The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Patrick Mahomes is Unstoppable, Dave's Mom Has a Mike Ditka Story, Film Nerd Showdown with Marc Sessler, Points Per Game with Geoff Schwartz

Episode Date: October 20, 2025

It’s episode 18, so naturally, the Football Americans pay tribute to the NFL’s greatest to ever wear the number—plus, Shek’s mom pops in with a birthday story for her childhood neighbor, Mike Ditka (yes, really).‘Heed the Call’s’ Marc Sessler stops by for a film-nerd showdown on Tarantino vs. P.T. Anderson before everyone dives headfirst into the week’s Jerk List.The questions are unending… Where’s the defense in Buffalo and Pittsburgh? Is KC fated for another Super Bowl run? Is Christian McCaffrey the 49ers’ Jenga piece holding it all together? Should the NFL outlaw on-field jersey swaps? Then, Geoff Schwartz joins for Points Per Game to answer life’s great mysteries: Why does college football only have half a white stripe? What’s going on with the Jets? How far can Drake Maye take the Patriots? The Colts are good. The Raiders are bad. Everything’s right (and wrong) in the football universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few weeks ago here on Football America, we asked if we're watching right now the goats in the four major sports. Last Friday, right after we wrapped up, episode number 17, in which we debated which number 17 is ultimately better. Josh Allen or Phil Rivers, number 17, showy Atani, number 17, had maybe the greatest postseason game in baseball history. It's a football show, but we do like the other sports as well, and so we honor the greatest MLB of all time. It is clearly Otani now, and we may also be guilty of turning our nose up. or getting distracted by other pro football players, we are looking at arguably the greatest quarterback, at least, in pro football history.

I hesitate to say Mahomes is the best football player ever. I don't know. Mahomes v. say like Lawrence Taylor is on par with comparing Patrick Wai, Mariel Lemieux. They're both French Canadians who know how to skate, but that's about the extent of it. Anywho, best ever in football, goats. Even if you don't think Mahomes is the greatest QB ever, we can now all agree he's still good.

And that's bad news for the rest of the AFC. Is this really going to happen all over again with the Chiefs? All of a sudden, as much as we've tried talking ourselves out of KC, they look like the conference's best team. Hate to go back to Mahomes and Stanos, but he does feel inevitable. And just imagine if Mahomes and his pals do get back to the Super Bowl, that it'd be four in a row. And unlike the Bills in the 90s, they've actually won some of those games.

So get ready, everybody. We can get distracted by Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, but number 17, Josh Allen better steal himself deep down in places he doesn't like talking about. He knows Patrick Mahomes is inevitable. Let's start the show. Hi and hello, my fellow football Americans. Welcome to episode 18 of Football America. We have much to talk about reacting to NFL week seven, maybe some college football too,

with our pal, Jeff Schwartz, some points per game. for you and also in his debut on football america one of my favorite fellas in the business mark sessler from heed the call on his way he'll be participating in the jerk list maybe some movie talk as well in the meantime like i say fellas gino and mike mike and gino it is episode 18 we have to honor the greatest football player to wear that jersey number obviously a short discussion required here today it's Peyton manning right this is that's an easy one it's got to be Peyton Manning. The only one I could even think that might be in his stratosphere is Justin Jefferson if he project his career out based on what he's done so far. Yeah, you got to win a Super Bowl, though.

So it's easily Payton Manning, even though he was a complete liability in that Super Bowl with the Broncos and Von Miller carried him to the finish line, it's Payton Manning. We agree Caleb Williams is not headed to the Hall of Fame. He wears No. 18. Randall Cobb. Chas Joyner wore the number 18 for the Chargers. He's a Hall of Famer. Here's a crazy thing about the number 18. Darry Strawberry War it. One of my favorite things It's sort of trivia, is in 1988, no one under the sun who watched baseball would have believed that neither Daryl Strawberry nor Doug Gooden would make the Baseball Hall of Fame. And yet here we are.

Hey, a guy who is in the Hall of Fame is Mike Ditka. And I just learned, before we get the Sessler in shorts here, that he's 86 years young, Mike Ditka, one of the legends in pro football lore. And as it happens, I know somebody personally who grew up on the same block in Aliquipa, PA. That would be one Michelle Zubasic. You may know her best from my programs as Mo Damasek. My mother, Mo, are you there? I am here.

Hi, Slug. Hello. How are you? Good. Would you like to say hello to Mike or Gino? And by the way, if anybody's hearing it. Hi, Mike and Gino, it's nice to see you again. Hey, Mama Mo.

Mama, I like that. I do, too. the uh it's funny that uh mo mo if you're hearing an echo it's because old mo happens to be in the room right next door to me here she came out to watch jean claude van damasheck and his pals win crespy shout out to the crespy south a program defining win against celesian the other day but that's not what you're here to talk about mo like i say mike dicka was uh it was and is your age and you grew up on the same neighbor on the same block that he did but you weren't allowed to play with with him. I was not. It wasn't a block. We lived in a commute. It was like row houses only

not charming like row houses. It was a community called Ella, a Linmar in Alequipa, Pennsylvania. Well, yes. They were. They are still there, still producing great football players. But Mike Ditka lived like two rows down from me. We had a community playground, of course. But it's the mid-40s, 1940s. So it's a basic playground. Slides, swings, monkey bars. But you weren't allowed to play with him. No. Why not?

