The Ringer NFL Show - Lombardi’s Week 12 Reactions | GM Street (Ep. 353)

Episode Date: November 27, 2018

The Texans get their eighth straight win, this time on 'Monday Night Football,' Blake Bortles gets benched, Hue Jackson doesn’t get a handshake, and this week’s awards. Hosts: Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey guys, it's Liz Kelly. Right in time for the holiday season, the ringer's merch store has tons of new stuff. And right now, almost everything on the site is 20% off, including your favorites like binge mode and ringer NBA. And for the first time, we are introducing brand new merch for NBA desktop, Shea Serrano's villains, and Bill's Parent Corner.

This Black Friday, Cyber Monday sale lasts until Monday, November 26. You can check it out on the ringer.com slash shop. Welcome to GM3, part of the Ringer Podcast Network. It is Tuesday. It is November 27. And after week 12, we have a lot of topics to talk about. Blake Bortles is on the tip of our tongues. The first, Lombardi, I got to see.

How you doing this week? Tate, I'm doing well. I mean, I don't know if I'm doing as well as you with Mack and the five stars coming back to North Carolina. You got to like that. Tate Fraser. I mean, it's a coming home party for Mack. You got Gene Chisick as your defensive coordinator.

I hear reliably reported. They're trying to get Cliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator. I don't know if they're going to be able to get that done. but it cliffs in a lot of demand with a lot of people, I think, right about now. Return of the Mac. This is something that we always joked about in this program. It was a time, a fond time for Carolina football fans. So to see Mack Brown back on the sidelines.

And to let him be a CEO for that program is going to be a lot of fun. I know a bunch of high school coaches in North Carolina are very excited about that. So Lombardi, it's very, very, very exciting times. But first, before we get to the five takeaways from week 12 and all the bigger picture stories that we have going on, first I want to talk about Monday Night Football. Last night, we saw a time. Texans team go for their eighth straight win. That is not a typo, folks. Eight straight for the Texans. And Lamar Miller was one of the guys that spearheaded that rushing attack, something that

they've been trying to find for quite some time there. Obviously, Varybel had the tough call on the goal line stand on the fourth and fourth and one. What was that, Tate Frazier? I mean, what was that call? I mean, the LaFleur, where, you mean, you work all week on your fourth and short plays and you come up with that? I mean, seriously. I mean, you got a 260 pound back back there. I mean, you're going against a really formidable front. I mean, you know, and that's the best play you got on your call sheet. I mean, seriously, really? It was for people that didn't see this. So they're down four early. This is the Tennessee Titans. They're down four early. This is the second quarter. And they have a fourth and one. Houston's three yard line. I mean, a lot of people in this situation, Lombardi, you in particular probably would expect Marcus Mariotta to be a guy that gets a carry here. I mean, he's done great on one-yard conversion rushing attempts. And obviously, is a guy with speed. They give the ball instead to tie it in Luke Stocker. Stocker gets stuffed to the line.

And then with about, in a two-play swing, Miller comes back, gets the ball and goes for 97 yards for the touchdown. And just like that, the Texans take over this football game. And yet again, people are starting to point fingers at Vrable. And just from your perspective, I mean, was it the right call to do this? Obviously, you know, being gung-ho and going for one, we've seen that a lot this season. It's been a theme of sorts. But to have this completely turn around and get slapped back in your face,

I mean, as a team, as the Titans, if you're Mike Vrable, what do you take away from this game? I think we can learn from basketball in this game, right? I mean, like Jimmy Butler's made two last second three point threes for the Sixers to win, right? We've seen LeBron do it this whole career, Michael Jordan. Like, you got a key play in a game, even if it's in the second quarter, you've got to give the ball to your best players. Like, don't defend yourself. Marioosa's foot speed, his ability to run, his ability to make first downs with his feet, along with Dionne Lewis and some of those other players. I mean, put the ball in your best player's hand, run your best place.

I think the more I watch the NFL today, I would, if I was a head coach, I would make sure my offensive coordinator had at least eight two-point plays at his disposal at all time. We've got to have eight really good two-point plays because the game's going to come down to whether we convert two-point plays. I mean, it happened in the giant eagle game. The Giants do the smart thing. They get a penalty. The Eagles get a penalty.

They move the ball one yard closer. Giants run a really horrible play. Like, you got to have some creativity. You know, late in the game when the Eagles had a fourth and two, they ran a great play. You know, they ran crossers with a guy sitting over the middle of the field. It was a great play. And so you've got to have those situations. It comes down to situational football.

And that's the best play. And it just shows you variables really not signing off on that because if you're a head coach, you want to know what the two-point plays are. You want to know what the critical plays are. And if you sign off on that, I mean, did it work at practice? even if it works at practice. You know, you're giving the ball to guys, never carried the ball before in a game.

You want that? Do you really want that? I mean, it's like one of the plays that drives me the craziest in the NFL, the Jets do it. Most, some teams do it, is when you have a third and three and they throw a nine route, out of bounce. Like, you just did the defensive favor, you know? Like, get the first down.

Like throw something, I'm not saying you have to throw for three yards, but throw something where you have a chance to compete. Don't make it a 50-50 ball, you know? And to me, that was just a horrible call. And then right back again, the first thing I thought of after he made the long run is one of Belichick's great saying says, we deserve what the fuck we got there. And it's so true, they deserve what they got. And speaking of people that deserve what they got, a guy that deserved what he officially got in Jacksonville this week. The Blake Tannock is officially sinking at this point.

Blake said to the Jaguars, he said, Where to Jags and Marum responded to the bench. If you've seen Titanic, that was a joke on the Where To Jack. The Blak Tannic. We nicknamed them that. Yes, we nicknamed him that. And as Jadavion Clowny once told us last year, in two words, he trash. And it seems like the Jaguars have finally decided to move on there. Unfortunately, we're moving on a Cody Kessler guy that we remember last year

for being the quarterback on the Cleveland's O and 16 team. But Bortles at this point, I mean, it's not necessarily over in Jacksonville, right? For him, Lombardi, because of the money that's guaranteed to him, and they would have about $16.5 million in dead money going against the salary cap that they decided to cut him before the start of the 2019 season. So just big picture. I mean, is this the end of the Blake Bortle's era in Jacksonville for you? I think this.

I think they had a, it's interesting. They fired Hackett before they announced the change. Okay. So that tells you really that Hackett had drank the Kool-Aid on Bortles, which, you know, it's amazing. I mean, David Caldwell can get more people to drink Kool-Aid on Blake Bortles than anybody. I mean, you know, this is truly amazing. And even Tom Coughlin's come out today and says, anybody who questions what we did this offseason, you know, I'll put the boxing gloves on. Seriously, Tom?

