh by this accomplishment um yeah i'm gonna be honest i was expecting something a little bit a little bit worse when you let when you let you let off that way i thought you were setting us up for something but good for you yeah but i did i just i needed you know it's what came to mind i'm glad that happened for you i think it's okay i think you're i think you're you're okay i think so too you aren't making it like your personality

i think you can't do that at this point plus it was like i was you know like i was doing it in the kitchen. Rachel and Casey were in the living room. I had to come in with an entrance that I had, you know, the big thing that I had accomplished, took my shirt off and all this thing. You know,

it was good. Awog in the chat actually said this is where my mind went when you were trying to figure out what the issue was and you were looking online. I thought you were going to say that AI was able to fix the, give you the answer to solve the problem for you.

No, it would have totally ruined the thing. Terrible hit. Some of those, somehow there's a turkey. This is a freaking mountain. Coming up on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles up against the Los Angeles Rams.

And E.J., you had some time at the Novica Complex yesterday talking to Jalen Hertz and some of the players in the locker room. Give us the update first, and then we'll get into this idea of what is a real concern and what is kind of bogus. Yeah, so I think the biggest news was at Dallas Goddard was back at practice on Wednesday.

Full? A limited participant. Okay. Yes. I saw him moving around, though. He seemed like he's moving okay. We heard from him in the locker room. after practice.

He said that he injured his knee on a third down catch early in the second half against the Cowboys. He caught a ball, a pass over the ball in the middle of the field, turned around and took a shot to the outside of his knee. He said he knew that he sprained it pretty much immediately after that. He went to the medical tent, got a knee brace for that game. And he said that he pushed to play last week, but that the training staff told him that he probably shouldn't.

So I think it's important to note that, like, he was asked if he's going to play this week. And he said he's taking it day by day. I'm still like, the jury's still out with that one in my opinion. I want to see if he can get to be a full participant by Friday. Yeah, I mean, I kind of feel about this the same way I feel about the Lena Dickerson thing, which is, I mean, give him another week. Yeah, I mean, usually like, usually when it's like solid, you hear from those guys pretty quickly, like, yeah, so, yeah. So is that your sense?

Is that it would be a stretch? I'd be surprised if he played at this point, but I do think it was a major step in the right direction. 40 turkeys. I might go a little lower than 40. Oh, okay. Okay. For a guy in a contract year, knowingly he wants to try and make sure he's healthy, like even if he's not 100%, I could see him wanting to try and push it to say like, hey, it's the biggest

knock on him. Yeah. You don't want to have a thing where it's all right. You already missed two of the first three games. Yeah. Okay. What else did you glean while you were over there? There's a lot of talk about the tush push.

I mean, a lot of talk about the tush push. I enjoyed some of George Maillade's comments on it. So I'll share some of those. On the scrutiny, he said, whichever announcer said it was a rugby play deserves jail time. And then he don't like that. That's a good one. Like, for real. Like, literally, deserves jail time.

Straight to jail. Yeah. And is that a, is that a burqart? I don't know who is the first one to say it was a rugby play. But he has been steadfast. And it is not a rugby. Sure. And then he said, you know, he said, this is my official plea to all the teams out there.

You can run the tush push just like we can. He said, and then he said it, it annoys him. when people say that's the reason that they win games. He said, when you look at our defense and our special teams, they're dominating their side of the ball. And then the quote that I think most people have seen by now, I couldn't give a bleep about what Adam Schaefter says, to be honest, and I ain't the one calling plays on my team.

Sorry, part of my language, pardon my French. I ain't calling plays, and I don't care what Adam Schaefter says. Hmm. Fron-Hon-Hon-Hon-Hon-Hon-Fonse? Pardon his French. Yeah, I mean, I think he's absolutely right. Like, you are allowed to not like the tush-push. you are that's totally reasonable it's totally fair to think it is a difficult play to adjudicate

it is it is asinine to say that's the reason the eagles are winning games yeah i get very frustrated talking about this so i'm uh to prevent us from going down a rabbit hole uh i will say i want a frustrated well no i will say that uh i thought that jason kelsey talked about it over on on their podcast uh and brought up because now the big talking point is oh one of the three most two Eagles podcasts out there. Yes. Which, you know,

with the H.L. Eagles and obviously the Brandon Graham unblocked. Of course. But brought up the fact that like, you know,

because now the big talking point is, oh, they jump off sides every time. You know, they try, it's a false start every time. Look at the jump

that the guards are getting. Whether or not that was a touch push, if they're pushing behind it, they're not outlawing quarterback sneaks. So like the fact that this is now becoming a talking point to try and get the play thrown out. It's crazy.

Right. It's really, it is, it is, the push is never a problem with anybody. Right. Which is the whole thing that the Eagles, you know, leaned into is the push.

Yes. Yeah, it's kind of silly. It's just, I really do believe. I believe it's just straight puritanism by the league because we're talking about butts. It's tush, push.

They don't want, they don't want that part of the NFL conversation. I just feel like, what I actually think it is. There are women that follow this story. I know. I mean, what I actually think it is,

is they have, they have perfectly calibrated that this is a thing that people will talk about so as to not talk about other things. I think that there are just bad faith arguments on both sides at this point. I feel like the, again, it is, it comes down so much to other teams don't like that the Eagles have this like unstoppable play on high leverage of downs and they will find whatever reason they can to say this is why they should ban it.

So that's why I don't want that, I don't, well, I don't really care. I mean, I honestly want the conversation to be over. But if you're the Eagles, you shouldn't want them to, you shouldn't want to like add fuel to the fire about the, yeah, this play is hard to officiate in my opinion. because that'll be the reason that they get rid of it. The hard to officiate thing is bonkers to me. Like that is actually one of the most frustrating parts of what has now become part of the conversation. It's like, oh, it's really hard.

All right, well, should we outlaw press man coverage? Because, you know, when the Detroit, why do you think the Lions tried to get the defensive holding penalty changed last year? Because, oh, we play a lot of press man. We get really aggressive. We get flagged on it. It's hard from the throw the flag every single time. So now we're going to say that this is really hard to to, to, uh, to, uh, to, uh, to, uh, officiate so we're going to throw the plot.

I'm going to get frustrated. All right, let's let everybody cool down, get into your corners. We're going to take a quick break. On the other side, we're going to get into what is a real concern with the Eagles offense, all of these predictability things

we've been talking about, what is not. Then after that, we're going to get into the matchup here before we get to Swooper, all kinds of fun stuff coming up on the show. E.J. was very nice the other day, invited me over to his house to watch the game.

I appreciated that. I thought we were going to have a good time. And it takes a while to get out there. So, like, I had high expectations for the quality. And I get there, and you're not going to believe this. His setup was a total mess. Lagging, buffering, switching between apps to try to find the game. He claimed he was a big fan.

I felt like I was fan-fished. So what did we do? We went back to my house where I've got Xfinity, and then we watched the game, like, true fans. It's the perfect fan flex. You get all the action right in your living room, plus Xfinity's best picture and sound with enhanced 4K.

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forward blue cruise to hands-free highway driving on certain trims to max recline seats to offer nearly 180 degrees of recline, which is great for naps or breaks between road trips. You also get a 360 degree camera system, which is great for trailering, parking, and off-roading. The F-150 comes available in so many ways you can get a regular cab, super cab, or super-crew. Select a bed length that fits your needs. For more information, visit your local Ford store. I'm not inviting you over anymore. Too bad. I'm coming anyway.

Well, I didn't actually. I've been hankered for some homemade tomatoes. Actually, when there's plenty of those in my house, I didn't actually invite you over for the listeners. I wouldn't do that. And my internet's great. You don't break K-fabe? All right. This was your idea, E.J.

Why don't you lead us into this segment here? Yeah, so there has been a lot of... Yes, he has ideas, too. I brought ideas to the table before. I can't let you phase me. I can't let you, because it's too late. Yeah, but I can't let it happen again. Got to review the tape on this one.

So there's been a lot of scrutiny surrounding the Eagles offense in general. I think some we probably agree with at this table. I think some we maybe feel like is overblown. It is the nature of evaluating a two-game sample size. When you look at advanced metrics, they will be, you know, extreme. So I wanted to go through some of the extreme advanced metrics and see if we feel like they are something or if they're nothing at this point in the season. So I'm gonna kick us off with the under center run predictability.

