The Ringer NFL Show - ‘GM Street’ — Saturday Sit-down Week 11 (Ep. 186)

Episode Date: November 18, 2017

The Ringer’s Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier scrutinize the Tennessee Titans’ flaws as related to their loss in Thursday night’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers (1:25) and run through their picks for the weekend: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos (4:22), Green Bay Packers at Baltimore Ravens (6:50), Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings (8:14), Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (11:02), and Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13:44). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to GM Street part of the Winger Podcast Network. I am Tate Frazier, and on the line, Mr. Mike Lombardi. Lombardi, how are you doing? I'm great, Tate Frasier. How are you doing? You're just a busy guy. You got college hoops. Else you don't do?

This morning at 9 o'clock, my day started with NBA. It's now noon, and now I'm doing NFL, and at 1 o'clock I'll be doing college basketball. And by 2 o'clock, I'll just pass out. I'll just be asleep. No, 2 o'clock you're going to stop at Chick-fil-A on the way home, and then you're going to drink as much beer as you could possibly drink. Let's not lie about it. You know me too well.

You know me too well. Let's be really honest. I mean, they asked me about, they asked me on No Bull about it and out burger. You ever see that In-N-Out burger over by the L-A-X? Like right when you're pulling in? Yeah, it's always packed. Because that's the first one people see when they land. I mean, I swear to God, they must be given burgers out there.

I swear, I've never seen anything like it in my life. It's like a social experiment. As soon as people land, especially, you know, somebody from North Carolina, when I first came out here, the hubbub was that I had to go to N-N-Out burger. And then I went there and I was like, wow, I feel like I've been tricked. I feel like they played a game on me. And they do it right there by the airport. It's actually genius.

Whoever decided that, whoever put it there, they're smarter than me. It's a gold mine. I mean, you can't get through the airport. Sometimes it's more crowded to get through there than to get through the airport. And there's like a little cutoff I always make to go to the airport. And it's backed up.

Anyway, let's talk about Tennessee's problems. Yes, let's talk about that. They got a lot of problems. Did you notice last night, like Pittsburgh knew every call in the first quarter that they were doing? Until they changed their checks,

like Pittsburgh was just moving the ball effortless. against them up and down the field. And I've never bought this Tennessee Titan team all year. You know I haven't bought them at all. And I think, you know, Marriota didn't play well. I got sack five times through four interceptions. But at the end of the day, when they can't run the ball and they can't control the pace of the game, they can't win. Well, they added this thing last night.

I don't know if you saw this, the Sky Cam. And they tried to frame it as like a Madden camera so you could see behind the quarterback. So unfortunately for, you know, for Marcus Mariotta and for Ben Roslberger, where you basically could see their vantage point on every decision that they made. And seeing some of Marriott's passes from behind and seeing what he sees on the field, I mean, I think it exposed him a little bit. I don't want to blame it all in the sky cam, but it was tough. I mean, some of the interceptions he had were just like, you know, what do you see?

And I can see what you're seeing, but why are you seeing something different here? What is going on? We're watching a different game. There's no doubt we're watching a different game. You know, I like that camera a lot, and I think it's really good. And if you really understood the cover of coverages, because there's only, really two coverages in football. Middle of the field open, middle of the field close.

So when the quarterback gets the ball and hits his hand, if there's a player in the middle of field, he knows it's single high. So he wants to work the outside. It's middle. Now there would be man combinations and all this stuff that goes off of it. But what you can see is his ability to have to quickly make a decision and throw the ball.

Like the first interception, he made the right decision. He just threw the ball inaccurately. Yeah, it was bad. And then even the first touchdown that Rothesberger threw was a free play, the flag goes up for all sides. And he just basically throws it up. There are two Tennessee guys back there with Antonio Brown. And from the vantage point of the sky cam, I was like,

there's no way he should catch this ball. It should at least be picked, but it's a flag, so it doesn't matter. And somehow Antonio Brown comes down with the ball, and it's a touchdown for the Steelers, and that pretty much summed up the whole night for the Titans. Yeah, I mean, look, they started the game out touchdown field goal, and then they had three drives that they didn't do anything, and then they went, feel, field, field, go, touchdown, touch.