Because one day I was hanging from the monkey bars because what else do you do? Mike Ditka pulls down my underpants and I was not the only one. I don't know. There were other girls that he would do this to. So I go home. I'm crying. I tell

my parents. As I remember, I think my father went on and talked, I think his name was Big Mike, too, Mr. Ditka, who was like, what do you want me to do about it? And I came home, I was not allowed to be at the playground when Mike Ditka was there. I didn't do anything. But if I was there and Mike came, I had to run back home because who knows what would go on. It's a shame you weren't available to give Mike Ditka's Hall of Fame introductory speech. That would have been a nice tale to town. It would have been great. But I moved when I was 11, so we had no further interaction. So bottom line,

happy birthday, Mike Ditka. Happy birthday. Mike Ditka. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Who ruined my fun, but yeah. Say your goodbye to Mike and Gina. Bye, Mike and Gina. Good seeing you. Nice like the show. All right. What a treat. Belated. I held off on bringing this show, bringing this guy onto the show because he's one of the great delights out there. And I thought we'd get a little bit maybe of a mid-season swoon, and he would boost our collective spirits. You know him as one of the heroes from Heed the Call. Before that, around the NFL for many moons,

always delightful making his pages on social media and otherwise one of the most fascinating characters, not just in sports media, nay, walk into Big Blue Marble, period. He's my pal. It's Mark Sussler. What's the poop, fella? How are you? We are pals. you've lifted me up beyond, I believe, actual human acclaim.

It's always a joy to be with you. You've come on our show many times, and I'm happy to join you at this moment. It's always, it's a little bit of, have you said, a little slice of heaven. Well, you know, we have gone back and forth, obviously, some deep dives on the AFC North. My team remains the Pittsburgh Steelers. You've been on again, off again with the Cleveland Browns. I'd like to talk to you about that. But before we do anything, pro football related,

we're obviously getting into the jerk list in just a second here as well. Gino and Mike, Mike and Gino preparing the statements that we will react to in just a moment here. Meantime, you and I have been texting back and forth, and so along with our pal Dan Hansus, on the remarkable picture, probably the best picture of 2025 at minimum. One battle after another, how say you, has it lived up, did it live up to the expectations? Hailed is nothing short of the best movie of the generation.

Let's start there. Does it be that standard? I don't know what generation we're in, but like, yes, because I think I mentioned to you that I have this remarkable striking memory. I lived in Washington, D.C. at the time, and their train station had an incredible movie theater that was a wild movie theater. It was wild. It was just like the population would go in there and make a lot of noise. And like that's where I saw Pulp Fiction in 1994. That's where I saw Legends of the Fall with a wild girlfriend. I'll just mention that. But like crazy things happen in this movie theater. And like not as wild as the as the woman in Legends of the Fall who shares her bed with not one, not two, but all three brothers. She does. And, like, she's like, I'm a little innocent person that somehow, because I'm out in the prairie, I can do whatever I want.

Like, and we, and we're kind of sitting there, like, you know, we're postulating that. But, like, um, but pulp fiction, I walked out. The kid from E.T. gets killed, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. No, I know. The kid from E.T. gets killed in the Great War. Then she reacts to that by betting down with the beautiful Brad Pitt, pretty like a girl. And then when that gets sideways, she goes to number three.

the brother with the limp and then goes back to Pitt? Is that how it goes? I ne'er do well. A hard one. She rules out on a train from the East Coast with Henry Thomas, who is Elliot from E.T. Okay. Then she is like, well, the other brother who is the little creepy, he's a little creepy. Like, he's playing a role, so he's a good actor.

But like, he kind of tries to woo her as almost like an adult figure. And then Pitt's kind of like, I'm on a horse. And like, I'm Brad Pitt, so I'm like, I'm so ultra. Just he's dripping. He's dripping. He's dripping. That's when you realize, because after a river runs through it, like, he goes and does Legends of the Fall.

And Brad Pitt's like, oh, we all understand. Like, even as guys, we kind of love this guy. But women are just freaking out. And like, he's a beautiful, beautiful actor and he's good. And like, she naturally comes to him at the end. And they have like a thing where they're in like a... I get the brothers out of sequence, which order they went in into her bed, or she went into theirs?

Yeah, I think Pitt came last and changed everything. Then he disappears and goes and leaves for Europe for like seven years. And then he returns, like on a, literally on a horse rampaging towards their compound. And she's out there crying as he returns. So it's like, we get it. we get what women want i've taken too many lovers from the same family what am i to do all right what were you saying about pulp fiction because then we have to talk about cliff booth because coline wolf was here one week ago another mutual pal and we had a very brief one round quentin tarentino

character draft and the standard for this draft was we have to do a different one at another day me did she take both characters and the rest no she took and i think she aired i said which Tarantino character would you most want to hang out with for a long weekend? And she took Rick Dalton, which I think is a mistake. He's a boozy drunk and maybe a good time, but the better time is Cliff Booth, right? Well, he's a good time, but, like, she's turning down Brad Pitt. Like, Colleen must have a lot of options if she's turning down Brad Pitt out of pocket for, oh, it's DiCaprio. But, like, no, I'm left with the third draft pick, which is like a disaster.

but like um i i don't have a problem with her choice um i think rick rick is an adventure like you're you don't know what's going to happen cliff booths going to take care of you yeah could i might break that out for you well he might well that girl deserved it and i don't think colleen would but like um you're left with a very strange third pick after after the two of them right am i lay my wrong like that's our that's our that's our favorite movie you have You're not just talking about once upon a time in Hollywood, though. You don't just have to choose from that. You can choose any character in the Tarantino universe.