The Eagles have called and all these stats are courtesy of true media by the way. The Eagles have called 29 under center plays so far this season, 27 of which have been runs with one resulting in a scramble and one pass attempt. Something or nothing. Did you filter out for tush pushes here? For those I did not filter out for tush pushes. I apologize. I'm still learning my way around.

So it's not quite as lopsided, but it's not quite as lopsided, but it's still. It's still a lot. Yeah, but it's still going to be quite lopsided. It's over 90% I would imagine. I actually think this one, I am less concerned. This, this, this somewhere between something, nothing, but this is closer to nothing than something for me because I don't, it's not like we're going to have a ton of drop back under center passing. You're not in any of that. From Jillen Hertz anyway. He had like one last year, right? Yeah. And I, this is one where I actually could believe it's a little bit in service of eventually making the play action a little bit more effective. So this one I'm not as concerned about. I would agree. I think that when you, it's such,

again, because it's such a small sample, it's two games. It's two games. I think to me, yeah, not as big of a deal. To me, the thing that I keep going back to is I look back, they were 82% last year. So you're talking 93% this season, 82% last year. And you could say obviously 93 is an extreme number. even by comparison, but that's where the sample size really plays into it, in my opinion. But even if the Eagles run game is predictable out of under center, it's predictable last season. Like, to me, the superpower of last year's offense was that you kind of knew what they were going to do and you just couldn't stop it. Like, you know, the variety of runs they had from under center and their ability to just beat people up up front and be, I've used the term scheme agnostic for it, right? Where it's like, it doesn't matter if you load the box.

It doesn't matter if you know where, you know, what is coming in the, general sense of they are going to give the ball to Saquan Barclay. They just had a historic season being very lopsided in the run game under center. So to me I've 93% if we're talking about that in six, seven weeks, maybe that starts to become a conversation.

But after two games, I'm just, I don't feel like that is what's plaguing this Eagles offense. Saul's out there on the top rung of the ladder. I'm worried about the guy. It's about to drop an elbow on somebody. I agree with you.

I agree. I don't love, well, they did this last year, so it's not a big deal this year. You can always improve on those things. But this one in particular, I am much lower blood pressure on. Yeah, and I really appreciated Fran's analysis of like the predictability and how some coaches will lean into that. You know, you want teams to feel confident. Like, you don't want teams to have like that false sense of confidence.

Like, I know what's coming because it does set up the counterpuneration. that much better. So yeah, I think it's a good, it's a good TBD one for this one, I think. I, for the record, I don't know that I completely agree with right, but you know that some people do know that there are plenty of coaches that feel strongly about that. So it's not that I necessarily feel about it, feel that way about it, but there are coaches that. Yeah, I think it's like at the very least it's important context to add to this is that like some coaches maybe would like to set up a heavier counterpunch by constantly jabbing. Yeah. Okay. What do you got next? Let's stay on a similar topic and do pistol run probability.

So last season for context, it was 83% of the time they ran out of pistol. This season, it's 21 of 23. So that's 91%. And it's the two first plays of each game. Yeah. It was what not last year? It was 83% last shot. I would like that to be closer to like in the low 80s 70s.

But again, because of the sample, I'm not, I'm not freaking out about it yet. I would say the same. I would say if I was ranking them. This one is like a touch more concerning than the under center one. Yeah, I'm going to go something on this one. I feel like that because I think last year, when you look at their numbers and I should have them in front of me, I don't hear. But when you look at them last year, it felt like the pistol stuff really lacked creativity.

And I think the fact that they went into this season without any creativity in it, I think that that does leave me with mild concern. So I don't know for me that one is a little bit more of something I just I feel like there is more there's something to be I'm also I'm also I'm willing to believe the storytelling of under center being so run heavy is in service of Changing it up eventually whereas with pistol this is a part of their offense and it feels a little bit more like well, we don't really have any other plans here Yeah, yeah and I would have hoped that you came out of training camp with a little bit more to show but maybe again, again, This is totally fair that maybe they're just waiting.

To be fair, I'm looking at it now. They average 4.9 yards per rush while being that predictable out of Pistol last season. So again, successful. Like, yeah, being predictable is only an issue if it's not working to me. Like even next year, Annie said, like good teams have tendencies. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah. Okay.

What do you got next? I have a... The people are loving this segment, E.J., great. A lot of positive encouragement on you coming up with a segment. I don't like 25 minutes for the show What did I say?

I said I'm not going to let it get under my skin We're going to keep it moving I see what you're doing All right AJ Brown route predictability So I went through I went through the numbers on his nine targets this season Did you already see this?

Do you know that? No. No it. Okay. How many do you think came on slant? routes of his nine targets seven it feels like it was the majority what were you going to say friend sorry i was going to say probably like six five okay but still that is a lot it's over half even i can do that math yeah to me the bigger problem is is not even when he's been targeted it's the rounds

that he's running period the individual route it's the the route content you know there was the example of them running that same concept over and over last week where he wasn't targeted uh but he had Yeah, he had a ton of... Like that's that is the bigger thing. He had a ton of in-routes when you went through it. Something. I agree. I mean, so I went through it.

He's only been targeted once on a go route. He's only been targeted twice on out routes and one on a crossing route. To me, like the lack of outbreaking routes, it really stands out. And the lack of crossing routes like you're... Yeah, I mean, can we get the guy? What did me to say? Can we get the guy across there? Like, so yeah, if you look at it last year, 26% of his targets came on slant.

18% on go routes and 14% on out routes. So the lack of variety in how he's used. And again, I think that the outbreakers, especially when you think about that that intermediate part of the field, which is more on that later, a little tease. Okay. That is a way you can access that part of the field, especially if you don't feel like Jalen Hertz is going

to target the intermediate middle part of the field, which we have not seen him do. So to me, I think this is something. I think the lack of imagination with AJ Brown. Honestly, it might be my number one critique of the offense right now is that I just, I look at so many of the offenses across the NFL and the ways that they get their number one receivers open, the way that they prioritize getting them the ball in space,

and you just see so little of that from the Eagles offense. And this is not one where you would be like you're showing something to break a tendency later. This is you can't, I mean, you have a whole offseason, you go to camp, you put the offensive playbook together, and you know that you have a bona fide star wide receiver in A.J. Brown, we're going to need to find ways to get him the ball.

And this is what we saw in the first two weeks. This is absolutely the most concerning of the ones so far for me. Yeah, and I think that as we talk about the small sample, this is an even tighter sample when we're talking about targets, right? And that's where, like, that's why I would lean into just even. Yeah, it's just overall routes. You know, one of the numbers that I pulled from, you know,

for the piece that went up on, Tuesday morning was that AJ Brown has run fewer vertical routes than he's ever run before. His A.D. His average depth of the target here in Philadelphia through two games, it's lower than it's ever been. Like those are things that I think can get corrected. But again, like they came out opening play last week and it was going to be a shot play that should have gone to AJ Brown had the tight ends be able to block that blitzer off

the corner. So, you know, one play and all of a sudden these numbers look completely different. I think that's fair. The lack of intermediate targets. Which Fran talked about. So I want to make sure... Is this our last one or... We've got heavy package probability too.

I don't have the numbers for that one yet. Okay. Which one would you rather do? No, no, do this one first. I was just... My eyes on the clock for when we need to go to break. Well, we talked about the lack of intermediate targets a little bit, so we can do this one quickly.

Fran, make sure I get this right. Of the 40 quarterbacks who have taken a drop back this season, Hertz is the only one without a target between 10 and 19 yards? I believe that is correct. Yeah. I actually, I think that this is one where Danes has been like yelling into the void where he has one target here. It's between 15 and 20 that he doesn't have

any target. 15 and 20. Yeah, okay. That might be whatever. Yeah, whatever. Something or nothing. What do you think? Remember there was also the one, remember the one where he got hit and it should have been passed interference on AJ? That felt like between 20 yards, right? Might be, yeah.