I mean, really? You thought that, you know, he said you're an early whistle away from going to the Super Bowl. You know, you really thought Blake Bortles was going to keep playing like that? I mean, seriously, he played two games. You think it's amazing about Jacksonville Tafraiser is they've won 26 games over the last five years. I mean, we act like they're this dominant force in pro football history, you know, and they've been kidding themselves with Bortles for so long. It's a joke.

And I think, which is a bigger joke is they had to get rid of hack it before they could fire Bordels, because Hackett would have probably fought the demotion of Bordals because he believes in Bordels. They've kind of, they transvened Hackett into not being realistic. I mean, can you imagine that? I mean, can you imagine there's a lobbyist for Bordals? I mean, I didn't think there was one out there other than David Caldwell, you know. And so we think, I mean, we get this.

I mean, their offensive line has been a mess. I mean, their Linder, the center's out, Nourvel got hurt last week. Their left tackle. They're on their fourth left tackle. I get all the problems offensively. But I've been complaining on this pocket. Just watch the games. They're trying to win without Bordals participating.

You can't do that. I tweeted yesterday they'd be better off signing Terrell prior and put him a quarterback and run the single wing because they're running the single wing anyway. I mean, that's what they're doing. Doug Marone came out after this decision was made, and he said it's not a knee-jerk reaction. Obviously, they have given Blake plenty of opportunities to figure this thing out. He said, I really feel like at the end of the day, we've got to try to get better production out of our passing game or more consistent production in our passing game.

And that has nothing to do with the ability to run the ball. obviously we saw Fournette getting in that little altercation. He is appealing the one-game suspension that he's been given by the league. But overall, in Jacksonville, I mean, we had before the season, Jalen Ramsey calls, you know, Josh Allen trash. Josh Allen comes out in this game and gets a nice win against this Jaguar's defense. And it just seems like every single week it's more of a compounding problem, which comes back to the question at large in Jacksonville, Lombard. I mean, is this the time where is this when we see a pivot from this franchise where they go away from what got them there last year?

or do they just bite the bullet and say, this is a downturn, this is a down year for us. We can come back and run it back and get back to where we were before. I can't figure Jacksonville out, Tate Fraser. I mean, look, the first time they haven't picked in the top five since 2014 was this year, and they picked Tavion Brian. They passed Lamar Jackson, put Lamar Jackson on their team. Maybe they're a little bit better if they want to run the single wing. Who better than Lamar Jackson, right?

So you've got that. I mean, their drafts over the years have not been spectacular. I mean, they did Miles Jack in the second round, but you look at their first and second round picks. You know, they've picked the, they've had the fourth pick overall, the fifth pick overall, two third pick overall. Fowler and Bortles are two of the third picks overall, and both of them probably won't be on the team next year. They pass, they pass on Watson, they pass on Mahomes, they passed on every quarterback that you can think of to draft Fournette, which we know the league's not built on just drafting great runners. So I can't predict Jacksonville. I really don't.

I just think this notion that they're this talented team. I mean, David Calwell's got one of the greatest PR machines going for him in the history of football. I mean, he really does. I mean, the team's not that talented. Their free agent signings have been a mess at times. And, you know, they've had one winning season in five years. They've won 10 games. I mean, they've never won more than six games since he's been there.

And that was one year they won 10 games. I mean, like at some point, somebody explained to me what makes them so talented. And I think they've lost all sense of discipline. And last year they went to practice against the Patriots to improve their toughness, and that helped them. That was the mantra the whole year. We're going to improve their toughness, right? And so, you know, they did and they got better. But look, they lost in San Francisco last year.

They only won 10 games. I mean, I think this team has mis-evaluated how good they really are. And I think that that goes back to what Tom was saying is don't question what we did because, you know, we were a whistle away. You know, I mean, I was questioning when they were a whistle away. I think you have to be more realistic than they are. I think sometimes you need outside eyes to look at your team to give you a better indication because you're just all drinking the Kool-Aid. I mean, I don't know what Kool-Aid David Calwell sells.

He's got the greatest Kool-Aid in the history of sports because anybody who's got this record and this draft record and drafted a quarterback and convincing people he can play, I mean, it's reliably reported to me that any time anybody interviewed there for the head coaching job had to talk about how great Bortles was. If you were going to get the head coaching job, you had to drink the Kool-Lade on Bortles. Marones drank it. He's drunk now. Coughlin's been drinking it. He's stone drunk now. I mean, it's amazing. Like, I just like to know how

the hell they get the... How do you do this? I'm in all of it. I truly am in all of it. Like, how do you convince people that a shitty player is great? I think it's... I think it's a book. I really do. I think it's a book. Everyone down in Jacksonville, it seems, is wasted off Blake Bortles at this point. The thing that's interesting to me, Lombardi, is that they can make a decision where they could either pay him the $21 million to come back next year and just be a very expensive backup in the league. They could wait until after June 1st, and then the dead cap that they will take will go from $16 million to about $11.5.1,000 and a half million. Or they just let him sit there for the entire 2019 season. You can't, Tate Fraser. You can't.

He's destroyed their locker room. Do you understand what happened? I've written this. I've talked about it. I'm the voice in the darkness on this one. When they paid him the money, that locker room was over. They know he stinks in the locker room. Like, they know it.

Like, that locker room knows he can't. win. And when they gave him all that cash, all those players would be like, homie, that's my money. You just gave my money away. See, in the mafia and on the wire and all those shows, they kill people when they give away money like that. And that's what's happened. They've killed their team. They've killed their team. Like, it just can't happen. West Cape May, right? Lombardy, that's where you're going to take them at this point? You got to put them in West Cape May. I mean, who's going to sign them? I mean, seriously, like, what tape are you going to put on and say, you know, I want to bring Blake Bortles in to be my backup quarterback?

You know, I'm going to bring Blake Bortle's in and bring my, you know, like, give me a freaking break. Like at some point, like, you're going to put him in a game? You know, you're going to rebuild this career. Like, did you see some of those throws? Like, watch some of those throws on Sunday. I mean, the Spiro Dinas, the announcer, he was like, wow, that ball. It looked like a helicopter. It was turning that way.

It was amazing. It was truly amazing. We need to come up with a turn from that, the opposite spiral. That's what Bortos has on us football. I mean, is there any chance, Lombardi, that we get an Osweiler situation where a team like a Cleveland Browns or maybe a team like the Colts that has a ton of cap room is willing to take on that $16 million deal with, with Bortles just to take on some picks possibly? I mean, is that something that's in the ether that could happen? I mean, I don't think so. I mean, if Caldwell's got everybody convinced, he must have one of those things that he goes back and forth,

he hypnotizes people with because they won't, they're not going to, I mean, maybe they'll cut them. I think they're going to cut them and eat the cap. I think that's what they're going to do. I think that's the only thing they can do. They can't put them back in the locker room, Trey Frazier. They can't. You know, first of all, the locker room's out of control. Even Tom admitted today in his quote, we lack discipline. They lack complete discipline. It's one of those things where it seems like Blake Bortles, I mean, they would rather pay out the $16 million and take that cap hit than pay the $21 million to have him back in the locker room.