Mike Fuentes, who did you take again? You had a pretty cagey choice. No, I think, well, my original, when we were doing this whole dance, was I needed the parameters, right? Because I wasn't sure because I'm like, Hans Londa seems like an interesting guy, but I don't want to hang out with, you know, the Jew Hunter for. But you're right that he's interesting. He's interesting.

I don't want to hang out with him, you know? Yes, yes. So I think I ended up picking Mr. White. yeah mr white from reservoir dogs that's not that's cool choice either you know what do you want with the murderous cretons no little uh volatile volatile volatile gunman that's what wasn't mr blonde was the ear cutting guy right so don't want him clearly a cycle no no that's yeah that would be right had it like a little put together he just wanted you to be a professional you know yeah so mr white yeah you knew he would have a nail to spare for you if you if you if

you wanted to smoke along with him. That's about the extent of what he had to offer in my book. Sessler, all right, it's your turn here. Go ahead. Make your choice. I really did some research on this. And also, we were filming this at a time when there was some sort of insane Amazon triggered like internet meltdown where I couldn't research anything too, right?

Like everyone's like they see. Like, um, Christoph Waltz as, uh, Dr. King Schultz and Django and Chained, like, um, I think he's got this heart of gold. He's fire. He speaks with fire to his friends. He's willing to go against society. He's just kind of an adventure and he's got knowledge and he's a gunman. He's a wild person. And like, um, when I look through all the film library of Tarantino, it's like, none of us picked a woman, by the way, which is kind of interesting. Um, but, um, but, um, This is the guy I'd want to hang out with and go to a bar with. I want to swing through a tavern with two doors that whip open, right?

Like the door they cut open, like the old West doors. That's my dude. Like in Christoph Waltz, I live in Hollywood. I walk right down Hollywood Boulevard, and I walk over Christoph Waltz's star all the time. And I'm like, he deserves it. Some of these people that buy these stars, you buy them. You don't actually earn them. You buy them.

He earned it. He is a beautiful actor. and, like, to play both characters that we named by him. That's kind of wild, right? That's kind of wild. And, like, he's a very versatile, incredible actor. But I thought he had kindness. There's just something about him in that movie that changed me.

And it's like, I don't think it was Tarantino's best movie, and that's okay, but one of his best characters shown through in that film. I agree with both of the parts you just said there. Yeah, Mike Fuentes. Go ahead. No, I mean, what is it? It has to be at least top three. Django has to be at least top three.

It's like, Inglorious Bastards, Pulp Fiction, Django? How about shout out to the Christopher Walken guy in Pulp Fiction, his one scene? At least he would have a lot of good stories to tell you. He might be a little ponderous after a few hours. Hi and hello, my fellow football Americans. We interrupt football season ever so briefly to let you know the NBA season's about to tip off. and so too does Draft King's newest fantasy game. Draft King's pick six is the easiest way to play for big wins

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Limited time offer. See terms at pick6.draftkings.com slash promos. Listen, I could do this for the next few hours with you, but we have business to tend to. It's time for this week's jerk list. Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes, are going to read us some statements, and we will evaluate whether or not they're credible. reasonable things to say out loud after NFL week seven or if they're knee jerk overreactions. Also, if we happen to mention a garden variety jerk or three, so be it along the way. Start us off here. I'm not sure who's up first. Gino or Mike take it away. I think I'll take it here. Okay. We can go through the trouble of going through the regular season, you know,

because gambling, fantasy football, whatever. But what we should do is just skip to the part where the chiefs are in the Super Bowl. Yeah. I think we've, I think Sessler, we've done our best to avoid reality, but it all of a sudden looks like the chiefs are the best team in the conference. It's, um, I love what you just said, because it's been my response to multiple seasons in a row where it's like, look, I'm going to spend, um, I'll, I'll be honest with the audience. I got divorced, okay?

Like football didn't play a great role in all of that. And the Chiefs are just sort of toying with me left and right. And it's like, I'm doing all this work. I'm not available for family and friends on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays if you decide to like take a day for yourself, Sundays. Last week, the Chiefs played on every single day but Tuesday. So to your point, yes, they are here to destruct and destroy, and they will be in the Super Bowl.

So I completely agree. boy that was a journey there that's a splashy headline that i would expect to see in the at the grocery store waiting to get my get the bags filled up the chiefs ruined my marriage i like it i mean well it's it's a part and parcel but yeah sure next up mike fentes uh mark are you familiar with dave's jenga theory yes like the well certain things can be the thing that topples everything yes So the only real Jenga piece with the 49ers, through all these injuries, is Christian McCaffrey. Hmm. Go ahead there.

