The Ringer NFL Show - NFL Schedule Reactions

Episode Date: May 13, 2022

Nora, Steven, and Ben discuss the winners and losers of the NFL schedule release, and potential pivot points in the season. They also give out some schedule superlatives. Hosts: Nora Princiotti, Steven Ruiz, and Ben Solak Associate Producer: Carlos Chiriboga Additional Production Supervision: Arjuna Ramgopal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Chris Vernon, and me and my buddy Kevin O'Connor, aka Kevin O Everything, host an NBA podcast called The Mismatch. They call it The Mismatch because I'm awesome and Kevin is a gigantic nerd. No, no, that's not why at all, Chris. They call it the Mismatch because I have a brain and you're a loudmouth bozo. Good grief. Anyway, listen to our amazing NBA podcast, The Mismatch. Or don't.

We really don't care. We're probably going to win a million awards either way. Chris, we do care. So don't say that. Please subscribe and listen to the mismatch only on Spotify. Did you really call me a bozo? Welcome to the ringer NFL show. I'm Nora Puntziotti.

I am here with Benjamin Solek and Stephen Ruiz. Ben, how are you doing? I'm well, Nora. Long time, no chat. I know. It's been too long. I felt like I could, I knew how you were doing based on listening to the ringer NFL draft show.

but I'm so happy to have you back on the ringer NFL show. Yeah, that's concerning because the general vibes in the Ring or NFL draft show were this draft class is bad. But I was doing good. And now I get something that's truly good, just pure unadulterated perfection, which is the NFL schedule. Never anything wrong with that, puppy. We're not going to make any Blank 182 references on this pod.

So I think it's all going to be okay. Is that, is that, I caught most, none of the references. And so there could have been a Blink 182 reference, and I don't even know the reference to that reference. I thought it was like the Weezer. It wasn't it the Weezer Blink 182 mix up? It was, but I just wanted to put Ben's mind in a blender. It involved you.

How do you? Because as clearly evidenced by the reference, I didn't know the song. And so there's no way for me to dial back in on that, Steve. If anybody doesn't know what we were talking about, please go just like seek out the portion of the ring around NFL. Just search at Benjamin's song. Sholak, say it ain't so.

I will not go turn the lights off, carry me home. And you'll get the context you need. Which is what Ben's saying when asked to sing, Weezer, say it ain't so. Anyway, what you're about to hear is a live show that three of us did on Spotify Live reacting to the NFL's schedule release. Very fun. A lot of good schedule talk, guys. Love to get some good schedule talk in. A lot of good takes.

Steven, how are you doing? I'm doing great. Doing great. This is one of the best schedule release days I can remember. Can you remember anything notable about any other

schedule release days? No, no. It's a tie. I remember schedule day in 2003. That was a classic. That's a classic one.

I honestly don't think I have any schedule. No, I've no schedule of these same memories. You could have asked me a month ago when the schedule releases.

I would have been like mid-July. There's no way of knowing. You don't remember in 2014 when they actually they accidentally flipped who was home and away for all the games when they released the schedule. You're making that up. I am. That would be good content, though.

It would be good. It would be good content. All right. Well, if anybody has dear childhood memories of schedule release days past, we're going to go through some winners and losers. We're going to do some superlatives. We're just going to have a fun time going through the games that we are now so blessed to know when they will take place. And then we're going to take some questions. So if anyone wants to hop up and tell us about learning the 2008 Chargers week nine opponent sitting on their father's knee, that would bring us nothing but joy.

So let's get going, shall we? We're going to do winners and losers first. We're each going to have a winner. And we are certainly each going to have a loser as is tradition. Stephen, you want to kick us off with a winner? Yeah, I'm going to go with Kenny Pickett. I didn't pick a team. I picked a player. I picked a team because the Steelers, the beginning of their schedule is really hard. It's really hard. They play the Bengals twice. And I think there's a good chance that Mike Tomlin is the type of coach who is not going

to let the rookie play right away. He's going to like make him earn his stripes. He's going to do one of those things where he doesn't put the logo on the helmet in training camp. So I think he's going to have to earn his stripes. And with this tough schedule to start out, I think the Steelers are going to get off to a rough start. Maybe Mitch will get off to a rough start and Kenny Pickett will get in there quickly and he won't have to play the mediest part of the Steelers schedule. He gets an easier, easier part. So I'm going with Kenny Pickett. So the Steelers are low-key losers in my opinion. I didn't want to pick a winner. I wanted to pick two losers. So the Steelers start at Cincinnati, home against New England, at Cleveland, home against the Jets, at Buffalo, home for Tampa Bay.

at Miami at Philly and then they've got their buy do you think Pickett is starting by then? Or is there a time here where you feel like he might slot in there? I think Pickett starts by

by October. I think they get off the Mitch train really quickly. I don't know. Oh, ye of little faith. What do you think? What do you think, Ben? What week is Pickett starting? No, the by week

is well suited there at the end of October. for them to be what they got eight games beforehand. They're the same after the buy. Yeah, they have eight games beforehand and they're playing some playoff team, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Cleveland, Bengals, Patriots, even the Eagles, their playoff team last year. So yeah, then you get to that buy, you're three and five. And you're like, yeah, let's let's let's let's let the young guy throw the ball

around the yard a little bit. And then, right, he runs into Saints, Bengals, Colts, which is not amazing. But I would guess by the by week. I think that they'll let Mitch ride for a little bit. I would be surprised if pick it is like, you know, emphatically winning competitions in camp, you know what I mean?