That was probably, on 20 yards. That was probably 20 plus. I mean, it was floated so high in the air that it did feel like. Well, you go first to stuff. Yeah, I mean, I think it, yeah, I actually do think that that is something. Again, it's such a correctable thing, you know, and Kevin Petullo said this in his press conference as week. It's not that we're not calling routes, you know, calling plays that have routes going

in that way. It's just the ball hasn't gone there because the defense has kind of picked those concepts up and it goes back to the earlier topic, right? So it is alarming, but it's very fixable. I mean, I hate to keep, we always talk about this, but I mean, it was only two games. and these two games specifically one is against a team that didn't change their plan the entire time.

Very static and so there's no reason to deviate from your plan right because if what you think is working is still working you're going to keep going for it and then the other one is a very bespoke game plan because Spags is going to heat us up we've got to have answers this is like what we're going to do so it is totally fair to think that maybe these two very specific game plans are not going to be

like what you would see against your every one weak defense, but this is still, I would like to see them attack the middle of the field at some point. Yeah, I do think that the matchups that they've had, especially the second game against Spags, like, nobody's really mentioned that like the Chief's defensive plan was quite predictable too. And maybe, well, maybe not maybe not predictable, but they really majored in one or two like core things. So that does kind of, I don't know, I guess it's like if you're giving, we give coaching staffs credit frequently about like the creativity that. that they have to get around something like,

okay, this was the plan against the zero blitz and like this is how they access different parts of the field. Eagles offensive coaching staff could do that. But I do think it kind of does, it's important to like shape the conversation around the fact that like that was a pretty like two-dimensional approach from the chiefs. There was a lot of zero blitz and a lot of, I mean they rotated the safeties a couple times.

It seemed like that threw things off. So yeah, I think that it's just, again, it's two games. So, like, and we're going to talk about the games and analyze the games, but I do think it's important to remember that, like, it's still early. And I want to also say, like, the Eagles offense looked really bad in the, well, maybe not really bad, but you know what I mean? Like two weeks into last season, we had similar, not similar, but we had a similar level. Yeah, they're allowed to get better. Yep, totally. Yeah.

All right. All right. Last one. Heavy? Heavy personnel packages. I got it right here. So when the Eagles have two or three tight ends on the field, they have run the ball 45 times. Two of those are scrambles. So 43 runs.

We got to have a little true media session later. We can work on filtering these things out. I'm working on it. Okay. So 43 out of 55. Yeah. How are we feeling about the run frequency out of heavy sets? I feel like I'm going insane on that one.

It's not even necessarily the percentages that bother me. It's the volume of it bothers. That's to be to me the bigger thing. Yeah. So the percentages like in terms of like the run pass rates, that doesn't bother me as much as the, the pure volume with this personnel. I don't have the numbers in front of me right now.

I had them on Monday or Tuesday show, but just, yeah, I mean, they have run way more in 12 and 13, and that was filtering out the quarterback sneak because Nick likes to make this excuse that, well, that's because we push push so much. It's not. And they have run way more than out of 11, and they have been way less efficient running the ball that way.

And so, yeah, like spread things out, please. I'm going to make an exception. If Cameron Lottu's on the field, sign me up. I knew that was coming. He's been getting a lot of love. You two are like the only people who are not in the tank for more Cameron Latu snaps. Stop being a prisoner of the moment. Like he had one nice block on the golf.

It was a nice play. It was a really, it was a nice play. If you're going to have a point of attack tight end, I think it's he is not. He's not a point of attack tight end. I mean, he at least tries.

Those guys try to and they lose. He caught somebody by surprise and like his second offensive snap in three years. Oh, he's caught him by surprise. He got, he caught the guy. That was a nice block. It was a nice block. I don't think that's going to be a sustainable.

We're going to see that every single week. He's no Jackson Hawes. Build the whole thing out of a kid. He is not Jackson Hawes. Let's let's, you know. I would like at least to see him fail at it before I am ready to get off of this hill. I think the people are with me on this one.

You think the people are with you with everything. Maybe they are. I don't think they are. I like these two guys. A little break on the other side. We're going to talk more or actual. about the Rams and the matchup to come. And then after that, we get into Swooper

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Fran, give us the lowdown from your perspective on what's coming to town with Jared Verst and the Rams defense. Yeah, I mean, this is a defense that certainly is going to bring heat at Jalen Hertz. A lot of it has to do with that four-man rush, extremely young defensive line. I think Eagles fans, our viewers, our listeners should be. very well aware of this group by now. They played against this group last year two times, once in the regular season, and they were able to sack Jalen Hertz. They got him seven times in that playoff game. So I think when you're looking at Jared Verst, this is a guy that's going to win mostly with power and violence. He is a straight line rusher. He's going to try and go

right through you. We saw him put Jordan Milata on his back on that one rep last year in the regular season game. He was an impactful player for that defense in the playoff game in the snow as well. So, yeah, when you're looking at this group, you've got verse on one side. Byron Young is on the other, and he is more like the Nolan Smith, where he's going to win with quickness and explosiveness. He can win with power as well, but he's a really quick and shifty edge rusher. Braden Fiske inside, really quick off the ball, really good off stunts. Kobe Turner as well. So it's a good group up front.

Fisk is like a little bit questionable at the moment, right? Yes. It was on the injury list. But listen, I mean, the big story this week, no doubt is the Highlander thing. There can only be one Byron Young. Who's it going to be? I think I would take the other Byron Young personally, in the Battle of Youngs. This is another classic, you know, along the lines of the, you know, the misidentified people,

where you get, like Kevin Petulow as Nick Siriani in the image. Right. If you go Byron Zio and Vic Genzo, Vic Fangio, you get the Rams, Byron Young as the headshot for Eagles Barron Young. That's tough. Or maybe it's nice. I don't know. There was one. I can't remember who it is.

I feel like it was Ben Van San Renzo. It's on brand for me to bring up. Ben Van Zumran on prompt. But I think it was Ben Van Sumer in like his picture was not Ben Van Sumer and it was like I don't remember who it was but it's always good and it's so declarative too

like this is Ben Van Van Zumrin yeah and it's like it's not Ben Stiller doing blue steel there you go that reference one really wow have heard of Zoolander I've heard of it yeah

Julia's losing when did this movie come out this is honestly this I actually I don't you can't totally all right when did the Beatles come out you had to big opinions about the Beatles and Led Zeppelin yeah I mean it would be it would be crazy

to meet someone my age who didn't know Zoolander what's it I am okay with you not know what was it rated was it rated R rated R I don't know I mean it was it was rated R was a rated R no it was not it was not rated R

originally rated R the AI overview said yeah of AI letting us down. Secondary can be had. Right. Secondary can we had. So they,

it was one of those, they came into the season. It's like, oh, we've got four starters a corner. We feel really good. And if you've got four corners, you probably have none.

I do think that this is a really feisty group. It's an aggressive group. They had an injury to Akella Witherspoon last week. He's done for the year, broken clavicle, got surgery earlier this week. So he is out. uh,

Darius Williams is going to be the, is going to be one starter on the outside. Undersized, great instincts, great ball skills, great competitiveness, um, height weight speed,

not there. So you can win like matchups against him. But he's, he's a tough corner. He's like my kind of corner. I enjoy Darius Williams. The other starter on the other side, the person I used to sit in the seat in my left,

very, would be very excited about Emmanuel Forbes being the other starter on the other side. Um, I still, I think he can go after him. So, yeah. I think you go after him.

It would be a, you know, like with AJ Brown, like the production hasn't been there. You know, is he a step slow? And then if he goes and he has a picket, like, that will be like the story and a great turnaround. And I'm sure they will be dancing about that in LA. Or he sons him again. If you're Emmanuel Forbes and you see A.J. Brown on the same field as you again, it has to be like traumatic. Yeah. His whole career got derailed by A.

