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Signings and World Cup Fever · The Mostly Football Show

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_02: This is the Mostly Football Show, a uniquely Australian take on the NFL and all things in the world of sport.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_04: Over to you, Pete.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_04: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome to episode 28 of the Mostly Football Show.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_04: Three of us this week.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_04: Harry is still hiding from us.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_04: Um looking through all the shops for his Dallas Renegade shirt, but we are joined by Buffalo Chris, who's going to take us through the post-season or off-season of Buffalo and how he's feeling about that.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_04: And maybe even a hint or two about the World Cup match that he's going to.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_04: As ever, Matt's with me.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_04: So, Matt, Chris, how are you this morning?
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_04: Good evening, good morning.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_04: I'm doing great.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Good to be here.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: Good to be back, Chris.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Nice to see your smiley face again, mate.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to be here.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um my uh my friends are uh massively impressed with my uh lucrative contract with your uh your podcast to come on.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: I know I bring the the eyeballs and the views and the the listeners.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Very good, though.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: They rightly should be impressed and jealous as well, Chris.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: Good to have you back.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_04: And and they're more than welcome on for uh a feat, I would say.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um we have a we have a strict voting process, Chris, but um yes.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: If if it's now bring them along.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, very good.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_04: So so Chris, let's just get straight into it with uh Buffalo.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_04: Last time you were here, I think the your coach had just been fired.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um a lot of controversy around the owners and their statements that they were making.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_04: Uh since then things have settled down.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um so so can you give us kind of your view of where you are uh i in the in the off season?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_04: And also I made a bold claim that uh Josh Allen will ask for a trade by the end of this season.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_04: So can you put me in my place or see if you'll agree?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: I I I actually don't even know how to respond to that.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's the correct response, Chris.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that that's ludicrous.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: So um Is it though?
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_04: Is it though?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_04: I mean he's he is he happy?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean He is he is uh the consummate Buffalo man.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: He's he's from California, but you'd think he's from Buffalo.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: And uh look, he's the he's the best player in the league.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And if they're going to win, he's going to have to help get them there.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: So what is what does a trade mean to Josh Allen?
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: He's got the unlimited support from the owners, the staff, and the community behind him.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um they're building a huge hospital wing named after his grandmother in Buffalo.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: The the the ties are deep.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um where's he gonna go?
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Is he gonna have a better shot in Miami or uh in Indianapolis?
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Come on.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: He's a winner and he knows he can uh win wherever.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just but what's he actually won?
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_04: What does he want?
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_04: Well, does he won?
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_04: You say he's a winner.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_04: Buffalo haven't actually won anything.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: So not many people have Chris with the Pete with the Chiefs.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: He's a winner's mindset.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: He's got a winner's mindset.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you know, it takes uh it takes a lot to get to the top of the mountain.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he still he can still do it.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, 95% of the league haven't won anything because of the Chiefs' domination over the last Chris.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: I know we did we started to ask you a question before Pete um derailed you.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: One of the things about is the appointment of one of his best mates, Joe Brady, as head coach.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: So talk us through that bit.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think the temperatures coming down it came down after um the firing and the press conference and and all that.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um Brady is somebody who's got uh yeah, Josh Allen's endorsement, the trust of a lot of the players, the relationships, and uh yeah, he's got some Hutzpah, some energy uh that um that it's easy to get behind him and and be on board with what he wants to do.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, and then he he main he maintained some continuity from the staff that was there.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: He's brought in some good pieces.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think people are generally optimistic about uh the hiring of Jim Leonard, who was in uh was in Denver and bringing in a new defensive scheme, something we felt like we we needed um to switch up.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: And um so I think there's just there's there's some optimism now.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they're into OTAs, they've got two days of practice.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think today and tomorrow.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Brady addressed the media earlier today, said all the right things.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then they have six weeks off and they come to training camp.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: So everybody's, you know, this is the this is the best time to be a Bills fan.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: There's uh unlimited optimism.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: We're undefeated.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, yeah, everybody else will, you know, mouse part saying this is your year, although we're we know not to get our our hopes too high.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: So hey, we've got as better as good of a shot as as any other year.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um so let's let's roll, let's go, let's see what happens.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: So can you move into the new stadium this season, right?
