The Ringer NFL Show - The Case for, and Against, an Eagles Repeat With Andy Greenwald

Episode Date: August 22, 2025

Andy Greenwald from The Watch stops by the show to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles' prospects for the upcoming season after celebrating a dominant championship campaign. Sheil lays out different scenarios Jalen Hurts and Co. could encounter this year, and they debate the most likely outcome. Topics include: The best case for an Eagles repeatThe case against an Eagles repeatThe Jalen Hurts discourseThe worst outcome for Eagles fans this year 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: Andy GreenwaldProducer: 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. Fun episode today. We have on my friend from the watch. I'm not going to try to say it like CR and do that. It's Andy Greenwald. But yes, it is Andy Greenwald. Why is he here? Because he is a sicko Philadelphia Eagles fan.

And we're going to talk about the case for and against a repeat for the defending Super Bowl champion. So Greenwald, you mentioned sports in Philadelphia all the time on the watch. but I truly don't know if people know the depths of your fandom. Like sometimes people are, they're kind of like you have thoughts on the fifth wide receiver, the swing tackle situation. How long have you been like this? Is this a lifelong thing? No, I think I started to break around the 90s, like around high school era,

the Ray Rhodes era was the one that felt like my own for whatever reason. And I started to get really, really, really into the team. And then meeting people like the aforementioned CR and like becoming very good friends with other sickos who let their emotional life be dictated by the behavior of these giant men, really, really defined my 20s and 30s. And now that we have access to so much information all the time, I can really pursue my passion for alienating everyone else in my life and devoting it only to the Philadelphia Eagles. Yeah.

He's not lying. He has like favorites of like, you know, the mic'd up and the locker room videos. He's like, oh, man, I love that guy, like a guy who has not played all season long. I'm telling you, losing Thomas Booker is going to cost the social media a lot. That guy was great on camera. All right. We're going to take a break. We're going to come back.

I don't know that we'll talk much about Thomas Booker, but we are going to talk about the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles and whether they can repeat as Super Bowl champions. 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, we're back on the Ringer NFL show. All right, so Greenwald, here's what I did. I don't want to say it's like fanfic, but I did sort of write down a scenario, you know, kind of paint a picture, tell a story about what it could potentially look like

if the Philadelphia Eagles do repeat and things go well. Sheel, could you just say that again slowly just to make me feel good if they would? You're going to feel good if they repeat. Yeah, you're going to feel good when you hear the first part. Now, the second part's going to be, what if things go poorly and the season goes off the rails and then, you know, how do you feel when I go over that scenario?

That's fine. That's the voice that's in my head anyway. So we're good. That'll be more comfortable for you. But we're going to start with the positive because it's a weird time in Philadelphia sports where people are positive. So all right, all right, Andy, here's what it looks like. A repeat, okay? All the concerns about the B and C level players, the Eagles lost in free agency,

were unfounded. As were the concerns about the second cornerback spot and the lack of a line depth. These turned out to be first world problems. Here's what people missed, Andy. Okay, the preseason analysis missed this. Usually in the NFL, the team with the best players wins. And guess what? The 2025 Eagles once again had the best player. So offensively, you know, opponents went overboard to stop Sequin Barclay. And guess what that meant? That meant Jalen Hertz, your boy, connecting on bombs downfield to A.J. Brown and Devante Smith on a weekly basis, throwing for over 4,000 yards for the first time in his career.

Fresh off of a Super Bowl victory in a new contract, coach Nick Siriani abandoned all restraint and let his full personality show. Oh, great. During a week 10 win against the Packers, the Eagle scored a late touchdown on a tush push, and Siriani proceeded to moon the fans behind him at Lambeau Field. This is against your Packers, you're beloved Green Bay Packers. Okay.

I see what you're doing. Do you think that is a disgusting act? Troy Aikman asked, partner Joe Buck. And the two cackled as the broadcast went to commercial. Defensively, Vic Fangio showed once again that he's the NFL's best coordinator, unleashing first-round pick Jahad Campbell on opponents and route to defensive rookie of the year. Fans across the country screamed in unison, they can't keep getting away with this.

