Latest / The MMQB NFL Podcast / Major Changes Coming for the Chargers, Eagles, & Colts

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Major Changes Coming for the Chargers, Eagles, & Colts · The MMQB NFL Podcast

0:05
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-
0:25
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I'm a Notre Dame fan, and I think this is the second time we've had a conversation about college football clock operators on this podcast in the last six weeks, which is pathetic, but yeah, I'm sitting there.
0:39
[SPEAKER_01]: We had a parents night out, so my wife and I got a babysitter for the first time in God knows how long we went to top golf, and then we went to this kind of local dive bar with all of our friends having a great time shooting darts.
0:52
[SPEAKER_01]: watching CJ car bring the Irish back in this game.
0:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And then yes, you give up the go ahead, touch down.
0:58
[SPEAKER_01]: But at the end of the game, I'm sitting there and I'm like, okay, got us in position to score.
1:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm looking at the receiver getting his hands like it look like he was in a straight jacket with the defender.
1:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I come to find when I get home that there should be a god damn second left on the clock.
1:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, what are we doing here?
1:17
[SPEAKER_00]: We should put it back, not this way.
1:18
[SPEAKER_01]: What's up?
1:19
[SPEAKER_01]: We should quarterbacks not in a sling.
1:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess, but like, you know, whatever.
1:24
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like a 90 team playoff anymore.
1:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's fine.
1:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll make it somehow.
1:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
1:29
[SPEAKER_00]: At some point we can destroy a college football for doing that because the one positive of the 2014 college playoff is it has shown who's in the bag for the networks, which has been entertaining to watch.
1:43
[SPEAKER_01]: that is the truth.
1:45
[SPEAKER_00]: But for real, I mean, spec by the way, just Josh Pate for like, even though he, I believe draws like a CBS or an ESPN paycheck or maybe both, or expect a Josh Pate for absolutely destroying the college football playoff people for what they did.
1:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Great call to by a pat 40 or see me on s.com that that you should check out but for real We do need to move to the NFL right off the top because this was last sloppy Sunday it was kind of gross In terms of the actual on field product and we'll get to some of the games We'll do some deep dies and do some one minors But I want to start with the Rams off the top the Rams lost to the Arizona Cardinals.
2:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't believe I'm saying this and they're two and four and
2:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I like to sometimes, you know, there's a barometer of fan reaction, but it's interesting because you go to like turf show times, for example, which is like kind of the big Ram's fan blog and just like going back to St. Louis, and I saw a headline from them, which I think you're going to reference here, which was like, is it time to benchmark these different and start
2:57
[SPEAKER_01]: is in the stack is Sean McVase a starter, not a finisher, can we trade him to the jets for two ones?
3:06
[SPEAKER_01]: People!
3:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, people!
3:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on!
3:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Where are we going here?
3:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
3:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what to say.
3:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what to say.
3:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Every fan base is crazy because if they're sick of inside of their head coach, they're like, oh no, will you take him?
3:22
[SPEAKER_01]: He's the packers we're doing this for years with Matt LaFlor and now that the team is fixed and they're putting on a laser shell every Sunday.
3:31
[SPEAKER_01]: They're like, oh, right, you know, we like Matt LaFlor was probably extended another year.
3:36
[SPEAKER_01]: If the Rams got rid of Sean McVeigh.
3:40
[SPEAKER_01]: that place would become a non-d-like.
3:45
[SPEAKER_01]: It would become a non-destination.
3:47
[SPEAKER_01]: It would, I don't even know what to say about that one.
3:51
[SPEAKER_01]: But I mean, it's become so much about Sean, you know, and like the whole program, and all, you're right.
3:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what they would be without Sean McFey.
4:00
[SPEAKER_00]: They would lose so much of their identity and their soul, it's not even worth discussing.
4:10
[SPEAKER_00]: on the air with my buddy marked the beetle bird train up here in Boston last week.
4:14
[SPEAKER_00]: And I said to him, I'm like, we need to stop assessing like every game and I'm like, it's a referendum on everyone, you know, like every single, and that's the way we cover it.
4:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, and then he reminded me that's why we're all employed, which like is probably a good point to, you know?
4:33
[SPEAKER_00]: We need to stop doing this, also subscribe to the channel of where we do this here's what I here's what I want to assess though with them with the rams.
4:41
[SPEAKER_00]: How much of this do you think is crappy luck tough schedule this one like it's tough to call it as a product is scheduling but you know they they have an emotional overtime Monday night game and they come back off of that
5:03
[SPEAKER_00]: and how much of it is like real football reasons.
5:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I'm telling you, like this game is over before, like you want to talk about Stafford, he made two of the best throws I've seen anyone make all year three, six weeks on the final possession, on their final possession.
5:21
[SPEAKER_00]: That game is over before
5:24
[SPEAKER_00]: before a wound up being over, if he doesn't make those throws.
5:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
5:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And that to me was like the encapsulation of what it feels like is going, so many things look hard for them right now.
5:43
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, and I don't really understand it now, I got a couple of things in my head that I thought about with this, right?
5:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So number one, and this is something
5:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, like in the off season, which I think is an interesting point to consider, they don't have great team speed.
6:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's part of why they brought two to outwell back and you wonder, like, does it allow you to play their offense a certain way?
6:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, yesterday, right, until the poop into Kua 43 yard catch and run, which wasn't a downfield shop by any measure, they didn't have a single play of over 16 yards.
6:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
6:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
6:20
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think that's one thing to consider.
6:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Do they have enough team speed on offense?
6:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Defensively, I mean, no Miles Garrett, no Trent McDuffy.
6:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, do we excuse that away?
6:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Because those are two new additions, right?
6:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Do we excuse away another not great performance from the defense based on those absences, which we haven't really seen the Rams full on with Miles Garrett yet, right?
6:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Or do we say, like, no, they're just systemic problem here.
6:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know what the answer is.
7:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that, you know,
7:05
[SPEAKER_01]: It's one of those things where I think that the NFL is shallow enough in terms of a talent pool.
7:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And I say that near quotes that, I mean, how reflexively are we now calling the Texans a playoff team?
7:17
[SPEAKER_01]: The Texans beat the Titans a week ago to move to one in four.
7:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that they had a 35% chance of making the playoffs.
7:26
[SPEAKER_01]: And they go out and they beat the Jaguars the next week.
7:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that shit talking the rams right now is dangerous that idea that idea well I mean like let's just put this let's let's look at this though right okay at Raiders chargers commanders at Cardinals all to respect the Cardinals what they just did to the rams does that not look like six and four yeah and up so then they go by they can reset here's the other thing
7:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I was thinking about this when I was getting my coffee this morning, Connor, because I knew we were going to talk about the Rams.
8:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought we talked about the schedule, right, like that's all you need, right?
8:08
[SPEAKER_00]: When the schedule came out, I remember like one of my immediate thoughts was how the Rams got screwed and how the Rams are already a little worn out.
8:17
[SPEAKER_00]: They look a little beat up already, right?
8:27
[SPEAKER_00]: because they play on that Wednesday.
8:28
[SPEAKER_00]: They play on things.
8:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, that's right.
8:31
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't have a real bi-week.
8:33
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's just interesting because you look at that four game stretch ahead, then they've got the buy, but that's not really a buy, right?
8:42
[SPEAKER_00]: That's going into the Wednesday game.
8:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's just like a funky scenario overall.
8:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And their schedule coming out of that is relatively brutal.
8:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Packers, Chiefs, Niners, Cowboys, C-Ox, Box, C-Ox again.
9:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't think that I'm not saying their season is like the I think their season is a critical point and then I think they have to win the next four I think it's fair for us to be able to criticize Sean McVay a little bit right I think that he had a bad game against the seahawks in the playoffs and I think he's had a couple of bad moments throughout the season where
9:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I it's almost like Drake me right Albert where like he's brilliant.
9:34
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to play through it, but in terms of the play call or in the flow of the play calling, I feel like he's just calling it a little tight and right you know Matt Stafford.
9:45
[SPEAKER_01]: you also can't project him as a 50 touchdown thrower of the football every year.
9:50
[SPEAKER_01]: When a quarterback is in his mid to late 30s, every iteration of that is going to be a little bit different.
9:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll say one more thing.
10:00
[SPEAKER_01]: about the Cardinals, great win for the Cardinals.
10:03
[SPEAKER_01]: They certainly needed, they certainly needed that one off their back.
10:07
[SPEAKER_01]: LeFluer is obviously familiar with the operation in L.A. which can help to a certain degree, but I think the other part of it is, Jacobi persets one of the last pure like, you know,
10:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Brady like and I'm not saying that he's good as good, you know, anywhere near Tom Brady, but like there aren't a lot of quarterbacks like Jacobi in the NFL anymore, where it's like two or three steps in the balls out, you know, and that's hard for a pass rush that you watch what Chris Schula does, it takes a minute to come together and it's awfully destructive for a quarterback that holds the ball for two seven to eight to nine, you know, three seconds.
10:50
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, whatever you said like a lack of team speed.
10:52
[SPEAKER_01]: If you get the ball to your playmaker there was a couple who had attempts at tackles on training bride in this game for example.
10:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it was just a bad tackling game.
11:00
[SPEAKER_01]: These can happen.
11:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know what everybody in the comments is going to say trust me.
11:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I have this crystal ball vision of what you're saying.
11:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, media is just making excuses for Sean McVay in the Rams.
11:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, then put your house against it right now.
11:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Put your mortgage against the Rams at two and four because I'm not doing it.
11:20
[SPEAKER_01]: This team is going to be good.
11:22
[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to be in the playoffs.
11:23
[SPEAKER_01]: They're still one of the best teams in the NFL.
11:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Miles Garrett's coming.
11:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But a nice win for the Cardinal at the NFL's weird.
11:30
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was weird.
11:31
[SPEAKER_01]: The weird thing is, and like I just...
11:34
[SPEAKER_00]: It didn't feel fluke, which is a credit for the cardinals, right there.
11:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but it didn't feel fluke.
11:40
[SPEAKER_00]: No, if you look at the yardage, you look at the time possession.
11:42
[SPEAKER_00]: You look at the, I mean, part of it was the Rams were on the field a lot, right?
11:46
[SPEAKER_00]: So you look at it, like the Rams only ran the ball 20 times.
11:49
[SPEAKER_00]: That seems really well, right?
11:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, and I think it is.
11:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And to me, like, my first thought is like, when you've got the wrong game with Kyron, William and Blake Korm, and you're in this fist fight, you should be leveraging that, and they only ran the ball 20 times.
12:02
[SPEAKER_00]: But then you see the only hat I think was like 53 or 54 plays and that's a credit to the Cardinals for extending drives and controlling the clock and so like this did not feel floaky it felt like the Cardinals flat out beat them and that's pretty stunning.
12:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I'd also mention like I mean this isn't the same thing but the 2021 Rams did hit a rut and like.
12:31
[SPEAKER_00]: they were at 1.74 and oh what's wrong with them and they lost three in a row and they didn't win a game in November of that month, right?
12:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And they figured it out.
12:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So this ain't Sean McFace first rodeo, I think you know in the long run it would be a bad that to bet against them being a factor in January.
12:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Totally agree.
12:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean,
12:58
[SPEAKER_01]: We can examine what went wrong.
13:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that their kind of analogous to the Texans a little bit and that we all struggle to not see this as a year-to-year thing.
13:12
[SPEAKER_01]: We always think, well, if a team is this good this year, then they're going to be that good this year.
13:16
[SPEAKER_01]: If a team was this good, and then they add these players, they're going to be that good.
13:19
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I mean, you have to re-figure out.
13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: every team every season and I think that McVasen the process that there's been plenty of crappy Patriots starts over the years that they ended up winning the division and I think more so now than ever because I think more so that our teams that are using the early portions of the season Yes, as like an extended preseason
13:40
[SPEAKER_00]: to him.
13:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I've heard a lot of like, well, why don't these guys play more in the preseason because it ain't mad.
13:47
[SPEAKER_00]: And because he's got as all have an odometer on their body.
13:50
[SPEAKER_00]: And like the idea of going out there and creating like three more real games is as an eye.
13:57
[SPEAKER_00]: when you've got to get them to January and for two teams into February.
14:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So like that's the whole thing is like how do you get them there and how do you get a team there?
14:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's where I think like teams like the the Rams and the Chiefs and the Ravens and the Bills like that's where I think those teams have a little bit of an advantage in that like you know you're going to be there at the end so you can manage the front end of the schedule a little differently.
14:23
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, let's jump into the rest of the slate here and the first one that I want to talk about and dive a little bit deeper on is the Carolina Panthers beating the Eagles 25 to 14 the Eagles are now losers of four straight the Carolina Panthers are three and two.
14:39
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to have a substantive discussion here in a second about life after Jalen hurts that happened between our last two pods and I want to get into it, but very quickly the Panthers.
14:50
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we talk a lot about the Brysion progress, the fact that, you know, Chubahubbert is still such a steady eddy for this team, and Jalen Coker back, taking this offense in a great direction.
15:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Ezra O'Reville Man deserves a lot of credit for the success of season.
15:08
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is in, I know I'm sounding like a broken record on this one because
15:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I've pegged Ezrao as a future head coach for the last three or four years.
15:16
[SPEAKER_01]: You can see it.
15:17
[SPEAKER_01]: You can go back and look at what I've written over time.
15:20
[SPEAKER_01]: And especially the last two years when the Panthers flirted with historically bad defense is everything.
15:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's happen in your boy.
15:26
[SPEAKER_01]: What's happening in your boy?
15:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We've got players now.
15:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they went out and they got good players and, you know, the creativity putting their off-ball linebackers like Lloyd was basically playing an edge in this one, the Blitz Pack which is in this game where superb, yes, again, it was against Tanner McKee who was probably a little bit easier to throw off his spot and bother them, I would venture to say that that score would have been very similar.
15:51
[SPEAKER_01]: if if Jalen Hertz was on the field.
15:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this team is set up well and I'm feeling better about my Panthers winning the NFC South pick, especially after this weekend.
16:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I love the way they finish the game, you know, like it was they had kind of controlled it.
16:08
[SPEAKER_00]: The Eagles are able to come up in the fourth quarter and cut the lead and, you know, they go on a, on a, on a long drive.
16:16
[SPEAKER_00]: So now it's 1914 and we'll see what you got and they're able to force the three and out.
16:23
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, then they drive for a touchdown of their own, then they come back and they, they, they, they force a turnover on downs and then with like a little under five minutes left.
16:36
[SPEAKER_00]: they do what I think is a mark of a really good team, which is they don't give the ball back, you know.
16:42
[SPEAKER_00]: They're able to grind out three first downs and get into victory formation.
16:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's one thing I know a lot of these teams, especially ones that are built the way the Panthers are, take pride in, it's like,
16:54
[SPEAKER_00]: can we run the ball when they know that when they know we're running it?
16:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And the panthers were able to do that behind Chuba Hubbard who has become a really good back for them, you know, has really grown and become the kind of guy that you can feature in an offense.
17:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I'm really encouraged with where Bryce Young is.
17:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, there's a calmness about the way he plays, but I think when you've seen him, it is best, shows up.
17:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, like where it looks, he looks so unbother, especially for a guy of his size, looks so unbothered in the pocket and so comfortable in the pocket.
17:28
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, tenderloin, McMillan, I think is going to be a star.
17:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Coker's a great compliment to him.
17:35
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a lot of things going, man.
17:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Like they deserve our respect.
17:43
[SPEAKER_00]: We're early the best team in the NFC South.
17:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you after winning it?
17:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
17:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I don't really see another option.
17:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the Falcons and we can get into that too.
17:53
[SPEAKER_01]: We're, we're, and again, we want to avoid it.
17:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I still do the Panthers are better though.
17:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're better than the Falcons.
17:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And they beat the crap out of them on the field, which, like, there's an asterisk next to that, because they didn't have panic, but still.
18:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, but I think, and I think that there's kind of a something that really concerned me about the Falcons and we'll get to that in a second, but the Eagles Albert, you know, a couple things.
18:15
[SPEAKER_01]: First off, they're in a free fall.
18:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Will they trade Sake One Barclay to the Texans?
18:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, baby.
18:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Make it happen.
18:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Make it happen.
18:24
[SPEAKER_01]: The Texans were going to take one last time that Sake One was available.
18:27
[SPEAKER_01]: They wanted Sake One.
18:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And then that's when they ended up with Joe Nixon, does Nick Haley or does Nick Assyria come back around?
18:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, so here's the thing.
18:36
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think what's interesting about the Eagles is like we've talked a lot about their cap situation.
18:40
[SPEAKER_00]: We can dive into that, right?
18:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
18:42
[SPEAKER_00]: The way around it.
18:43
[SPEAKER_00]: is that you keep drafting and developing.
18:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Eagles deserve a ton of credit.
18:47
[SPEAKER_00]: They draft well, they develop better.
18:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Like they develop, their player development system is unbelievable and has done such a great job.
18:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Jordan Molot is probably the shining example of it but across the board they've done an unbelievable job developing young talent.
19:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So they've earned our trust.
19:05
[SPEAKER_00]: That said,
19:07
[SPEAKER_00]: They had I think it was six of the seven starters on offense on rookie on rookie contracts yesterday and a seventh Damian Pierce was like a scrap heap guy who's based it was essentially playing in the minimum, you know, that's seven of your 11 starters on offense.
19:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's where they're at.
19:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's a bunch of guys, I mean, outside of McIleman, it's a bunch of guys who are drafted outside of the first two rounds, you know, so as good as you are at that, like you're going to feel that a little bit, you know, and so.
19:41
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the defense, I think has had kind of had to kind of bear the brunt of it and has had to carry the team and it's been on them to do that.
19:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And I, I think we're getting close to the point for for the Eagles where you start to look at it and you say,
19:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Is this 2020 again?
20:00
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
20:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Like where it's like we're going to assess a bunch of things and if we sink to the bottom of the league and wound up wind up with a hydráfic, so be it.
20:09
[SPEAKER_00]: If we rig it a little bit to get an even better draft pick at the end, maybe that's worth considering.
20:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
20:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, but, but if you remember like 2020, like that, that was the year they kind of, all right, like, we got to look at everything and then they wanted to 21 and the reason they crashed in 21, the reason like there, their caps situation was where it wasn't 21 is because.
20:33
[SPEAKER_00]: like the COVID, the COVID situation, you know?
20:37
[SPEAKER_00]: So they went through the stretch where they had to get a lot younger and that was right once here, Johnny was coming in.
20:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's at least worth considering, again, rebuilding Zedurty Ward in Philly and I know WIP isn't gonna stand for it if they're like, you know, four and eight, you know, in November, right?
20:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, get it, understand it, all that.
20:58
[SPEAKER_00]: But,
20:59
[SPEAKER_00]: you know like it is I think it is worth considering whether or not this is the right time to get young and a bunch of different places and you know again the the Eagles have a proven track record that they can they can pull that kind of turnaround off well that's the thing like I don't know if it's a fixations if I'm a fan that's almost exciting to me because you're turning over new leaf you have a successful GM and you have an owner who's willing to pay
21:22
[SPEAKER_01]: to get the job done.
21:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So what do you worry about, and I think what drives me nuts is like only one team was able to hold onto it kind of for a long time.
21:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And they had literally the greatest player in NFL history.
21:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
21:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And they played.
21:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, as we'll drop them up though, like that did prop.
21:41
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what prevented the read.
21:42
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what made like the subtle rebuilds 10-1 years.
21:45
[SPEAKER_00]: You know?
21:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And they also played in a clown car of a division, which I guess the Eagles do right now, which is a fair, but the bills and the jets and the dolphins were so perpetually bad, and they kept tripping over themselves to make themselves patriots prove when in reality they just kept sacrificing long-term gains for these perceived short-term wins and just making the rosters worse.
22:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So that is a situation that happens in a vacuum, a weird outlier that would probably never happen again.
22:16
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you know, the pages essentially destabilize the other three teams of their division by creating a scenario where there was no access to wanting the division, which meant the only path to the playoffs was getting a wild card.
22:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's a tough road to ho.
22:32
[SPEAKER_00]: If there's no way to do what Carolina did last year, right, which is like each out of division title to buy yourself more times, tough place to be.
22:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And so the Eagles, okay, you win the franchise's first ever championship, then you quick rebuild on the fly, change head coaches, make another Super Bowl, then win the second championship in a matter of what, seven years, six years.
22:56
[SPEAKER_01]: It's over.
22:57
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's okay.
23:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And I get it that the performative nature of calling into a talk radio show and be like, fire, everybody, like, shut up.
23:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It's over.
23:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's okay, right?
23:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Jaywen Hertz is going to be out for the rest of the season.
23:13
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a great chance to see.
23:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, Vic fan Joe's probably gone.
23:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Probably gone.
23:17
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I mean, this is a chance to see who you can build around for the future.
23:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And as a fan, I'm sorry that there's a cost to this.
23:26
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a cost to super bulls like you don't just get to go every single year like it's insane to me that you would think that way and so yes now is the cost now you got to watch a few games a tanner McKee at quarterback now you got to watch you know your offensive line turnover you had the greatest offensive line possibly in modern NFL history so now you got to watch some bad offensive line play now you got it's and it's not about.
23:52
[SPEAKER_01]: they'll call and be like, oh, this is Stoutland.
23:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, if we just had Jeff Stoutland, Jeff Stoutland's great, this has nothing to do with the totality of the rebuild that the Eagles are facing financially, schematically, you know, emotionally, all that.
24:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, sometimes you just got to let it happen.
24:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, in some ways, I am blessed to be an Orioles fan where every season is a massive letdown or a Notre Dame fan for that matter, because they have one one since the year I've been born.
24:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I can at least deal with this.
24:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what I would be like if one of my teams was actually successful, but like, yes, this has got to happen.
24:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not even going to listen to WIP, you know, and I'm going to be like, you know, yeah, I'm going to show you me.
24:33
[SPEAKER_00]: You want me to tell you how like 35 wins is a disappointment.
24:36
[SPEAKER_00]: 35 point wins is a disappointment.
24:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Crazy.
24:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, because we didn't, we'll be didn't establish the run in this one, because jail nerds through for 500 yards.
24:43
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, stop, stop.
24:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I can relate with it.
24:46
[SPEAKER_00]: But honestly, it does,
24:53
[SPEAKER_00]: What what got what's getting them here is what gets everybody which is age and injuries and all that right like they drafted landed Dickerson in the second round why they get him in the second round because he was a medical issue he had medical issues and you know what like those things generally catch up with guys so now Lynn and Dickerson might be broken as a player no a front to him.
25:10
[SPEAKER_00]: But he came in like with what was it two ACLs and I mean, I was just it was it was it was really tough what he went through in college and so there were medical questions and they've gotten was it five six great years out of him and now maybe that's caught up with him, you know, they took the opportunity to trade camp judges.
25:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Blaine Johnson, they got almost 14 seasons out of him.
25:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, Jason Kelsey got old, Fletcher Cox got old and retired.
25:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Brandon Graham is now gone.
25:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, you look at the infrastructure for these teams and this is what happens to everyone.
25:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the upshot of it is.
25:44
[SPEAKER_00]: You at least have some pieces that you can work with.
25:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Jordan Malata, as long as he wants to play, like I think he probably still has run away because big men can last the NFL, Trent Williams is a great example of it, right?
25:56
[SPEAKER_00]: You have a first round receiver on your team now in Macaylemon, and you can develop.
26:00
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got Cooper Degene and Quinion Mitchell in your second area.
26:03
[SPEAKER_00]: You have Jalen Carter as a centerpiece of your defensive line and Jordan Davis right next to him.
26:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So you have like pieces.
26:11
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think now, the idea is, how do we get young around those pieces?
26:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And those pieces hopefully can make us competitive in the interim?
26:20
[SPEAKER_00]: The bigger question, of course, is whether the quarterback can.
26:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's, I think, you know, going into 2027 when for the first time, the majority of his money at only a much smaller percentage of his money now, next year's guaranteed than has been guaranteed over the last few years.
26:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe that's where you start to ask some of the big picture of questions, especially if he comes looking for a contract revision.
26:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
26:48
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, and and and and that's a that's a bridge you cross when you get to it.
26:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously right now.
26:53
[SPEAKER_00]: He's got bigger issues that he's dealing with, but Yeah, man, like I think this is There's a lot of big picture questions to ask with the Eagles and that's not like You don't have to kill anybody for that.
27:06
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, that's just the way it goes and it's with you It's over let it be over and I would consider I mean say quan honestly
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: next year's is to the Texans how long next year's his next year's is gonna be a 10th year yeah I mean, I don't know I don't even know how much yeah, I love saying when I just don't know how much value he has You know, we we certainly saw his peak And the Texans are having a hard enough time getting what he marks go and and David Montgomery, right?
27:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I just like that's what I'm saying though like I'm saying for if you're the Eagles not not just for the Texans, but like for the Eagles
27:47
[SPEAKER_00]: If, if you're filly right now, how do you look at this?
27:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Because Dallas.
27:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's like, by the time we're ready to compete for a championship again, what's safe one going to have left in the tank, right?
28:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I don't know what the answer to that is, but I think that's how you have to start to look at timelines here.
28:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Bears 31 Falcons 23.
28:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to talk about this one because Caleb Williams's back and he completed his first 12 passes.
28:13
[SPEAKER_01]: He completed 30 of 36 in this one, but it was more than that.
28:19
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears also got Kyler Gordon back and resacks for in six teens snaps.
28:27
[SPEAKER_01]: It was like four tackles three sacks two forced fumbles and
28:32
[SPEAKER_01]: The reason that I want to, we'll get to Caleb in a second, but the reason I want to bring up Kyler in particular is because Ben Johnson and that entire and Dennis Allen, they brought the heat from the corner positions early and often in this game and it got Panics off his spot and Panics even mentioned like how much like he doesn't like being out of rhythm because here's what kind of slows down the Falcons train.
29:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And the team starts punting, and if the team starts punting, they get behind, and if the team gets behind, they can't use who, be John Robinson.
29:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And so there is like this kind of cycle that the Falcons can undergo, and we saw the best appendix, and Pentix had some nice throws in this game.
29:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying that, but his lack of mobility costs them in spots like this, and I think a lot more teams are going to play them like the bears play them on Sunday.
29:30
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it also like this is a, this was a great example of the big picture thinking of Ben Johnson and that he's not just an offensive coach and I heard this, this is really interesting in the locker room post game was how they was talking, he actually flat out said like, what was this game about containing B. John, right?
29:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And he said, everyone had a hand in that and he mentioned the 40 minutes of possession.
29:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
29:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
30:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was like that to me was, I mean, again, the being able to see the whole game, and you're not just trying to put up offensive numbers, you're playing to win the game, right?
30:14
[SPEAKER_00]: And they're able to possess the ball.
30:16
[SPEAKER_00]: They're able to grind out 21st towns.
30:18
[SPEAKER_00]: They're able to get off the field
30:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And I also think like, you know, the other thing, the problem solving piece of this for the bear staff is what you did with Gordon, right?
30:35
[SPEAKER_00]: You had no Montez sweat because the PED suspension.
30:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
30:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So you really had to be creative in finding ways to get to the quarterback and Dennis Allen and the defensive staff certainly was.
30:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I like the idea of Alan kind of becoming a bit of a berserker, you know, it's, you know, to say that you're doing it after Flores is different, but like becoming that guy in the absence of the kind of talent that you need to hang around is great.
31:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think you know what I mean and I'm not saying like this team is not talented.
31:09
[SPEAKER_01]: There's some good players But we saw a couple weeks ago against Green Bay What happens if you stack up man on man and just throw the ball deep against those guys?
31:19
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you have to do?
31:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't let the quarterback get to that point and if the bears become like
31:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Flores inspired on defense and then Ben Johnson on offense is that not the most fun team to watch in like the history of the NFL.
31:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, this one I'm actually excited to go back and watch it again, too.
31:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think, you know,
31:40
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just like, yeah, again, the creativity, the think tank that that coaching staff has become like all the stuff that you said there and the other thing is like, I think the player development is starting to come like, we all heard a lot about Colston Lovelin and the summer and like what a breakout year he was going to have now you're starting to see it.
31:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you heard like what bird what Luther burden was capable of now you're starting to see it.
32:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, they're able to get big catches out around the Dunzee.
32:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, so like they don't have like this singular weapon, but that's sort of the way Ben had it Detroit to, right?
32:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, oh, yeah.
32:14
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't want teams to be able to to gain plan.
32:17
[SPEAKER_01]: If you look at what happened in the Cardinals are made fun of it a week ago, Nathaniel Hackett took a punching bag for this, but like,
32:24
[SPEAKER_01]: you don't want to be able to go against the bears and just be like, oh yeah, I'm going to double this guy and double that guy, and then they don't have a great offense.
32:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Like the entire goal is to not be that, you know, and fantasy owners got to get over that part of it.
32:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry, I'm a close to the level of fantasy guy, you know, I'll deal with it because I like watch the bears on Sunday.
32:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's that's big of it.
32:46
[SPEAKER_00]: It is big of me.
32:47
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we're we fell to two and four in the in the big money league by the way this weekend.
32:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Unless I mean we're recording this at nine 19 and Monday morning.
32:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Unless Terry McClellan has the day of his life.
33:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm I'm upshitted to Creek without a paddle, but that's okay because.
33:06
[SPEAKER_01]: at the end of the day, you do it.
33:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe I'm on like a demo.
33:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm now, I think on a two game losing streak after a four and a start.
33:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So I love, by the way, just very quickly on that point.
33:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So we did our top golf outing with our neighbors over the weekend.
33:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And one of my neighbors who I love, she comes over.
33:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And she's like, hey, you know, weird question.
33:28
[SPEAKER_01]: But would you just look at my fantasy team?
33:30
[SPEAKER_01]: She's like, I'm in this league and whatever.
33:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like, listen, I'm terrible fantasy.
33:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't want to.
33:35
[SPEAKER_00]: That's my preamble for everyone to show some terrible fantasy because everybody thinks you're an expert So I look at the fabs is for that's a fact.
33:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I was like I just give them the fabs is number And he's like, well, those people coming um, but you go into the player's section the available player's section and like Caleb Williams and Jalen Coker are just free agents in this league and I was like I can fix something here
34:01
[SPEAKER_01]: and put them into the lineup and then you know drop I'm starting to do that with my son's late now because it's a bunch of six creators who like like a week ahead of the trade deadline you pick up Marvin Harris and it's like what did your dad know it's got to messed up
34:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I made the I made the having some fun with my kids my kids fantasy league, so he's doing pretty great one He's I like a little mouth double double the team up Woo right now right now the team he's playing against has a 1% win percentage because He's up one 16 to 60 Everyone wants to hear about my son's fantasy team, but the team he's playing against does have jaden Daniels and Justin Jefferson Oh, no that that Justin Jefferson didn't play so that's a Yeah, that was a that was a missed step by Jack Straggins
34:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you know, can't be perfect.
34:47
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like the ramps, you know, you got to uh, you got to overcome uh, Jags Texans was probably the game of the weekend.
34:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not sure how the NFL feels about it, taking place at 930 in the morning while not a lot of people are watching, but I mean, I was like, can I just jump in there?
35:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Jump in.
35:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I love, I'm an advocate for the overseas game.
35:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I really do like it, right?
35:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I just don't like putting important division games over there.
35:15
[SPEAKER_01]: This has been my take for years out.
35:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just think it's like, it's a competitive inequity that I think you're creating.
35:21
[SPEAKER_00]: You're willingly creating that's just, it's not fair.
35:25
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
35:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, it's just now the Jaguar's lost their home game against the Texans.
35:29
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the same way the Rams lost their home game against the Niners.
35:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
35:34
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, and
35:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I just, I, I feel like, and again, I've been to the games in one, I love the games in London.
35:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I mean, I'm done a really nice job over there.
35:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Germany, like, you hear from people who've been to the game in Munich when it's a Munich.
35:49
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like unbelievable.
35:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Brazil, for the most part, it feels like it's becoming a success, right?
35:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think the league deserves credit.
36:00
[SPEAKER_00]: It's actually done a nice job with these games.
36:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I just don't like division games being over there.
36:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
36:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree.
36:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, because at the end of the day,
36:13
[SPEAKER_01]: These are barren storming efforts to some degree, like modern barren storming efforts.
36:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that if you are gonna fall in love with the product, you're just as likely to fall in love with panthers, cardinals as you are.
36:32
[SPEAKER_00]: What's that?
36:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Panthers, whatever, you know, like you're just as likely to fall in love with that game as you are another game.
36:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think this is like it's hard to debate because now these last two learning games have been excellent with the Jags Eagles back to back and the Jags Texans.
36:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But the Australia game, for example, and I got to watch because I got myself in a lot of trouble talking about this earlier in the year, but it was a bad game because it was not a bad football game.
37:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It was like a bad preparation game and like, okay, two teams decided to do it, but like I don't want the NFL game decided on sleep.
37:15
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
37:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I want an NFL game decided because guys are at the best of their abilities and that's just not possible to do in that setting, you know.
37:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll give you the, I'll give you the the anecdote from the Niners Rams game.
37:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So I talked to Kyle use check and did a story with him on how they handled it, right?
37:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, you know, Kyle obviously he's been in the league a long time and has been on these international trips.
37:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I asked him like, what was the difference going to Australia?
37:47
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was like, it's actually interesting.
37:49
[SPEAKER_00]: They did so much, you know, the Niners staff did so much to make them comfortable and they flew over there and, you know, they had sleep schedules.
37:57
[SPEAKER_00]: They had different options.
37:58
[SPEAKER_00]: How you want to handle this and they took supplements while they were on the plane.
38:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they got there in a Friday, if I remember.
38:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was like,
38:06
[SPEAKER_00]: When we got there, he's like, I felt great.
38:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, holy crap, this is awesome.
38:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Like this, everything feels like this is phenomenal, right?
38:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And so they had to walk through that day at the, at the practice facility they were using was a stadium.
38:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it was like a, I think it was a rugby stadium or whatever a Melbourne and he's like, I got out there on the grass and he was like, oh, I'm not okay.
38:30
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't what I mean, and he said his legs were like jelly and it was like, I, he's like, I don't know what it was.
38:37
[SPEAKER_00]: He's like, because I felt great otherwise and they did such an awesome job of making me feel like.
38:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I could go out at night and have dinner.
38:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I could, you know, like all the stuff that you needed to do was all taken care, but I got off the plane and I just didn't feel right.
38:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And the Rams might not admitted until after the season's over, but I bet what Kyle used check was feeling when he got on to that practice field, had a role in what happened that day.
39:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And these are the sorts of variables that you're talking about.
39:09
[SPEAKER_01]: That's all it is.
39:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
39:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you're just, you know, whatever.
39:12
[SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, let's talk about the game.
39:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And nice job by Houston.
39:16
[SPEAKER_01]: This was a.
39:18
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, this was a realization I think of of the fact that Straud's been playing well.
39:24
[SPEAKER_01]: He's been playing well for most.
39:25
[SPEAKER_01]: He's back like he's a hitmanly back and I think that he's been good.
39:29
[SPEAKER_00]: He has a good Jaguar's defense and he plays with Jaguar's defense.
39:33
[SPEAKER_01]: He probably had three of the five best throws of the weekend.
39:37
[SPEAKER_00]: The one at the end of the second quarter.
39:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Ridiculous like just see the arm talent and I mean I'll just tell you like you know, and I'm I'm kind of going back and forth with a few Texans people after the game and I mean like some of the stuff that I got coming back here I mean
40:00
[SPEAKER_00]: and like process, work ethic, leadership, ownership of the offense, consistency, all that's phenomenal.
40:07
[SPEAKER_00]: He's seen the field well.
40:08
[SPEAKER_00]: He's trusting the guys, ball placement, accuracy.
40:13
[SPEAKER_00]: He can adjust the offense and solve problems.
40:16
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think about so I brought up an example last week
40:21
[SPEAKER_00]: of what Drake made did, right?
40:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is the same offense.
40:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And it takes a while for a quarterback to learn the offense, because the quarterback sets all the protections.
40:29
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think I brought up to you.
40:30
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a play to Kyle Williams late in the game last week, where Drake made distributed the protection properly.
40:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And because of that, he knew where the soft spots were, that allowed him to navigate the pocket, which bottom and extra second, to notice there was no post safety,
40:48
[SPEAKER_00]: and get the ball down field to Kyle Williams 50 yards or whatever it was.
40:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's precisely what CJ Stroud is doing now.
40:55
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's like he's able and it took a while, but now there's a belief with those coaches and Nick Kaylee being part of that family.