So it's a very interesting situation there down in Jacksonville, especially coming up this off season because as far as the free agent guys that are in the market, I mean, Bridgewater is probably the biggest name. and the most upside as far as guys that can get signed. I mean, Fitzpatrick is a name that will be mentioned and thrown out there. But for the most part, the Jaguars will be looking for that bridge quarterback. I mean, Kessler will see what he can do when they throw him into the fire. But for now, it seems like they are moving on from Bortles. And, you know, as we've said, the Blake Tannock is one of our favorite characters here on this program on GN Street. So we're very upset about this.

But look, Kessler, he's going to start. He's 27 and 14 as a collegiate quarterback at USC, right? He's one in 12 in games he's participated in the NFL. he's won one game. It was, he beat Sandat, 20 to 17 win, and he only, and he threw three passes in that game. So he wasn't the winning quarterback. So good luck. I mean, the guy averages under seven yards an attempt.

I mean, this is going to get ugly. I mean, plus with a bad offensive line, you know, not that the Colts are great on defense, but, you know, we'll find other characters. There's no doubt. We'll find, you know, another character. But Luz and Blake is tough on me. Luckily for us, we did have a dream sequence this week in the world of football. That was a dream that Baker Mayfield and Hugh Jackson were back on a field together,

but this time on opposing sides, and Baker Mayfield obviously made a lot of headlines with Huey headlines by saying that he did not feel like talking. He did not give him a hug. Hugh went in for the hug. Baker gave him the quick Heisman pose and a little handshaking got out of there. Cleveland goes to 4-6-1 on the season. First road win since 2015, and the Browns ended a streak of 25 straight road losses. One shot at the NFL record held by the Lions.

Baker's got seven touchdowns, no interceptions in his last. two games and they came out on this one and hit the bingles right in the mouse, 28 to 0. And probably the biggest story in this one, we get a little interception sequence and the ball is given over to Hugh Jackson on the sideline. And a lot of people, you know, gave their comments about how Hugh should have turned his shoulder, shouldn't have taken the football, shouldn't have tapped up his former player. But I say all this to say, Lombardi, what are we thinking about seeing you on the sideline

with the bingles? And how crazy is it that now the Browns look like a team that have some promise? And the bingles, Huey's new team looks like a team that's, uh, in the gutter at this point, especially in the AFC North. Oh, I mean, look, the Bengals is done. I mean, they're so bad on defense. It's a joke. They can't stop anybody.

I mean, I thought that was a, you know, we didn't have our Friday sit down, but that was one of my picks. I went two and three last week, but that was one of my winners. You know, that was a give me putt right there. I mean, the thing I don't understand, Tate Frazier is why does Shuey have to always be in the story? Like, you know, I'm not going to dog the guy for getting a job. I think that's great. Marvin hired him back.

Go to work. but like remove yourself from the story like why do you have to be the host of a casino in Vegas like who are you the guy at caesar's palace greeting people at the game like you're shaking hands before the game you're greeting people like why not stay in the locker room just low-key it let the attention be on the players why do you got to be the fun and then after the game you're over there greeting players like you know please but please make sure you play the the slots before you leave like oh you're the greeter in Vegas I mean come on give me a break like go over there I mean you know like what do you care go talk to baker

Mayfield, text them after the game or something. Hey, sorry, I didn't want to put you in that position. But, like, he's so unaware. But I thought Baker was great. We finally got the right guys calling plays. I think Freddie, we talked about it this summer. Freddie Kitchen was the most impressive guy in that meeting. I mean, he didn't want the trainer to keep controlling his players.

Then we got today, Treader comes out, J.C. Treter comes out and says, we finally got some discipline on the team. What were all the things we were bitching about this summer? Lack of discipline, lack of attention of detail. Like, you know, now all of a sudden it comes out. Look, I wrote about it for the athletic. I think the Browns are a tough out. I think the Browns could easily go down and upset Houston.

I think the Browns are playing good. I think Mayfield gives them some confidence. They make enough. They do enough. Chubs running the ball well. You know, I mean, look, I don't think they're a great team, but I think they're a competitive team. Look, look, can you imagine if they would have not come back with Huey headlines and would have started with a legitimate coach, those three overtime games that they lost,

they'd be right in the thick of this thing. Yeah, those are three games that they wish they could get back at this point. I mean, I did find it interesting that, as you said, Huey headlines didn't make it about himself. He did draw in all the headlines. And then when you look at the Bengals, we didn't even talk about the fact that Andy Dalton's on the IR. He's out for the rest of the season. Obviously, AJ Green wasn't in this game for the Bengals. And for a team that showed some promise early in the season, especially defensively and had a lot of people eyeing them as a wildcard team to watch out for,

things have completely, you know, falling off the rails for this Bingo's team. And obviously, like I said, Dalton is now out for the rest of the year. And that pretty much puts their season, you know, even though it pretty much already was at this point, despite the jumbled up pack that is the AFC playoff picture, it is a weird state of affairs there in Cincinnati with this team. And when you have the circus act of Hugh there and obviously, you know, Marvin bringing him back into the fold. And that defense that he is now an assistant to looking so out of sorts, I don't really, know what's next for the Bengals either. I mean, as far as the Browns being so positive, the Bengals were quite the contrary, to say the least. I think the Bengals need to makeover,

and I know it's going to be hard for Mike Brown, who doesn't really want to change. But, I mean, if they try to hire Huey as the head coach there, I mean, first of all, no players are going to have any confidence in that. I mean, at some point, you have to have confidence in the guy. I mean, just because you like Hugh doesn't mean you should hire him as your head coach. And, I mean, look, you think those defensive coaches in there? I mean, Terrell Austin gets fired, and Jim Haslett's been a head coach in the NFL. He's been a defense coordinator. in a playoff games as a defense coordinator. He's sitting at listening to Hugh telling what to do.

Give me a break, you know? I mean, first of all, I mean, everywhere Hugh goes, I mean, the losing continues. I mean, just keep following it. I mean, it's ridiculous. But, you know, I can't imagine that they're going to do that. I really can't imagine that Mike Brown would do that. I think his fan base would get completely pissed off about it to think that that guy's a head coach and what coaches are going to want to go with them.