Dealers have a tough schedule, too. If a tiger has to earn his stripes, I've been thinking about this since Stephen said the thing about the helmet. If a tiger has to earn his stripes, what does a stealer have to earn like his hard hat? His...

Steel, his oar. His three colored diamonds, and I don't really know what they mean, but they're on the helmet. His respiratory disease that he gets working in. the mind. Whomp,

all right, Ben, lighten the mood for us here. Who's your winner? So the thing that actually does matter to me for schedule

weeks are things that do matter is rest advantages and disadvantages. That's the big thing that comes out for the schedule during the week, which means your winners are the Detroit Lions baby.

Woo! Yeah, let's go. At Tom, at Data With Bliss, which is an NFL analytics account. He's the manager

of football ops, data scientist, NFL. He tweets out every year the NFL schedule released with advantage and disadvantage measurements. And the Lions do not have to at any time play a team off of their buy, at which point the Lions are also not coming off their by. And they do not have to play any teams off of short rest disadvantage. So they never have a shorter rest than their opponents. They have two games in which they have a short, they have a longer rest relative to their opponents. And they have a game obviously where they come off a buy and they're playing a team that do not come off their buy. So the Lions legitimately

actually in as serious and as earnest of a tone as like I can possibly say it on schedule release day one schedule release day they have the least damaging schedule in terms of flying around the country terms of playing teams with extra rest and that sort of stuff matters late in the season middle of season it matters for gambling purposes that's what we actually do care about and shouts for the Detroit Lions were there very advantageous schedule you know who's the second most advantageous Stephen you're Carolina Panthers keep pounding baby I'm sure they're going to take advantage of. I'm sure.

Well, let's go through the rest of that schedule, or not schedule, but that ranking, actually, because so the top two teams, Detroit and Carolina, with apologies to Lions and Panthers fans, not expected to be super competitive teams. Then, though, the teams that did the best in terms of this,

in terms of rest advantages on the schedule, are Dallas, Buffalo, the Dolphins, Kansas City, Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, Cleveland, Tampa Bay. Then you're sort of starting to get into the point where it all kind of evens out. But, I mean, really good news for the bills. That's pretty good news for the Cowboys, too, particularly. They've got a pretty tough schedule to start the year.

Their first two games are Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. I'm like a little nervous about the 2022 Cowboys. and so you're looking for, you know, just a break here and there. And that definitely seems like one. My winner, I guess they're winners, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Oh, yeah? Yeah, because if we go through the prime time schedule, NBC has the best games. They always have the best games.

Sunday Night Football is always the best. That said, beyond NBC, ESPN has a pretty good looking slate of games. They've got Cowboys at Giants in week three, Rams at Niners in week four, Raiders at Chiefs in week five, Broncos at Chargers in week six. They get Brady and the Bucks in week 13 against the Saints. So that's a ton of big divisional games. And it just seems like that primetime schedule looks a little sexier than it has in recent years. So that seems like a reaction just to who's going to be in the booth. And I got to imagine those two are pretty happy.

And I think it's like safe on the back end. Like maybe Patriots Cardinals turns into a dud by December. But Rams Packers is going to be good. We know that's going to be good. Chargers, Colts probably going to be good as long as Matt Ryan stays healthy. And then Bill's bangles. Which is their last game. Usually you get like an NFC East game thrown in there in December that no one wants to watch.

I think we get our last one with Washington, Philadelphia on November 14th. I love getting the NFC East out of the way early. Totally. Totally. And then it's in, no reason for the NFC East to have as much prime time as they do. It's ridiculous every single year. I'm like a,

a snotty East coaster. And it really puts my mind in a paradox how much I loathe the really crappy NFC East primetime games that we get served every single year. Because like in every other instance, I'm like, New York's a pretty nice city. And then it's just like, oh, what, we have wrought by all living in the same place. Daniel Jones on our televisions for three hours on a cold November night. New York, New York.

The most important thing is there's like a, it's like a parabola, right? At one end of the spectrum, you have great game. We would love to watch that good content. On the other end of the spectrum, you have horrible game, good for memes, right? Just absolutely horrible teams. We just get a sense of tweets off. It's a primetime game. you're just shooting from the hip.

