The Ringer NFL Show - Making the Case for the AFC's Top Playoff Sleeper With Nate Tice

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

Sheil gets together with Nate Tice from Yahoo Sports’ Football 301 pod to discuss some of the AFC Conference teams that may be operating under the radar as we head into the 2025 NFL season. Teams discussed include: New England PatriotsCincinnati BengalsIndianapolis ColtsLas Vegas Raiders The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.rg-help.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Host: Sheil KapadiaGuest: Nate TiceProducer: Chris SuttonSocial: Kiera Givens and Brian WatersProduction Supervision: Conor Nevins and Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Ringer NFL show. I'm your host, Shield Capadia. Thrill to have my friend, Nate Tice, you know him from Yahoo Sports, the Football 301 podcast. We are going to talk sneaky AFC playoff contenders. The idea is straightforward, on average, since the NFL moved to this new playoff format. Six new teams make the playoffs every year on average three in each conference. So Danny Heifitz and I did the NFC. Make sure you listen to that one in the feed.

Nate and I will do the AFC. Nate, first of all, thanks for joining me. Before we start, I'm told by a source that you were posting all 22 clips of a bear's preseason game at what I believe was 724 a.m. local time this morning. And so before we get to the, I just need to know, are you okay? Do you need anything as your friend? Can I help you? No, I'm not okay.

I'm not okay. I'm actually great because there's actually stuff to react to, which is amazing. So maybe that's why I wake up the morning geared up and ready to rock. But no, I was wondering if you'd call me out on that. And it's not even, we're talking AFC today. It's not even the division or conference that we're talking about today. And I was like, I got to check out Caleb. I got to see how Caleb Williams did.

It looked great, by the way, in case you're wondering. It looked phenomenal. There you go. No, when you wake up at five, as you know, wake up at 5.15 or to 530 every day with your two-year-old. And then you're up and at them. And then you already are like, you feel like, the army. We do more before 8 a.m. before most people do most days. I love it. I watch more film

before 7 a.m. than most people do all day. I love it. And you were, listen, I can confirm that he was pounding a coffee like three seconds before we came on. So this guy's ready to go. It's not just Caleb Williams. He is ready to talk AFC playoff sleepers. We're going to take a quick break. We'll come back and we'll do just that. This episode is presented by American Eagle, whether you're hanging out at home or headed out for a training session. American Eagle has you covered with a ton of new stuff. We're talking super comfy heavyweight hoodies and joggers that look and feel great, sweat-wicking active shorts that are good to go anytime, anywhere,

new move-free jeans made from a crazy, comfy, real-looking denim, and their biggest underwear collection of the year with striped, solid, and print styles to fill your drawer. You can check it all out at A.e.com or just go to the store. All right, Nate, here we go. So we were actually discussing briefly before we came on. The AFC is hard because if you're like, hey, you know what, that Lamar Jackson and Patrick Bahomes and Josh Allen, I don't really feel like fading those guys this year.

Then you have three playoff teams already accounted for. So now you've got this group of four where you're trying to potentially find three new playoff teams to fit those spots. So the teams were talking about that didn't make the playoffs last year, Bengals, Colts, Dolphins, Jets, Jaguars, Patriots, Raiders, Browns, and Titans. And so that's the group we're choosing from. We have not discussed this.

So will we surprise each other? Will we have hive mind? Let's get to it, Nate. Who is your first team that didn't make the playoffs in the AFC last year that you think is going to make it this year? I feel like I'm knowing which company you work for. I feel like I'm playing to the crowd here. But also just it seems the AFC is tough.

This is what we talked about before the show to find. these new teams. Like you said, the teams at the top, like it feels like the elite are pretty set. But then it also feels like the good teams, you know, the tiered down, I mean like Broncos kind of teams, like they feel pretty good this year as well. So it's like, okay, who drops off chargers, I guess. But to fill their place, I went with the New England Patriots. And this is, they're at plus 164. I looked on Fanduel, which is also interesting because there's a couple odds on there. I'm like, okay, this is making me start second guess some of my own opinions here. But this is a bet on Drake May taking the leap that I think he will.