I mean, then they just dominated the game. I mean, look, I think the Titans are a nice, regular season team, but they're going to have to be more multi-dimensional. And when they get one of the locks of the week was Pittsburgh beating them, Tennessee's moment to shine. I don't think Tennessee can shine. That's the problem. Yeah, it's tough. I mean, they have six wins, obviously, and I think the record made people believe they're a little bit better than they are. But we have to give credit to the Steelers. I mean, people have been doubting them since day one with the whole Avion, holdout,

and leading to this season. Everyone was wondering what was going on with Big Ben. They've got eight wins. They have the same amount of wins as the Philadelphia Eagles. So congrats to the state of Pennsylvania. Yeah, but the Eagles have already planned their proclamation. eight. They've already bought all the confetti, so stop. Amazon's out of confetti. Don't order. All right, well, this is the Saturday

sit down where you pick five games for people to watch out for this weekend. It is week 11, and the first game that we have up, we have the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Denver Broncos, two, three, and six teams, and two teams that are not doing so great, and that's being nice. Yeah, I think this is a classic game. Look, Denver, Cincinnati

couldn't stop the run last week, okay? And they they struggled to slow down the I think they gave up over 180 yards rushes. When Denver can run the football effectively, look, and I don't like the high concern when I'm rooting in his interest. But I think coach, and he can muscle very good. Their offensive line, bad lines typically don't travel well, and now you get them at home.

And Denver, for all their problems, and I know they lost two straight home games, they've lost to the Giants and they've lost to the Patriots, the Bengals, the Bengals in a ball against them. I think it really favors Denver. I think this is one of those games where, and if Denver doesn't win this game, I think then, when you and I are talking Sunday night, we're going to win this one.

I think he's won and done. And what about Marvin Lewis on the other side? I mean, with his bingoes team, they keep running it back every single season. I mean, are they just content with what they are at this point, which is a really bad football team? I think that they are in transition, and I think Mike Brown's smart enough to know that. I think that he's not very good, right? And they know Andy Dalton struggles, and they paid him, but he's not great. I just think to me, Mike Brown, he loves status quo.

He loves to keep things. For him to make a change, he has to ask himself, who would I go to? Who's the next choice? Who's the next coach I would want to pick? I'm not sure he has one. I think Marvin retires. I don't think Marvin gets fired. If Marvin retires, that's one thing.

I don't think Mike Brown. Look, he let him make the change of offensive coordinator, so give this some time. Bill Laser comes in. But look, if they can't run the ball against Cincinnati, I mean, last week, Tennessee dominated a run team. I know Cincinnati's not a great team. Yeah. Those are three bad teams.

Let's keep it going. We get the Green Bay Packers going to Baltimore this weekend. Packers is obviously 5 and 4, the Ravens 4 and 5. When you look at this game, what's a big matchup to watch out for? Well, I think, look, the Ravens need to play a one-dimensional team. And with Brett and for them, it's an offense that they know pretty well. They've played against it before. Not that they have a lot of competition against the Packers being the AFC,

but they know this offense. This is the New York Giant. This is the McCarthy. It's similar to what they can do. They can handle it defensively. I think they can put pressure on the Packers, and I think they can force some turners. They're going to need a young quarterback to turn.

turn the ball over. They're coming off the by, and I think they can attack this secondary. They're playing against Dom Keper's defense, a defense that they should have success against, and Flacco is going to have to step up. This is the kind of game that I think Flacco usually plays well in. He's not going to get overly pressured. I don't believe in this game in terms of, you know, Clay Matthews hasn't been a dominant player this year. The rush isn't going to beat it, and I think they can make some plays down the field. Where Flacco doesn't, Sunday, you and I are, they're going to be four and six, and their seasons over. And I just don't think Baltimore's ready to give up their season.