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so people are are excited about that.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's sold uh it's gonna be a hot, hot ticket.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um the prices are are through the roof like they are for every other sporting and live in-person event here.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but they opened the grounds to the stadium um a couple weeks ago, um, meaning the outside, so the plazas are open, and uh they're starting to hold some events in there.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's ready to go.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: It looks spectacular.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so people are are really uh excited to to be there.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the the demolition of the old stadium is is well underway.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: They're making a lot of progress.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, new new coach, new stadium.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, people will people will be fired up.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, training camps just uh around the corner and um you know be quiet for the next couple weeks, maybe a signing or two, not not quite sure.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't really heard many rumors, but uh we'll we'll we'll see what happens.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_04: So when you look at your fellow league mates around, do you feel a little bit envious that New England have definitely reached out and increased their potential?
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_04: No, not really compared compared to all the the other teams in your division.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: No, I uh I'm okay with it.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the every team's evolving every year.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um the path to success in the league is not always through free agency.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the best teams draft and retain their own and build their culture.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I think it's a standard that teams are going to acquire guys and get them in.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think many people are jealous about New England adding AJ Brown to their locker room.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he doesn't seem like uh the other the best teammate.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um but they yeah, it's not like New England had no talent last year.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: They had yeah, Diggs was on their team, he was a good player.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: They switched them up for AJ Brown, fine.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, but that's uh that's the um that's what teams are going to do.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: So and maybe they're they they overachieved last year on a on a tough schedule.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean they yeah, they had a long season going to the Super Bowl, so not that they're not gonna be tough, so but so let's bring it on.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_04: I I I think you're right.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_04: I did make also another bold claim that I don't think New England will make the playoffs this coming year.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh their their schedule will be much harder.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_04: But since then they've added, like you say, AJ Brown and Romeo Dobbs, which means they've m definitely increased their passing uh uh wide receiver capacity, and they're two very, very good wide receivers.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_04: And and so I might have to wind that back along with Josh Allen asking for a trade, but uh I'll I'll do that quietly and not on the podcast.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_04: So so you touched there on drafts.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_04: What what's your view of the this year's draft for Buffalo?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um, do you think they did a good job or were they middling?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: I would say I'm slightly uh underwhelmed or then slightly disappointed on on um that final outcome of the draft.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think everybody was very excited after day one.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: They could they piled up a lot of picks and then uh made a couple picks that seemingly uh didn't feel fulfilled the best needs um that we needed.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: People wanted wide out, edge, which we ended up drafting, um needed a linebacker, which we seem light at.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: So the team, yeah, the team has plans.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: I I always just find it hard to judge at the draft class.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like who would have thought that Brady was gonna be the the best?
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Look at the picks work out, the picks work out.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of good talk about um our second-round pick, David Igna Soph.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh his name is hard to pronounce.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Igmanoson.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the Bills are talking highly about him, and uh, and then also Caleb Elams Orr, who's the linebacker that we drafted.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll we'll see.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: If they hit on the picks, great.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's it's uh it'll come down to performance.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: But um yeah, I think we were hoping that we get a little bit more splash or or you know, splash in uh in the in that draft, and we didn't get it.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll we'll see what happens.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um we the acquisitions of of um DJ Moore and Bradley Chubb are exciting.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um Joe Brady was in his press conference today talking about how excited they are to have him there.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: He's a great teammate.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: They said he looks good, he fits in with the team, um, working well with Josh.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if he uh if that if that trade pans out and um you Brad the acquisition of Bradley Chubb and we get some you know we get some support from some of these young rookies, then uh we'll uh hopefully take a step in the right direction.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think DJ always rather you never know.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: So some team's gonna come from the bottom or the mid and step to the top.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know who you guys think that might be this year, but that's always something that's hard to predict.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Probably not the Dolphins and the Jets, so you might be alright, mate.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_04: I I have a sneaker suspicion it might be the Raiders, given the way they drafted acquiring Kirk Cousins, keeping Max Crosby, you know, while it wasn't the ideal way of keeping Max Crosby, I I think they're drafted smartly, they've acquired good veterans.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh now, are they gonna make the playoffs?
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe not, but I don't think they'll be a two-and-seventeen team again.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_04: I think they're more likely to be nine and eight.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh last season we were scratching around when they predicted Chicago would be a a nine and eight team, and and I think Matt said, I don't know where our nine wins are coming from.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_04: And look what happened to them.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_04: So so you you never know.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_04: And also I think there'll be a couple of teams that get found out Indianapolis, New England.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_04: I think that they'll have tougher schedules given their results.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_04: Um Chicago potentially, although I I I think they're strengthened.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_04: Um but I I I the the thing I'm excited about for Buffalo is is DJ Moore.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_04: So Matt and I go back and forth about this.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_04: I think Chicago are nuts for letting him go.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_04: Because he is above anything else a clutch player.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_04: I I I think they've still got some in Chicago.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_04: But when you let someone go who can do what he does, you're reducing the ability to have that stupid Iceman Cole Palmer dance done by Caleb Williams.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: It got him on the front of Madden though, didn't it?