41:03
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a belief with those coaches that
41:07
[SPEAKER_00]: we can we can get you do another level of quarterbacking if you can get this stuff right yep if you can call it if we don't give the protection call us a center if we put you in command of the whole thing and you know CJ did some of that in college at Ohio State but it was a transition doing it in the NFL with Nick and I think that that whole thing is coming along now and there
41:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Marvin Harris and played well and guess what he was breaking towards the middle of the field and taking hits while he called me I was gonna I was just gonna bring that up that first catch that's a little anger at anybody else out there And it was like yes, that's if he can do that Now you got him opposite Nico Collins with Jalen know you know running in the middle of field and Jalen knows looking like a real player now
42:03
[SPEAKER_00]: If they can recover the level that they are accustomed to on defense, I mean, look, this was a pivotal game for them, big at the Giants next week.
42:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they should win that game, then they're by, then they go to the Chargers who could be a zombie team by the time we get to November 8th, now they're 500.
42:26
[SPEAKER_01]: and all of a sudden like it's so weird because we can always say like oh no Owen four team has ever made the playoffs or one Owen four team but then when it teams four and four it's just like oh yeah four and four teams make the playoffs all the time and it's so strange how that little stretch of time just completely changes your perception but you and I have been but this team is not dead forever and so I feel good about it.
42:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to spot with this.
42:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't I feel like
42:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Right now, this is going to sound, this might sound ridiculous because they did play the historic level last year on defense.
43:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like this version of Texans has a higher ceiling.
43:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I do too.
43:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I'd be proud being a pre-snap operator.
43:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
43:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And being able to dissect things will keep him out of harm's way and it will negate some of the deficiencies on the offensive line if he can get there and getting that other receiver helps him get there.
43:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And they can start to run the ball a little more effectively.
43:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, which maybe your trade happens.
43:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, baby.
43:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's go.
43:27
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
43:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Packers 23 Cowboys 13.
43:35
[SPEAKER_01]: The second half of this game was one of the few times that I've I've watched a second half of a football game and I'm very blessed to do what I do and I consider myself incredibly lucky But I watched that second half and I thought man if I could get that half an hour of my life back if I could get that two hours of my life back I would give anything because that was just off
43:57
[SPEAKER_01]: It was so bad, um, and the Cowboys looked terrible.
44:00
[SPEAKER_01]: It looked like they were in quicksand the entire game.
44:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that speaks to the fact that then curious to take on this, the green bay comes out and demolishes the bears, and sometimes you get a let down from that Albert, but sometimes you get the realization of how you're supposed to play.
44:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And that defense was swarming again.
44:20
[SPEAKER_01]: They were to the ball and you balanced that with the fact that this three receiver offense with La Flore just creates more opportunities for Matthew Gold and Scaring moment for tough.
44:31
[SPEAKER_01]: We took a craft in this game, but they avoided a serious injury.
44:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I love where the packers are at with Micah Parsons still not back.
44:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and you know, like to me, like it comes back to like the young players taking a step forward and Jordan loves certainly part of that equation.
44:47
[SPEAKER_00]: He's played great the last two weeks.
44:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you'd argue his numbers would have been intergalactic if it weren't for some of Matthew goals and drops right like on Matthew golden.
44:57
[SPEAKER_00]: might have had 200 yards if he could have hold him on a couple more of those.
45:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's me as encouraging because you're still chasing that with him.
45:06
[SPEAKER_00]: But he looks like a really good player, Christian Watson already a really good player.
45:10
[SPEAKER_00]: He had a critical drop too.
45:13
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Jade regional eventually get back and then talk her craft being a huge part of the offense.
45:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Josh
45:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So now you're able to kind of manage a messy offensive line situation a little differently.
45:28
[SPEAKER_00]: You hope your new left tackle Jordan Morgan settles in and then defensively, I mean, people on Green Bay have been talking about Evan Williams for two years now about how good he's going to be and now I think we're starting to see it.
45:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, Lucas Van Nass, he had a sack again and Lucas Van Nass like who I think a lot of people had kind of given up on.
45:46
[SPEAKER_00]: has really been huge for them in Micah Parsons' absence.
45:50
[SPEAKER_00]: You're starting to see all of these young players play at a higher level.
45:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, I think that starts with the quarterback who there's always been a really strong belief in him there.
46:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think the last two weeks we've seen a really good product from him.
46:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
46:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Man, I mean, I don't know about Dallas.
46:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I just
46:13
[SPEAKER_00]: The offense didn't look at this this week, you know, like, and that's the defense is still a problem.
46:20
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think you look at where they're at offensively and having to throw the ball 54 times is no recipe for winning the game.
46:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to excuse deck press gods and receptions.
46:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to excuse the fact that he didn't look quite as sharp as he has through five weeks.
46:40
[SPEAKER_01]: The offense has been bad kind of the last three like they're the last like month they're middle of the Well against the Texans.
46:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and they were good when they needed to be against the ravens But yeah, I They won't go against Tampa and they won't go against Green Bay for sure
47:01
[SPEAKER_01]: This is one of those situations that drives me nuts, because I think we've all ridden the shot and hymer coaster, and maybe this isn't the time for like a grand proclamation on this because the cowboys could turn it around.
47:13
[SPEAKER_01]: One division's gonna keep them alive.
47:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And the division's gonna keep them alive, but this is one of those days where it annoys me that like,
47:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Jerry Jones like Vince McMahon walking out and being like I'm an old man with money and I'm dangerous It's like you're also spending less than 90% of NFL teams at the head coaching position like you are and you could have had a lot of people who wanted to come in and coach that press got
47:37
[SPEAKER_01]: but you went cheap and you could call it a gut feeling, you could call it whatever you want, but there's been procedural issues, there's been clock issues, you should be winning more games that you're winning now and you could have gotten out and position yourself for one of the big time play callers and you didn't do it.
47:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you know you didn't do it when and I'm not saying the Brian Flores would have left Minnesota, I highly doubt he would have left Minnesota to go to Dallas when he was a free agent last year, but like
48:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, you didn't buy top shelf for defensive coordinator either and now you're bringing in Mike Patton at the last minute to try to salvage this and rebuilding the 2010 jets coaching staff on the fly, which is wild to me.
48:16
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know, there's reasons why we're in these positions in the first place.
48:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Like Javante Williams, maybe the, maybe the gas is running out there, you let Derek Henry go, you didn't jump in the market this year for, you know, all that kind of
48:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I just realized who they have next week I actually don't know who they have next week at Philadelphia on Monday night Oh There you go.
48:44
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a get-right game.
48:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean you would hope Yeah, I mean, but how is your yoni wood winning this game be the same as the Steven A Smith segment leading into that game?
48:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna be a lot of fun Just shut that guy up.
48:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't listen to that guy and forever my mental health is way better because of it
49:02
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, let's hit some one-liners Albert because there were some great ones.
49:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And I want to start very quickly with the Saints and the Giants, me and Gil film the video on this over the weekend.
49:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm curious, I want to have this debate with you because I had a very spirited debate with some of my bus stop dads this morning.
49:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I am team, you cannot start changing McCarthy against the Texans, despite the fact that he had an excellent performance in the fourth.
49:31
[SPEAKER_01]: of a narrow Saints victory just for perspective.
49:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So he threw for more yards in an 11-minute span than any other quarterback and NFL history.
49:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Almost 250 yards in 11 minutes through a bad pick, almost through another bad pick that was overturned.
49:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And the Saints were resting some starters, which Kellymor had to immediately
49:56
[SPEAKER_00]: come back and and fix like he almost got clipped on that one man that was almost the almost a bad situation but um well because they were they they they're going to appear they were going to Paris that night like last night they went to it was actually interesting do you know that they went to the new new work airport Marriott right after the game door stop and then they had a nine p.m flight to I love the new work yeah I've been there
50:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but I think everybody covers the NFL as at one point or another state at the Newark Airport Marriott.
50:25
[SPEAKER_00]: It's very conveniently located.
50:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I went, I mean, I live at 30 minutes from there, but there was one where I drove out there.
50:33
[SPEAKER_01]: My flight got canceled and then rescheduled for seven in the morning.
50:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So I just stayed at the Newark Air premiere.
50:40
[SPEAKER_01]: It was very nice.
50:42
[SPEAKER_01]: But I don't know.
50:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Are you team McCarthy at this point?
50:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's too soon.
50:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I really do.
50:48
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a long-term rebuild if you're gonna try it.
50:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you're fit for it.
50:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for that.
50:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you have to be careful right do right you have to I just think you have to be careful again I and I don't know and I think you have to assess the situation and get away from the hysteria and get away from I mean everyone in New York who's going to overreact and say you don't have any choice you got to start McCarthy now what are you doing like
51:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, he came into a fire drill situation.
51:21
[SPEAKER_00]: His mobility was a huge factor.
51:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was able to make a ton of plays off schedule, which is a credit to him and shows what a game he is.
51:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not giving up on changing McCarthy as a quarterback.
51:31
[SPEAKER_00]: The question's got to be, like, can he come in and operate the offense at a high level?
51:35
[SPEAKER_00]: And is it the right thing for the other 10 guys in the hotel?
51:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And like, that's really the assessment you have to make.
51:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And I,
51:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think John Harbaugh is going to overreact here.
51:46
[SPEAKER_00]: John Harbaugh is going to have a good sense for that.
51:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And there are elements of the offense as Matt Nagy has set it up and built it for Jackson Dart that are going to work for JJ McCarthy.
51:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I also don't think that you can go and play for 60 minutes the way that he played at the end of that game.
52:01
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just not, that's not something that translates, you know?
52:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, it's a credit to him that he was able to bring them back, but you're not, but I don't think that's necessarily what you're assessing here, right?
52:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Because you can't play a whole game that way.
52:14
[SPEAKER_00]: What you're assessing is whether or not he can actually run the offense in the context of a 60-minute game.
52:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And only the coaches in that building know whether or not he can or not,
52:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I, I would.
52:28
[SPEAKER_00]: After watching some of John's interactions with the New York media, I almost think he would go the other way, you know what I mean?
52:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Just to, yeah, I don't, I don't think he has any interest in placating them.
52:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So, which I'm good with.
52:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Albert, how about this?
52:44
[SPEAKER_01]: A little breaking news.
52:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes, in the biz, you got to adjust.
52:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And the cults have fired their general manager, Chris Ballard,
52:57
[SPEAKER_01]: this weekend.
52:58
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're going to spend this last little block talking about Ballard in the Colt.
53:03
[SPEAKER_01]: If we missed your team today, apologies, but I promise we will get to them on the Thursday.
53:09
[SPEAKER_00]: You did a quick online on you.
53:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Like a legit one line on each day.
53:14
[SPEAKER_01]: One more.
53:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's see.
53:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's see.
53:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's see how much we have to say.
53:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
53:17
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
53:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, uh, I think this is an interesting trend Albert that last year.
53:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We had the dolphins fire Chris Greer in season because at the time there was still some promise associated with Mike McDaniel as a play caller and you set up the opportunity for the new GM to inherit McDaniel if he wanted to that the dolphins decided to go in a different direction ultimately.
53:42
[SPEAKER_01]: and totally clean house, new GM, new head coach.
53:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Steiken is interesting because if you just look at the offense and the efficiency, these were some of the better teams in the NFL, and I think that Steiken would possibly get head coaching looks in the cycle if he got let go.
54:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he'd be used to fansky.
54:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this could be a defense situation.
54:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, because if you think about it, you're going from Anthony Richardson, the Daniel Jones to Riley Leonard to film.
54:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I think there are a lot of people who feel like it's not what's happening to the apples is not his fault.
54:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And today would certainly be indicative of that, right?
54:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Because
54:21
[SPEAKER_01]: sometimes an in-season firing is ceremonial to some degree because there's nothing that changing a GM can do right now.
54:28
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a signal to the fans, right?
54:30
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a signal to the fans and obviously you want to freshen up your college scouting operation because that those conversations are happening right now.
54:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And so if you're Carly or say, you're saying, okay, I don't like what's going on right now.
54:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't like the players clearly that we've been drafting.
54:46
[SPEAKER_01]: We got three months left
54:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's try to, you know, let's try to shake things up a little bit and and get some different eyes on this thing.
54:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So interesting.
54:57
[SPEAKER_01]: You had to do something after the title after the Titans game you had to.
55:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that was one of those fan outrage pinnacle moments, but man, balance been at the helm for a long time here Albert.
55:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and it's kind of like, you know, it's crazy is like,
55:15
[SPEAKER_00]: They got off to a great start, and if you remember coming out of 17 going into 18, the advantage of luck as a quarterback, that first year was kind of a mess because luck was hurt.
55:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they come back and they have that draft class that's, I mean, Quentin Nelson, who might be a Hall of Famer, Shaq Leonard, who was a really good player in all pros as a rookie, Braden Smith, who's still in the NFL a decade later, like a really, really good first draft class.
55:50
[SPEAKER_00]: You have the franchise quarterback.
55:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember saying, like at that point, like this team has dynasty potential.
55:56
[SPEAKER_00]: and they tried to hire Josh McDaniels and that didn't work, but then the Frank Reichhire looked great.
56:01
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, like after the first year and they went a playoff game after Frank Reich's first year, Chris Baller's second year, that was Andrew Lock at the time is seventh year in the league, so he's still relatively young and it looked like this is a rocket ship and
56:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I, that was the last playoff game they'd win when with Chris Bowert is GM, which is nuts.
56:26
[SPEAKER_00]: They've only been to the playoffs one other time.
56:28
[SPEAKER_00]: 72, 82, and one, two playoff appearances, the one playoff win.
56:35
[SPEAKER_00]: They still don't have a long-term answer quarterback.
56:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I think, you know, you part of what's going to, part of the ULG here has to be,
56:46
[SPEAKER_00]: like the Andrew Lock thing, really sprued up a lot, but you had a ton of time.
56:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And the sand in the hourglass, sometimes just runs out, and that's what happened here.
56:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He looks weirdly like Pat Mc.
57:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Fiends some of these pictures that people are tweeting.
57:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I know, it's just like, you know.
57:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So here's the other thing.
57:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Does this become a bigger piece of like a complete reimagination of the organization by Carly R. Say Gordon?
57:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm glad you brought that up
57:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen, because after the opportunity to do that now, like the Falcons last year, you know.
57:21
[SPEAKER_01]: This is two weeks in a row.
57:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know that you and I are in different sides of the coin here.
57:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But this is two weeks in a row now where I have seen inherent value in her wearing a headset and taking notes and being a presence on the sideline.
57:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Last week, and I forget who brought this up.
57:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to credit them for making a good point here.
57:43
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think it was Shield Capadia.
57:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But like, if the commanders thing happened,
57:49
[SPEAKER_01]: In Carlier say Gordon was wearing the headset and having an open front of her you know exactly who screwed up and you can pinpoint the blame on that just like now
58:00
[SPEAKER_01]: you're in the headset and you're listening to everything.
58:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know you like the the performative look of it.
58:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I get it.
58:06
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't know.
58:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think it's like the big this is a different debate.
58:11
[SPEAKER_00]: But right.
58:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the problem most people have like just do it.
58:15
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's like there's a new slash a lot of I don't know how many people know this a lot of owners have it.
58:19
[SPEAKER_00]: They have the headset in their box right.
58:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
58:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think the question isn't like should they be listening in like I think it's more should they be standing there on the side line right and I get it and put a lot of stuff happens on the side line too right and how I'm interacting with the players how are you are you pumping guys up and not you know all that I you know I think that I would at least like the idea of them of her having that information and then not having that information right.
58:52
[SPEAKER_01]: what you would I talked about this a lot going into this season where you kept looking around at the roster and you kept saying what are they going to do here like they're thin here they're thin here they're thin here alone behold it's a mediocre football team that lost to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday I
59:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been surprised in the past that how quick rebuilds can happen, but this one is is interesting.
59:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't quite know a lot of it's going to feel like, okay, what do you think of the quarterback?
59:23
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, are you going forward with a quarterback or are you going to pull the plug after a year, which would be really costly.
59:30
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I think you see it at receiver, Alec Pierce goes down.
59:33
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't have answers, right?
59:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Like you see it, you know, on the on the on the D line, you know, like I think you see it's.
59:44
[SPEAKER_00]: The linebackers obviously like that was a question coming into the year.
59:48
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just like a team that it doesn't have a discernible superpower and it's thin and like I think you've seen that show up now.
59:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's it's shown up playing gives me to blow the lead that they blew against the tight they were up 13 and nothing at the half of that game.
1:00:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, against playing against a second year quarterback who has it was going through it, you know what I mean like yeah, and you know, so I I get where this is a last straw thing and again like this to me opens the opportunity for them to look at Do we reimagine the organization and you'll remember last year the Falcons brought in the consultants right like they brought in the bottom here come the consultants
1:00:33
[SPEAKER_00]: But they did that.
1:00:33
[SPEAKER_00]: They did that while the season was still going on.
1:00:36
[SPEAKER_00]: They didn't like November.
1:00:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was okay, like what is this going?
1:00:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think maybe you got rid of a really good coach as a result of that.
1:00:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I still think we're he and Morris have a chance to be a really good coach.
1:00:49
[SPEAKER_00]: But
1:00:49
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I do think that there were systemic things that the Falcons needed to fix that may be fixed now.
1:00:54
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, with that Ryan and Ian cutting him and Kevin Sifansky, Dolphin, same sort of thing.
1:01:00
[SPEAKER_00]: The Dolphin's fire, Chris Greer, they want to step further than the Falcons did actually fire the GM and then they go through the whole process of reimagining the organization and with the sun and law there now, like kind of like he took
1:01:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I think charge of a part of that process, so like there is some similarity there and that you have a family member who is in an elevated position, you know, obviously for different reasons, but you know, like you have a family member who's got an increased voice and maybe has a chance to put their stamp on it, you know, so I think that's where the quotes are now and that means I go and forward, you know, the entire the entire roster.
1:01:40
[SPEAKER_01]: no one has no one can feel great about their place in Indianapolis going forward and uh... you know stoichi is like now i think i mean like you go beyond collateral damage here you know it could be collateral damage um... it's one of those things were now you you're probably auditioning again and and every game is an audition for coaches to keep their job certainly but you're auditioning for your job and you're also auditioning
1:02:07
[SPEAKER_01]: for whatever the colds end up with at general manager and that stampeding sound you're hearing often the distance is Jeff Saturday kicking down the doors of an ESPN building and running all the way back to Indianapolis so we can put his consultants at on and and so it's to be fair I mean to be fair too if they do wind up walking away from Shane who I think again is a really good head coach and it's going to get a tunnel looks a few lines up
1:02:35
[SPEAKER_00]: This would be four years without making the playoffs, not very many coaches survive that.
1:02:40
[SPEAKER_01]: True, but again, I think that there's some bounce back potential there and you know, Albert, I'm just saying, you know, would be kind of interesting.
1:02:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, there were best friends, but like, if everything in Philly goes south, is that a team that that entertains that Stike and spend a building, you know, I don't know, it's it's an interesting, I don't know if that would actually happen, but just something to think about, but
1:03:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Chris Bard is out as general manager of the Indianapolis coach.
1:03:13
[SPEAKER_01]: This was a long era.
1:03:16
[SPEAKER_01]: He got a little bit more time than I think a lot of GM's get, but I do think that the Greer and Ballard ones happening back to back.
1:03:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I've long heard from coaches, a little bit of the, there's a little bit of that gripe, there's a little bit of that chip on their shoulder where because the GM is more politically aligned with the owner, just based on how the structure goes, they tend to survive more of these issues.
1:03:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think the trend is starting to shift because everybody sees how quickly rebuilds can happen.
1:03:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody's starting to see it.
1:03:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Part of that is like the coaches job is to look at the small picture of the GM's job is to look out for the big picture and you're going to be naturally a little less.
1:03:57
[SPEAKER_00]: On app to to walk away from the big picture guy prematurely right.
1:04:05
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I do wonder to like you mentioned Jeff Saturday, right.
1:04:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Do they call paid manning.
1:04:12
[SPEAKER_01]: This could be the one.
1:04:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I, I just, you know, I, I think about like the trend now Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Tony Bicelli and Jacksonville, you know, we've seen this like where the guy, they have a guy come in and he's like the Tom Brady and Vegas, obviously, and he becomes a guy who is like, all right, like I'm going to make sure everything's aligned here.
1:04:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to help create the vision.
1:04:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, I've heard forever the Peyton Manning has an interest, and eventually he's an have an interest in running a team, I wonder if that's the phone call you, but that's the first phone call you make now.
1:04:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the very least he gets insight, because yeah, you know, like he he knows everyone, you know, but like I do wonder if like that's something you at least explore.
1:05:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Payton's getting on a plane.
1:05:03
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, well Albert, I think we've said it all.
1:05:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we've done it all.
1:05:10
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll jump back in and we'll hit just a couple of these teams on Thursday when we do the preview pod.
1:05:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Check this out on YouTube, SITV, get it wherever
1:05:23
[SPEAKER_01]: you get your podcast, leave us ratings, reviews, tell us what you think about the show, and be on SI.com because I'm telling you right now, we already have Albert's takeaways from Sunday.
1:05:33
[SPEAKER_01]: They're phenomenal.
1:05:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I've written about Mike McDaniel ahead of what I assume will be some more breaking news that we might get this week.
1:05:42
[SPEAKER_01]: If the chargers make a high profile change at the play caller position, a lot's happening.
1:05:47
[SPEAKER_01]: We got the trade deadline coming up.
1:05:48
[SPEAKER_01]: So keep it locked.
1:05:51
[SPEAKER_01]: with Connie and Al, should I try, it was gonna try that.
1:05:54
[SPEAKER_01]: No, it doesn't work, Connor and Alburg.
1:05:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And we'll be, yeah, we'll be your companions throughout what's sure to be.
1:06:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm really fascinated a couple weeks of NFL football.
1:06:05
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, thanks for coming.
1:06:07
[SPEAKER_01]: See you guys on Thursday.