Jalen Carter, Zach Vaughn, Quinean Mitchell, Cooper DeGine, all earned all pro honors as the Eagles once again produced the NFL's best defense. Sequin Barclay's workload was managed throughout the season, keeping him fresh for a playoff run in which he ran for over 200 yards in back-to-back games against the commanders and the 49ers. That set up a matchup against the Chiefs for the third time in four seasons. And the result looked almost identical to last year. after the game, Andy Reid abruptly announced his retirement.

Mike Holmgren once told me, you'll know when it's over, Reed said. And as everyone has seen in these beatdowns the last two years, I don't got it anymore. Jalen Hertz was named Super Bowl MVP. Howie Roseman was given a key to the city and at the parade down Broad Street, the Eagles were already talking. Three Pete. All right. So there you go.

I'm going to need a moment. I should have brought a towel in here. That was borderline pornographic shield. Steve Seabal has nothing on you. This is NFL films after dark. I can't believe you win. See, here's the thing. Some people on the Ringer Network seem to think you're an Eagles fan.

And I'm here to say, I take you at your word that you are not. That said, you still vibrate to some sort of frequency being broadcast deep in the heart of WIP because the fact that you also brought in the destruction of Andy Reid and the Chiefs. That is Machiavellian. That is true sicko behavior. Okay. So what's my take on this? Yeah. How does it sound? Are you confident in aspects? It sounded amazing. I feel like you underplayed Will Shipley, for example. I feel like he probably had a breakout season as well. Since all the starters are being arrested in week nine. Isn't that what we're looking at here? Yeah. I feel very confident in a few of the things you said.

And first of all, that is, I am going to be replaying this part of the podcast just to help myself sleep at night. This is better than melatonin. I think the fundamental truth that they have the best roster and players who are on the ascent and not the decline is just true and kind of is a hindrance to the this time of year hot take machine. they are better, they are experienced, and they know how to win in a lot of different ways. When you're saying that Jalen Hertz is throwing bombs to A.J. Smith and Devante Smith, part of my brain is like, and also Jahan Dotson and my guy, Darius Cooper, because, and we'll get to this in the second half of this, I'm sure, the injury luck has to run out at some time, but where are they positioned to continue to succeed?

And the fact that they can, that they, at least in theory, are on paper or coming off of last season, can win in a variety of ways, makes me feel confident. of some version of this beautiful, beautiful fairy tale coming true. Yeah, I do the, you know, because I'm in the local Philadelphia bubble, obviously, the Ringer's Philly Special and just the, you know, friends, family, group chats, all those things. And it's like concern about, you know, the second corner spot. And then I do these rankings for the Ringer.com,

which everyone can read, ranking all the offenses and all the defenses. And so as part of that exercise, I'm looking at every team's projected starters and depth chart and I'm just like looking at the Eagles defense and then looking at like not to give the cat you know I don't want the Raiders to catch astray here but I'm looking at the Raiders defense and I'm just like this is crazy like the disparity and talent between these two units so yes it feels very much like first world problems now anything can happen we know that but just in terms of like the talent and the talk about who they lost in the off season they're still I mean even if you were critical of them you would have you would say what the

Maybe they have the third best roster in the NFL. Like, I don't think anyone would argue the 10th best roster in the NFL. Right. And I think there's just a depth and a richness to that depth that is very rare, not just in the NFL, but certainly for fans of the Eagles, specifically at a position like linebacker, right, where we are very, very excited about Zach Bonn, who I see the official accounts now referring to as the Bald Eagle. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Like, I feel like I'm into it. Well, now, if I were an Eagles fan, I would want claim to that because, you know, Both of us, you know, I think, yeah, I don't know. The bald eagle, is it good enough? I don't know if it's good enough. Also, we're only a few seasons removed from people mistaking you for Jalen Hertz. So let's not get ahead of ourselves in comparing you to other members of the team. That was a high moment for me.