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: So uh good on him.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, look, I mean we talked about it a lot, and Chris, I'll get your view on this.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um look, DJ is clutch.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: I think he's been going backwards a little bit.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, he's coming into his, I don't know, age 29, age 30 season.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: And Ben Johnson wasn't using him as much as previous head coaches were.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: So, but unfortunately with a cap, you can't have all the things that you want all the time.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it was just a simple case of you know, the Bears needed to free up some cap space.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um moving DJ out freed a lot of cap space up.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: But I mean, let's look at it from your side.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: You've just you've just mentioned the optimism optimism in Buffalo.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, they drafted Skylar Bell, I think his name is, in the fourth round as well.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: We talked last time about the fact that the Bills needed to put some wide receivers around Josh with Romeo Dobbs, with DJ, potentially with Skylar Bell.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think there's enough there for him to start, you know, upticking this season?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lot of caution around Skylar Bell.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: They're pretty he put up great stats, but you know, there's a lot of talk after the draft.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's guys who get drafted in the fourth round as wideouts, they're usually guys who don't step in and make any immediate impact.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um so for for you know, they don't have the size, they don't have the speed, they don't have the separation, and that's not that the he can't become a a contributor, but his his path to get there will be longer.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I think as it as it relates to the wide receivers, there's you know DJ Moore, uh, you know, Khalid uh Shakir, and there's a lot of optimism about Dalton Kincaid being healthy.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't uh he wasn't healthy at the end of last year, he had knee surgery, and uh they said that he he looks great.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: There was a celebrity uh softball uh home run derby and he was crushing the ball.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so we've got we've got weapons, um, and maybe they'll uh pick up a a post-June one uh wet veteran wide out to add into the mix at a veteran minimum, something like that.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll uh yeah, we'll see.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean going in, even if we made no additions uh this year, um our wide receiver room is better than it uh the season ended last year.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I hear you about Skylar Bell.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: He's from the university out of the University of Connecticut as well, which is hardly known as a college football powerhouse, right?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: So uh I guess he's an investment for the future in a development project.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, maybe they'll bring back Brandon Cooks.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: I know they really liked him.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, maybe they can get him back on a team-friendly deal.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um Gabe Davis is out there as well, but you know, he's not a he's not really uh uh a huge difference maker, but maybe they'll they'll fill in a few gaps with uh with guys.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um one more one more quick question about the draft.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: We had McCund on a couple of weeks ago, and you know, he was bemoaning the fact that Buffalo kept trading back and traded out the first round, and I was kind of trying to balance that off with, yeah, but you know, they needed a an outside linebacker or an edge rusher, and they still managed to get that guy seven or eight picks later than where they were supposed and acquired picks.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I was kind of quizzing him as to what you know, what is it exactly that you didn't really like about it?
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think he felt that they could have made a play and you know, got a higher impact um asset.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, what what are your thoughts about you know Buffalo moving backwards and picking up picks in the second and the fourth round?
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think the I think the pundit, some of the pundits were saying that there were better outside linebacker options a little bit higher in the second round.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: That after you know, trading back a couple times, they they moved down and in pundits felt like TJ Parker was a was a decent player, but didn't really have the upside, uh as much upside as the guys who uh went before them.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: And if that's what they wanted, they could have got them.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then the second round, the other second round pick was a cornerback, which the Bills, you know, we feel like we've got got that covered.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um we've got a number one draft pick from last year who we kind of showed a little bit, you know, Maxwell Harrison, a little bit of promise.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then then we have Christian Benford, like Russ Brandt.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the GM was just saying, you know, but Bean was just saying that it's a premium position.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: You can never have enough great cornerbacks, and they really love the guy.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, that that seems like a pick that may not have an impact this year.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Out of ten picks, you picked two corners and a safety, right?