I love to know your theory, Dave. I kind of think so because it seems like they just survive. They're survivors to me. And it's like they're going to win 11 or 12 games. They're survivors. Do I find them thrilling? Are they the version of the Niners we've seen before? No.

But it's like they kind of DJ AF. They're just like, we're going to keep. rolling. And if you get McCaffrey from this past weekend, I think they survive pretty well, Dave. I have to throw one in as far as this goes. No, I disagree with that, as I've already stated here. I think they have a ceiling on them that is lower than when they have Nick Bosa in there. Even with Fred Warner out, Nick Bosa, to me, is what keeps them from winning two, nay, three games in January to get to the Super Bowl. I just don't think that they're capable of doing that without Bosen, certainly without Bosen, Fred Warner now. So a good team, they're going to make the playoffs.

I just don't think that their destiny is a home game in Santa Clara for Super Bowl 60. I will say this, though, the thing that really drove me crazy about Sunday night football was once again, I mean, for three and a half hours, we had to hear updates on, hey, CMC and Bijon Robinson are still pals, and they worked out in the offseason. And like, okay, great, great mention, great mention. How many times over the course of the broadcast do we need to revisit that relationship? Who cares at some point? By the way, pro football, you're doing very nicely. You don't probably need my counsel. I try to give it to you best I can to make pro football a little better than I found it.

This thing of the jersey swap at the end of a game, you just played this important game for two NFC, would-be playoff participants. And the cutaways are CMC and Bijan trading jerseys with each other? Get a little WWE in you, would you? Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and the Iron Sheek got arrested, burning tree, and getting drunk driving around in a car together 25 years ago. But at least they did it in the privacy of a car. They didn't do it out in the open. Do that in the boughs of the stadium.

Do that out of our eyesight. We don't want to see you two playing grab-ass with each other after we just spent three and a half hours hating one half of the of the equation anyway no i'm with you i've also found out that roddy rottie piper had a retirement match in rassalmania and then quietly fought a match the next day and like deep north carolina to make more money it's like okay break my sixth grade heart like um junkyard dog drove off a road in north carolina and died or something it's like all these people made gino and mike well i remember You know, it's the first time

Hulk Hogan has slammed Andre the Giant. He has slammed him like six times before that. Well, you're right. You're right. That dirty giant. I don't know. I just think we got to throw them all in one big barrel and announce this, Mike Fuentes.

You're all jerks. There you go. That's for everybody there. Gino, take it away. No, they did exactly what we was expecting and hoping they do. Okay. That was Jamar Chase.

Exactly. That was Jamar Chase. So it's no coincidence that the word Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, no D's in any of those names. Because they have a lack of defense, Mark. That's what he's saying. There's no Ds in those either. I don't know if that's a separate or. Is it a sexual?

I don't think that's what Gino was getting at. I don't think so, at least. Maybe it was. But you could go that route. I took it sexually, but like that's probably more. that's how I am. But like, I believe in the Steelers a little bit more than I thought I would at this point in the season, Dave. And like that hurts me.

It has to come always, it's like a dollar. It's like less change for the Browns, more change for the Steelers. But like I believe in Pittsburgh a little bit more than I plan to. And I think they kind of are like F you to the rest of the league. And maybe Aaron Rogers is just a little bit. little bit better than we realized and they might they'll go to the playoffs am i wrong like i believe that that's well first of all where the bills are concerned i will keep saying it every time they're mentioned here josh allen is is hoisting all those boats including john mcdermits he is outmoded

he is don chula for the 21st century he is doing harm to the prime of his high-end future his uh hall of fame bound quarterback and this he is limiting what uh what that number is 17 is capable of doing in pro football, where the Steelers are concerned, I mean, did you see Thursday night football? I mean, the idea that Joe Flacco is kryptonite and it's cute for Mike Tomlin. First of all, he might be the personification of the sort of quarterback who takes down Mike Tomlin teams, which is to say mediocre and on the road. That is a bad mix for Mike Tomlin teams. And that's gone on for 18 years now during another guy who's bound for the Hall of Fame and Mike Tomlin, but it's, I don't think it's adorable that his teams continue to struggle

against these teams. They shouldn't struggle against, like Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals. It's a weird kryptonite to have, sort of like Superman, as I've said many times before. This guy is made a steal. He's faster than a speeding bullet, you understand. He can shoot lasers from his eyes, and his chief nemesis is a ball guy who's smart. Consider me unimpressed. Now, Joe Flack, is an old guy. At least he has some hair. Maybe 2020 hindsight coach T may be crying about another division foe in the Cleveland Bounce trading Joe Flacco, who again is an old washed up man to the Bengals shouldn't have vexed you on the level that it did and it consumed way too much of your time. Jamar Chase seemed to be studying the game plan of the Pittsburgh Steelers,

which I bring up because Cam Hayward and other high-end defenders once again announced. They explained away what happened with people didn't understand we have bad communication and being in the right gap and all of that. You're only pro football players making millions and millions of dollars. There's no reason that you should have figured this out by NFL week seven. Nay, you didn't figure it out last December and January. So this is extending an issue that is ongoing with Mike Tom, defense. And keep in mind, he handpicked these guys. He is the one saying yes or no. This is his