Yeah, handsome guy. But so, okay, so we have Zach Bonn, all pro signed to a new deal. We have Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who seems to be playing quite well, at least against the run. We have Jahad Campbell as the rookie. We have Smow Mondin, who your boy Jimmy Kempski was on just gassing up to say, He's the best linebacker in the room the other week, getting me all excited before the preseason game, Nikobe Dean on the injured list.

And then they're doing stuff like signing Chance Campbell, who I'd never heard of. But then, of course, like the deep, deep sicko web is like, ah, another chess piece for Grandmaster Vic to deploy, even though he's clearly practice squad depth. So I think that there is, there are a variety of ways that this could work that don't necessarily need to look like

fielding 22 starters on offense and defense in the potential Super Bowl, which is very, very exciting. All right. I am not, yes, but the butt has to come in here. The yeah, but, okay. All right, let's take a break. We'll get to the yeah, but after that, the other side of the coin. What does it look like if things go wrong for the 2025 Eagles?

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Are you ready? Do you need a moment? You need to bring. Now, this will feel more natural to you. This is much more natural to me. This is how I've lived most of my life. Okay. The case against a lot of my life.

repeat. Here it is. Facing the NFL's third hardest schedule, this team just wasn't up for defending its title. Saquan Barkley coming off of a 482-touch season succumbed to the usual issues for running backs that have such a heavy workload, minor nagging injuries and a decrease in effectiveness and impact. The vanilla passing game looked much like it did during last year's regular season. A.J. Brown and Devante Smith were frustrated with the last.

lack of creativity, Jalen Hertz once again didn't trust his coaching staff and offensive line injuries made the whole operation collapse. During a week two loss against the Packers, the Eagle scored a late touchdown on a tush push, which cut the lead to seven. Nick Siriani proceeded to moon the crowd at Lambo Field following up on a dare from one of his high school buddies. But the Eagles ended up losing the game. Siriani became enemy number one in Philadelphia, a spot that had previously been claimed only by members of the Sixers for an impressive 10-year run. It's true. Defensively, the new pieces in the secondary didn't fit as Vic Fangio cycled through four

different starting cornerbacks, but never found one that he liked. Zach Vaughn looked more like the non-factor we saw in New Orleans than the player who took the league by storm last season. Rookie Jahad Campbell struggled to learn Fangio's scheme and the lack of pass rush help for Jalen Carter showed up in a big way. The Eagle snuck into the playoffs with a huge. nine and eight record, but for the third time during Jalen Hertz's career, lost to the Tampa Bay Bucks in the first round.

After the season, fans called for Siriani's firing, and some even wondered if the offense would function better with Tanner McKeeha quarterback. Just like after the 2017 Super Bowl, this felt like a franchise on the verge of a downward spiral, Andy Greenwald. All right. What felt real? Well, just the sort of the mist of disappointment, that felt very familiar and actually quite comfortable. That said, I feel fairly confident coming on a podcast that you have no reason to invite me back on for weeks or months, so I don't have to defend any of this.

I think the first story is closer to the truth than this last story, because I think that there are more things, I think more things are likely to go right than they are likely to go that very, very, very wrong. I think in terms of the sentiment in the mood, obviously you and I know our home city very, very well. But one of the main feelings that I have going into this season is not just confidence, but a kind of deep, deep feeling of relief that my beautiful best friends in Green did it. They won. They have the rings. They have the proof of concept that this can work and did work. And I think that it's a unique, you know, it's a rarefied air to have this feeling, but I think you understand it from, you know, the Andy Reid era with the Eagles, which is one of the worst feelings is knowing you should win, but you don't, and you have nothing to show for it. And that's

also the kind of thing we're feeling right now with the Phillies that probably maybe have missed their window with this team, but we are very, very much in denial about that and hope for the best. This team has done it. So I think that that does give both the fan base a little bit of a cushion to stop going, do not go completely over the ledge. And I think that, while the idea of an unleashed Nixiriani is a terrifying, terrifying image, regardless of whether his pants are on or not, I think that there is such a cultural buy-in to what he has been preaching because it worked that I don't think the wheels will come completely off, even if Todd Bowles out, you know, masterminds him again. That said, I think that there are serious issues.