Jay Brown. Like, I think sometimes that could be like an overstatement. No. It's pretty like cut and dry. Like this guy. like got destroyed by AJ Brown lost all of his confidence and is now bouncing around the NFL

but I'm sad but if I'm telling you like if if they get matched up against each other and you know it's AJ has one catch for eight yards there are going to be multiple national reporters that will be saying like what a job by less need in the Rams here and Sean McVey and the Rams turning this guy's career around true true I just I can't see it happening

AJ's like the worst matchup for Emmanuel Forbes there are a lot of guys that are bad matchups for And I really enjoy the layout of the, the Sumer Sports email we get from Sean, the matchups, very good stuff. I would, I recommend that to everybody. And just in terms of the Rams defense, you know, they'll heat them up, you said. Not high, I mean, it's only been two games. Not high in blitz rate, but when they do blitz, very effective.

Very effective. And obviously they were able to get after Cam Ward last week. Yep, they play a lot of sub package. So it's a lot of nickel, a lot of dime when they get into third and long. So you can expect to see that in those. situations. When they do that, they bring the safety, Jaylon McCullough onto the field. Cameron Curl will kick down and play over the tight end. So it's a, it's a, it's a fun defense to be able to study, but it's a very volatile defense where you know, you'll sit and going back to last year, they'll give up explosive plays. The big thing is they have not been good on the ground. You know, they've been better this year. They have yet to give up a hundred yard rusher this year.

So they're, they're hoping that that's going to continue. But last year, obviously, that was the Achilles heel of that defense. All right. You want to switch sides of the ball? Let's go to the other side. I think we're probably the more interesting matchup here. I mean, this, that first one's interesting. Yeah. Good on good here. We want to see how Vic handles the Rams. And you say that they look in the passing game better than they have in a while.

The addition of Devante Adams and Stafford looks good. It's got. I mean, Stafford looks awesome. He looks like vintage Stafford right now. Obviously, there's a lot of concern coming into the year with the back injury and all the different treatments and what does he look like this summer. But just watching him on film, I mean, he is, he can make every single throw. and he knows he can make every single throw. So he is pushing the limits and the opposite hash and into tight windows and zone.

Like it's a it's a lot of fun to watch this offense at work. You know, and Devante Adams has been exactly what they were hoping for as kind of like a, uh, an ISO receiver. He'll catch fades outside the numbers, but he's got that ability to separate. He can win at the intermediate area. So he's, you know,

catching the deep digs and the, and the deep out routes and all, everything's available for Stafford here. Nekua is Nekua. He looks good. I mean, you get the ball in his hands and he's, He's going to do work, settle into soft spots and zones. He's been a three level threat for them.

So it's a good, it's a good passing game. 45-yard rushing touchdown. He's got off a little jet suite play. It was night at night play. 8 for 91 last week and Devante Adams six for 106 and a touchdown. You like a, you like a Nakuwa? Yeah, again, I said this on yesterday's show, but I really do enjoy this. Like Nick Sierra Annie called him like a good, big, strong receiver.

And it's like, he's not big, but that run, you watch him. And it's like, yeah, this guy has some physicality to him. Yeah. So he's a good player. How do you think they will, they will try to hunt? Adori Jackson on the outside there. So what they always have been good at is, all right,

if you're, if you're going to play zone coverage against us, we are going to run concepts that are going to put that defender in conflict. And so, you know, if it's, if it's cover two to that side, which they've done a decent amount where we're going to,

you know, Dori Jackson's going to play cover two technique. Well, we're going to throw something to the flat and we're going to put something in an intermediate area and maybe we'll run something up the rail. And he's going to, he's going to get drawn one way or the other

and then we'll attack where he's not. That's, I would imagine you're going to get those kind of situations. or that's the other thing too. You know, I go back to, you know, so Devante Adams caught a red zone fade this past week against the Titans where basically went like three by one or four by one and they put Adams on the right to the right side

and they threw him a fade and he went up in one. I go back to even like the 2020 three season, Nakua, his rookie year caught that over James Bradbury. I was like, oh, like look at what they're doing with this rookie. They are willing to do that too. So if you get down into the red zone or not even the red zone, but you get to the 30 yard line, I could see them going like, all right, we're going to spread everybody out.

And it's Devante Adams versus Dory Jackson. And we're just going to run a go ball if he doesn't have any help. Yeah, it's just like usually when Sean McVeigh comes to town where we spend the whole week talking about like which linebacker is going to be under the microscope. Yeah, that's true. And this year it is like, oh man, like how is he going to get Adory Jackson in space and put him in conflicts. So you guys are going to have to be ready for it. But an interesting, but an important test for Jihad Campbell. No question.

I can't wait for that yesterday. I like how he described to Sean McVeigh offense. What are you saying? motiony. Motiony. It's very motion. He's not wrong. Number two in motion rate, 72.6%.

Again, according to Sean Syed and Sumer Sports, number two or number one in under center percentage and number one in play action percentage. And also when they do motion number two in EPA per play. So a lot to look at and kind of like a lot of things that we get on the Eagles offense for not being. Well, it's funny because like I know Kevin Petulloolo brought up the fact that he was asked about like the condensed sets, right? And he was like, oh, well, like the Rams, they do a lot of condense sets. They do. Um, but the, the big thing is the, uh, the so much variety off of what they do out of those looks. It's not going to be like the same kind of. It's,

they run the same place, but they dress things up so, so, so well. So they, you know, even though it's going to be the same kind of concepts, uh, they, they have so much variety with the way they get to those concepts, uh, that it's very well disguised. I have this thing going on in my head where I hear Kevin Petulow and I feel like the inverse is low foot to Tupu. Kevin Petulow, low foot to Tupu. They kind of work together. It's kind of like the yin and the gang. That's a tough name for Eagles fans. Loafutu to Tupu. So Monday night against Seattle, we read that huge game. Is that right? Yeah.

Remember. Let us know in the chat. And comment below on the video if you also think of Fentupew when you hear Kevin Petulow. I don't think that's going to I think you're alone on that one. Speaking of chat, two things. Stagg lewd. Two quick things. What do you got? To the chat.

First off, when we go to this camera, it does look like I have a really cool flat top. I wish. That's funny. Okay. I wish my hair. Yeah. I like that. That's pretty good.

I like that. Yeah. Looks like my dad in the 80s. Okay. Secondly, the Zoolander thing. Let me just put this to bed right now. I do not like have like a pop culture blind spot. These guys, they throw stuff at me that came out when I was like six and then they're like,

you don't know about that. I told you. you, I didn't think the Zoolander thing was that. Yeah, but I saw people in the chat saying that I am just as bad as my predecessor when it comes to pop culture knowledge. That is ridiculous. You've got to prove that, though. So far, you've been left to.

I've got nothing to prove. Let's get to the super. Let's get to the super chats before we get to our last break. Joe Rockett, very generous donation. Thank you, Joe. 20-something owners voted against the shove because it was too dangerous with no data. Now, the narrative has changed. it's now hard to officiate.

When did this change? I believe this changed on the broadcast on Sunday. When the NFL needed to find a new slant. And then they got all their mouthpieces to do it. Yeah. I mean, I think you saw it happen in real time. And Brandon Ekstrom with a nice super chat donation. We appreciate that.

All right. Done and dusted here? I think so. We'll talk a little bit more about the game as we go through Super, as always. I am sure that we will. So let's take a little break. And then on the other side, you got to go to the bathroom or something?

Yeah, I do want to jump out for quick. All right. On the other side, we will get into Swooper. Monarch is built for people with busy lives. If you've put off organizing your finances, Monarch is for you. Monarch does the heavy lifting. You can link all of your accounts and minutes and get clear data visuals, smart categorization of your spending

and real control over your money. We promise you will never need to touch a spreadsheet again. Monarch isn't just another finance app. tool real professionals and experts actually love. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code P HLY at monarchmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code P HLY. Next, I want to thank all of you for being part of the P HLY community.

We are always looking to improve our shows and better understand how you listen and what you value most. That's why we've launched a quick survey. Your feedback helps us shape the content you love and make it even better. It only takes a few minutes, but it makes a big impact. Take a moment, head to all phly.com slash survey and let your voice be heard. Respondents have a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. We appreciate you. And now it's just me here. These two guys had to go to the bathroom. So if you have any questions for me, if you have any mailbags that you haven't been sending in, that you may be a handsome podcast host from another podcast didn't answer, this is your time. This is like the only time we're going to get to mailbags here.