You're like, you know, one bad drive and you're like, football should be abolished. The NFC East lives in the middle of that parabola where like Washington, the Giants, the Eagles last couple years have always been like just good enough to be like, if they win three of their next four and get a little bit of help,

they might make the playoffs. And it's like, no, give me good or give me disgusting, but do not give me average on a primetime game. Yes. I want either the Jaguars or the Chiefs, no in between. Okay, speaking of the Jaguars,

And I'm speaking of the NFC East, I want you guys to pick a game for me. Jags at Commanders Week 1. Steven? Oh, Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence is going to be a top 10 quarterback this year. Ben? Washington? Because the team is better?

But they don't have a better quarterback. Carson Wentz is not winning. He's not starting 1 in 0. There's never going to be a high point. there's never going to be like an optimistic time while he's the starter. Colts schedule 2021. Oh, started week one. They lost to the Seahawks.

They lost the Seahawks. That's really embarrassing. Also, screw you for knowing a week one game from last year. If you know the final score, I'll be really upset with you. I don't, but I just, I just watched the game two days ago. Right, because you're writing about Gino like a sick son of a gun. 34 to 13, something like that. 28 to 16.

That was close. Jonathan Taylor only had 56 rushing yards. It's his fault. Wentz is blameless. Go commanders in week one. When I went through all the week one games, Jags at commanders, I just looked at and went,

oh, that could be funny. That could turn out in ways that are amusing. Over, under on how much time that spends on Red Zone? Like, they get 15 seconds? Taking the under. No. Okay, week one is where you just like, like you're excited.

You show every touchdown. You show every big play. It's by the middle of the season in Red Zone that you start to separate the wheat from the chaff. Let me tell you something about the Jaguars' commanders games.

They're not going to be a lot of exciting plays in it. That's why they're going to show the ones that they can. Should we go on to losers? Because I think everyone has the same. The Packers are the big losers, right? They're last on that,

the rest advantage list. They have a London game and they don't get a buy after. What is that? Is that safe? Is that fair? So they get the Jets after. So I don't know if we want to go so far as to say they don't have a buy

afterward when they are playing the New York football jets. With that said, yes, the backers are last on the sheet in terms of rest advantage and disadvantages as our good friend of Justice Mosquita of Acme packing company. So blithely puts it, the backers have two home Sunday games between week four and week 17. That sucks, but that's just the worst. just the amount of preparation and varying schedule and constant awareness you're going to have for all of those changes is really, really tough.

And listen, I do not fault the NFL for being like, this might be Aaron Rogers last year in a Packers uniform. We, you know, should put them in some prime time spots. They should get him in an international game. But that's why, like, these sorts of things, like all the Rogers, you know, bustling hoopla matters because it does have repercussions in terms of scheduling, which does have repercussions in terms of rest, which does have repercussions in terms of win-loss column. So tough schedule for the backers.

With that said, they play in the NFC North. So they can take one on the chin here for all the other contending teams because division title is presumed for the Green Bay Packers. Yeah, their strength of schedule is by most calculations somewhere in the top 10 easiest. But the travel schedule, the rest, the by week scheduling, all pretty tough. So Green Bay was your loser, Stephen? All right, they were mine as well. So, Ben, you want to hit us with yours? I mean, Green Bay was the most prevalent one because of the problem there.

We talked about the Steelers having a really tough early opening schedule as well. The Falcons also deserve mention in this spot. Their opening schedule sucks. Atlanta has New Orleans at Los Angeles Rams at Seattle, Cleveland, at Tampa Bay, San Francisco, at Cincinnati before they get Carolina in weeks eight and week 10. and so Atlanta, which is a team that I would like to, Atlanta's one of my teams here. I'm like, they could win seven games, man.

Like, yeah, let's get a little better. Beginning of the schedule is really tough. And they're another team that could be looking at a rookie quarterback switch. Thereby doesn't come until week 14. And so if we're looking for a spot to tap out Marcus Mariotta and tap in Desmond Ritter, we don't have that nice and pretty week, six, week, seven, week eight, by like the Steelers do. And so if they want to make that switch, they might have to make it in the middle. middle of the season on just like a regular week prep, which the alternative idea here is that

because of the Falcons, they play absolutely no significant prime time games. Their first primetime game is a Thursday night football game at the Panthers, baby. Let's get frisky in week 10. Who is that for? Who is that for? Like, who wants to watch that? That's for Thursday night of football, baby. Anyway.

Steven? Yeah. I think this is sort of like if you can't spot the falcons. Hamthers audience member at the table. It's you. Can I, can I, okay, I got another loser. It's me. I'm talking to my other pick for the loser.

Right. Not only do I root for this team, but I'm doing an NFL schedule release pod right now. Yeah. I have another winner. It's the Philadelphia Eagles, baby. At Detroit, Minnesota Vikings at Washington, Jacksonville to start the season. Pretty friendly. Pretty friendly.

That's all right. I'm excited for some extremely disproportionate opinions on the Eagles start the season four and one. that's fun for me. You can already start writing your article. Or is that actually just setting yourself up for horrific pain? Listen, early season winners, okay?