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of focus.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe best player available in the eyes of the GM and the coach at at the uh at the time you were on the clock.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: So uh Right.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and we also we also signed two safeties uh before the draft.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: CJ.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: So that was that was that's what you know, the kind of that's where the feeling of like the eh, like didn't really feel like it hit on all the things that we really needed.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um P and I were just moving away, staying on the draft, but moving away from the Bills.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: P and I were saying that for once the Jets didn't let themselves down, although, you know, pretty hard to um pretty hard to make mistakes when there are players the calibre of those that they picked up.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: What what's your opinion on how how the Jets offseason went?
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: We touched briefly on the Patriots.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: We can talk about Miami if you like, Pete, but um um post two of Miami.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, what what are your thoughts on the Jets in your division?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: The the quarterback.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Come on.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: Gino?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like it just seems like a it seems like a joke.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: If I was a if I was a Jets fan, I would just be just disgusted.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think they're I yeah, I don't know.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to pay attention to them because they're so pathetic.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't know.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're just um playing for next year and uh and trying to get through this year.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_04: It's week week three of the season when they beat the Packers, because the Packers can't beat anybody who's crap.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_04: They always lose the was it the Browns last year.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_04: So again, looking at the schedule, I was hoping the Green Bay would get off to a flyer and then then you look at the Jets in week three and go, oh, they'll lost two already.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_04: Sets themselves up.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_04: I I I actually think Miami are more of a threat.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_04: I I think the signing of Malik Willis is either a really good piece of business or Malik is going to be exposed for just being the backup quarterback who can uh come on and do a really good job, but he's not the star man of a team.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_04: I I actually think he will be be the star man.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_04: I think Miami moving on from 2-0 is a smart move.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_04: So I think they might be more of a threat.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um but there's a couple of uh things that have come up recently uh on today that uh I noticed Brendan Ayuk from the 49ers has been placed on their reserve list.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_04: I always thought he was a pretty good wide receiver, yeah.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_04: So he's on their reserve list.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_04: But more importantly, Baker Mayfield has come out and said him and the Buccaneers are a long way away on on his his contract.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_04: So um Yeah.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: Ayuk was a guy who thought that maybe the Bills could could snatch up for for very little in terms of trade trade assets or draft capital.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um he was a heck of a player before he got injured and uh could could potentially bounce back.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: I I think a lot of teams would be interested in in bringing him in.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um seems like I yeah, I don't I haven't followed that specific news, but it doesn't seem like a situation that's going to resolve itself there in uh in San Francisco, and that that guy's gonna be gone for a very, very late round pick, or they're just gonna cut bait with him.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_04: Nah Yeah.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know that uh and someone will pick him up.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_04: I think I think given his experience, uh again, injuries haven't helped it.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_04: Given his experience to any squad that's got a group of core young wide receivers having someone like him come along and and mentor them a little bit.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um the other news is obviously Christian Watson has signed a new four-year deal with the Packers, and immediately the Packer Nation jumped up and down and said, He's that's too much money, he's always injured.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_04: Why are we spending all that money?
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not realising he actually went through last season.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um I think playing nearly every game.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_04: And it it was a stellar season for it.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_04: He he's he's a again, I I keep coming back to that, he's a clutch player, and that's what you want.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_04: You've got to have your clutch players.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: The numbers are astronomical, but I guess that's the going rape.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's like I think his average annual salary is above Justin Jefferson, which just seems incomprehensible.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: Well, he's a better player than Justin Jefferson.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_04: Much better receiver than Justin Jefferson.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, obviously.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_04: Um I I know we've only got you for a certain amount of time, Chris.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_04: Uh but you are off to the World Cup.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_04: We're going to watch uh the US men's national team or US MNT as we should be calling them playing.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, US MNT.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: Australia?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I super uh I I wanted to go to uh to Seattle to see the US play uh Australia, but uh figured that would be a fun atmosphere um with a lot of beer being consumed by everybody.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: But uh I didn't get tickets.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: I um was fortunate enough to get the uh supporters tickets for the game in um against Turkey at SoFi.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: So$65 supporter seats, and uh we just got the seat assignment in there the first row of the upper deck.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um what day is this?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: So what day is this?
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: It is the uh where is it?