I mean, I know they'll find coaches to go with them, but you got to get good coaches to win. So, you know, I just don't see it. I just don't see it at all. Is there a woe to which Lombardi with this bingoes team where they decide, you know, we have this talent, we have these talented guys on our roster, whether it's, you know, an A.J. Green and Andy Dalton. Obviously, you talk about guys like Tyler Boyd that come to mind, Tyler Eifford. I mean, is there a way they stripped down this roster and try to trade some of those pieces

off to get some assets back to do a complete overhaul on this team and try to find, you know, a new quarterback in the draft, try to find a new outside threat and replace A.J. Green and get a lot of picks on the back end? Is that something that you see possible with this team? Or do they do what we've seen them do so many other times and just run it back next year and see what happens? Just run it back next year and see what happens. That's who they are. I mean, they won't change. I mean, look, that's the reality of the Bengals. They're not going to change who they are. This is what they do. This is how they do it. And they're not going to change it. So I don't think we can really ever think that they're going to get out of it. And, you know, bringing Hugh back,

like really, what's he doing? You know, he's going to be the major focal point of any story you put in there. I mean, Dalton, we know Dalton's a 8-8 quarterback at best. We know that. I mean, they're paying them. They're not paying them as a top-rated guy, but he's the best thing that they have. And I think for the most part, you could probably, you know, get by with them. But to me, you're wasting your time. I mean, I think they need to start over, but that ain't who they are.

They're not going to do that. All right, Lombardi, let's take a quick break to talk about Fandul. The fantasy playoffs are fast approaching. And at this point, you probably know whether or not your team is in the championship mix. if you're not, then Fandul wants you to know that there's no shame in walking out from a losing team. Producer Jim and I have a great team. We have two guys that have had great seasons for us. We got Pat Mahomes. We got Christian McCaffrey. Unfortunately, this week, we decided to roll with Blake Bortles, and that was not a good decision.

But, you know, in life, you got to go in for your guys, and sometimes they don't pull through for you. Unfortunately, Blake did not for us. Over at Fandual, you get the excitement of researching and building your team each week, regardless of the outcome. Plus, Fan Duel has never been more fun or even. easy to play. Trust me, I've tried other DFS sites before, and if you're not a fantasy expert, then Fandul is clearly the place to play. When you're ready for a fresh start, come on over to Fandul and get a $5 bonus when you

make your first deposit and pick a new fantasy team every week and get all the fresh starts you need to get back to winning. So come play with me at fanduil.com slash the ringer. That's Fandul.com slash the ringer. New Year's only bonus not available for withdrawal. State and age restrictions apply. For full eligibility rules and terms and conditions, go to Fandul. and back to GM Street.

Let's talk about a quarterback that does know who he is. He is who we thought he was, and that is Philip Rivers. And I have a little quote for your Lombardi. True Merit, like a Rivers, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes. One of the Knox on Philip Rivers over the years was he was one of the few quarterbacks that had no problem talking junk, talking trash to the defense. Right now he has every reason to do so. 28 of 29 in this game broke the single game completion rate record with a 96.55% rate,

surpassing 94.7 that was set by Tannahill and Alex Smith. He also shattered the most consecutive completions to start a game with 22, previous record held by Mark Brunel and Derek Carr. And he didn't even have to play in the fourth quarter. Geno Smith got to come in and get a little action in this one. But from the start, the Chargers blow out the Cardinals in this one. And Philip Rivers looks like a guy that, I mean, we've mentioned a few times on this podcast,

but he looks like an MVP candidate. And this Chargers team looks like they are set and secure in that fifth spot in the playoffs. Obviously, you know, way behind the Chiefs at this point. But just looking at Phil Rivers and what he's been able to do, and especially this week, Lombardi. I mean, what is the major takeaway? We keep talking about Breeze, keep talking about Brady, keep talking about Mahomes, keep talking about golf, all these other guys. But Phil Rivers has really set the stage this season for himself. No doubt, Tate Fraser.

I mean, the guy is averaging over nine yards per attempt. I mean, two of his three leading receivers are running backs. I mean, Ecula is the second leading receiver on the team. He averages 11-1 a catch for him. And Gordon, who unfortunately got hurt last week, why he was in the game at that point, I don't know. but he's averages 10-3 a catch on them. And both those guys average over five yards. I mean, Ecklerker will come in and probably play well.

And then you've got the dynamic duo of the Williams brothers who averages over 17 yards a catch and have 12 touchdowns between the two of them. I mean, they're an explosive offense. They can move the ball. Their offensive lines playing much better. So I think they're tremendous offensively. It just comes down to defensively. They have those lapses.

And look, the Steelers last week gave a game away. I mean, when you have four turnovers plus a missed field goal, five turnovers, and don't get any. And that's where the Broncos have won the last two weeks. They haven't committed a turnover in two weeks. So, you know, they do it. But I think this Charger team's a tough out. I think they're a tough out.

They're not going to win the West. But I'm telling you, they get that four, that four or five game. They're going to be a tough out because he's so good. And, you know, we still have the Charger coaching factor. Does that weigh in? The kicking game does that way in? We'll see. But I think Philip Rivers, if it wasn't for Drew Brees' season, he's an MVP candidate easily.

I mean, the guy's average him. 20 points higher on his quarterback rating. I mean, the two players that are having career plus years are Breeze and Rivers, and they're that old. It's remarkable. And, I mean, not to throw salt in the wound there, but you look at those two guys, you look at Breeze, you look at Rivers. I mean, of course, what Tom Brady is, what Tom Brady is.

And if you're a Giants fan, you look at Eli Manning, a guy that's in that same class of guys, and there's just different echelons of quarterbacking going on there. And you see the difference between what you get from Rivers and a breeze and obviously a Brady. And Eli's there. Obviously, he has the accolades, the two Super Bowls and has done some great things. for the Giants, but he is not even close to where Philip Rivers and Breeze are at this point.

And I know that has to be a little bit frustrating if you are a Giants fan, just seeing guys of his same class, of his same ilk, play at this high of a level at this point in their career. No doubt. I mean, look, Eli, you know, Eli had a great first half. He made a horrendous decision in the game. You know, one of the worst decisions he's got Tampa to, you know, and all he's got to do

is throw the check down. Barkley could have probably ran and would have kicked a field goal. Instead, he tries to force the ball into Barclay. dad down to Ferris down the middle of the field. And, of course, the second half, I think something had to be wrong with Barclay because, you know, he wasn't in there a lot of times. I don't know why he wasn't in the game. They said nothing was wrong with him.

He comes back in. I mean, Barclay's a tremendous talent. But every time he goes two plays, he comes out. And I think Wayne Galman comes in. And then, you know, you're wondering, like, what's going on. And to them to lose that game, the Giants, especially the way they moved the ball, how poorly the Eagles tackled, it's really, I mean, it's disheartening, and now they get ready for next year. So, yeah, Eli, and Alex Tandy isn't going to beat you out.