I'll write a nice article about AJ Brown in week four. That poppy will blast off. Okay, I'll feel good about myself for a couple days. And then we all know what's going to happen in November. That's okay. We don't got to worry about it this time. Cool birds. Yeah, so Atlanta is a team that also, I think, drew a tough draw overall in the beginning

of their schedule. But again, I cannot emphasize this enough. They have one primetime game and it's a Thursday night game against the Panthers. So it's not like anybody but me was interested in this team anyway. Speaking of primetime games and speaking of things that are maybe unfortunate, I feel bad for the Seahawks. Russ is going back to Seattle week one. It's on Monday and football.

This is mean. Is it? I disagree. I disagree. Okay, make the case. Yes. What if they win? Who cared?

They're expected to lose, but what if they win? Okay, right now, what do you make the line? I go, I would say, minus three and a half Denver. That's, I, feels like five and a half. All right, so books have it as minus four. And this is obviously before we know anything about anything. But I will say, far be it from me, to discount the effect of home game Seattle Seahawks,

the 12th man in whatever the frick they named the new stadium, Lumination or something dumb. You know what I loved? You know what I absolutely loved was that the graphic that the NFL put out about that game, it has like Russ walking back into Lumen Field. And that game, okay, so it's a primetime game, so it's like 5 o'clock on the West Coast in September.

It was like pitch black. Like the graphic was like, it's midnight. night. Like, it's going to be sunny out, my dude. It's going to be afternoon. Yes. I just want to say that we have never once tested Russ playing an away game in the most difficult stadium in which to play in a way game, which is the Seattle home stadium. We have never seen that before. And while I think Russ is better than he was last season, I am not entirely convinced by the general nucleus of like Nate Hackett and Sutton plus

like, obviously Jerry Judy, had some news. break today and the defense with Edgero Ivira, which is the first year defense coordinator. There's a lot that Seattle and Seattle knows how to defend Russ. The stories of the Legion of Boom just bullying Russ in practice

do not fall on deaf ears here. I think that yes, this is clearly an intent to have Russ beat the Seahawks and have it be a great storyline. However, as always, root for chaos in the NFL. And chaos is a 10 to

win by Drew Locke over the Seattle Seahawks. I mean, we always drew for chaos here. And if that, say they lose, say the Broncos season gets off to a horrific start, or even if it's not horrific, like just the shine is off. The NFL is really banking on that not happening because four of their first six games are in prime time. And in total, they have five primetime games plus a game on. Christmas plus a game in London.

So, uh, league is really hoping that that we keep this Broncos buzz going. The Russ discourse could be, uh, could be rough after that first month. Steven's just thinking of the take he's going to frame in early September. Steven is like salivating right now.

If they're one and three, oh man. Put, put the Broncos on, put the Broncos on Musco and watch right now. No, I got another team. I got another team I'm putting on.

I, all right. How foolish of me to believe you wouldn't already have a team for must win watch four months out from the beginning of the NFL regularization. I got it. I got a canceled team too. I got a team that's already canceled.

Oh, my. All right. Let's do some superlatives. Ben, give me a game you're most excited for on the schedule. Let me get actually back to the tab that has the schedule instead of clicking through that. I'm extremely excited for Chiefs Chargers in Week 2.

That is the Thursday night football game. So they each have a short. week into it, which kind of sucks. But it's going to be one of the first island games, which is going to be really good. Both Chiefs Chargers' games last year were in credible. There was the second game of the Tomb, which the Chargers had that substantial lead,

and then they gave it away. A lot of the work the Chargers have done this season has been plugging up the gaps in a team that should have won more games last season. With the coaching that they had and with the quarterback that they had, should have been a playoff team, should have been an AFC contender, and they weren't because they got sloppy

on silly games and they gave up silly stuff. They get the week one Raiders, which is a really fun little revenge arc because the Raiders obviously knocked them out of the playoffs in week 17 last year. Another game that they were in position to win, another game which they couldn't get it done. You get that game, I would expect them to beat the Raiders. If they don't even, it's still fine. So I think that's a tough division. Raiders are obviously a team that's added some players.

Week 2 against the Chiefs is a big opportunity for that team too. After splitting last year with them and losing a critical game, which could have given them control over the division late, to establish a big win over the Chiefs in the same way they did this past season give themselves some momentum as an AVC contender. So Chiefs Chargers,

both games last year were incredible. We had them early on the schedule, one of the first island games that's going to be a lot of fun. Steven, what about you? I'm going to go with the first Bengals Ravens game, October 9th week five. I think that's a rivalry

that's brewing a little. I think those are the best two teams in the division. And we saw the Ravens obviously get blown out in both games. The second game, they didn't really have anyone playing. They had their whole secondary was out that game. But the Bengals blew them out and they ran up to score in the second game.