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_01: There it's uh or you don't know is it's a$65 seat, but it's a$275 train ride.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, right.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_04: 25th.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_04: Because if uh if any of the FIFA officials listen to this and find out you only paid$65 for your seat, there'll be somebody waiting for you there.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I have friends who are going to the uh the opener on Friday and they paid$2,000 for a seat.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's uh it's uh the whole process has been um just exposes how corrupting and greedy FIFA is, and uh I don't know.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: I part of uh I also went to Woodstock 99, and there's uh documentary on um Netflix about that.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that's uh popular in Australia, but it ends with it burning, and uh part of me hopes that somebody burns FIFA to the ground after this thing, after they've emptied the pockets of uh of everybody here in in America, pissed everybody off.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_04: Well I I I think they've already done that.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and the the the the fact that uh you know the the resale value of some of the final tickets is a million dollars.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um I I I think uh it doesn't help that they're aided and abetted by uh a president who wants to squeeze all the blood out of the American stone before he uh he moves on to the next uh whatever his next horrendous thing is.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_04: But um you get two people like that together.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah, yes, uh corruption.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, moving away from politics.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: I did see uh Michelle Platini as um as is is uh about to file a civil lawsuit against FIFA, and in particular Infantino, uh for um you know the the slurring of his name and and and character.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: So ironically, both him and Step Blatter were found not guilty in three separate inquests slash trials, um, which in and of itself is quite spectacularly befuddling.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, I think Plattin is timed his run for this with you know with maximum impact.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: So this is going to be something else that you know brings um you know focus, potential shaman scrutiny to Infantino and the way he's been handling things um as uh president of FIFA.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: But um yeah, yeah, very interesting times.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so excited for the tournament though.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people uh here in the New York area or some friends are going to games, um and uh you know the the shops are packed with merchandise, the advertising's out, the media coverage is ramping up.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: So hopefully once the games start, it'll uh it'll be a lot of fun.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: Very good.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_01: So the US games are at Sophie, Seattle, and where's the third one end?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: Back at SoFi.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so you're all over the West Coast then, yeah?
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's an advantageous schedule for us.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: So it's all it's almost like you're hosting the tournament, Chris.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_04: Right, yeah, yeah.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_04: So so again, before before you rush, there's a couple of points I want to make.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_04: I've just come back from two weeks in the UK, and it is the most underwhelming time of uh ever for advertising a World Cup.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_04: I've never seen it so apathetic about the the World Cup starting, and fairly similar here in Australia.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_04: If you didn't support football, you would barely know it's taking place.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_04: And and and that's it's so it's quite good to hear that you're seeing it all over the place in America.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_04: But I do know you've got a rush, so I'll I'm gonna hold you to to two questions.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um, who do you think is gonna win the World Cup?
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_04: I'd like to see England win.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we just Oh that's enough, done.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no explanation.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: The US doesn't have a chance, so I uh yeah, I'd like to see them uh I'd like to see them break through.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_04: I'll be true to them.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_04: You, me and Matt are all on the same page there.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_04: However, I I suspect when uh I asked Matt that question, England won't be the answer.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_04: Um and secondly, then, who do you think is a team that will surprise everybody?
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna have to say hopefully the US.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: The performance Well, we're gonna we look uh for them to have an impact, we uh we're gonna have to win a game that we that nobody expects us to win.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_04: I I think you're going to the game.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_04: I don't think anyone expects you to beat Turkey.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_04: Or Turkey, sorry.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that's the game.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's a knockout.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's one or two games in the knockout we win that they uh they have to win to turn some heads, and that will uh that'll get the attention of uh everybody here in America much much, much more.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I was with the Friends this weekend and they they said they only care about the US women's national team because they win.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so I must admit, Chris, I saw the highlights of the game at Soldier Field against Germany.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: They didn't disgrace themselves by any um, you know, by by any stretch, lost two one.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: The goal from the Jedi was proper worldly.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um so look, you know, that I think you know, if you finish third, you're through to the preliminary knockout, what a nonsense.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: Preliminary knockout stages.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: So you might be right.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_01: It might not need to be, you know, you could probably get through in you know to the preliminary knockout without winning a a game in the gr in the group stages.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: So um, but um yeah, we'll be keeping an eye out, mate.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: And um, if you could possibly unfurl a enormous banner at SoFi with uh the mostly football pod on, so you're on the TV wouldn't be most appreciative.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: Anything for you guys.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Very good.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's part of your contract.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you'll s you'll notice it's clause Z.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, um, you know, 34.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: I threw it on my back and run on the field.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: Gary's good at that when he gets sporting events.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, okay.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_04: So uh so Chris, thanks for your time today.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_04: We will invite you back before the season starts.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_04: The the plan is to have a uh a predictions uh episode plus a uh we won't put a fantasy league together, so and obviously um you'll be welcome to join both.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_04: So um we'll send out uh what we're looking for in predictions later, but uh thanks for your time this morning, um, and we'll see you soon.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh very good, Pete.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: You're always good to see Chris.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: Good to get his inside man on the inside in Buffalo.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: I it's it's really interesting, isn't it?