This is more just competency around them. This is me thinking that the division of the AFC East will drop off. I'm not saying that they will win the division, but that is four games against the Jets and the Dolphins. I think the Jets will be frisky with the run game and stuff. But I think the dolphins are going to have such a weird year this year. Yeah, I think just Patriots being competent, they can get some gimmies there. But yeah, I don't know if you have the same team, you want me to break down the Patriots for you. So here's where I am.

I did them in order of like what I feel most confident about to least confident. And the Patriots were my third one. So I think if you said she'll make your actual AFC playoff predictions, I might say, you know what? There's only going to be two new teams this year. And I don't know if I have the Patriots in there. But for our exercise, I do have them. And I think you make it, you know, they have the second easiest schedule.

Yeah. They got the second easiest schedule in the NFL, Brable's an upgrade. You have been, I would say, maybe the biggest Drake May fan in the NFL content space since the draft to now. And I wasn't, I was a little more questioning him in the draft. But I liked what I saw last year. I mean, I have this stat that 31 rookie QBs over the last 10 years. He ranked fourth in success rate as a rookie among that group of 31.

And that's with, I mean, look who he was working with. So I think the case is there. Now, I do want to ask you about this. Josh McDaniels. Okay. I feel like people like a Josh McDaniels. I am in the camp of, can the guy do something without Bill Belichick holding his hand

before I give him the benefit of the doubt? So convince me that Josh McDaniels is the right coach and that this actually isn't upgrade for Drake May in his second season. I think that the fact that he's the OC and not the head coach play caller, that's going to help, whereas just he's the offense coordinator. And he has Vrable to maybe pop him on the nose every once in a while. so maybe that'll help a little bit, keep him in check. Josh McDaniels is confusing in my brain, where I used to think I didn't really like

his stuff. I thought it was very archaic and boring. And then I came around on it a little bit, like maybe his last couple years with the Patriots, the Cam Newton year is one of my favorite quirky offensive pairings, the last, since I've been in media. And I think when I watch him, I'm just like, he's a B to me, where I think it's like, I think he's above board, but I think the thing with them is that a lot of their explosive plays or designer plays,

but you need the do, like, so okay, some designs get there. They need guys to create that, that ceiling. They need, which is a lot of offenses, but I think him more than anything. I think he's a high floor offensive play caller, but the ceiling is all dependent on the play, skill players, which is a lot of coordinators, but I think some are better than others designing plays and getting guys, oh, Ben Johnson's one, you know, there's some others out there.

But I think that, having said all that, Drake May is a walking, talking explosive play. That's why I think he's very appealing to me as a quarterback because as a runner and a thrower, he's looking to gain 20 yards. He's looking to gain down the field. And I think they know that. I think really this preseason has been a lot of like, okay, let's get the singles. Let's get you on base because we know that you can swing for the fences.

And it's been, it's been interesting. I think it's been pretty cool what they're trying to make them do. And I think he can fit in any type of offense. My big thing is it's an offense that wants to run at you, run down your throat, and then hit over the top and get the safeties come up. everything. The line has been improved, but they still have like Garrett Bradbury at center. Yeah. Was awful last year and it's been awful this preseason. So now you're just like, okay, well,

now I'm starting a question mark at center. We still have question marks along the offensive line. I know I'm supposed to be spilling the story that these guys would make the playoffs, but these are the questions I have. So it's really just looking at the skill players and like how well they can kind of compensate for everything else. They add some juice and Kyle Williams, Trayvion Henderson, who have both, Trayvion, especially has looked really good this preseason. And then defensively, I think they're going to be a solid, at the very least, a top half defense, top 16 defense. Are they top five? I don't think that, but maybe they didn't get to eighthish, you know, they can get to that eight to 12 range. They have some pieces that