I don't think so either, especially when you're paying flack all that money. All right, next up we have the L.A. Rams, the 7 and 2 L.A. Rams going against the 7 and 2 Minnesota Vikings. Case Keenheim's revenge game against his old team, the Rams. This should be a phone one in Minnesota. Yeah, you know, I'm a tough team at home. They play well.

The thing that steered me in the direction of the Rams, I think this is a really... With the Vikings defensive, and really put pressure on them and make him have to play faster, which I think they will Keenum not getting the vote of confidence. This whole thing about their team, really put him under the microscope, and it made it very difficult for him. I think the Rams, watching Washington move the ball effectively against the Vikings last week,

knowing that the Rams run the same offense that the Redskins run, and they put third. I think they'll move the football defense from the Rams to be able to win this game. They match up well. I just think the Rams, I just think this Case Keenum thing makes it more intriguing, and I don't understand what are in the game. That's what I think the game could go awry. He hasn't had enough reps under live, fast tempo. which to me makes it seem like he's not ready to play.

And how many guys have we seen, Tate, that are veterans that have... And if they make a quarterback change, which I think they will, because if Keenham throws us struggles, that makes me worry about the Vikings. And we know Mike Zimmer loves Teddy Bridgewater, and I do think that we will see him on Sunday.

As crazy as that is the same. I do, and this is why I'm going with the Rams, not because I dislike Teddy Bridgewater, just I don't think Teddy Bridgewater will be ready. And I think the Rams know how to attack him. I think the Rams do a really good job of protecting golf. Now, the one caveat that I would say to this, and I'm talking to both

sides when I'm out there, the Rams have struggled this year when they played really good defensive fronts. I thought they would have struggled more when they played Jacksonville, which they beat Jacksonville down there. It was a close game. Jacksonville played them in New York City. They played Washington. Washington was healthy. That was a good defensive front.

So for me, I thought not sure. And this is a potential playoff matchup, too. I mean, this is the class of the NFC. Morris and the NFC. West. So this will be a good little preview for the playoffs when they actually end up matching up against each other. So next up we have another

big game. This is Sunday night football. We have the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. This is going to be a fun game. We got the Clapper, we got Doug Peterson, we got all your favorite characters. They're all coming together. And we're going to watch it together. Oh, I'm so excited. We're going to

watch it together. I just love this. I mean, first of all, who is the Clapper going to blame this week? I mean, they've changed left tackles. I think Sean Lee not playing is a real problem. Jaylen Smith isn't a good enough player to play in there. I think this is going to be the... I like the Eagles here a lot. I think the Eagles

go down there and roll them. I think the Eagles will smoke them. I think the Eagles are the better team. I think never see from Dallas is an adjustment to a game. I never see Dallas say, okay, we don't have these pieces. We're going to make the rest of this work. I never see them do that. I never feel like they're able to adapt to the game and do the things

they have to do. Yeah. The problem is I'm not happy with the Cowboys left side of their offensive line. Cooper's not playing nearly as well. The left tackle is going to be Bell. It was green. So now you have two guys over there, and that's where the Eagle's strength lies. It lies right in their ability to rush the passer. And this is strength versus strength, and I think the Eagle's strength is much better. Plus, Wenz's ability in the field, I think it's going to be the key.

I think once they get through the first quarter, and Dallas gives it its best shot, and it becomes adjustment football, I think Schwartz and the Eagle will win. And you said this last week, maybe even on Tuesday, I think. basically if the Atlanta Falcons D-line looked so dominant against this this Eagles offensive line, there's no telling what the Eagles will look like, because they are probably the best D-line in football. That front seven is unbelievable. They made two off. I mean, look, the Cowboys, and look, I think the Cowboys will create some problems against the Eagles offensive line, too. The problem with, if Sean Lee was playing

in this game, I would probably favor the Cowboys. But without Sean Lee, we saw the Rams go down there and smoke them. And then here's the thing, even if the Cowboys get the lead in the first half. We've seen this with Jason Clapper Garrett all the time. He kind of lays off. He kind of plays it. That's what happened to the Rams. They had the Rams beat, and they let the Rams back in. It did nothing. I just don't

see the Cowboys being an adjustment staff. Well, they have not shown that they are willing to make adjustments. Just smile on the sideline and maybe clap a little bit. So, but my... Oh, we're going to clap. Oh, they're going to clap. But the only thing I worry about what, the divisional games are always weird to me, and I never know what's going to happen.