scheme. Don't blame the defensive coordinator, Terrell Austin. It is not his scheme. Keep in mind, Mike Tomlin is supposed to be a defensive whiz with a specialty in the secondary. These guys, Joey Porter and Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey handpicked to stop not just garden variety wide receivers, but T. Higgins and Jemar Chase. And they just smoked them again off the right arm of an old man named Joe Flacco. I think it stinks. I don't want to get hyperbolic, but I think after 18 years, it's time. I really do think it's time. If they can't make some hay come January with the formula that he wanted to use for this season, if it does not work with some legitimate success, and I mean a win or two come the AFC playoffs, then I think it's

time to move on already. We've seen this show too many times. on the banks of the Three River. So I'm going to say, no jerk. I think that's a perfectly reasonable statement to make. And I'm sorry I had to get up on my soapbox about that. I think we loved the soapbox, didn't me, guys? Edna's Dolphins fans. No, because you're four and two

and you're complaining about your four and two team after one shock loss on a Thursday night. The guy's like never had a losing record ever. I'm begging, begging for them. I'm praising for that all the time. I praise him for that. They should have lost to Justin Fields. and the Jets in week one.

Let me, this is only delayed. The fact that they survived week one only delayed this reaction for me. Like, Dave, in 2017, you were telling me they needed to move on from Tomlin. It's like, I'm just, you know. This guy didn't tell you that.

That's a job. Now, that's jive. Now, hit him with the blaster for spread giant talk. Mark Sessler's a jerk. I didn't expect that to happen today, but it did. You did it to yourself. I didn't try to be. Joe Philbin.

Okay. Cam Cameron. All right. Who else have we had? Oh, Wanstats. These are only the coaches during Marks. Yes, exactly. Joe Philbin.

I forgot about Joe Philbin. Bond status, no fun. Oh, my God. You know, weird, weird Pittsburgh connection there because he rode Rogers his coattails into a head coaching job he didn't deserve. Okay, so last one for me on the jerk list. It's time for the media and Vegas to start believing that Daniel Jones and the Coltsquin football games.

I got them before kick off at plus 115 money line. That's crazy. That's crazy. Mark Sessler, you go ahead because, and get that blaster ready, Mike Fuentes. I, like, I watched them. And I thought they were a well-coached team last year with major issues player-wise. And Shane Steichen is a legit coach. And Daniel Jones was sort of always like, can we, if we can get this guy healthy and rolling,

like every NFL coach kind of like preternaturally falls in love with this person as an idea. and, like, he's doing it again right now, and it's like, I'm in. Like, this team is real. Now, I do think it's the kind of team that's going to go, I've seen this before. Tell me if I'm crazy, but they're going to go, like, 12 and 5 and make the playoffs and, like, lose a playoff game, and then next year they'll be 5 and 12. And it's like, what was that, like a sea ship that floated away from us? Like, it may be a mirage in the sense that it's not an everlasting thing, but, like,

they are tapping into something special right now with the best running back in the league and a quarterback that's kind of like having that one year. He's having that one year with a coach that's very good. And the defense. And as somebody said on I think it was a podcast called Football America, he was touting the defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo, before the season saying that he was going to do what Vic Fangio did in Philly. a year ago. And then nevertheless, I feel like in the last minute or three of my life,

somebody just said on the very same podcast called Football America just said, no one in the media saw this coming. I think those were the words of Mike Fuentes. Did I hear that right? They said like the media needs to get on board with the Colts, which is weird because I thought Mike Fuentes was listening when the same before the season started. And Dave Damasek, oh yeah, that's right. That's who said the Colts were going to win the division? Where was Mike Fuentes? I am in the media. I am the media. Mike Fuentes, you're a jerk. I'm basically a friend at this point, but I'll get it too. By the way. You better wear it. You better wear it. By the way, a 12 and 5 team that reaches, you know,

the playoffs and loses in the first round and then the next season it drifts away. What does it remind me of? Oh, man, wow. Doesn't that remind you of? It exists, right? It exists right now. This is where we're at with the dogs. I feel like I can drive to see that. Wow, insane. Before we wrap it up, unless, Gino, you have a gem that you want to get in here? No, the only thing left was that jersey swap thing, and you stole my thunder. Yeah, you got a jump the gun on that, so we're good to go. I should give you one for that. Well, good.

No, I have to make sure I belly ached about that. I don't want to belly ache about Mark Sessler's divine opinions on cinema. Let's do this one. You can only watch one person's movies for the rest of your life. Quentin Tarantino or Paul Thomas A. Anderson, you lose the catalog of the other for the rest of time. oh so it's what they've what's what they've already created and going forward okay there will be blood uh phantom thread hard eight these are great movies yeah but are great movies are they really that rewatchable i feel like i don't want to watch there will be blood again i rewatched it in the

past year i'm with you i'm with you and it's wonderful yeah i think it's splendid i've seen it once or twice i think it's i think it's good i mean i'll rewatch boogie nights i think that was like so good that's an interesting take from Mike Fuentes. You might be on the right track there. I'll watch Boogie Nights for the final like eight seconds of it. I will say one thing like a weird. Hard eight is like hard eight is a really underrated early film from PTA. But if you give me the catalog, like if you're saying going forward, Tarantino's like, I'm not doing anything anymore. It's like then I'm going PTA because there may be another seafield to him. We don't know what he'll do. But like I'm going Tarrantino for library, like, just because I know my actual habits from today, I think he's,

PTA wouldn't be PTA without Tarantino. That's that I think they're very different and they're very unusual. But like, Tarantino's library, I could, you could send me into, I don't want to live on an island, like, by myself anyways, that feels really stupid. But like, do I have a, is it VCR tapes? Do I have a setup? I don't know what's happening. But like, I just, I, yeah, I go Tarantino.