are really nice. Robert Swayne was a really nice signing, I thought. Christian Gonzalez is a really good player. Carlton Davis is only going to play 11 or 12 games like he does every year. So the games that he's not in is going to be a little scary at the other corner spot. I think they have a good front too. They got good size. They got good speed. They got a nice mix of type of players that can move around too. So yeah, I don't know. I have good feelings on this team. And like you said, I'm not saying they're going to be my sneaky playoff team. But in this exercise, they are one that I actually feel decent about considering the other options that we're going to talk about. Yeah, it's not hard to get. All right, mediocre offense. And it doesn't sound exciting, but it's like mediocre offense.

But this is what you have to do. This is the math you have to do. Mediocre defense. Maybe special teams are good. Maybe Brables game management is good and you have an easy schedule. Like, that could be nine wins. I found, it's easy for me to get them to like seven or eight wins. And then in my head, I'm like, are they another offseason away from getting to that next level? So I think that's where I kind of am with them.

But I think they got a shot. Yeah, like I said, I had them on my list. I think you described McDaniels well in his, every time he hasn't been with Belichick, he's yet to produce an above average offense. Now, he's had some terrible quarterback. So I'm with you what you said, that it depends on the talent. But I'm just like, even those Cam Newton and Mack Jones years, it's like, well, he did have Belichick, you know, who everyone, he could coach the offense and so I'm like that help. So I think your Vrabel points a good one.

And all reports out in New England are like, Rabel's actually spending a lot of time with the offense. And so does he have that Belichick gene where he's like, hey, I can, I'm going to, you're not just, I'm not just handing the keys to you. I want to make sure this thing runs the way I wanted to run as well. So I think the Patriots are a good thing. relationship is also going to be a good one. Not every quarterback I like with Vrable because he's such a defensive hardo. I really like Vrable. I really do.

I think his game management stuff is underrated. But I, man, with May can take it. And I think that's why I'm like, okay, this one could work. I'm really, I know, I know you said that I'm one of the high guys on him. I think there's going to be some special moments from him this year because he just has that that ceiling breaker type of skill set, even if he'll have some lulls, maybe some, you know, because he goes on a heat check. You might have a tip, you know, a tip pick or a fumble like we've seen this preseason

and everything. But, man, I just think that if he really does what, I mean, that high end, what I think you could be, they could really surprise some people this year. All right. Patriots are the first team. Again, I had them as my three. So we knocked him out. Here's my first one, the one I'm most confident in.

And this is just right on brand for me, Nate, is that I got the Bengals. You did. Okay. Okay. I got the, here's the case. I'm hemming it high. I've made this case for years that if you have a great offense, the defense, it doesn't need to be that.

Like, if you look at the top five offenses in the NFL over whatever the last decade, like over 90% of the time, regardless of everything else, special teams coaching defense, they're in the playoffs. Guess what? The 2024 Bengals were the exception. You can't suck quite that much on defense where you're just like, what's going on here? You know, you can't win close games with that group.

So I look at it overall, and they were four and seven in one sport games last year. Burrow, Chase, and Higgins, it's weird to say because you believe in offensive line. But it's almost like, I don't want to say it doesn't matter. I think it affects their ceiling. But they've shown as long as those three guys are on the field that they're pretty much going to have a top five offense. We saw it last year. We saw it in 2022 when Joe Burrow was healthy. They have scheme continuity, all that stuff.

So I'm not telling you they're going to make the Super Bowl. I think there are limitations. I have lots of hangups about that defense. But I have them as like a 10-win team this year getting into the playoffs. So it didn't sound like they're one of your teams. What do you think of the Bengals? So I realize I put myself, a pained myself in a corner here because then that means I have to nominate two other

teams as potential playoff teams. And one of them is not the Bengals who are minus 144. By the way, when I looked it up. I kept them, it's just I think I know what they are. in the weirdest way. And it's just what I've seen the last two years, especially last year, is I think we did our top 10 offensive show,

just like all of us do, all these offenses, defensive quarterback. My rankings are coming out on the ringer this week, Nate, all 32. I was just going to ask where you, so I had the Bengals at third on top 10 offenses. Wow.