Joe Burrow threw that late touchdown and I think he like winked at the sideline or he did something. So that's the game I'm looking forward to. I think that could be like the new age Steelers Ravens for this next decade. Ooh. I'm just pumped for the opener. Bill's Rams. I'm really excited for this Bill's season. I just think it's it's sort of time for them to reach the pitch.

pinnacle of this thing going against the Super Bowl champs. It's a great place to start that. Great uniform matchup. I cannot stress this enough. That game is going to look so pretty. And I cannot wait to just bask in the glow of having football back, having Josh Allen back, having SoFi Stadium light and those crazy cameras back. And it just brings me so much joy thinking about it. I love watching games at SoFi Stadium. Like the aesthetic on the TV. I know people don't like indoor stadiums, but I actually love indoor stadiums. And I think the Rams Chargers Stadium is like the best TV experience right now. It's indoors, but it gets a lot of light. It's really beautiful.

Exactly. That's what I'm going to say. Yeah, the SoFi Stadium roof is like translucent. The semi-permanable membrane. You get that beautiful West Coast light. Plus it's protected. Too exciting offenses, probably going to be a good game. Let's go. I can't wait. I just realized we don't have a Ravens Titans game this year, which is a shame. There's nothing better than like a random week 11. Oh, we hate each other sort of a game. Gets the blood boiling a little bit. Bad. A little logo stomping. Absolutely. Healthy behavior. Love a logo stump. All right. Stephen, do you want to put someone on must win watch? Yeah, I'm putting the chargers on must win watch. What?

Yeah, the team that I think did win the AFC, I'm putting on a must win watch. They're playing the Raiders, the team that ended their season last year. We've already talked about that quick turnaround Thursday night, week two, in Kansas City. You don't want to be 0-2, especially when you're the Chargers, you're that team that everyone picks every off season, everyone hypes you up, and then you fall in your face. If they start 0-2, the Staley tweets will be amazing. I will get a bunch of tweets about Justin Herbert being a loser. I need them to win. Like, this is personal for me.

I need them to beat the Raiders. They can't lose the Raiders in week one. So do we have a different point then on the Chargers schedule, which, assuming they do beat the Raiders and don't have to get canceled in week one, where the world accepts Justin Herbert as our supreme ruler and Lord of all things football? Yeah, Stephen puts the charges on Must Win Watch. And then we also have a whole separate section on the rundown dedicated to Stephen talking about Justin Herbert as the god of all men. Really playing both sides here, Mac. Play coming out on time, no matter what. Here's the thing.

They're going to win both games. Just because I put you on a must-win watch, doesn't mean I think you're going to lose. They're going to win the Raiders game. They're going to beat the Chiefs. By week three, he will be the betting favorite to win MVP, because they're playing the Jaguars in week three. You can't be the out.

The betting odds don't change that much in the first three weeks for MVP. Well, when he throws four touchdowns in Arrowhead on that first Thursday night, it will change. It's going to move the line. It just moved right. Maybe I had the power to move the line myself by saying that. I don't think there's weeks of the lines out yet, but I want to look.

Wait, Chargers Chiefs. Chargers are three-point dogs to the Chiefs in week two right now. Take it. Plus 140 on the money line. Why are you trying to get me to bet? I don't want a degenerate lifestyle thing. There's a lot of confidence here. We also have a superlative that's game that bankrupts Ben Solax.

So. Yes. And the way to figure that out is like this. It's actually a very, methodical and exact signs. Close your eyes. Throw a dart. Wherever it lands in your computer screen,

that's the game. Right? We're going to go. It's the Bears visiting the Jets in Week 12, where Justin Fields has gone over his rushing yards prop like six times in a row, and then just decides not to run the football, which happened last year against the Vikings in a primetime game.

That was by worst loss of the season. So, there you go. That's the game that bankrupt's Ben. Just pick a game. Any game. No reason why it should, but it will. All right. This is a very healthy hobby you have, Beck.

Yes, it is. It's very healthy. You remembered a week one score from nine years ago because Gino Smith was in it, Stephen. Yeah. Those in glass houses should not be throwing stones. It was actually a game from last week, our last year. I know, I know. I was exaggerating for emphasis and dramatic effect.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on the bit. It's okay. It's okay. We'll get over it. Let's look for some pivot points in the season. Like, coach might get fired. I hate that I started with such a negative one.

Oh, well. Quarterback change might happen. Team swings a big trade. Narrative changes about a team. Mine was the 49ers who have their buy in week nine, which happens to be right around when the trade deadline should be. they've got a pretty reasonable schedule in the first half before then. They play the Bears.

They play the Seahawks. They play the Panthers. They play the Falcons. I don't know what is going to happen with Tray Lance. I don't know what is going to happen with Jimmy Garopolo. I don't know if he will be a 49er at the start of the season. But if he is and they are going to trade him, definitionally, they have to do so before. the deadline, obviously, but I think the fact that they have the buy, they have kind of a nice

cushion to start the year, I am watching to see how they handle that because while I understand that it is time to play Trey Lance, I cannot shake this sneaky, like, sinking feeling that Jimmy Gropolo is just going to be the 49ers quarterback. I, like, I'm with you. I'm ready to see Trey Lance, I'm with you. I'm ready to see Tray Lance, but if Trey Lance is the same quarterback that he was in 2021, I don't think he's going to be, mind you.