You know, it just, it's my natural reaction. What about, but what's your answer? Because that's more important to me. I think at the, I think Mike is right. I think for rewatchability's sake, that's the tiebreaker with Territino. They're both divine. But Mark Sessler is now pondering whether or not there would be a plug in Wilson out on the deserted island to put his VCR into. Why you would use that technology, VCR technology is curious as well, because you have to plug it

in one way or the other. I think I would at least want a laser disc player, right? I think you're right. I'd be like probably gone from sun poisoning in eight to nine hours. And it's like, we don't need to watch the whole library. He gone. He gone. That's like me. As I have always said, like, eh, not that big a threat that I'm going to get slowly digested over a thousand years, like hand solo, if you drop me in the pit, in the our lack pit because like human beings die after 48 hours or whatever like i'm going to miss the vast majority of the slow digestion like i'm not you're not i mean i don't want to die i don't want to get smother but i'm ain't going to be a part of the thousand years of digestion after a couple

days anyway mark susser i could talk to you for a couple of days without break on all matters let's do it sooner rather than later at musso and franks like booth and dalton did in once upon a time in Hollywood. He'd the call. Make sure you track him down. Dan Hanzus. Connor or the grave digger, all the rest of it, dynamite stuff. You'll be smart. And you. And you soon. And me. Yeah, I've been on there before myself. Great stuff, Mark Sessler. Thanks for the time, Pally. All right. Here he is, everybody, for his weekly review of what we just looked at all weekend long. It's time for points per game with our pal, from. from Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you and all things Fox Sports.

It's Jeff Schwartz. What's happening, fella? And let me just say, picking up on what you tweeted out at some point over the weekend, the Holy War, best seen all red uniforms against all BYU. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I feel like Saturday night was an all-time uniform night. How say you, Jeff Schwartz. Yeah, SC, Notre Dame, Pit Cuse, Tennessee, Bama, so on and so forth.

Look, your lasting legacy in this earth might be getting UCLA and USC to wear their home uniforms in the victory belt game. I think UCLA has the best uniforms in college football. I mean, they're off the upper debate, but I think they do. And you pair their uniforms with a stark contrast of different colors the USC has. And it is beautiful. The Holy War is fine. It's fine. Blue and red.

It's good. but the USC UCLA game Dave special special uniform game that's his two shows in a row where it's come up with college football performers Matt liner was surprised to hear about that and he played for USC and he gave me his thanks and I accepted it hey Schwartz I have a bunch of things I want to talk to yeah but but very quickly because nobody does the the in between of like talking college football and pro football and two distinct conversations better than you do it. Explain this one to me.

Why the half stripe on the college football? Like the pro ball is nude. It has no stripes. The pros don't need stripes. But what do the stripes indicate the first place? And if you need the stripe, then why isn't it all the way around? Why the half-ass thing here? So according to the AI overview here, the stripes are for visibility and he create a tradition

that distinguishes them from professional footballs. I guess maybe it looks better on camera or the slow motion shots you have. Do your eyes get better in the NFL? The cultural ball, their eyes are just not developed yet. Yeah, it's like a training stripe, but I don't know what it's training exactly. And like I say, if it's needed, then do it.

Go all the way. The full stripe, like the XFL, I think, has the full UFL, whatever they are. They have the full stripe around the ball, right? So that's something unique. Yeah, no, the balls are a different size too, which is, look, I've made this point many times. It's very true about college football in the NFL. They're not the same sport.

They are called football, absolutely. So they use a different size ball. The field goal post and the NFL are taller than they are in college football. And the hash marks. So the field and the ball are two different sizes. And they're set up differently. Like they're not the same sport, Dave. Not the same thing.

People confuse them too much as the same thing. That's right. Not the same thing. There are distinctions to be made between the two. And yeah, the one thing I definitely like in college football better than pros is that when your knee or elbow or otherwise hits, you're down. It's a weird you can get back up thing that creates awkward looking place. I always think about the Super Bowl 47 with.

the late Jacoby Jones sliding to catch the ball and then popping back up and then running into the end zone. At minimum, it looks weird. When you're down, you're down. Take the guesswork out of it. I like that, but I think the NFL, like I like the two-foot rule in the NFL first college. There's a difference in the sport. I think two feet down feels like you get to work a little extra harder for that catch. I saw this weekend. I want to say, was it the Indiana game I was watching Michigan State where like if you if you catch a ball but in your toe and foot hits first

and then the heel hits next it's not a catch but it sort of feels like that's not the spirit of what it catches like he very clearly got his foot down like the control foot down but then his heel hit out on the exit of the play essentially like I don't need a semantics of it

I completely agree with what you're saying right if you tipy toe but you're facing the sideline if you tip-y-toe, it's a good catch. If you land on your tippy toes with your butt towards the sideline, then your heels inevitably are going to come down, but that shouldn't remove the fact that you tippy-toed the sideline, just like you did in the other direction. All right, listen, I have a lot I want to talk to you about, as I just said there.