I'm, I've become more of a Zach Taylor defender than when I was a few years ago, because I think he gets a lot of, It's the classic things go well, it's Burrow. Things go bad. Well, frickin Zach Taylor didn't call the right play there, which is a great spot for Joe Burrow to be in. But I really have,

and this is the thing when you have the long time offense play calling head coach with a quarterback is they add layers to the offense, the good ones do. And I've been really a fan of every single year that Bengals add something to their offense, some new featured of their offense. Some of it's because they have to.

Like last year it was like, oh, we have no slot. player. So, okay, Gassiki, your slot. Like, you know, like, and then a couple of years before that, it's like, we can't run the ball. All right, we're going to run out of the gun now. Okay, wow, that worked. Okay, so let's add on to this. And this last year, I think, again, because of what they have with the personnel,

they're doing a lot of interesting things with their tight ends as far as putting them in the backfield as like de facto fullbacks. The equivalent would be maybe, I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. Mike McCarthy Packers, early Packers, which are Michael Finley. remember how he was always used in the backfield, almost like as a fullback slash tight end. And I like that because it's a new, they're not going to go under center of a borough.

They're not going to do play action. We talk about this all over and over. All right, so what do we do? All right, so let's make other parts of our game because we're going to be in shotgun so much. How do we get a good run game out of that? How do we get play action out of that? And they're finding answers.

And I think that's really interesting. And I think Chase Brown's got some stuff to him, more than I even kind of maybe gave credit for. He's not, I don't think he's an all pro to caliber running back, but he's nice for this offense. And I actually don't think the offense alliance as bad as most people do.

Okay. They size that tackle. Their interior is not great, but it's not the Patriots last year. Yeah. And I think a lot of times was when it fell apart is when offensive linemen got hurt. So it was already not great,

but then someone got hurt and then it looked bad. So, you know, again, health, health, health. But I don't know. I think I just have seen this picture where I think this defense, I said all these nice things about the offense. The defense is going to give him the play. playoffs in the AFC. I think they're a 9 and 18.

Like this is just, they're capped out as a 9 and 18. They're really like those 2010 saints, you know, with Breeze and this great offense. That's a great comparison. Yeah, and they were 7.

9, 7.9, 7. And I think this, there's a little spicier in this team, has a little bit more to them. But to me, they're kind of capped out at 9 and 8, 8, 8. 9. Haruma was terrible.

You know, so, I don't know. It's just, I've been trying to, I've been really trying to marinate because I've been complimentary of their offense, but then I'm also like, are we, they're going to give up 50 a game. It's not like your division got easier. Yeah. I wonder if at some point that defense is just like, we need to embrace the craziest, funkiest, like go find me the weird, because you got to play high variance.

That's great. Turnovers and negative plays. It just feels unrealistic that on a down to down basis, it's going to be a sound defense that stops opposing offenses. So they have so many young guys. I mean, they've drafted 10 defensive players in the first three rounds since 2022. Like, it's time for those guys to play and do something. So yeah, I'm not bullish on the defense, but I'm like, can you just keep them in some of these games

where the offense can give you a chance? So we'll see if they're able to do that or not this year. All right. Nate doesn't have the Bengals. I got the Bengals. Let's take a break. Let's find out who. Now I'm really curious because he doesn't have the Bengals.

Who does this man have on his list? We'll find out after the break. All right, we're back here. Nate, I've got one more. So I've already done Bengals. I've already done Patriots. You've done Patriots. So who is your second team here?

It's like, really, I would have done the Bengals, but I figured you would have them, so I wanted to make this fun. All right. God, I can't believe these words are about to come out of my mouth. Can I guess? If you want to make a guess? Jaguars.