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we talked about um you know, our views on how their entire off-season draft free agency was, and I think you know the views of Mi, you and McCunn were it was airing to the side of negative, but how different that is, the optimism on the ground there in you know, in the state of New York and and Buffalo land.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's always good it's always good to really get a a sense of of what people are thinking from the inside out, don't you think?
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_04: And and also get a fan's eye view, right?
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_04: Which is, you know, while while the media is saying, oh no, they haven't done a good job, they haven't done this, to hear an actual fan go, well, you know what, wasn't that bad?
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_04: Wasn't as bad as we thought.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_04: We have strengthened here.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um he clearly doesn't believe Josh Allen will ask for a trade.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: So uh No, nobody does in the world except for you, Peter.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: But if you're old and confused, and we'll forgive you.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_04: So so um so when he's traded for Baker Mayfield later in the year, you'll all be uh apologise.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, not gonna happen.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, just some other wrap-up news around the NFL um staying in the AFC um long time Cleveland Browns guard, Joel Batonio, as just after 12 seasons.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_01: So he um he was a second round pick in 2014, played his entire career with the Browns, seven Pro Bowls and five all-pro selections.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a pretty glittering career.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: So um hats off to Joe and um happy retirement to him.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um also noteworthy in the AFC, the Bengals restructured Joe Burroughs' contract this morning.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um they um to create right uh they created$10 million worth of cap space in in doing so.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um talk was that they didn't want to touch his contract, but obviously with the um the trade for sexy dexy Dexter Lawrence, um they've obviously taken on a bit more money than they um they had on the books last year.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: So um so yeah, 10 million of of the space by by restructuring uh Burroughs' contract.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_04: And if you're a Bengals fan, yeah, and if you're a Bengals fan on this, right?
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_04: You you're looking at Joe Burroughs going, damn, the dude wants to stay.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_04: I've got a contract.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh the fact that he's willing to restructure um means that he's committing to the Bengals and what and what their project is or or their their vision is.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what you want from your face of the franchising.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_04: If I was uh uh a Cincinnati fan, I would be looking forward to laughing at the brands for another year and uh bigger and better things uh to come season end.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_04: Although I I guess restructuring your contract and not making the playoffs again could be uh not a good sign for Joe Burrows, though.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, final piece of AFC news.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we we spoke a little bit about off-field um noise last week for the Packers and Josh Jacobs.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathan Cooper pled not guilty on Monday to misdemeanor criminal mischief charge stemming from a domestic incident with his girlfriend last week.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: So um a little bit of noise around um, you know, accusations of spousal abuse and um counteraccusations, but um the judges set the case in motion for hearing on July the 6th with a potential trial to begin on the 22nd of July.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: So um that's probably something that the Broncos didn't want to be dealing with during their offseason.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, uh it's something the NFL don't want to see, right?
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_04: Uh uh again, I think I think more sporting organizations around the world need to start taking a look at the NRL.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_04: The NRL are very strong on this.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_04: You you don't get to play the game if you're accused.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um, or very rarely do you get to uh play the game if you're accused that your club could suffer.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_04: You know, they have to put this kind of protection around the players as well.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_04: So so I I think the hard part in all of this, uh and I and I can remember I think it was a uh I won't quite very often, it was a story Rio Ferdinand told about being brought up in a bubble when these these people are identified at such a young age because they have such a good talent.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_04: They don't necessarily conform or understand what a proper life is.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_04: And he was talking about you know, walking around Hackney Marshes and he was just watching a a group of under-tens play, and he said there was a kid there, he would have been eight years old.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_04: He said he was clearly better than everyone else, so far removed from you know the rest of the kids he was playing with.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_04: And he said, And when I walk back there next week, he won't be playing because a West Ham Scout or Chillingham Scout or someone will have gone and picked him up and signed him up a as a a ten-year-old, and he won't be allowed to play with his mates anymore because they've invested in him and things like that, and that's when he gets not to live a normal life anymore.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_04: And I think some of these major stars don't understand what it is to live a normal life.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_04: Now it doesn't excuse their behaviour, but man, the clubs need to do more to look after them and and teach them that kind of stuff because you know and as Rio himself said, I don't even know how to change the light bulb because when the light bulb went out he called the club and the club came and changed it for it.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean it it's an issue that battles, ball sport, P when you strip it back to you know the fundamentals, these are very young men who are paid an awful lot of money, and everybody runs around and makes them feel as though they're the most important in the world.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, you mix those three things up in a you know big old cauldron, and it's no surprise that you know we just keep on hearing noise um and you know unsavory accusations, but um we'll everything will sort itself out in the in the course of time, I think, with um with our situation at the Broncos.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, let's hope so.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_04: Let's get back to the World Cup.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_04: That kicks off, I think, tomorrow our time at some point.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well I'm so excited.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and that that's my point.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_04: Without uh kind of saying to Chris, you you know your president has fucked it all up.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um excuse my language, everybody, but I don't think there's any interest, much interest, not not now.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, give me a couple of weeks, I'll be hugely excited.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_04: Um but let me ask you the same questions.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_04: Let's go all get it on the same episode.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_04: Who do you think's gonna win?