Starting off with this one, explain the New York Jets. I mean, for real now. You laugh all you want. It ain't funny if you're a Jets fan at this point. How can you, in a capped league, suck this bad in perpetuity? Ownership, right? I mean, it comes down to ownership, right? I've never played with.

I don't know what it is about ownership, but something with ownership. They don't hire the right coaches. They don't have the right players. There's not a buy-in mentality. Look, I've been fortunate to play for the Giants. When you walk in the Giants facility, there's four Lombardi trophies that sit there. And you walk in and you feel the winning. Now, we didn't win when I was there, but you feel the need to win, right?

And ownership is there every day. It's their job. And I put other places that ownership's not there every day. That doesn't change sometimes how you feel about the team, but it was important. And it is important for the Giants to win. Like, they're there all the time. It's their baby. It's their job.

I played for the Lions when the Lions weren't very good. And you could feel the losing. Like you could feel when I went from the Giants to the Lions. You could feel, dude, dude, Dave, we got booed in the preseason in the Lions on the first drive of the game. We then went three and out and the fans boot us. I remember turning to someone who had been there a while and was like, am I hearing this?

Yeah, like I give Dan Campbell, I've just made a ton of credit for breaking that stench of losing. It takes an extra special coach to do that. And then the Jets just have the stench of losing on them. And, you know, but they have like why it's weird as a for instance, you know, what comes to mind, obviously, is Justin Fields, who I advocated for the Steelers to keep, and now people are dropping me a line like, aren't you embarrassed now? No, because it wouldn't have been the same Justin Fields that you're seeing with the Jets now, and that's what I'm talking about. The same human beings change the uniform, and they stink way worse. You know,

it's inexplicable that the players who perform well across football America, if they have to put on that green hat, they become empirically worse football players. Correct. And I think that's what it has to do with, man. I think it's just like structure, support. You're also the second team in the city for football. You share a stadium, which, again, I mean, it's, it was called giant stadium. Now, obviously, you have a new stadium. It's not called Giant Stadium. It's not called Giant Stadium or everyone just called Giant Stadium.

It was literally Giant Stadium. I mean, it's sort of what the Chargers have deal with. Like, the Chargers play, and it's not their home stadium. It's a Ram Stadium. they're the second tenant there. You know, the Clippers had this issue too. They just moved to their own stadium. They were the third tenant at Staples Center.

It was the Lakers Kings and then the in the Clippers. Like, I think there's all those things that matter to just the aura of your team and the Jets continue to have them. And then the last thing is the Capri Pants. The Capri Pants on Aaron Glenn, you know, we got to, it's got to stop. It's got to stop. You might be on to something because Mike McDaniel wears those, too. and the things aren't going well for him.

Don't ask Mike and Gino about it. They're very down in the dumps about what's going on in Miami right now. What is remarkable to me is that people, dolphins fans are still paying attention. Shouldn't you have turned the TV off? Like the Jets are a different experience. If you're still watching the Jets in the year of our Lord 2025, that's on you.

Things got real sideways with these dolphins here this year. I would have expected you turn your TV off by then. I'm fascinated by what you say, though. so about the stink in the facility so there are discussions among your peers like this is way worse like man I've been on the good side I've been in KC this this place has no chance this sounds kind of I know it sounds kind of silly but like you can just feel the difference right like I'd imagine if you're playing for your Steelers right you walk in that building and the expectation is championship robust, right? Like, that's a firm expectation. Other teams, it's like, oh, no, we'll see how it goes

this year. You know, like, it's just, again, these are not verbalized, right? But you, again, you walk on the Giants building, there's four Lombardi's sitting right there. I imagine you walk into Pittsburgh. I've not been the facility. Actually, I was facility once. I got out of try out there once. But there's, I imagine the six Lombardies are right there, right? They are sitting right there. Right. Like, you walk in, you feel the winning. You feel like, you walk in the Jets facility. what are they going to put up a we made an agency championship game banner? You don't mean like the name of the title I guess is hanging out there?

But like it's just a different vibe. And I'm not saying this is the reason you absolutely win or lose. But it takes a special coach. Rex Ryan almost did it, right? Like the personality he had. Like he almost broke through that. And it does just take maybe one breakthrough. It takes one year where you go 13 to 4 and you win a,

you get to an actual championship game or you get to a title game, a Super Bowl, and it changes everything for you. but that I think is a big thing when it comes to these bad teams. It is interesting because now I'm piecing it together and, you know, I just say, well, they're always terrible, but of course, yeah, Bill Parcells did turn them around for a minute and then Rex Ryan kind of kept the ball in the air there. There's been some times where these teams have gone close, but not gone over the hurdle. Yeah, they had a quarterback there.

I don't know whatever happened to him when Rex was coaching the Jets, but now there's another AFC team that has a good quarterback again. four or five years ago. They had a guy named Tom Brady. Then they swooned a little bit. But now they're back with Drake May. How say you about these New England Patriots? How far can they take this thing right now in this AFC?