It's funny, Tate Frazier, the teams that believed in the quarterback, all you need to know is how well they believe in the quarterback by who's their backup, right? So, and, you know, look, Brian Hoher is the backup in New England. They know if Hoyer goes in a game, they're probably not going to win. But the reality of it is, is Alex Tanny's never played a game. Hoyer has, right? And Cody Kessler has played in 12 games. games, he's one in 12, he's not any good. So, like, let's be real honest. I mean, whoever your backup is, that tells you everything you need to know about what you really

think. I want to bring up one thing. You brought up that Giant Eagles game quickly before we move on and obviously talking about the Chargers is how it led to this. But Odell Beckham, Jr., I mean, obviously this was some struggles in the second half for Eli Manning and that kind of, you know, caught up to this team. But he did have one play there late in the game where he comes and, you know, he's in the end zone, and he looked like he was going to be able to draw a penalty, got held there at the end. It was a pretty obvious call. And that doesn't get called. And then, you know, there was some complaints about that. He went right to the official and made some complaints. And obviously the Eagles fans loved that in Philly seeing him do that.

Give him the, you know, a couple like crying faces and all that sort of stuff. But just looking at this game, it does seem like the Giants. It has been a lost season from the start. And the little things that sometimes go your way when you, when you do have things rolling, it just seems like they haven't been able to get it going. And one of those guys, Obj, who got the contract this year was one of the big, you know, stories in the offseason. And regardless of how well he's been able to play, they just have not been able to string wins together and figure a way to get back in the fold there in the NFC East. No, I mean, look, and that call, I mean, look, LeBlanc, you know, as a kid, we, Belichick and I did LeBlanc. We were down in

Florida at practicing before we played the Dolphins. And we went over to Florida Athletic and spent time over there, worked him out. And, you know, we signed him as a college free agent. I mean, he's limited to what he can do. But he's a tough-minded kid. He's one of the few kids I ever met from Belgrade that doesn't have great speed. You know, usually those guys from Belgrade can fly. But he, you know, he's got good instincts on the football. I mean, look, I don't know how it wasn't called. Just like, I don't know how on Thanksgiving Day there wasn't helmet to helmet.

You know, there's just some things you just don't understand. And that's just it's called football. You just have to explain it in that sense. Well, one thing we didn't understand, too, in that second half is, you know, Sequan Parkley, just did not get his name called or number called at all. I mean, and even in the second half, you know, Fox announcer came out and said, we haven't called Barkley's name at all in the second half. I mean, is there any world in which Lombardy?

I mean, as cynical as this may be, that the Giants are still playing and staking in for that draft position. And, you know, even though they were up 19 to three, they were totally fine to throw this game away, even if it was a divisional game. No, I think they wanted to win it. I think they thought they should have won it. I think they definitely wanted to win it. And, you know, I think that they would have gone all the way through to try to win it. So, you know, I think there's no doubt they wanted to.

try to win that game. I think there's no doubt at all. Speaking of two teams, that winning is at a premium because of the tight race in the NFC, there may be panic time with the Carolina Panthers at this point. They were just not too long ago, six and two. They've dropped three in a row with the last loss coming to the Seahawks. The Seahawks, as much as this game was a back and forth affair, I mean, the Panthers, they outgained the Seahawks by 80 yards, and they average almost 1.8 more yards per play in this one. But Dante Jackson goes down and had a few bad calls. down there in the red zone. A Cam Newton, a fourth down sneak that didn't quite work out for those

guys, even though it did get reviewed. And a lot of people thought that it was close to being converted. It gets called back. Christian McCaffrey on a third in goal run, Nazir Jones, Nas Jones, gets a nice stop for the Seahawks down there. So a couple big plays to point to, obviously the Panthers then late in the game. They settle for a 52-yard field goal from Ganoe. That is off the mark. The Seahawks then get the ball back on their own 42. Russell Wilson takes him down as he is prone to do, gets Janikowski and, and reasonable field goal range. He kicks it right through.

And the Seahawks get a nice win on the road. 30 to 27, four straight regular season wins in Carolina. And now we have an interesting wildcard race here. And first I want to talk about the Seahawks, the team that has continued to battle back in this season. And this is a game that they necessarily did not play well. The run game was not there for them. But they found a way to win.

They did a lot of the little things. The defense came up big for them when they needed to. And Russell and the Seahawks are sort of rolling as we get into December and get into the, you know, the playoff situations. And they have a team that's hot and a team you really don't want to face it. They're a six seed in the NFC. No, I mean, look, I thought Seattle, you know, look, I think sometimes I just don't understand Ron Rivera.

I know he's got Riverboat Ron. I didn't understand going for two in Detroit. I really didn't get that, you know, and they had two timeouts and Matt DePrader can kick the ball from the moon. And then this week, look, you know, everybody, Miss Field Goals of Turnovers. He tries the 52-yarder. X seven. Like if fourth and four, the conversion rate on league average on fourth and four is 66, you know, so are you going to try it fourth and four? They rank 18th on going for it on fourth and medium, which is fourth and four or less. And or you try on the field goal kick, which teams are 72 out of 111 on the field goals outside of 40, outside of 50 yards this season. So I thought he should have gone for it on fourth and four. I'd rather have Cam Newton have the ball than have Graham Gano's foot. kick the ball because I knew once I gave that ball back, I would have to deal with Russell Wilson,

who the fourth and four play that he made, the touchdown back in the end zone. I mean, why throw that ball? I don't know. Touchdown, great play, right? I mean, precision throw, unbelievable. After I witnessed that, I'm not, I didn't want to give him the ball back. And I think the third down call, they ran the crosser to DJ more like, you know, you would hope they would have gotten a little bit more. But I would have come back. I mean, McCaffrey played so well in that game. You know, to put the ball in Graham Gano's hands, and yes, he's made a 60 yarder, but I just think to me, sometimes I don't understand what Carolina's doing. I think they're reckless with their riverboat gambling, and I think they're too good of a team to be six and five. I really do. I just

don't think they're that bad. I mean, I know they're limited on defense. They can't really cover very well, but this game, like you said, they stopped the run game. And look, I think Pete Carroll deserves voted the coach of the year consideration. I think he's done a remarkable job. I think he made a really hard decision. And I think this is something we all have to understand in life is sometimes you might have to fire your friends for the betterment of the team. I mean, Tom Cable was one of his best friends. But to get Tom Cable, the line coach, to change what he wanted to do. Tom Cable will live and die with the zone, outside zone. That's all he wants to run. I mean, he is all he wants to run. And they had no toughness as an offensive line. You couldn't get

Tom to change. So in getting Tom to change, Pete, fired him. He brought Mike Solari in. Mike Solari's a long-time NFL coach. They've changed their run game. They changed their temperament of their offensive line with the same players playing 10 times better. And I think Pete deserves a lot of credit for making a tough decision like that. That's not easy to do. And a lot of coaches won't use that confrontation and take it on. But you have to do it for the betterment of the team. And when you evaluated it, I mean, it's pretty clear. I think it's pretty clear of where they are and what Cable wants to do. I think Tom has to sit down and say to himself, maybe what my honest,

outside zone stuff isn't as effective as it was five years ago because I'm not able to really run the football, you know, like I think we should run it. I mean, there was a time where he could really run the ball in the NFL and the outside zone was popular. I mean, the Raiders averaged 99.4 yards running the ball this year. They're 25th in the NFL. Seattle's the best run team. Now, what changed? Seattle didn't change their talent level, right? They just hired Solari. Now, Oakland's changed their talent level. They have two young tackles, but they can't run the ball like they would. If Bill Callahan was in Oakland with John Gruden right now, I bet

you they would run the ball because they wouldn't just be exclusively just outside zone. And once you get predictable, I mean, you talk about changing philosophies and that's sort of the interesting part about the Panthers is they are still, it seems under Ron Rivera, they are still working under the guys that they are the team that the Riverboat Ron nickname

came from, which is we can do these little, we can go for it on fourth and two because we have a defense that's going to hold back and keep us in a football game. But they are the opposite of that now, where the offense is basically the premier side of the football. I mean, just look at this game. I mean, they generate 40078 yards, net yards of offense. They get 26 first downs.