Okay. No. Okay, all right. All right. Go ahead. I got one guest. No matter what, these words about to come out of my mouth, I was debating between the Colts and the Jacks because if any team, I think it's going to surprise someone, they'll come out of the AFC South. Just because of just how that division is and also the Texans' offensive line might just actually kneecap their entire season again.

I do think the Texans are going to win the division. But I have the Colts. Wow. Yeah. I love it. one, I don't feel great about this. And it feels like it's a yearly tradition where I talk myself into some cult optimism. Again, I have my garden on Anthony Richardson Island.

But I think it's just not going to be as bad as he was last year or as inaccurate, even if he's not going to be maybe the highs that I think he can have. If they go with him, I think they're going to announce it soon, their quarterback position. If they go to Daniel Jones, then I'm just like, like, delete this entire segment. but it's just what if with Anthony Richardson. I'm not as high on their O lines, maybe I think other people are. I think Tanner Bordellini at Center is a project still,

which is a little scary with a second year unproven center, Go Badgers, by the way, he's a Wisconsin guy, with Anthony Richardson, who isn't going to be changing plays and all that. That's a little scary for me. We've already seen it in the preseason against the Ravens. We have 400 breakdown videos of Anthiorent,

were interesting and getting popped in the chin. We did 400 videos. So many videos. And not a single person pointed out that Tanner Bordolini could have changed the mic point and no one would have been talking about that ever, ever. So, but anyway, this is why I love you. Look how fired up you are. You know, sometimes I'm like, I like football.

But, you know, some of these people in the, in the space, they really like football. Oh, I know. The guy is fired up weeks later over Tanner Bordellini in a preseason. See, I can't get to that level, Nate. That's why I love having you. I tell me, I sit in my office and just stew. And I'm just like, I don't talk to anyone. I just write my little notes to my Google Doc.

I'm just like, exclamation point. Make sure you emphasize this. You know, my wife doesn't want to hear about Mike points with Tanner Bordelini and the linebacker that's one yard off the ball. And you're not going to change the point over there. But anyways, but so back to the Colts. The receiver room, I'm trying to figure out as well. But it's like, these guys got to work.

Downs is a good player. That's the one guy that I think is consistent. Alex Pierce, I know what his role is. He's a three and deep guy. He can go deep. He can go deep. He can block. He's probably one of the best deep ball guys in the league and can block.

Got got healthy. Michael Pittman underneath guy. 80 Mitchell's the wild card. He can still turn to something. He's just so inconsistent. So it's a high. But Tyler Warren, they already seem, I mean, obviously they like draft him in the first round, really kind of getting open.

They're really designing plays for him already, which is interesting. And I think the run game will be good, especially if they're Richardson back there. And so it's like, okay, I can talk myself into that being a top 16 offense if it all works out. If Richardson is just not a Titanic, you know, just not a catastrophe. And then on defense, I've actually talked myself more into their defense as I looked at it. Me too. That's where this is where all this comes from, is that Gus Bradley is gone. Gus Bradley is gone.

And Gus Bradley was a net negative. Even if they didn't have personnel, when you don't have personnel, it's just like we talk about the Bengals, change up the frickin' look once in a while. You can't just run cover three. You don't have Earl Thomas back there. Bobby Wagner's not walking through that door. You don't have Cam Chancellor in this D-Line.

So, you know, Lou Aniroma, I think, again, is like a B-level, at the very least competent defense coordinator. They got size to stop the run, which I think matches Anirumo, because his stuff's all in the back end and making it funky. But he needs size to kind of hold up on the interior. Here, boom, they got DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Done, we're good there. I don't think layout too lot to is going to be a star,

but I think he's going to be a nice pass rusher. Okay, we got a little bit more juice there. We got Tervarius Ward, who went through the season from hell last year at corner. Still a good player. He just had a lot going on in his life last year. So now he's a good player, and he looks like he's had some nice preseason moments. I always camp clips. So I don't know.