So it could be a weird game where the Cowboys somehow, despite all the odds, just keep that offensive line together and then they steal a win. But I don't know. The Eagles look like the best team in football. And there are no signs to show that they aren't. Let's do the final game of the week. We have the Miami Dolphins taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A four and five dolphin team taking on the three and six buccaneers. There's obviously the Ryan Fitzpatrick question if he's going to play quarterback or not. James Winston in the news for not so great things this week. But what do you see on the field between these two teams? Well, look, I think Miami and they play a better game. I think

this is a better situation for them. They'll play against the Tampa team, that they'll know the coverage, which is what Miami needs to be successful. This is the kind of game where Miami plays well, and you think they're better than they are, and they're five and five, and they think they're right in the thick of thing. I think Tampa, but I think Tampa with Ryan Fitzpatrick is due for a clunker down there. I know that they're not going to be able to really run the ball,

and I think that when you watch these two teams play as bad as they are, I think Miami's actually the better team, and I think this is one of those games where Miami comes out, out and plays well, and I think they'll win the game. Yeah, well, Kenyon Drake has been, he's inspired some hope on that Dolphin team, so hopefully you can keep it going. You know, I think it's time. I think when you get beaten as bad as you're on a short week, I think the best thing

is when you get beat on Monday night as badly as they do, you have a short week, you get the players full attention, and their season isn't over. I just see this whole James, I know Miami's had their obstacles all season. I don't see them being in disarray. They're playing a coverage, but he knows the coverage. He knows he wants, and I think they'll move the football effectively. And if you're talking about the hot seat, Dirk Cutter, he might be on the land this weekend. Yeah, he's going to go. He's been on the land for long. He's brought his toothbrush for him everywhere he goes.

Yeah, that'll be fun. That'll be tough to see if Tampa can't turn things around. It doesn't look likely that he'll be hanging around there any longer. All right, Lombardi, that's been good. We've got our five games this weekend. Is there anything else? Like any matchups this weekend you want to look out for? Are we good? Are the people ready? I think we're ready to go. I'm really excited to watch the Clapper coach. I'm ready to go. I want to see what he does. I hope he proves me wrong. I want to see what he does. I think we'll know a lot. I think the Raider game is going to be fascinating in Mexico City. Patriots stayed out west.

Patriots, to me, seem like, offensively watching them on tape. They're humming pretty well. They've got things going to go. The Saints team, I think this will be a really good game in New Orleans. I think it'll be a close. It'll be a close game. I think the Saints will move before. I think Washington's a beaten-up take against Washington.

The other game that I think is going to be funny, it's going to snow in Cleveland on the snow, which means Blake Bortles might have to throw the ball in this game, which means Cleveland has a really good chance to that. other than John McKay, the legendary coach who at the USC, who went on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who was retired probably before you were born. He wore a floppy hat all the time. Look like he was going fishing. He was 0 and 25 in his first 25 games coaching the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And Hugh Jackson's won in 24. And I'll give you another little nugget just to throw a little things. Do you know Hugh Jackson's never won a game as a head coach?

The last game he's won on Sunday has to go back to his time at the Raiders. His last two victories as a head coach happened on Saturday on Christmas Eve. He might just be a Christmas Eve coach. Well, maybe that's his gift to the world. It's a gift that keeps on giving. His two wins. That's my nugget for you. That was a good nugget.

This has been another edition of the Saturday Sit Down on GM Street, part of the Ringar Podcast Network. We will be back Sunday night. Myself, Mike Lombardi. Thank you, Lombardi. Thanks, Dave, Frasier. I'll see you Sunday.