Cam Newton has another great game, scrambles for 63 yards. And it seems to be more control of that offense. But like you said, Rivera is still calling games. The philosophy is still the same despite the way the team has changed over the years. And that's why, I mean, as unfortunate as it is, a lot of people are pointing fingers now at Rivera and some of this coaching staff because they have played. well enough to win games. They put themselves in position to win games. But certain decisions, as I open up the podcast, I mean, Mike Vrable made a fateful decision. Fateful decisions have been made the last three weeks for this team, and none of them have worked out. And when you're 0 for three,

that's when people start getting upset. And the gambling doesn't seem as fun as it did when you were winning earlier in his time there with the Panthers. No doubt, Tate, Fraser. And look, he got a new owner, too. I mean, you know, this owner didn't hire you. This owner isn't, hasn't, you know, he doesn't really understand the history. You know, he doesn't really understand the history. He didn't hire you. And you're too good of a team to be six and five. I mean, I think they lack some defensive talent. But like you said, you win with offense in the NFL, and they've got enough offense.

I mean, they've got enough. I mean, the last two weeks, there's no excuse for them to lose those games. No excuse. Let's move back to the AFC. This is another team that is hot just like the Seahawks, and that is the Indianapolis Colts. They have a guy that all of a sudden, I mean, has become the talk of the town. And obviously, the ratings have been shooting up in Indianapolis, the, the, the, the, the, fans and the locals there in India are very excited about what they're seeing from their

quarterback Andrew Luck. The Colts are on a five-game winning streak. That's their best stretch since winning five in a row earlier in the 2014 season. And here's a quote from Andrew Luck I got for it. He said, you've got to learn how to find a way when it's not easy and when it doesn't seem to be your night. Andrew Luck has had some struggles. I mean, obviously with turnovers and things of the like. But in this game, he stumbles twice, tucks the ball to his left side, gathers themselves, puts it back in his right hand. And the whole time he's keeping his eyes down the field and ends up finding Chester Rogers for a 34-yard completion. Colts getting field goal range. They hit the game winner. And Frank Reich and this Colts team, I mean, they

look like a scary squad. They got Eric E. Braun going. I mean, he's got two more touchdown passes than this game. He's got a three-way tie in the league lead with Antonio Brown and Tyree kill with 11 on the year. And he's also tied Dallas Clark for the most receiving touchdowns in a single season by a tight-in in Colts franchise history. So they did well in free agency. Andrew Luck has got his arm back. Frank Reich has got this team rolling again. And in the AFC, with that six seed, with the Ravens and a bunch of teams all around there trying to find that spot, it does seem like the Indianapolis Colts have found their footing a little bit here. And Andrew Luck and these guys seem like they believe and they've bought into who they are as a team.

No doubt, Tafras. I mean, look, they're playing well. Look, they're 31 on 59 on third downs in the last five weeks, okay, on their win streak. They've only had four turnovers in those five games. And three happened the other day, and two of them were bang, bang. I mean, it was one play after the other. And what's fascinating is they've had 154 rushing attempts. and 154 passing attempts over this five-game span. And they've gained 743 yards rushing 4.8 to a carry.

And they've averaged over 8.6 yards per attempt with 16 touchdown passes. I mean, they've been amazing. They've had 11 plays over 25 yards. And I think here's the key component. They've only played 28, 26 minutes of defense. They're not great on defense, but what do they do? They play less defense. And when you're this good on third down, you play less defense.

And I think they're playing great complimentary football. And I think that's why they're able to win. And I mean, when you go back last year, Warren Sharp talked about it in his book about how many leads Indianapolis had going into the fourth quarter that they lost. This year, they've had games where, you know, they open up, they lose the Bengal game on a fumble return for a touchdown. You know, the red zone against the Eagles,

they're throwing the ball in the end zone. They can't get it in there. That we all know about the fourth down call against the Texans. They lost that game. They turned the ball over four times versus the Jets, what's cost them to lose that game. I mean, there's only one game that they really haven't been in, and that's been the Patriot game on Thursday night.

So I like this cult team. I think they're tough-minded. I think they've got an edge to them. And I think Frank Wright, when you watch them on offense, they're very, very well-coached. They've got a lot of stuff that they get to, especially on third down and luck, can execute it all. And I'll say this again.

I think that Adam Gase, you know, still Adam Gase is operating as if it's 1985. I mean, third and ten, he's backed up. runs draw. He had two third and tens in the fourth quarter, Tate Fraser in that game. He called draw on third and ten twice. Like if you were the defensive coordinator for the Colts and you could call a play for the Dolphins, you would call draw. Can you run a draw, please? Like run a draw. Go ahead, run a draw. Perfect. Got it. You know, like really, seriously. Like, you know when you give the ball back to them, you're losing, right? Like, I give you

this ball back. I'm losing. I lost. And it comes back to what we brought up with Blake at the top. It's confidence in your guy under center. And if you see some of the quotes, this game. Every single guy on the Colts defense offense, whoever you asked about what was going on, they all were like, we knew number 12 would figure it out for us. We believe Andrew Luck would figure it out for us. You look at how Adam Gase is calling a game. You look at how the Jaguars are calling a game. They do not necessarily believe Ryan Tannahill can win the game for him. They do not believe, of course, Blake Bortles can win a game for him now that he's benched and Cody Cessler's in, obviously. But you see the difference in the dichotomy and how things

are handled by these teams. And it says a lot about how they view themselves. And you can see that in sort of, you know, some of the play calling that goes on, especially when you see a third and ten draw. Great point. I mean, that's right. They were protected themselves. And Gase doesn't think he did anything wrong with it. Gase thinks he did the right thing.

I mean, look, you can say what you want, but you had to know, I mean, third and ten, you know, I think the two things happened, right? The Colts, the Colts get a 15-yard penalty called against the Dolphins. So instead of doing typically what most NFL teams do is kick the ball out of the bounds, they squib kicked it, forced the dolphins to return it, which, A, took time off the clock. B also put them in bad field position. Then, of course, naturally there's a hold of call or some kind of penalty on the return that knocked them even further back.