We could just chat too. Yeah. I mean, I'm just going to be. Yeah, it's just just me in the chat. Yeah. I cannot believe that these guys can't hold it in. You know, I go to the bathroom every day before the show for the record. So do I. Yeah. Yeah. So do I. Tough, tough look. This is also probably a good time for me to bring the abacus back out. There I go. And for all the haters out there who have talked about my lack of counting, all I can count guys, 2 and O. It's super an easy game.

Can't help but wonder. Kind of feels like I'm killing it with Swooper. All right, we're going to go into the chat. See many questions. I have not seen the original naked gun, Zach. Again, when was that movie released? I have seen Borat both Borat's

Is it called Borat too? I'm not sure but I have seen Borat Let's see There's not a squatty potty in the office These guys might need a squatty potty Oh God, wait a minute Oh God

Here we go My co-hosts are back They left me hanging here So that they could have This organized Coup all rise for the

honorable judge Syed actually in the bathroom Judge Syed oh no hello everyone thank you for being on time and dressed professionally

I see that it appears the defendant in this case is not fully dressed and prepared I will not hold that against him I will allow the attorneys to it is great to see you Sean Hold on. Don't talk.

I'm excited for this to go on the front page of the William & Mary Law School alumni note this month. I'm a proud member of the Pass the Bar Exam Club, and now I'm here to adjudicate an important matter. Well, Your Honor, members of the chat, respected witnesses. I stand before you today to present a clear and undeniable case of cheating that took place during a game where the defendant, our friend, Mr. E.J. Smith, deliberately and knowingly engaged in behavior intended to undermine the fairness and integrity of the game that we all know and love, super sarcasting. Now, by submitting an item that he knew was extremely likely to hit based off of an unfair advantage gained by his locker room access that not all of us are afforded, this misconduct not only tarnishes the spirit

of fair competition, but it also violates the trust that is essential to the very nature of the the friendly games that we sometimes begrudgingly play on this show. The item in question, Fred Johnson takes at least one snap as a sixth offensive lineman, which did in fact hit for one swooper point in Sunday's contest. Now, I speak for all of us here today when I say that we were wronged in the most blatant of ways. The defendant's actions were not accidental, nor were they the result of some honest naivete. No, Your Honor, they were intentional. They were strategic and they were designed to cheat the system. And today, I will provide you with irrefutable evidence of this misdeed. First, I submit to the court, Exhibit A, a conversation that we all

witnessed exactly one week ago today in this very studio. Bayliff, if you would be so kind. Just give me the sixth, though, Lyman. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. There might be more on that later. Interesting. Yeah. What do you think? About the six offensive line? You got a little scuttle But I feel like what I would say is that I think the players agree that there should be some Fred Johnson usage as the sixth offense appointment. Your Honor, in that clip, we see the defendant allude to the knowledge that players in the locker room were, in fact, pulling for this desired outcome. Now, second, I would like to present Exhibit B, where we all go to the act in question, which occurred just over 60 minutes later in that same show. Again, Bailiff, if you would be so kind to roll the tape. And if it pleases your honor and our esteemed viewers watching at home,

please remain focused on Mr. Smith as the bidding ensues on the item. Starting the bidding at three. At three. Sounds like insider knowledge to me. Yeah. Now this is dirty. Sadie. I don't know.

The feeling is extremely dirty. Yeah. Bagger. I mean, like results based. It's not like you're in the game plan meeting room and you give inside information. I'll go for. Five.

You can't let him have this. Six. Seven. All right, you got it. You know, it kills me. Then I have turkeys. You have no turkeys left. I know.

Now, as you can clearly see, Your Honor, Mr. Wolf and I immediately went on the record to object this submission. We knew of Mr. Smith's intent. And frankly, we're shocked that he would actually go through with this act. This is very clearly attacking the spirit of this fine game.

But upon first, the review of the tape, one can really see the true ill will here with this act. Bailiff, if you please, could just go to the one still frame that we have provided the court. Ladies and gentlemen, as you can clearly see, once you see this image, you know, this is not the look of a man who is here just to have fun. It's not the look of a man who is here to talk about a football game with people that he loves. No, this look of unbridled satisfaction that you will about to see tells us a story. It's a story of a man corrupted by the weight of his invisible crown that he placed on his own head just days earlier. A story of a man overcome with greed and selfishness, and that greed

would drive him so far as to cross the line of intellectual dishonesty that he so fervently claims to hold true to. But don't just take my word for it. Let's look at the facts. Through two weeks, Mr. Smith has submitted six items for auction, giving him the opportunity to open the bid on a half dozen occasions. This was the first time he ever opened the bidding at three turkeys, proving the confidence that he had in this item to hit.

Through two weeks, Mr. Smith has won the auction on 10 separate super submissions. This item was the third most turkeys that he had ever spent, and it was the fastest that he was willing to up the ante with every counter from the competition. The only reason that this item did not cost Mr. Smith the most turkeys was because Mr. Wolf, going against the urging of the plaintiff, dropped out of the bidding. Before that moment, Mr. Smith immediately won up. Immediately won up Mr. Wolf at every turn. The defendant himself said, you know it kills me to not have turkeys after so proudly

clutching to his turkeys in the previous. week's matchup, Mr. Smith was willing to over-extend his budget for this item. And why? Because he felt that much better that it would hit. And he saved this item for his third and final submission because he knew that everyone else would have fewer turkeys to spend. Now, that alone, that's good strategy. That's game theory. All's fair in that regard. But it is the motivation behind that strategy that brings us here to this courtroom today, Your Honor. And with that, as your is aware there is further evidence in the form of Exhibit C. Text messages sent from Mr. Smith to Mr. Wolf and myself the day before.

Last week's episode was recorded that cannot be made publicly shared, publicly visible due to the acknowledgement of redacted individuals whose names we would like to keep anonymous. These messages have been provided to you and you have been reviewed in camera. This text message exchange serves as concrete evidence that the defendant knew all too well that this item was very much in play for this contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. You may ask at home if you are watching and listening

to this proceeding, if Mr. Smith was willing to text us this information on the day before the auction, then we all were able to go off that same information. My response to that is to look at the evidence laid before us, the tactful placement of the entry at that point in the matchup, the largest opening

bid that he has ever made in the game, the urgency and the confidence, clearly on display, with every bid there, Thereafter, the willingness to exhaust all of his turkeys when he so proudly paid homage to his predecessors' frugal ways just days earlier, all with that smile on his face. A look that would rock Jalen Carter to his core. The fact is, this was no level playing field. No, the circumstantial evidence here is overwhelming.

Your Honor, the facts are clear. The defendant did not simply bend the rules or engage in harmless mistake. What occurred here was a calculated and deliberate effort to distort the game's outcome with information obtained through unjust avenues. The evidence speaks for itself, and it is only reasonable to conclude that the defendant's actions were designed to undermine the very purpose of this game that we play every week to provide a fun and fair competition for all involved so that thousands of people can watch and listen to us, wager, make-believe turkeys of unsubstantiated value on things that may have little or no impact on whether or not the Philadelphia, Eagles win or lose their upcoming game. Your Honor, I know that you know the following to be true. The integrity of games, no matter how small, is fundamental to maintaining trust among all

players. When that trust is violated, especially by someone who clearly intended to manipulate the outcome, it is our duty to hold them accountable. The plaintiff did not come here today, seeking vengeance, but rather justice. A restoration of fairness and an acknowledgement of the harm caused by the defendant's actions that harm, not just me, not just Mr. Wolf, but to all of the sickos out there in the world who trust us with their time five days a week, I respectfully request that, based off the overwhelming evidence presented in this case, the court rule in favor of the plaintiff,

declare the defendant's week two victory, null and void, award a half point to the plaintiff and to Mr. Wolf and mandate a seven turkey penalty for this week's proceedings. He spent seven turkeys on said item. Thank you, Your Honor. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. The plaintiff, press. Now, Mr. Wolf, would you prefer that I direct my questions to

the plaintiff's counsel first, or would you like to make your statement? I'll go with my opening statement, Your Honor. Your Honor, gentle people of the chat, look at my client. Look at this poor sap. The prosecution would have you

believe that Mr. Smith is a criminal mastermind. gaming the system to his advantage with inside information to bilk the other honorable swooper-sourcasting participants of points. To that charge, I scoff. Never attribute malice to that for which stupidity or in this case, naivete, is an easier explanation.