I've talked myself into this. They're not going to be, I don't think, great on either end. But I think they could be fine on either end. And I think that that division, they could steal some wins and maybe just sneak into the playoffs. So the Jags I kept off because the offensive line, it's scaring me. Even if I'm excited. And I think the defensive coordinator is a little scaring me too right now. There's a while lack of lack of detail going on.

That's like, ooh, alarm bell going off right now. So Jags are scaring me, even if I do like a little bit of their stuff. But I've talked myself in the Colts the last couple of weeks, just some of the stuff looking at the roster. I don't think you're nuts. I mean, I was like I said, I'm doing, I'm doing my office. offense and defensive rankings for the ringer this week. And I have the Colts really low, but as I was looking at it, I was like, it's not a horrible situation for a quarterback, you know?

You have a running back. Like you mentioned, you have different types of receiving options. Tyler Warren's a wild card. And even if you think the offensive line is like average, again, it's not the worst situation. Can you run the ball? Can you hit on some explosives? We know Anthony Richardson's average pass is going to go 17 yards downfield. So it's like the completion percentage doesn't have to be high.

Just hit on some of those. Just get over 50. Just get over 50. Then I was looking at the defense too, and I thought this front's pretty good. I mean, when you look at it's not like amazing where you're like, oh my gosh, how are you going to stop them? But it's like these are good solid players. You have a corner like you mentioned in Ward. You added Cambinem.

So it's like I think they're going to be an above average defense. Not great. But maybe in the 10 to 14 kind of around that range. So there is a path to kind of being in the mix. It's not the hardest schedule. It's not the hardest division. Ultimately, I can't get there because I'm cut, you know, I don't want to garden on Richardson Island, but I'll take like a plant. Like, listen, I think they've just never had a plan for him.

And I see the highs. Some quarterbacks, you never see the highs. And you still talk yourself into them. Now, it's been more lows than highs, but like you see the highs. So can you build on that at some point? So I like it. That's a good. I didn't have them on my list.

But Nate's got the Colts there as his second team. Ari, you might make fun of me. Five in the morning with your son and then you just start thinking on these things. And also you have to say the colts. Right? Yeah. Who knows? Who knows where you land when it's time to turn the mics on? All right.

My last one, you might make fun of me for here, Nate. I think I know where you're going. This formula, listen, again, it's not going to get anyone that excited, but let me explain the formula to you. Slightly above average offense. Okay. Average defense. Okay. And a little Pete Carroll pixie dust.

I knew it. I knew it. You knew it? That's mine. That's my third one. Oh, okay. We both got the Raiders. The Raiders.

All right. So for Hyphitz and I, the Falcons were the, you know, ringer NFL team out of nowhere. And it seems like for this exercise, it's going to be the Raiders. All right. So let me make my case and you tell me where you agree or disagree. The Pete Carroll Pixie dust. Like there's going to be a game where they block like a game winning field goal and he's jumping on the lockers afterwards.

And, you know, it's going to buy them. Yeah. So that's going to be great. You know, we can count on that for one win. again, I think the offense is not going to be great, but if you look at the Gino-Smith, Seattle offense, it's like between 12 and 18 for three straight years. So I think that's a good range to look at when you look at the Raiders. So I think they can be mediocre. Maybe stuff falls their way and Chip Kelly has a nice renaissance and they're slightly above average. But I think we know the range

they're going to be in. And defensively, the more I look at this, man, Patrick Graham did like one of the more underappreciated jobs in the NFL, I think. Yes. Last year. This was the second most injured defense in the NFL. You look at their debt chart. It was not good. He wasn't working with a lot of talent. They didn't get any turnover luck. And they finished 18th in defensive DVOA.