You know, I mean, two things. One, you know this. We've probably talked about us either on the pod or not. Like, it usually doesn't look like it did in 2022, for example. Like, the type of dominance that some Eagles fans are getting used to is not normal. And the glow of the confetti falling in New Orleans has already made people forget about the disaster in Tampa Bay in week four or A.J. Brown being frustrated about the passing game just two or three weeks prior to that, right? Like, everything looks better in hindsight.

I think a more spirited season, a more competitive season, a more competitive, season, a season with more numbers, a higher number in the L column is possible, but it really only matters what happens in the playoffs. Okay, but that said, I'm a little concerned about the number of spots where the, and I think there's good business sense behind this. You talk about this very well in Philly Special often, but there are a number of spots where Howie and Nick and everybody have to be like, okay, prove it. We cannot pay someone else to do this job. It is your turn to do it. And the best case scenario for that is a Reed Blankenship or a Zach Bond of people who are completely unchecked, you know, unnoticed and unheralded and not just, you know, not just,

they don't just become replacement level. They become exceptional superstars and bedrocks of the team. There are a lot of spots like that currently. And there are some spots that I feel very, I feel kind of bullish on. Like, I'm actually not as down on the rush as others are. I think that Jaylick's Hunt and Nolan Smith might do more than surprise this season, but cornerback too is terrifying to me. That is a real, real problem and one you kind of can't scheme for, right? And so the number of spots in which they are saying, do your best, in order to preserve this moment of cultural buy-in and potential generational dominance is a little iffy.

Yeah, offensively, they return 10 of 11 starters and, you know, the new guard, Tyler it looks fine. Defensively is where I think there could be a trickle-down effect because the teams we watched in the past 2017 or even the Andy Reid teams, it was always like Eagles investing in the pass rush. Their pass rush is awesome. They're so smart to do that. That wasn't last year's team.

I think there's this idea that because in the Super Bowl, that's who they were, but for most of the season, their coverage was so good that it allowed the pass-rush time to get home. And so now all of a sudden you have a new safety in there for Chauncy Gardner Johnson, probably the rookie Drew McCuba.

You have a new second corner who we actually have no idea who that's going to be at this point in time. If the coverage isn't as good, now you need more from the past rush to your point and you need those guys to play better to maintain just kind of a high level of defensive performance. So that to me, if I was saying what's kind of the thing that could make them take a step back this year, I think that would probably be number one on my list. That said, we're so, so spoiled because you go through the rosters of every team and we're, circling one spot that we worry is like the beginning of a spider web crack that could break the whole glass of the defense. And that is the second outside cornerback. I imagine with the work that you're doing, looking at every team, many teams, even successful teams have two, three, four spots like that. Absolutely. And the fact that we're not just saying, we're not saying this is

the beginning of an issue because we have a B minus player here and then just a B player here, we feel confident that we have A players on the other side of the field in Cuenihan. We have an A player in the middle of the field. So these are rich problems, but they are concerning problems. And then if the pressure shifts, okay, the defense isn't as good as it was last year, and then the pressure is on the offense, which really should be one of the best, most efficient units in the league, but weirdly kind of hasn't been and has kind of been stuck in the mud at times, then what do you do? Can you win the shootout that other teams seem to be able to do? I mean, there was the ranking. You did this ranking, right, of offenses? Yeah, right. And where is the vaunted, like, all

all stars returning everybody offense of the Eagles. It was like number seven. Yes. And you made a strong case for it. They should be or they could be top two, top three, right? But for whatever reason, we haven't seen that, even though they have been able to turn it on when it matters most. Yeah, no doubt about it, which is a good segue to the next thing I wanted to talk to you about.

Yeah, let's do it. And that is Jalen Hertz. I went on vacation. I have a different prop for people who watch. Okay, yeah. I'd see. This is Ringer NFL on YouTube. also can watch the video on the Spotify app.

So make sure you are watching the video because Andy brought, see, he's a vet. It's now hurt season. Hurt season. There you go. He has the hat. See, he's doing video for the watch. So he knows how to get the viewers in here. Thank you for help.