Look at this dundering buffoon. I think I need to represent myself here. Is he guilty of leaning on locker room sources to ascertain specific parts of the Eagles game plan and subsequently parlaying that knowledge into a swooper item for which he was willing to pay no limit of turkeys? Yes.

Did he do this because he was trying to tear down the integrity of the game itself? Did he do it out of some deep-seated insecurity because he didn't think he would be able to compete with the two veteran contestants if things were on the level. Did he do it because he thought cheating would be the equivalent of punching

the biggest guy in the face on the first day in prison? That he needed to announce his presence with authority. Did he do it because he simply has no moral compass? Your Honor? Of course not. He did it because he didn't know any better. I implore the court,

Again, look at my client. Look at this bozo, this clown, this no-nothing, this walking example of why actually CTE maybe isn't so bad after all. Oh my God. This feather-brained, unschooled shell of a man has never heard of Bach or Dostoevsky or Rembrandt or Limbrent. biscuit. Despite the prosecution's admittedly very compelling argument, we must submit, Your Honor, that intention must matter. And I will continue this opening statement in Bovertime. What the swooper state is proposing would be the equivalent of giving the death penalty to a drooling

anthropomorphic golden retriever for jaywalking when the poor sap can't even read the sign. Instead, we submit a more reasonable solution.

Discard the six offensive line item in question. The turkey spent are lost. Strike it from the record. Award the points for the rest of the items which do still give this boob, this dodo bird,

this nimwit, this poor excuse for a super contestant, the win for a second week in a row. Yes, by all means, tell him a second violation of this sort will result in expulsion. But let him have his points. Lord knows he may never get them again.

And with that, the defense rests. I would like to represent myself moving forward. I did not hire this guy. The court notes that there was no motion sent beforehand in terms of allowing. Your honor, may I represent myself in this matter? I would like to refuse this public defender. I mean, the motion is denied.

The motion is certainly not timely at this point. I believe that both arguments have been submitted. If it is okay with counsel, if I can start with questions for the plaintiff, is that okay? Yes, Your Honor. I just ask that you direct all questions for the defense to me moving forward. Mr. Duffy, the first question from the court is, is there an official rulebook to the game known as Swooper? Only on the social platform, previously known as Twitter.

We'd have to go back to August of 2024 to find that, Your Honor. Would you call Swooper a game of skill? Absolutely. Would you say that the defense will get their questions. Now, Mr. Duffy, I was, of course, trained under Judge Schill Capati of the ringers-filly special. And in that court, we certainly spend time opening our hearts and our souls there. Do you feel at all that this line of questioning that would not result in a win for anyone else, is it at all connected personally to your feeling of loss in this situation?

It is all for the spirit of the game, Your Honor. I am all for fair winning and losing. To me, well, when the spirit of the game is put in jeopardy by the intellectual dishonesty of one individual, then I feel like it is all of our responsibility to come together to prevent it from happening again. Mr. Duffy, did everyone have a fair and open chance to bid on what was submitted? Or was it a case like a fantasy draft where you select? a player. We all had the ability.

I did not have the ability because of the amount of turkeys that I had. So it's not that everybody had the same amount of, of, and just for the court's clarity,

why did you not have any turkeys available to submit on that specific bid? They were spent on earlier items, Your Honor. Okay, but you would have, technically, if it was submitted first,

you would have had the chance to bid on. And Mr. Wolf did bid on that. Is that correct? That is correct. Okay, now for... That's correct. And I would add, Your Honor, in my client's defense, if he knew that it was untoward to save an item that he felt was likely to hit until the end, he probably wouldn't

have done that. Again, this is naivete instead of malice. May I add, Your Honor, that they made fun of me on this show earlier for not submitting my swooper entries until a half hour before the show. And now they think that I'm some criminal mastermind who has put the last interesting one last. And Mr. Wilf, just to clarify. How are my two and oh? Mr. Wolf, your argument is essentially that your client is an idiot.

Is that a summary of what your argument is? Former client. That's about the scope of it. Yes, Your Honor. X client, I might add. And Mr. Wolf, as you pointed out, if this court was to decide to void that selection, your client would still be a whopping 2-0 on his first two shows doing swooper against to what the court recognizes as extreme veterans of the game?

That's correct, Your Honor. Oh, it's got a sting. Not at all. I'm doing my job. There is a lot for this court to consider. And, you know, this court knows Mr. Smith to be an extremely hardworking journalist, certainly abutting, if not already, but media personality whose work is frankly worth a subscription to be a diehard on PHLY. It feels like there was a lot of information shared.

It feels like Mr. Duffy attempted to get to this judge before this court session with some evidence that was submitted, that candidly was submitted in public in front of this court as well. Despite Mr. Wolf's candidly uninspired defense of Mr. Smith, the court is leaning towards no punishment in this situation. certainly as a whole feeling that retribution will be too far and reform is always the best. But this court recognizes the value of having a journalist who spent so much time in the locker room that he is able to get this information that he can share with other people. And if this was a situation, if this was a situation where Mr. Smith did not open up the bidding to other people, if this was a situation where Mr. Smith only won because of this,

if this was a situation where Mr. Smith did not win in that first week, this court might be. feel differently, but I mean, the court is certainly open to some final words, but the lean here is not even that penalty. It's that it feels that other people may need to improve their skills. And this court has seen videos of Fran Duffy speaking to Kevin Petullo on camera about very detailed plays. There is no secret that Fran Duffy is extremely well connected and a former employee of the Philadelphia Eagles. And despite an extremely strong argument, the court is certainly leaning in the direction of extremely favor towards the defendant, but we'll hear any final words before making a final final decision. I will say, Your Honor, in my defense to that,

to that, yes, I did previously work for the organization. I have never once parlayed any swooper submission off of something that would be gleaned from game plan specific items, nor have I ever used connections with broadcasting companies, opposing teams, any other kind of influence where maybe I could get some kind of insight into predicting

what could happen that would be within our control of more results-based analysis Sequan Barkley, Russian yardage, a sack from here, from a player here, there are two sacks from a rookie linebacker in week one, whatever the case may be. But we appreciate your,

justification in this matter. One question of clarification, Your Honor. Is it true that a case successfully argued counts as a swooper win? Is that true? Mr. Wolf, the rules of swooper are not only unclear to me. It feels like we're not presented fully to the defendant in this situation, which frankly, that is actually the crux at the issue. If there are no rules in place in a board game, in a Pokemon card game that Mr.

roleful play with his child. There is just, there is nothing that you can go on. We are arguing at thin air. And frankly, this court is, is, is concerned about the lack of clarity for newcomers to these kinds of games. So yes, then. No. If it was my decision, it would not. That would be an affid, and also for, the facts on the ground, Mr. Johnson, Fred Johnson had logged one total snap, I believe, as a six offensive lineman with a second that was potentially going to happen, but ended up in an encroachment? Is that correct? That is correct. Mr. Duffy, would you say if EJ. Smith was in Tom Brady's position? And he had the ability to divulge information for his potential gain. He would be on the headset with Chip Kelly telling him everything he saw in the

broadcast meetings. I think the, the lack of honor that Mr. Smith has shown in the last eight days would prove that, yes, that would be the case. So he would be leveraging every opportunity to gain an unfair advantage, Your Honor. Now, Mr. Smith, I just, I do want you to know that you are on notice here. This has been aired out. You know, your connections to members in that locker room is extremely valuable to so many, but it may not be as valuable to your colleagues, it appears. It may be that there are places that you used to spend more time on that may appreciate your time more,

but that's not for this court to decide. I appreciate you getting to the facts, Your Honor. And I also would like to say, I never want Mr. Wolf to represent me ever again. The court would love to see what your state. bar license number is just for... Pay up, my friend. This ain't no pro bono. All right, well, thank you

for your service, Your Honor. Hopefully we see you down the line. Much appreciate it. And Your Honor, if there are any viewers or listeners who are also interested in finding out more about your

adjudications, where could they find you? Well, you used to be able to find it in law journals, but now on Twitter at Sideskimes. You check out the Super Sports YouTube channel where you can find me doing video breakdown. Objection to Twitter, Your Honor. Unrelated.