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_01: France.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_04: Really?
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_04: And who who is the team that you think is gonna surprise everybody?
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_01: One of the African nations.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm I know that's me picking up that's Paul.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_04: That's Paul, come on.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the horses in the race.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: But um I I'm gonna be honest, Pete.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've I I I would struggle to name the England squad in full.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm that disengaged with it.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I know Dan Byrne and Jordan Henderson are in there.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_04: Jordan Henderson, Dan Byrne, yeah, Ivan Tony.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_04: Brilliant.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um I you know, I I would struggle to um you know honestly hand on heart say, I know everybody's in the England squad.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think you hit the nail on the head.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: It you know, just doesn't it just feels like and you know, I I know you took touched on who you think is to blame.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: This, you know, Infantino, honest to God, you know, he's been getting away with stuff.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it this whole thing is just an appalling money grab.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I read a very interesting article about you know, Chicago opting out of hosting, you know, um Rahm Emanuel was the mayor at the time, and the demands that FIFA placed were placing on potential host cities was unbelievable.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: And and Rahm Emanuel just said, no, I'm I'm I'm not doing that.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, good trade.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm not, you know, I'm not hold making my taxpayers accountable to the greed of uh, you know, and the demands of FIFA, and you know, this would have been years and years ago.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: And when we take a step back, Peter, you have a look at the last two, the two World Cups that preceded this, Russia, utterly shocking.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: Qatar, utterly shocking, corruption, corruption, corruption.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_01: And what I think FIFA have probably done is they've gone, okay, we'll do this multi-continent thing, you know, we need a safe bet.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_01: And what has happened?
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's is just a shambolic money grab.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_01: So money calls.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_04: I you you forgot to mention Saudi Arabia coming up, right?
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's awful.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, shame on you know, this sports washing, it it's just it's grubby, Peter.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, this world this World Cup feels I'm not saying it feels grubby, but it just doesn't feel right.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, this isn't what we grew up.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_04: And that's it, right?
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_04: It doesn't feel right.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_04: And and and I think it it's the the combination of both things.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_04: Right, which is nobody wants to go to the States anymore.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm sure if you look at the the atmosphere between the Mexican and Canadian games versus the American games, you'll you'll probably see fuller stadiums in Mexico and and Canada than you will in in the US.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um I I think there's an atmosphere of of you know people who are scared going to to to the US now, and we've seen it with a uh you know a qualified Somali ref just not being allowed, and FIFA not going FIFA not saying, Well, hang on a minute, you know, you should have cleared all these guys a long time ago.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_04: But but what are you doing?
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_04: You know, he's he's he' he he travels around the world to ref for them.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_04: You know, he what's the what's the difference?