You're lucky I didn't wear my Dawkins jersey from the 90s. All right. Well, next time. There will be a next time. I think it's like a boys large or something. It's not what you want to see right now. I went on vacation, you know, June, July. And I feel like I missed most of the Jalen Hertz ranking season,

but I came back and, you know, you can never fully escape it. You're always connected. And I know that you love Jalen Hertz. And I also know that you have some very smart, passionate thoughts on the way the NFL is covered in NFL discourse. And I know Jalen Hertz is your guy. I think Mike Sando had the tears. I think it was nine.

There were other rankings, basically, where he was anywhere from probably eight or nine to maybe a little further down the list. and then people come back and say, no, he deserves to be higher. So I just want to know how you feel about sort of the Jalen Hertz discourse and how you feel about having him as your quarterback going forward. Okay, well, I want to say a couple of things. One is no shots and no shade here at the members of team content

who need to fill time and space over the summer. The Eagles are my favorite team. My second favorite team is team content. I'm here for it. I could not care less about any other team. so I'm here for whatever takes and the larger stuff, you know, that gets people going and gets people excited. I'm totally fine with it. That said, I am perpetually confounded by the way quarterbacking is covered because this is, like can we cue like Brian Baldinger voice, like the ultimate team sport.

And yet the intention on the quarterback demands that the quarterback is somehow pulled out of the unit, which he is the most essential cog, and judged for factors that sometimes don't even be, matter for the game as it is played on the team that he is on in the season of the sport that he is employed to play in. It is to me, and I did not make up this analogy, but I do find it very compelling. I am a fan of music, and I am a fan of bands and instrumentation within bands that complement the purpose of the band, which is to perform or play a song. I am not a fan of virtuosity. If I was, I would be sitting here with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani playlist being like, like, man, that guy can really shred alone.

I don't listen to a lot of Spanish flamenco guitar and be like, well, that guy really has the best skills. And I feel that same kind of energy devoted towards big upping people who have cannons for arms. Okay, great. But how many games is Justin Herbert one in the playoffs? Like, I do think that ought to matter. So all of that being said, I'm very happy about Jalen Hertz as my quarterback. I think the narrative about Jalen Hertz would be markedly different.

and I want to know your thoughts on this, had James Bradbury not been called for holding at the end of the 2022 Super Bowl? I think that that is a sliding doors moment for Jalen Hertz's career because he has now outplayed Patrick Mahomes twice on the biggest stage of the biggest sport in the world. But because he didn't get a chance to have the ball back in his hands, the narrative, that piece, that plank of the narrative is kind of missing.

He would have gotten all the credit for single-handedly winning a game. that was a defensive no-show, right? Yeah. Do you think that his tier ranking would be different, or even the way we talk about him would be different had he won that? 100%. I actually haven't thought about that. And I love the analogy there with music,

but I feel like the what-if about that game disappeared once they won last year. Yeah. Not for you, which is good. You brought it up here. I never forget a grudge. Come on. Yeah. I mean, I think too, I don't remember a question.

quarterback not being talked about in a certain way who has won two Super Bowls. I mean, Eli Manning, I guess, would be the closest we have to it where we can still make the case. All right. But, you know, look at the regular seasons. Look at the other seasons. But I've never heard anyone compare Jailen hurts to Eli Manning. But maybe there is like, there's a little bit there. I mean, he's much younger right now. But yeah, he showed up in big spots, in big games. And maybe on a random week eight, you didn't watch him. And we're like, hey, this is the best quarterback in the NFL, but what you do on a big stage does matter. So yeah, I think he would be absolutely talked to. He would be in the top tier. If you won two Super Bowls, I would have a hard time

seeing people not put him in that tier. I also think there's a weird backhanded way to compliment him, you know, when people say, oh, he's the least important member of the offense. Anyone would succeed in this offense, et cetera, et cetera. I do think that underplay is the fact that he's had a different play caller for every year but one for the last 10 years of his football playing life. And he somehow has continued to get better. I think it underplays the fact that he gets better when he is needed most. You know, there's no world in which any of these guys are, I mean, you can talk to your guy Ruiz about this, but like, is humility a score that we're going to be giving quarterbacks? But like, yeah, he complained a little bit and he gave his typically weird elliptical quotes,

but he handed the ball off when the team needed to hand the ball off and they won. And then when the time came to throw it, he threw the hell out of it. And I do think the way, I think, I think taking advantage of a system matters in the same way it should matter when we're talking about Anthony Richards and failing because there was no system to support him. It's just too interconnected for me to be able to give much credence to like, well, this guy would be the best on a Madden team because we're not actually playing them on Madden teams or playing them on the teams that they're on. Okay, but I'm sure people listening to this would say, we understand what you're saying.