Because as I keep remarking, it ain't like the AFC is that loaded up. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but the chiefs are the best team again. I keep waiting for you to come on here and just like brag to me about your Colts pick. You've just been very low-key about that. I mocked you very, very with my face. Mike Fuentes already caught the blaster for pretending like he's never heard anybody predict that the cults are going to be good this year. I didn't say that. That's not what I said.

I said the media needs to start trusting that Daniel Jones can win games. I never said nobody said they were going to go do it because of course King Dave needs everybody to know he picked the cops. Yeah, that's right. That's right. I want my parade. I made a prediction that nobody else made. And then people are like, well, why doesn't anybody, why isn't the media paying attention? I mean, media wasn't paying attention to it in August.

I'll thank you to do the same, Mike Fuentes. You know what? Taste the blaster again for this. To Merritt, I'm sorry you had to hear this, Jeff. That was ugly. Thank you for your apology. I appreciate it. We live in a society where every time you get something wrong, people tell you about it.

So you should be able to take a victory lap if you're correct about a prediction. Back to the Patriots. Yes. it's been impressive. Drake, if you were to redraft right now, 2024 quarterbacks, does he won?

I just went on Shield Capatia's show with the ringer, and he asked this exact same question, and I'm fascinated by the answers to this. You and I did this, and I asked Matt Liner at the same thing, who's going to be the first quarterback taken in 26,

but go back last year? I don't know, man. The thing with Jaden Daniels is that just because he had the exceptional rookie season and got through clean doesn't mean that his body type is made for the long term. And we saw some signs of that earlier this year. I do think Drake May's, you know, his body type probably portends the best future, right? Yeah. So the thing about Daniels, though, is that he was not ever heard in college.

like I remember covering him as a true freshman 175 pounds Arizona that's the same thing you did like no way he survives and he's been relatively healthy until this season where he got super big wasn't healthy

it was a healthy last season I mean Williams is getting better but Drake May man look I think the judge of these young quarterbacks is like do they get better every quarter of the season or every couple of weeks

and Drake May feels like every single game every quarter of the season he's getting better and their schedule was set up really well look we joke before the season you're favor of like 11 games like oh

They play the Browns now at home. Browns aren't winning that game. They play the Falcons at home. The Falcons have looked so much different on the road than home. The Falcons lost the Panthers by 30, then beat the commanders at home, beat the Bills home. And then last night, what was that against the Niners? Uncompetitive on the road against San Francisco.

Disappointing in my book. And then look, and then the Patriots are at Tampa Bay. That'll be hard. And then it's Jets, Bengals, John. And then it's Bill's Ravens Jets. Like, they're right in the thick of this to win that division. So yeah, I think they're for real, Dave. I don't know how you can argue against that.

I do think now I regret not putting him into the playoffs when you and I sat down and etched out the seven teams that were going to make it. I got close with the Patriots, but just figured they were too collectively young that it was going to take a season for them to mature a little bit. And by year three with Drake May, they were going to take off. thing is like the rest of the AFC is just not impressive that's part of it as well

is Denver last whatever that was yesterday that was impressive but like I don't blind I mean the Chiefs jumped them as huge as big favorites now to win the AFC West your Steelers feel like they're going to win

that division but they the way I look at the NFL this year Dave is there's like four teams up top that are sort of the top of the league right like Colts Chiefs I still think Buffalo is up there

and I still do think like Philly is in that group of teams and there's like 24 teams that are 50-50 every week. I don't know what we're getting from them. And then there's the four Jets, Raiders, Titans, dolphins, dolphins that stink. Like, that's what the NFL is right now. I agree.

And by the way, as we wrap it up, the Raiders are the one that a lot of people were getting real excited about that I did not take that. I didn't either. I didn't buy that. The Raiders made a very, a very flawed mistake in the draft where you can, I've amend my position on this. you can totally drop the running back in the first round or sign a running back, but you have to have

everything in place. That's exactly right. It's a finishing piece. Correct. Exactly way to put it. Christian McCaffrey, Sequin Barclay, it's a finishing piece. You can't start with them.

The offensive line and quarterback are not good. They don't have wide receivers. Dave, they had three first downs in an NFL game yesterday. Three first downs. Sometimes you just like fall into a first down. You break a tackle and you get a first down. She's got a penalty. You get a first down.

Three, the entire game. Yeah, it's grim, and just as Pete Carroll didn't get enough credit in the age of Belichick and Sabin, his, by age, his peers, he's also, Belichick is kind of obscuring how bad this has gotten in Vegas for Pete Carroll, because people were real excited about it when they got going there. Last thing, they're down 21-0 at halftime. out of the half, they interview him, you know, as they do. Because those riveting interviews, too.

And he goes, we have to run the ball better. Like you're down 21, nothing. Sure, sure, run the ball better, buddy. Give it to your high-end first-round draft pick then. Maybe that'll get you in business there, coach. All right, Jeff Schwartz, Dynamite stuff, as always, look forward to catching up with you. One week from today, in the meantime, go bet on them Hoosiers, right?

Laying 24 and a half. I'll be on this weekend, buddy. All right. And you know what? there go shorts here we go to thanks to him thanks to mark sessler we'll be back at the end of the week to get you right for nfll week eight until then thanks so much fellow football americans it's been a thin slice of heaven