I know you don't throw a parade. You're not hanging a banner for 18th defensive DVOA. But it's like, I like looking at that stuff. Like, did he maximize the talent at his disposal? And I think he did in the year before. They had a top 10 defense. So I'm looking at all the pieces there.

And also you go Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, and then you go Pete Carroll with Tom Brady. Like, I just, there's going to be a level of competence, excitement, enthusiasm, guys playing hard, guys wanting to come to the building. Like all those things that matter that you can't quite quantify. I do believe in kind of the cult of Pete Carroll after having covered him for two years and walk into that building and go, is this a cult?

Well, I don't know. Players all seem pretty happy. There's sayings everywhere I look. I don't know. This seems to be working for this guy. So I believe in the Raiders, as again, can they get to nine wins? Can they threaten 10 wins and be a sneaky playoff team? That's my case.

What did I miss? What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? I'm with the fact that they have Gino. So it's like, I know what this quarterback is. You know, at the very least, and I know some people go over the top with Gino love and some people go over the top with Gino hate. And it's somewhere in the middle, somewhere that kind of 12 to 16 range quarterback, but at least top half. I think, you know, like at the very least, the, I'm with you.

It's just more competency. You can't get over Antonio Pierce, who's, I wish I was joking, but I think he's back at a car dealership selling cars as a job right now. And I must be joking, but someone might have told me that as a joke. So hopefully don't quote me on that, but I actually think that's real. You know, it's just, it was so bad last year. Like they, they, you know, it was just, it was as bad as the Raiders can get. The Raiders have been kind of a ha-ha kind of team, and especially for a while.

But I really do think, well, one, the one thing with the Raiders organization, not even just before hiring Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly and making Chip Kelly the highest pay coordinator in the NFL, Raiders have been broken. I didn't know that. Wow. Yeah. Six mill a year. Wow. Good work when you can find it. Good job, Chip's agent.

Yeah. If you were an insider, we would drop the agent name, Nate, but we're not going to do that. No, I don't. Sorry, go ahead. I actually literally said to my wife, she's like, I should probably learn more agent names. No, you should have named yesterday. Talk to me. Do not.

They call me and I ignore them all the time. But no, why did you tweet that about him? But with Chip and with this whole team is they were a broke team. They moved to Vegas. And some, the more, what was it last year? The NFL was allowing teams to get sold to, you know, investment firms. Private equity. Yeah.

And the Raiders sold more shares than anybody else. And then anybody else. And then they made a bunch of money. Then Tom Brady jumps on ship. So there's a level of kind of professionalism there, but also they got some money now. Okay, let's pay for Pete Carroll. What's pay for Chip Kelly. What's upgrade?

Let's get some comedy. Say, hey, let's actually get some undrafted free agents that like we can pay. You know, just these little things that add up over time. Is it all going to be hunky dory amazing first year? No. But those are just little things that kind of that's what builds up over time. And I think that Pete only took a three year deal as well. and Gino Smith is 30-something years old as well.

So, like, we know what they're going for here. Like, they're aiming upwards right away. It's not going to be like, oh, so they're going to be competitive, I mean. And I like what you brought with Patrick Graham. He's been one of the most underrated play callers, offense or defense in the NFL, ever since we've with the Giants. He had a nice couple coordinating years there where they had some good defense with not a lot. It was like James Bradbury and the funky bunch.

So I really am with you. I think the optimism, I think if it all goes well, I'm just what you're saying, or maybe that nine wins. I mean, they got some juice on offense. It's a weirdly constructed offense, but you got a competent quarterback, and you got a really good running back that can catch the ball as well.

You got Brock Bowers that if you just said pass catcher is a top 10, top 12 pass catcher in the NFL already. Michael Mayer is another tight end that they have. That's actually, you know, he had a rough year last year off field as well. Looks like he's playing really well as well. Chip Kelly's going to use two tight end luck. So they just got some interesting things going for them.