What is your grounds for that? Nazis, Your Honor. Well, it's not the greatest place, but if I can look up, what is it, at P.HLY underscore Eagles on Twitter, 10.2,000 followers. Oh, that's actually Bowles' face. That's right there.

So, you know, I guess that the place Twitter is not necessarily the greatest, but it is our largest following right now. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Your Honor. I can't believe you guys. They tried to take me down. You really thought we were in the bathroom for a long time. I was like, what is going on here?

Both of these guys, they've never left the show. I'm like reading the chat. I felt like a streamer or something. We were very chill for not knowing what was going on. Okay, I appreciate that. Yeah. I was trying to keep it, keep it cool. Very chill.

I can't believe you guys. I cannot believe. You try to take me down to worse. You're talking about like, I successfully defended you. You're out of your mind. You see, I hope the chat realizes. They're scared. They're shaken.

They're rattled. They brought suits in today. I was wondering why we were all wearing collared shirts today. Like, I noticed you both had nice. shirts on. I thought it was because what we were doing earlier, but now I find out. You guys, I mean, that was an impressive opening. I skipped the whole night of film study to write that. It was really impressive. Thank you. But again, I want the chat to know. It's because I got these guys on the ropes. Because you cheated. I would have won without the item. And that's true.

Yeah. The most important thing here, you guys have the same information I had. I shared this with you. Not going to, I'm not going to reread. Truly. I'm rereading the entire case. Yeah. Well, yeah, we don't have to Because I was innocent Intellectually dishonesty Yeah, absolutely not innocent Shocker, the courts came up small Wow, 2025

And so let's go over last week's Swipper EJ used 37 of his 31 turkeys AJ Brown has more than seven targets That was a hit The Eagles do at least one of the following Eight things Score 40 points, no Complete five passes of 20 plus yards

No, four three plus turnovers no Get three six plus six plus six plus six Sacks, no, score a defensive touchdown nearly, but not all the way. Six consecutive drives without allowing a first down, face five consecutive dropbacks that result in a sack or interception, or hold the chiefs to 20 plus consecutive unsuccessful offensive plays. Did not happen. AJ Brown and Devante Smith both have four plus targets.

Did happen. Devante Smith scores a touchdown of over 30 yards, nearly, but not quite. Fred Johnson takes at least one snap as a sixth offensive lineman, dirty as it was. It did happen. and the Eagles win the game by more than six points did not happen. That was three hits for EJ. I went 0 for three, but only spent 11 turkeys.

Jalen Herkes has sacked three times. An Eagles corner has an interception. Tank Bigsby either muffs or fumbles a punt or kickoff return or returns one beyond the 45-dard line did not happen. Fran, three items. Jalen Hertz has more total touchdowns and fewer giveaways than Patrick Mahomes. Did that happen? No. Patrick Mahomes had two touchdowns.

Jalen had one. Gotcha. at least one of the following happens. Cooper DeGine has an interception. Zach Bonn has an interception. Jaylick Hunt has a sack. Jordan Davis has a sack. Did happen?

No. And then Jillyn Hertz scrambles for more first downs and Patrick Mahomes. That did not happen. So E.J. takes it down. He's got two wins on the season. He goes first this week.

It goes E.J. Bo, Fran. E.J. enters today with 18 turkeys. I have 40. Fran has 27. 40 turkeys? I have 40 turkeys. Just everybody ready to go.

18 for me, you said? Okay, thank you. That's good. I feel like the chat can't see it. Okay, there we go. All right. After you, Mr. Smith. Okay, my first entry, without any insider information, let me add.

Kairn Williams has at least one fumble that is recovered by the Eagles. Got a big one on the opening drive in L.A. last year. Yeah. Okay, are you going to start the bidding? I'm going to start the bidding at one. Two, three, four. I'm going to let you have it at four. It's all you're going once, going twice.

Sold to the man in the red tie. We're covered by the Eagles. Okay. My first item. I feel like I have gotten away from the spirit of Swoper a little bit, a little bit too vanilla with my... You think you've been... Vanillas?

I think so. You have not submitted. one thing that's hit yet. Yeah, but they haven't been... They haven't been fun. Okay, got it. So here we go. At least one,

but not all, of the following things happen. Oh, God. We get a mirror play. Do you know what a mirror play is, E.J. I can surmise. A play gains the same yards so from one side of the 50 to the other.

A four-yard gain from the 48, right? A mirror play. A player on either team gains the same yards on a play as their jersey number. A kick hits either the uprights or the crossbar. This does include kickoffs. Okay.

And then finally someone other than Jalen Hertz or Matthew Stafford throws a pass. So at least one, but not all of those things happen. And I will start the bidding at three. What if two of them happen? That still counts, right? Correct. But what about why not all? What if they all happen?

You don't get the item. I guess that's pretty unlikely though okay how unlikely you started at three I did four five I don't have the turkeys this week to be frivolously spending because it's treated last week five going once I've not known this friend nah five going twice sold to the man in the red tie for five yes that brings you to 29. 29, right? Over to you,

Mr. Duff. All right, we're going to go the first one here. Here it is. Okay. The Rams score more points in the second half

than there are total combined sacks in this game between both sides. The Eagles have given up just seven points in the second half through two games.

The Rams offensively have been very good in the second half of two games. The Rams also sacked Jalen hurt seven times in the playoff game the eagle sacked stafford five times in both games we're to start the bidding at three four five six concerns me that fran's not on this one either he's definitely out he's just you know fighting his time six going once not all of us have to jump right

in as if we know the outcome is going to happen six twice seven oh seven going once seven this is that the rams points is more than the rams score more points than there are total combined sacks. Seven going twice. Eight. Eight going once. Eight going twice. Nine.

I gave you a pause to get in there. Nine going once. Nine going twice. Sold. We don't do snake for this, do we? No. Jesus Christ. At least I asked, right?

All right. No, it's not your turn. What color do you think this tie is? That was bad. This is a red tie. It's a red tie. The chat says it looks a little more purply. No, it's a red tie.

Red tie. Yeah. Okay. Danez's submission. The Eagles do at least one of the following five things. Run four plus play action plays from the pistol. Get sacked at least seven times. allow a safety

now allow a safety means on offense okay I think so score over three rushing touchdowns of 44 yards or recover recover two fumbles on defense or paint the end zones white for the game

the white being they're wearing white at home are wearing white at home okay see now no I'm not gonna let the rumbles thing no no no okay You think he's going with insider information?

No, I was saying, I wanted to. I could get the inside information on that. Yeah, true. You should have. But you are an honorable man, or I would never think to do that. I'll say one, two, three,

three going once, three going twice. Sold to the man in the red, not purple tie. Gets it down to 26. Yes. It looks purple on the, it does. Yeah, on camera.

All right. Now, E.J., it is your turn. Okay. Darius Cooper records his first career catch in the game. I can see the pain in your eyes, like that you don't have turkeys to bid on this. He has plenty of turkey. I have the most turkeys left.

Oh, man. Well, you're just pained. He played 14 snaps. I total this season. I think that was all last week, though. Yes. No, 12 snaps against the Chiefs. So more opportunity.

And showed a little feistyness in those softs things. I was kind of intrigued. Not as much as a lot to. You're going to open up the building? Not as much as a lot too. I'm going to open up the bidding at two. Two going once. Three.

I don't like it when you do that. Four. Five. I can't. I'm out. Go for it. Two. Five going once.

Five going twice. Sold to the Darius Cooper lover. Okay. Next for me. any player on either team in this game finishes with zero catches on one target straightforward but throw away target

or you know, could be anybody. Either team, zero catches on one target, I'll start the bidding at three. Four. Five. Ooh. Six. Seven. Eight.

Nine. Nine going once. Nine. going twice. Sold. All right. Over to you, Fran. Fran has nine turkeys remaining.

I have 19. E.J. has 18. All right. My next one. Jalen Hertz accounts for three plus total touchdown. So at least three total touchdowns, but at least one of them is passing. Hertz is tied for the league lead in rushing touchdown.