You've got to stop peddling that. Absolutely not. If he's the same quarterback, he's better than Jimmy. No, he's not. How do you know? He didn't play. They were six quarters, and he actually threw like a freaking blaze out.

Yeah, he threw like two good, he threw like, made two good throws. I don't think you can play that guy with Super Bowl aspirations. And this team has Super Bowl. aspirations. Also, can we just acknowledge that the discussion that we're currently having is about Kyle Shanahan not playing a draft pick, which is not exactly an original story?

Kyle Shanahan would rather hate his quarterback than start a good one. Like, he wants to start Jimmy G. He can't imagine a life coaching without him at this point. He needs someone to blame for all of his shortcomings. If we could get Dan Campbell on Kyle Shanahan staff, they'd win five Super Bowls in a row. because Shanahan can just do all of the scheme and all of the like, oh, we got these players, that by type. And then Dan Campbell could just go to the players

and actually communicate the information. Dan Campbell could do kindness. Yeah, we just put Shanehan in a box somewhere and he just like runs the team from his little booth and then Dan Campbell executes on field, or I guess on sideline. I do not think that you can trade two first round picks for a quarterback to go draft from at three and then not play a menu too.

I just don't think it happens. I would be, I would be stunned if, is at the level at which he was at or even remotely better if he is not the starting quarterback. On some level, I would be too. However, if someone were to do it, what do you think the odds are that that person would have a particular affinity for flat brim tats? Quite high. Man, John Lynch, do your job, John.

Get the guy in. Please. We need John Lynch to be doing the Ben Solac. if this happens, I get to fight Kyle Shanahan. Yes. Week seven, week seven, the 49ers should get a second buy if John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan agree to just have like a cage match. Lynch is wearing a Lance jersey.

Kyle's wearing a Jimmy jersey when they do it. This is a billion dollar idea we just kicked up. My pivot point for the NFL schedule comes in week 10 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Seattle Seahawks in mutual. Munich, Germany, which I think is sick. And the London international games have obviously been cool, and the Mexico City international games is cool. But I don't know what y'all's experience has been on NFL Twitter.

The non-U.S. country that goes out the most, in my experience, for the NFL, is like Brazil and Germany. The Germans love it, man. Like, waking up to a DM sent at like 1 a.m. local time, but it was when somebody else woke up and, like, listen to the post-game podcast on their way to work, seven hours ahead and they're just like they're playing you know whatever german rules football and they're like coaching with their kids and like they've just decided to make this a part of their life is always to me super sick so i know that there are a lot of difficulties with the international schedule

and i know that the london games are the easiest because obviously every time zone matters it is really cool that the league is playing a game in germany to me that is awesome i think it's a pivot point because in my opinion if the international games are going to get more run and they're really going to have an impact, I think Germany was an important place to go. Given what we've seen about athletes coming out of there who want to come play in the NFL in the United States and what we've seen out of fandom. So I'm very happy that the NFL is playing a game in Germany.

I know it's going to be tough. And I know it's also like Tampa, they or Seattle. And it's not very interesting. But kudos to them for getting a game there. So I'm excited. Week 10, the Germany game. I also, it's worth emphasizing never cover any of these international games because I'm always at church on Sunday morning.

so I don't have to deal with the waking up at 8 a.m. on a Sunday thing. So I get that aspect of it too. But for me, very excited. Is there a possibility that Germany gets introduced to, gets to fall in love with Gino Smith? Stephen? Stephen, that's absolutely a you question. Yeah.

I don't know, I don't know why you thought that was for me. I didn't think the answer would be interesting if I answered, of course. Yeah. Gino will be the starter. He'll be leading the eight and three D-Hawks into that. game. I have this, um, this, this photo in my apartment. Um, it's just like a big photo print of the Stuttgart Germany library, um, which is just like a really, really beautiful library. The architecture of the inside of it is is really stunning. I don't have a particular connection with it,

but I just think it's really pretty and I like looking at books. So it's, it's on a wall in my living room. And, um, it's grown into this weird bit in my family and my family and, um, it's grown into this weird bit in my family and with some friends where every time it comes up, because often people will come into my apartment and say, oh, where is that? And a really weird number of times when I've said, oh, it's the library in Stuttgart, Germany. I just think it's really beautiful. Somebody will have a very odd story that has to do with Stuttgart Germany, including one of my friends from high school was once accidentally introduced at an event as a member of the Stuttgart Gart rugby team.