So I agree with the optimism. They were my third team. But also, I just didn't want to pick another AFC South team because that's never going to happen. Raiders by default, the two Swedish words in English language, default. Listen, you're talking about a guy who somehow quartered himself into picking three NFC East teams to make the playoffs because he couldn't decide. So listen, it's a hard exercise. I did. So you win cowboys commanders and Eagles.

I got them all in. So that's on the, on the height of its episode. I've been trying to figure out the wildcar teams in the UFC. So I'm dreading that show because I've been just... It's not easy. The West is tough, but I mean, the North.

Any team can make it in the North. Yeah, I know, I know. It's hard. Like I said, there's fewer spots up for grabs in the AFC. So it's a tough exercise. But yeah, I mean, Pete Carroll, listen, 14 years with the Seahawks did not have fewer than seven wins in any season.

He had a losing record three times and 14 years. I mean, these are with different quarterbacks and coordinators and offensive lines and defensive personnel and he somehow got them to seven wins. So if we're talking about that as the potential floor,

which I think the Raiders over under six and a half where I'm like, man, I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. That feels low to me. That feels low to me. I mean, a quarterback, a head coach, and it's not like where I'm like,

oh, it's a quarterback and nothing else. It's like Bowers is a star. So it's not like I'm projecting anything there. And then Gentie, it's a running back position that I'm already like, okay, at the very least, going to be good. You know, is it going to be an old pro as a rookie? No, but like, he's going to be good. Yeah. And the offensive line isn't perfect, but they have some talent up there.

It's like they need another office seat and office line. I did like how they drafted guys, some project guys, but those guys are going to be a year or two away. But it's just like there's enough there. And I think enough at the important positions that I think that's why I'm like maybe optimistic about. And what, I mean, the other interesting team I had written down was the Titans at plus 390. But then I was just, it's the offensive line. Cam Ward looks competent. It's that division.

And the defense has some juice. You know, that would, that would be my argument. But it was just like, that's a lot. For the easiest schedule for the Titans also, you know. And preseason, Cam looks good. So I'm, that's got me excited about them. And then after that, I'm like, that was my short list. I mean, the Jags was the other team.

And I talked myself out because the offensive lines is scared me and the defense to scare me. So yeah, I don't know. It's got a default. Listen, we landed in a good place, Nate. Nate's got the Patriots, the Raiders and the Colts. I've got the Bengals, the Raiders, and the Patriots. So what could go wrong? We agree on two out of three days.

Andrew Burrow. These are decisions you have to make. I know. Sometimes you just, we're so into this that sometimes I just like take a step back. And I'm like, who's the quarterback? Who's the coach? Who do I want to look? If I'm going to look stupid,

who do I want to look stupid on? All right. If I look stupid on Joe Burrow, you know, that's fine. But hey, sometimes you got to take swings too. Who knows? That football that Lucy is holding right now, I swear I can kick it. I swear I can kick that 50 yards right now

with your interest. I know. It's the same way as me. For listeners of the show, I pick the Bengals to do something good every year. And it doesn't always work out for me. But what can you do? The heart wants, what the heart wants.

The heart wanted Nate Tice on this episode of the Ringer NFL show. So good to be talking to my friend once again here again. Check him out. Yahoo Sports. Check out his Tanner McKee breakdown. Eagles fans. You thought I was hyping that guy up. Nate Tice is on board with Tanner McKee.

So check out that right up on Yahoo. Check him out on the football 301 podcast. Love listening to him. Love talking to him. Talking to him. Love reading him. All right. Thanks to everyone for listening.

Thanks to Christopher Sutton for producing. Thank you to Kiera Givens on social. Connor Nevins and Arjuna Ramgapal, additional production supervision. From them, you know the deal now. I'll be back tomorrow. That's what we're doing this year. Every weekday, I will be with you.

And we will be talking football. It's going to be a lot of fun. Thanks for listening to the Ringer NFL show. Talk to you next time. Must be 21 plus and present in select states. For Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino, or 18 plus and present in D.C., Gambling problem.

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