So now you're backed. You got to get out of there. You've got to get a first time. I mean, this is like, we got to get out of here. And to call third and ten draw, I mean, come on. You're just basically saying, I don't want Tadahill will lose the game for us. And you lost the game anyway. Yeah.

You're stuck between a rock and a hard place at that point. I do want to do a quick turkey day Thanksgiving recap. First, I want to start with the Saints. The Saints have allowed, and you tweeted about this Lombardi. he talked about Sean Payton making adjustments during the season. The Saints have allowed 38 points over the past three games, an average of 12.6 per game. You look at the week two going into this Falcons game.

They gave up 37 points the first time these two teams faced. And then this game, they completely flip things around. They get a season high, six sacks in a single game, 13 quarterback hits on Matt Ryan. They get three fumbles and they get an interception in this one. And just talking about what Sean Payton's been able to do with that offense. And, you know, we saw a bunch of guys that are, bunch of no-name undrafted free agents catching footballs this week against the Falcons.

But to see what this defense has been able to do to completely change things around from what we saw earlier in the year. I mean, that really, that speaks to what this team, the way that they can adjust on the fly and the fact that they're willing to adjust on the fly. No doubt. He's been a head coach this year. He's really made adjustments. And I think the most amazing stat, and you go through all the stats. I mean, they've only had 12, 3 and outs all season. You know, their red zone drives are unbelievable. They had 52 of them so far. I mean, they've scored, you know, offensive points scored. They're ridiculous.

I mean, they average 56 rushes and completions a game. I mean, everything is great. But the stat that jumped out to me more than anything is they lead the NFL. And this is for all you guys who want to gamble. They lead the NFL in fourth quarter point differential. Even though they've scored all these points, they keep scoring. And they add to their lead, which is remarkable for me. You know, like most teams, you know, the Patriots perhaps maybe get outscored to the fourth quarter

by four, you know, because they're protecting a big lead, you know, and so the clock's more their opponent than they are. I mean, look, they've done a great job. They've been really good on road on the defense against the run on the road. They've only allowed, you know, under four yards of carry and the five road wins that they've been able to accumulate this year. I think the Saints, a complete team, and I think it starts and ends with their head coach. He's got great vision. I mean, to trade for Teddy Bridgewater, when he already has Drew Brees and everybody else is sleeping at the switch, you got to give him credit for that. You know, and the way he's integrated, Taysome Hill in,

while everybody else can't quite figure it out. I mean, the Ravens have Lamar Jackson, it takes Joe Flacco's injury for them to figure out a package. I mean, he's ahead of everybody else. It's getting easier for him like Belichick. Let's talk about a guy where it starts and stops with the owner, and that is the Dallas Cowboys. They came out in this one.

I mean, Amari Cooper, a second half explosion, first of 40-yard touchdown reception, and then he has the 91-yard catch, which he made a couple defenders of miss, and then he outran Ha-ha Clinton Dixon. to the end zone. So those are some exciting stuff. Hey, take phrase, you don't want to why Green Bay traded ha-ha dicks? There's the, there's Exhibit A.

You know, the Vents Witness, we're going to show this is why Green Bay traded ha-ha, he can't tackle on the third level, okay? Like, this is why we traded them right here. This is the perfect example why we traded them. And this is why the Cowboys, I mean, right, at this point at least, I mean, they made the right decision. They go trade that first round pick. I mean, granted, you can talk about the value of a first-home pick and what that

may mean in the future, but Amari Cooper has come in and has performed at a premium level for this team. And it does seem as if the Cowboys, you look at that NFC East, a lot of identity crisis, you know, crises going on at different teams. And the Cowboys, they seem like they figured out who they were. They have more room for Ezeko Elliott

with Mari Cooper being able to stretch out. The defense is a little bit and be a threat on the outside. And Dak looks more comfortable. And for the most part, Jerry's happy. He's still yelling Wu out to the world. And the Dallas fans were, they all enjoyed their Thanksgiving. America's team had a nice Thanksgiving, Lombardi.

So that's good. No doubt. I mean, look at the, the last three weeks, Tate Frazier, they have had no turn. The three and O in the last three weeks, they've had no turnovers. They're 21 for 43 on third down in the last three weeks. They've gained over 1,100 yards,

688 passing, 450 running. They've averaged 775 in yards per attempt. They got four plays over 20 yards. And here's the key. They're playing back to the same way they did back to 2016 Cowboys. They've had the ball

almost 33 minutes of offense and the defense has just played 27 minutes. And the defense has been really good on third down. They're 14 for 33 on third down, and they force five turnover. So this is exactly the formula that the Cowboys used in 16 to win the East to utilize the last three weeks. Can it continue?

Remains to be seen. But that's the formula, and that's how they've been able to win games, and that's what they're going to have to keep doing to win these games. I'm clapping right now as soon as you said that. Final game on Turkey. And he's going to get an extension, Trey Frazier. He will get an extension.

Who would have thought four weeks ago the Clapper would continue this? This would be great. This is great for the program. Once he gets this extension, I'm going to trademark the Clapper. I'm going to have it. We're going to sell get. I mean, everybody should buy two things for Christmas. The Clapper and Grid Iron Genius. That, to me, should be everybody's Christmas tree.

Please. Yeah, let's get him. If Jason Garrett was underneath my tree, I'd be pretty scared. But, you know, for the most part, I'd be excited about getting the Clapper. All right. And it is that time, one of our favorite times and one of our favorite segments. It is the Week 12 awards. and as we do and we're prone to do,

we go through all these different teams and try to figure out. First off, who needs to go on the lamb? It is time to go on the lamb. Lombardi, looking around the league, who needs to go on the lamb? I'm going to put in Huey headlines in the Bengals. Is that right?

Or is there another team that needs to go? No, I'm going San Francisco. Look, I've had enough of San Francisco's horrible. I mean, this whole Rubin Foster thing is bad. I mean, I like Kyle Shannon. I think Kyle Shannon is a really talented offensive coach, but I think right now the job's too big for him. I think he needs some help in his organization.

I'm not sure what John Lynch can provide, have it never done this job before, but they're not a very talented team. You go to Tampa and you get your ass whooped by the bucks. You need not only go on the lamb, you need to move to West Cape May. I mean, I think this is bad. I know he's got a six-year contract. I know Garapolo got hurt, but the talent level on that team and the drafting of that team in the last two seasons has been horrible.

And if they're not honest with themselves in San Francisco, they're kidding themselves. And I think they need to go on the lamb. Yeah, and it's not as simple as Jimmy G comes back in all things are good and hunky dory there. I mean, there are a lot of problems on that defense especially. So we'll see what happens in San Francisco. Next up, we have the Fred Palermo Award for Best GamePlan on this week. Who you got, Lombardy? Now I'm going to give to the Browns.