My aunt accidentally had, was getting, trying to restore an old car. And apart from the car got like somehow misdirected and like held up in Stuttgart Germany. There was also a guy on Jakob Johnson was a fullback on the Patriots who came through the NFL's International Pathway program who came from Stuttgart. start Germany. So I have a real affinity for just like more anecdotes coming out of the NFL's relationship with the country of Germany. So I think this is fantastic as well. I love this, Ben. Yeah. I forgot about Jacob Johnson. I always, Germany always makes you think Moritz Borringer,

which I don't know how plugged in y'all were for the draft space. But when Moritz Borringer came out and like was tall, fast and could jump, there were people who were like, this is Calvin, baby. This is Calvin. Here we go. That's enough. That's enough. Yeah, this is. Yeah, this is. Calvin Johnson. I don't know how to say Johnson in German accent, but that's what the belief was. And that always, that to me is what introduced me

to the German fondness for NFL. And I'm happy to see it pay off like five years later. The vibes are really good. All right. Steven, you got a pivot point for us? Yeah, Benz was really wholesome.

And now I feel kind of like an ass. Do it. Do it. Week three for the Cardinals. I think the vibes, speaking of vibes, the vibes have been bad for a couple months now. I think this is when we hit rock bottom. They start the season off at home against the Chiefs.

I think that could be a blowout. Getting blown out at home in week one, a bad look. They go to Las Vegas where they play the Raiders, a decent Raiders team. I think they could lose that game. And then at home again versus the ramp. If they start 0 and 3 with a couple of blowouts thrown in there, we're talking about Cliff's job. We're talking about the GM's job.

And I think Kyler is a little more vocal about his displeasure with the direction of the team. I think week three could be the beginning of the end for this, this Cardinals regime of the last couple years. I've seen. Ben, where are you on, on Cardinals vibes versus Cardinals potential? I do believe that the Cardinals vibes are not good. I do also want to strongly believe that the Philadelphia Eagles would not trade in 2023 for Kyle Murray to be their starting quarterback.

thereby everything in Arizona is great. I have no concerns. There are no problems for me. Arizona's a poorly run team. And the thing about a poorly run team is that every so often it can go 7 and 1 to start the season, but prove the put-ins in the eating. I don't like the way this team is built.

I don't like the way they draft. I don't understand anything they do at any given time. Every single year they get out to some of these hot starts, they get these nice runs, and that's great. But they're not a trustworthy team, and I think that that house of cards is going to fall apart. They can do it. If they can make it another season and

Tyler gets his extension, sure, but even then I don't love the body of work for him against playoff teams, especially late in the season when he starts to get banged up. I do think that that reckoning will probably come before the end though, where I think we're going to start to get to like week 11, week 12, week 13, and this team's going to realize the writing's on the wall. With that said, congrats on the

seven-year extensions for your head coach and your general manager. Sure, why not? The Cardinals were the team that I canceled. It sounds like Ben canceled them too. You want to get in on it, Nora? You want to cancel them? Well, I was going to say that that third are our our we have another superlative that was going to be loser leaves town match which is sort of must win watch um just by a different name but i think that that that week three cardinals game is kind of a

it's not a loser leaves town match in the sense that it's not a loser leaves town match for the rams right but i think that's a good that's a good must win watch no for uh for the rams it's winner gives It's a new offensive analyst when Cliff gets fired. He'll be in the Rams booth a couple weeks later. He'll be at the draft house. Oh, man, that freaking draft house. I just love the fact that it's day one of the draft that every Rams employee is just toasted out of his mind.

Just been drinking the whole night. I respected immensely. It's an absolutely ridiculous franchise. What does Cliff do with his house? When the Cardinals job ends, what does he do with his house? his famed draft house, so to speak. It turns into a spirit of Halloween. I don't know the answer to that,

but is it possible that we're going to look back on draft night cliff at home as like the pinnacle? Was that Cliff Kingsbury's the Apex Mountain? Yes. Without a doubt. I mean, the only other thing to me is like, oh, those running game designs are cool, but I don't think I'm going to get anybody else on board with me on that ship.

Yeah, no, that man, that man wasn't. wearing socks and he had his feet up. It was the vibe. Ben wanted to pick out the time Chase Edmonds ran for three touchdowns against the Giants a couple years ago. Good performance. That was his big. I totally forgot about Cliff Kingsbury draft house. I forgot that was a moment in time because now my vision of Cliff Kingsbury on draft night is just him in a corner of the Cardinals draft room begging Steve Kheim not to take a third off ball linebacker in three consecutive years, which is successful this year because instead they traded a first round pick for Marquis Brown and then 12 minutes later,

a first round pick was sent for A.J. Brown. Poor guy. I feel bad for him in that regard. I just, oh gosh, there's something that I'm thinking of that's really similar to that, and I cannot place it, and it's going to come to me. But in the meantime, Ben, do you have, have I asked you for a loser leaves town match?

No, I don't think. I feel like Steven's given us 20 of them. Right. Luser Leaves Town match for me in this one. The Colts play the Titans. and with week four and in week seven. Week seven is the away game too. So that's the one they play in Tennessee.