We agree with what you're saying, but it's not just another guy throws hard. it's, hey, if you took another quarterback and put him in the Eagles environment, he would have similar success to Jail and Hurt. So do you think that's fair or unfair? I think certain quarterback, I mean, look, I'm not a complete head-in-the-sand-home or denialist. Like, who is at the top of everyone's rankings, right? It's Josh, it's Patrick, they're my friends, I'm calling them by their first name. It's Lamar and it's maybe C.R.'s secret crush Joe Burrow.

I think that those four, like, I get it. I understand and I see the skills. And when you start saying, well, you know, certain people that, you know, when people make the Justin Herbert argument or whatever, well, so much of what the Eagles do carry over season to season is the running threat that he has. And if you take that away or the toughness that he has to do the quarterback, the dirty work of the tush push or whatever. So I think that that is an example where you couldn't plug him in.

But there are, of course, quarterbacks who would excel in any system. But I sometimes wonder, too, like, this, again, this is an anti-team content, anti-what-we-do with the ringer take. So please give it no value whatsoever. But all of it is so interconnected that this game of hypotheticals you can just disappear into thin air with at a certain point. I like our weirdo, anti-emotional quarterback who, like, could be the face of the league if he ever smiled but refuses to, who I love when you guys on the first. Philly Special, we're analyzing whether he had ever actually put his Super Bowl ring on. I'm here to say 100% he didn't. I believe him.

That's how much of a freak he is. I think that for the narrative and the legend of Jalen Hertz, you could say he's telling everyone he didn't, but late at night he did sneak a little. I don't think he did. I think this is what his makeup demands. And I think that when we talk about, like maybe the entire team is now on the same page as Siriani and they're working as a unit and they understand that the fireworks are the price you pay for the whatever, I get the sense that that's what the team feels about Jalen too.

Like, he might not be anyone's best friend, but they have a lot of fiery, passionate, fun guys on the team, and they respect him, and it works. Yeah, well said. All right, last thing, green mold for you. I want to take you into another hypothetical. Can I just say, though, Shiel, what if he does throw for 4,000 yards this year? He does. Then what's the inherent?

Like, well, yeah. Then what do we say? Yeah, no, he absolutely could, you know, he wasn't far away from that in 2022. Maybe the defense takes a step back. Maybe Seqon's not as healthy. And maybe it does take him doing more with his arm. And so it's in play that he puts up monster numbers. I talked about that on the MVP pod I did yesterday that I think that is in play for him.

But I want to leave you with something that makes you a little uneasy. Because, you know, you might be feeling good now. But I know how you want to feel, just a little uneasy going into week one. there's this weird streak in the NFC East where we have gone 20 plus years without a team repeating. It hasn't happened since the 2003-2004 Eagles. I remember that team well. Yes. So I want you to rank these scenarios from what would make you most upset to least upset if the Eagles don't win the NFCE.

So I've got three quick ones here. One, Jackson Dart takes over as the quarterback of the New York Giants. They win the division and then New York media just loses their mind over Dart being the NFL's next big thing. So that's one. Two, the Cowboys go 12 and 5 win the division and Dak Prescott wins MVP. That's two. And three, the division comes down to a week 18 matchup between the Eagles and the commanders with the loser missing the playoffs entirely. and Jaden Daniels lights the Eagles up for 30 points en route to a Washington victory.

So there you go. Giants Jackson Dart. All right. One, two, Cowboys. Dak Prescott wins MVP. Three, Jaden Daniels rips their heart out in week 18. What would make you go ahead? Let me go in reverse order here.