I think you've got to give it to Freddie Kitchens. He's done a great job. He's come in there. They did a great job of game planning against the Bengals. I know it wasn't hard to do. But look, it goes on the first road win in a long time. I think them and I think Seattle, they deserve it. I mean, Seattle did a great job of winning that game.

And I think also Buffalo, Buffalo beating Jacksonville at home with Josh Allen. You got to take your hat off to those. But I think the Browns deserve it the most. I'm going to give it out to the Saints defense too. I thought they had a great game plan going into that one against Matt Ryan after giving up so many points early in the season. Next up, we got the KGB Award, the team that got snuck up on. Would we say the Steelers or is that not giving enough credit to the Broncos?

No, I think the Steelers did. I think they got snuck up on. I think there's no doubt. I think the Packers did too. Look, the Packers can't win a road game. But I think the steel, look, you've got to get the Broncos credit. They haven't turned the ball over in two weeks. They haven't played great.

They've given up over a thousand yards defensively, but they're two and oh, and they're back in the race, and they've got a schedule that favors them. So I think you've got to give them credit for that one. And we should point out 0 and 6 on the road for the Packers. A lot of fingers now pointing at Aaron Rogers for the first time in a long time in his career. So it would be interesting to see how that all plays out going into the off season. Next up, we got one we haven't done in a while. Can't tell my courage from my desperation.

This is one that I wanted to give you the Panthers and Riverboat Ron. A lot of courage making some of these calls, but it looks almost desperate at this point now that they're sitting at six and five and on the outside looking in at the playoffs. No doubt. So disappointing, Tafrasia. They better turn it around. I mean, that team is not a six and five team. I mean, if they get to 11 and 5, now that means they've got to beat the Saints twice. But I think the last game of the season against the Saints might not really matter. But they've got to win out. I think they should be at least a 10 and 16 based on where they are based on their quarterback's talent. I'm disappointed with them. They have to be courageous and not be. so desperate. I definitely agree with you there. And the last one, if you don't know, now you know, Lombardi, what do we know? Well, I mean, we know the Cardinals are the worst team in football by far. They're starting to dump players. I mean, this whole notion that the Cardinals were this successful team and all that. I mean, the Cardinals are in a complete rebuild mode. I feel bad for Steve Kime.

I thought he thought they needed some work, but they need way more than when you get beat, when you go up 10 to nothing and you get outscored 45 to nothing, man, it's bad. And I think you're really going to have to go through it. The other thing I think now, if you don't know, is the Redskins. I mean, like, at some point, when do the Redskins sit there and say, well, you know, we've been unfortunate with all these injuries? I mean, they always have injuries. I mean, the last two years, it's all we've talked about is the Redskins injuries. The Redskins need to do something other than what they've been doing because they just get hurt all the time. I mean, I love Morgan Moses, but the guy's on the ground all the time, and they bring the

ambulance out for him, but he gets back up. He's back in two plays later. I mean, the conditioning of the Redskins, to me, looks really poor, and I think it's reflective of why they get hurt so much. And quickly, before we get out of here, I'll run through the playoff picture in the NFC we got the Saints is the one seed Rams two, three bears, four Cowboys, five Vikings, six Redskins and then on the outside looking at, we got the six seed Seahawks, Panthers at the seven seed, Eagles at the eighth seed, and then the Packers and the Falcons on the back in there. Looking at the NFC, Lombardian, how things are pannied out. Obviously you just mentioned the Redskins. It feels like they will be one of the teams that falls out there,

falls out of that six spot, and then you have the Seahawks, Panthers, Eagles there. Is there one team out of that three that you think and expect to make a run not only at that six seed, but to be a team that can really contend once we get to the playoffs? think Seattle and Carolina are two teams. They should be in the playoffs. They should be, look, I think Philly, Dallas, and Washington are going to, somebody's going to win the four seed, right? So do I think any of those teams should be a wild card? No, because they play each other and they'll beat up. I think Seattle and Carolina are the two best. I think Minnesota obviously is going to be in contention for that. So that last wild card is going to come down to Seattle and Carolina.

That's what made the Seattle win so damn important. I mean, that's head to head. You get to succeed over Carolina based on that. The Eagles, I think, have to win the East to get this because they've lost to Carolina, you know, and so that'll hurt them. They're going to lose another game. They've got to go play the Rams. I think it's a tough road for the Packers just based on the numbers. Yep. And as they say, you know, people point to the fact that it is a, you know, you can control your own destiny. But at this point, with all the tiebreakers and different things going on, you actually cannot control your own destiny. Looking at the AFC, we got the Chiefs, Patriots, Texan, Steelers, Ravens holding on to that six spot, but then right behind them nipping at the

hills. We have the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins. And then, of course, a Hodge, podge of teams between the Bengals, Broncos, Titans, Browns. And Tay Fraser, none of them are really play. I mean, to me, it comes down to Baltimore, Indianapolis for the sixth seed. I think Miami's not a playoff team. We know Cincinnati's not. Denver has no business being in the playoffs, you know, and Tennessee's five and six. They're the 11th team right now. I mean, could Cleveland make a run. Yeah, they could. I mean, I think Cleveland's going to be a tough out, but I don't think any of those teams are playoff teams. I think it really comes down to Baltimore and Indie for the last spot. And I think Baltimore is the better team. I'm not sure Indies

good enough on defense to win on the road. They can win at home. We're going to remains to be seen whether they can win on the road. I think nobody wants to play Cleveland. Houston plays Cleveland this week. I think that'll be a tough game for Houston, but I think that's pretty much where it is. New England got a break this week with Pittsburgh losing. Now they have the second seed, but they're going to have to hold on.

They've got a tough game against Minnesota this week. I think that'll be a challenge to hold the two spot. I think the one thing is the sixth seed in the AFC won't be a great team for sure. It is interesting. If the Colts do get that six seat spot, they do have some prior. history with some of the teams that could be matched up against whether it be the Texans and then going up against the Chiefs. We all remember that Andrew Luck come back

a few years ago and that sticks out in the mind when you think about the playoff run. Anything else, Lombardi, before we get out of here? I mean, obviously we're both excited about Mac Brown being back in North Carolina and the fact that five stars are back. I can't wait. I'm going to buy a Carolina jersey, man. I'm so excited. Hopefully, you know, Mitchell gave some money

to help pay the costs for Mac to come back. But, I mean, look, it'll be interesting to see how recruiting goes. I can't wait to monitor the five stars. We are going to have a five-star update constantly on North Carolina recruited. We've got to get Mac on the show. That's what we really got to do. Yes, we do. We're going to work it out.

We're going to figure out a way to get Mac Brown on here to teach us all things, five-stars and all things football and learn a lot from him, as always. This has been another edition of GM Street part of the Ringer Podcast Network. We appreciate and enjoy everyone who has been sticking with us and listening to the show. We will be back on Friday. We would do the week 13, five games to watch out with Lombardi. And until then, thanks for listening. Thank you, guys.

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