The Colts are extremely in put up and shut up mode, right? I think that's something that kind of has to be acknowledged. Chris Ballard has gotten in a very long leash. So has Frank Reich who Reich built a lot of leads last year and then gave a lot of leads away. And the Colts ended up being a team that, as Jim Ursay likes to remind every single person he talks to, lost to a clown-infested Jaguars team in week 17, right? The greatest embarrassment of his career says man who lost a Super Bowl was losing to the Jaguars, week 18, I should say, while their fans wore clown suits and begged for the GM

to be fired. And that GM wasn't even fired. We got to remember, that's what the Colts are coming from. So the Colts had that rough end of the season last year, but one of the problems for them is they weren't able to beat the Titans. They lost them in week three, and then again in week eight, I was a three-point lost in overtime in a game which they had control. And that put them in a really difficult

spot division-wise and playoff-wise moving forward. They had to win a lot of games down the stretch. They did, just not enough. Here we are again. They get their two Titans games, which the Titans are clearly their contender and their division in the first half of the season.

If you handle business, just split. But ideally win both. You have Matt Ryan, you have, you know, you've rounded out a lot of the roster, Stefan Gilmore's in the building. Just split. And don't put yourself in a position where you're constantly fighting from behind for this division.

The Colts need to make the playoffs. It would be really good to win the division, have a home playoff game. And emphatically, they need to win a playoff game here. For Ballard and Reich and this tenure to really not start to get, I think, a lot of vision on them. I think Matt Ryan is the quarterback to do that. Handle your business against the division rival team.

Finish the games which you have leads, beat the Titans. My question about, my question about Indy is, does Ersei care? Like if they don't take that step forward, which we've been waiting for it for a couple years, and they continue to be this team that kind of hangs on the fringes of playoff contention, is Erse, like let's say they go nine and eight or 10 and seven again. And maybe they make the wild card and losing the first round. Does Erse say, all right, that's enough.

We need to, we need something. We need to change something here. We can't just keep producing these C plus seasons every year. Because I think we're getting to a point where even 10 and 7 isn't a, and not for them anymore. I don't know. Jim Resey is a very, very wealthy person who spends a lot of time on Twitter,

which makes me think that he does indeed care. Dude, I will understand nothing less than having wealth and being on Twitter. Man, if I got a bag for this job, the swiftness with which my account would vanish, none of you would believe it. You would never hear from any of us ever again. The second I have to stop caring

about tens of thousands of people's opinions, ooh, baby. I cannot wait. It will never happen, but I can't wait. You're the owner of an NFL team, and you care about what, you know, dib Dongus McGee over here with 14 followers and an NFT avie has to say about the Indianapolis Colts.

I don't respect that. Get off Twitter. But also, keep posting videos because they're hilarious. Speaking of one time I, like, posted a clip from a Colts game, and the lighting is just horrible in their stadiums. And I tweeted about it. And Jim Ursaid quote tweeted me. I didn't even tag him or anything.

He found the tweet and criticized. me or criticizing the view at whatever that stadium is called. Lucas Oil. He's very... I don't understand it. By the way, the thing that I was thinking of with the trade for the different brown, this also goes into the category of things that are strange to be cataloged in our brains. But it was when the Panthers gave Matt Kahlil $55 million.

And it was like, Kaleel Mac? But it wasn't. they also had Ryan Khali on the team so there's two layers to it also did we notice what the NFL did by the way I don't know if anyone's pointed this out I haven't seen anyone else pointed out but they sent the Browns to Carolina and I think they're hoping for Baker Mayfield to be on the Panthers to set up that that week one game oh is that week one that's week one that's exactly that's I'm telling you that's what they did they did it last year with the Panthers they had Sam Darnold play the Jets last year in week one I think they're trying to set up a second consecutive, 2018 draft, reunion, revenge game, whatever you want to call it. No, this is good. I'm on to you, NFL. I like this. I like this. I think if I'm the Browns, that makes me more likely to trade Baker to Carolina. I tell you the Browns hate Baker at this point. So if you know you're playing the Panthers, we've won, bag, yeah, yeah, all right, go to

Carolina. We'll see you in a bit. I feel like whoever, whoever loses that game should have to keep them for the rest of the season. It's just the Baker-Mafield game. And whoever loses to that team subsequently has to keep fake. S to think you Baker. It's like white elephant. You're just kind of like passing it along every single single go around. That is brilliant. It's like the opposite of a title belt.

Poor Baker. I can't believe I feel bad for Baker Mayfield. All right. Game where two and on comes for Stephen. Oh, week one. They're playing the Patriots, right? They're playing Bill Belichick week one. Oh, he's going to put two in hell.

Belichick's going to have something cooked up for him. Week one. It's over early. I can't wait for that Sunday night pod. This has been the Ringer NFL show. Thank you to Ben and Stephen for chatting about the schedule. We will be back next Wednesday as we keep going with the offseason. Thank you to associate producer Carlos Chirboga for production on this episode

with additional production supervision from Arjuna Rample.