Okay. I have no, speaking of my heart, I have no hate in my heart for Jaden Daniels. The Washington team has been so bad for so long and has such a passionate fan base that deserves better. and Joe House and Dave Chang and everyone else. Like, I don't want them to win at the expense of my team, but I could not get too agitated about them winning at some point. I think he's an exciting player.

And I also think that they're going to get exposed this year. Two, the Jackson Dart one is funny because as a former New Yorker for many years, I do think it's fun when New York has someone to care of it. It's like I get in arguments with Chris about this because, like, I can't hate the Knicks because New York is a more fun place to be when the Knicks are good

and it's not fair that they've been bad for so long. That said, I think New York has Zoran Mamdani right now so they don't need another hero to come save them. So that would be my second to worst pick. Number one, I used to say this,

and I used to meet it in the era before we had access to everything all the time about the teams that we actually cared about. I used to say that I was a, I hated the Cowboys first and loved the Eagles second. So any success that loathsome organization experiences is a personal affront to my ability to live a calm, peaceful life and be a good parent in the world. So that would be appalling to me, especially after what's going on this summer with inevitable future Eagle Michael Parsons.

It's just the disrespect is too much. Yeah. I think you reflected the Eagles fan base well. Like I get ripped by my friends for almost everything I put out there on a national level. if I compliment anybody. Jaden Daniels is the exception. They're like, all right, that guy's, you know, pretty awesome. We understand why people love Jaden Daniels.

Everyone else gets ripped. So I think they reflect what you said there. The Giants one, we'll see. I feel like it is, the Knicks are a little different. I feel like than the Giants, where I do feel like it goes so over the top now. Like I was thinking about when we had the Tommy Cutlets buzz for a few weeks. They was like, what were people doing those few weeks?

So, yeah, I think, I think Eagles fans would get an, by that, but you are right. I don't know that everybody knows that Eagles fans, especially people who are around our age group, the Cowboys were the team and it's the Netflix Doc now is, you know, I started watching that last night and it was like, yeah, this is when I was becoming a football fan and everyone just wanted to tell you how great the Cowboys were and they were America's team and Troy and Emmett and Irvin. And like, you learned to hate that with such a passion in Philadelphia that I think most people, again, who are of a certain age group, would probably feel the way you do, that the cowboys being good would be the most painful of those three scenarios.

Do you know what's shocking? And again, this is a champagne problem, but it is very, very strange to actually accept the thought that this cursed organization that we have devoted much of our life to is becoming the gold standard that everyone hates and just assumes, you know, we'll find a way to succeed or draft the miracle player or make it work. That is a very uncomfortable position psychologically for an Eagles fan to be in, but I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Or I'm not going to, whatever the opposite of sugarcoded is, it's honestly awesome. It is, it's great. And you may talk to me again on the mic, off the mic in a month or two months, and the bottom has fallen out and the injury luck is wrecked. And it's a lost season. Quote me, this was been awesome. And I love loving this team. And I

I love the idea of the larger window, even if it means we don't have a functioning CB2. I think that they are set up in a way that makes rooting for the entire project fun in a way that I don't know if I've ever experienced in my life as a Philadelphia sports sicko. Yeah, there was a stretch of fandom there where Eagles fans like to do the, you know,

what was us and rightfully so? All your friends were telling you your team has never won a Super Bowl. And now it's like they are the team where everyone's like, hey, we should do things more like the Eagles, and they're expected to win, and younger fans are confident when they go into these big games in the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

So depending on when you were born, a very different experience. All right. Andy Greenwald, this was amazing. Fun as always, we will, of course, bother you and want to have you back at some point during the season, postseason. We shall see you can listen to him on the watch with Chris Ryan. And all entertainment podcasters want to be sports podcasters,

all sports podcasters want to be entertainment podcasters. It's like athletes and rappers, but Greenwald can do it both. You can get all his takes on the watch. I'm honored. Thank you, Shields. Always a pleasure. Thank you, Andy. Thanks to Christopher Sutton for producing Kiera Givens on social.

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