So far the season, he's the first quarterback to go two and no without throwing a passing touchdown since 2010. We're going to start the bidding at three. Four. Julia with a deep exhale. I'll say five. Six. Six going once.

Six going twice. I have talked to Jalen Hertz this week. I will make that clear. I have no insider information. I submitted the item, so you don't need to falsely cover yourself on the sole to the morally scurrilous contender over there. What did you call it? What was the golden retriever?

I saw that and I couldn't get a wide receiver out of my head. I said, uh, drooling golden retriever. Yeah, anthropomorphic Yeah, anthropomorphic. Druling,

andrewing golden retriever. Learn what you really think of me today. Uh, all right. Danes's second submission. Okay, I need to read the rules. I didn't make the rules graphic. That's what the sigh was about. Yeah.

This is an all-pay Amish auction. Player submit sealed bids, the highest bidder wins, but all players must pay whatever they bid themselves. If there is a tie, the tied players continue in a normal auction until there is a winner, but the all-pay rules continue to hold so everyone pays whatever they bid. last. If all players refuse to break the tie, they all still pay their bids and nobody gets the item. And the item is. We all understand the rules?

Yeah. Okay. It's the one that Dana is thinks I always overpay. Yes. Yeah. Okay. I thinks I always do. Matt Stafford scrambles at least once.

Okay. They're marking down their guesses. Famously hadn't scrambled at all for the matchup last year and then had one on the opening drive, I believe. Oh, yes. a note he said he has not yet done so this year last year he did not have a single scramble coming into week 12 against the eagles but he did scramble one time both in that game and in the playoff game there you go you guys write yours down or do you send it i got

i got it i said i slacked it to julia all right what didn't what did j have e j two i also have oh boy i have oh no calculator you also have zero oh zero okay so wait so he used a calculator for that. Well, he was trying to show. Oh, zero. Okay. Three.

We bid, right? Yeah, we bid. You got it. I like that one. I think that's a good one. And you still play. I lose two turkey, so I'm down to 17 turkeys.

He's down to nine. That didn't change your, wouldn't you want to bid, like, to just, yeah, like you already had two turkeys in. You might as well just kept it on. It's not cost fallacy, though, E.J. I could have gone.

on to beat you for sure, but that wouldn't, that's what I would do if it was an item that was definitely going to hit. You're trying to psych me out. Mr. 2 and O over here thinks it's a good item. Okay. If I go on a losing streak, this is going to be tough. It's a long season, my friend. All right, E.J. over to you. Okay. My final entry, unless this was too similar to anybody else, I have another alternate. I'm going to start sharing my alternates with you for fun. No, that's not how this works. Seguan Barclay has more rushes of 12 plus yards than Jared verse has TFLs. Okay.

Now are you counting sacks as TFLs? Yeah. Because by the statistics, a TFL does not count as a TFL. I think for the, like, for this to be close, I would like to count sacks for it. Okay. How are we feeling about it? I don't care how you feel about it. That's what I want to do.

I'm going to be my own man. It doesn't matter how I feel about it. I'm just, you need to decide what it is. Yeah. Okay, so Sacks plus TFLs. Okay. I'm going to start the bidding at one. Two.

Three. Four. Five. And this is, it was importantly only runs, right? Yes. Five going once. Five going twice. Sold.

Out of 12. Sankuan. 12 plus Russia. reverse sacks TFOs all right that was not our only Darius Cooper submission

as we get to my final submission here so this is a matchup between Darius Cooper and Cameron Latu okay Darius Cooper snaps plus

any catches or carries count times four they count as four same thing for Cameron Latu So it's snaps plus four times the catches or carries that you get. Darius Cooper out does Cameron Lattu in this formula. So Darius Cooper has more snaps and or weighted carries or catches than Cameron Lattu in this game. And I will start.

Why did you overcomplicate it so much? Because that is the beauty of Swooper. Okay. And I start the bidding at five. Five. Six. Seven. I mean, it's like I can't go against my guy

But I also don't want to let you have this No, seven going once Seven going twice sold Okay How much did you buy for? Seven, so I'm down to five I have five you both have nine with two items remaining And I only got two things Correct

So is Fran. Correct for now My last one Sequin Barclay rushed us for 100 yards. He has yet to rush for 100 so far this season. The Rams have yet to allow a running back to run for 100 yards. He ran for 202 touchdowns in both games last year. Most yards ever gained by one player against one opponent in a single season. We will start the bidding at 9.

Okay, goes to Fran. Thank you. Okay. And we get to the final. Danes submission going in. E.J. has nine. I have five. Fran has zero, but he will be able to borrow likely.

Okay. This is a classic Dutch auction. I will begin at 30 and count down until somebody yells swooper. Whoever yells who ever yells super first wins the item for however many turkeys I say last. And you can borrow turkeys from next week. Good? Good. Good. Okay. This is just, yeah, whoever says swoop.

gets it. And yeah. Yes. Here's the item. Five. The one last week really messed me up. The Eagles win the game, but do so by a smaller margin than the number of turkeys for which this item is sold. Smaller margin.

Yes. Okay. Okay. Ready? Ready. 30. 29. 28.

27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 13, 12, 11, 13. 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. Super. eight. So the Eagles win the game by fewer than eight points. Yes. And I have negative three turkeys. So to run it down, EJ.

Jalen Hertz scores, has three touchdowns, but at least one of them is a passing touchdown. And Matthew Stafford scrambles. And you have nine turkeys to carry over. I have Kyron Williams, fumbles and is recovered by the Eagles. That whole thing about the mirror plays

and the uprights and stuff. DeNiz's hoopoo platter. Darius Cooper has a catch. Sequin has more 12-yard rushes than Jared Verse has sacks and TFLs. Darius Cooper has more catches or more snaps than Cameron Latu, but catches and carries also count for four points. And then the Eagles win the game by fewer than eight points.

Fran has the Rams score more points in the second half than there are total sacks in the game. there's a player in the game with zero catches on one target and Sequin Barclay rushes for at least 100 yards and you have zero turkeys left over. Here we go. What a riveting day in court, man. I'm going to be like exhausted after the show.

I'm ready to go home and take a nap. I agree. I didn't feel good about the world's greatest. I couldn't finish the song. I had to change it to. I went next. to respect by Aretha Franklin, and that felt much better.

I didn't think you, I was going to say, I thought you were going to say you didn't feel good about your scathing defense of me. I felt great about that. I got, I won, it's not about telling the truth, it's about winning the case. Soft judge.

Yeah, I mean, you knew, you knew right away when you saw that judge, you were in good shape. Yeah. Well, you guys brought him on. Yeah. This is your decision.

Like, you can't, this is so classic, you like ask Sean to come on and then be like, oh, the second it was Sean as the judge, you knew you were five. I won. I'm happy. I'm undefeated in court. Never lost.

Hang the banner, baby. Classic bow. Classic reframing job for me from you here. I did it. France prosecution had me sweating for a minute. Let the record show that Bo was all in favor of crooked court system. We're not going there. All right.

Good stuff. everybody. We got one more show this week, of course, back tomorrow at 2 o'clock with Dana is talking more about this matchup. And E.J. will also be here. That's about all we got. Since I'm free. Free man. Yeah. Free. That could be a good merch. The chat was on my side, once again, the people. For what? In the trial, the people were on my side. Because you had a great lawyer. I see why you wanted to be my defense now. He didn't really have a choice in the matter because I was definitely going to do the prosecution.

The prosecution was nicer to me. Once again, I am only regretting bits that could have been. I should have gone full Johnny Cochran and done some like rhymes. Bad jump by me. Anyway, all right. Thanks so much. Thank you to Fran for putting in the time last night.

fantastic work out of him. Thank you to Julia and Ethan for getting the graphics together. And that's all we got. We will talk to you tomorrow, 2 o'clock. And as always, and by the way, leave some comments, subscribe, tell people to subscribe.

You like steal a friend's phone and subscribe for them. Let's get this thing to 50K. Let's do all that good stuff. And now we can say goodbye. So for all of us here, we thank you for watching and listening. We'll talk to you tomorrow.

And as always, we love you.