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_04: But you know, with the for me, uh if you take the corruption to one side, which I know is hard, at least with the Qatar and the Russian World Cup, there was some excitement being built up around it.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_04: It's a World Cup, we we're you know, England are a good team or Australia a part of it, New Zealand are part of it.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_04: There's all that enthusiasm.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_04: Uh you barely knew the World Cup was going on in the UK.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we're like three weeks away, and yes, I know it's the end of the football season, all that good stuff.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_04: But you barely knew it.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh here you barely know it's going on.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um and and unless Australia do something spectacular, you know, it you won't know it's going on.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_04: I know because all the games will be on SBS and that's fine because you know everyone's got access to SBS and it's free to wear, it's all that good stuff, but no one wants to put their name to it.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um and and and a lot of it is just because they're draining every single cent out of ordinary people.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't know if you you saw Donald Trump's interview on Air Force One when he was challenged about the NBA playoffs and saying the cheapest ticket to the game through the NBA pla playoffs was eight thousand dollars.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um and he said they said normal people can't afford it, and his answer was, well, most of them can watch it on TV for free, sort of.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_04: Well, you can't because they sold the cell to TNT um and and Disney and other companies, so you can't watch anything free.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, I don't know.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_04: I'll I'll give you my views on who's gonna win it.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um please do.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_04: I I actually think um I think it's gonna be Argentina again.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_04: Hate to say it, but I think the conditions are way more suited to the um South American teams than they are European or maybe African teams, but again, different types of heat in Africa versus uh US.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um I think the team that's gonna surprise you is Ecuador.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um a lot of people don't know.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_04: Equ Ecuador actually finished second in the South American qualification.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um Argentina won it quite comfortably, Ecuador finished second quite comfortably despite being docked three points.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_04: So um uh three points in a comical fashion for fielding a guy who said he was Ecuadorian and wasn't something along those lines.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um so yeah, I I think I think they'll be a surprising team because I think conditions will suit them.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_04: I don't think you know too many Ecuadorian players who are playing outside of Ecuador, so it's not like they're acclimatised to Europe or anything like that.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_04: So um yeah, watch this space.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_04: Before we uh we we finish up, we should probably touch back on on the baseball just for uh a couple of minutes.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_04: I know you don't want to.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: So you reach for your giants cap as we kicked off the podcast.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um I'm going to be a gr gracious winner um because uh we did win the series 2-1, but I think for uh uh Saturday, Sunday, Monday this week we're back this time at Oracle Park against the Cubby.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_04: Indeed.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um yes, my enthusiasm was getting high until of course we lost to the Nationals in the ninth innings.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_04: Again, blowing our ninth game of the year in the final innings.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_04: Um But I thought take the first game aside where uh uh uh the guys the the batters were seeing it like a beach ball.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_04: Right, 16-nil up after seven innings.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_04: I'm sure you won't watch anymore.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_04: I thought games two and games three were a really good hard forced game of baseball.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean um Council had Carson Kelly who's uh catcher pitching at the end of game one when we were 16-0 down.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, look, I I watched um I watched as much of it as I could that games one and two were on at 4 20am, game three was on at 10 10 30, which was a a lot easier to watch.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Look, I from a as a Cubs uh fan perspective, you we haven't won a series for since May, the start of May.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_01: I think the last series the Cubs won.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: Was the Reds series when I was at Wrigley.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I you know, I just don't know what this team is anymore.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_01: We lost we lost another pitcher.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um although you could argue Asad, you know, pit he pitched a great game when he came in in relief.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I have just got no clue what the you know what the cubbies are.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_01: They've they've had two 10-game winning streaks, they've had a 10-game losing streak, they haven't won a series since you know 6th of 7th of May.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's just not good enough.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_01: And and you know, we went from, I think, being four and a half, five games up in our division to we're now eight games back of of the Brewers who are just this machine that keep on going and going and going.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, this could turn out to be the biggest you know season of disappointment, unless, of course, they get on a monster roll.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_01: Now, the weird thing in all of this, did did you see who was National League player of the week last year?
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_01: I did not.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_01: Picrow Armstrong.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, what's the first one?
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_01: So this is a team that cannot win consecutive games.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think you know, they've won eight games it out of the last 30, and PCA was very National League player of the week.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I mean he he was you know putting the team on his back, but um that just shows what a you know what a contradiction this team has been over the last uh you know months, six weeks.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_01: I have I just have no idea who we are anymore.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um but you must be pleased.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_01: Giants are Giants to pick it up.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_04: Well, they were until yesterday, right?
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_04: So so what a great road trip.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_04: I mean they took two games off the Brewers.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yep.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um they took two games off Chicago.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um both uh both series I expected not to be on the right side of.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_04: Um they are currently ranked the number one offense in the MLB.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um mainly because they've played like 37 runs in two games against uh Colorado and the Cubbies.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_04: Right?
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_04: But they play they're playing good baseball, and and what's being exposed now is their lack of preseason signing of a closing pitcher.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_04: I mean look at yesterday's game against the Nationals.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_04: Logan Webb pitched eight innings, five hits, eight innings, five hits.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_04: Vitella took him out and bought win in for his third consecutive game, and and we conceded three runs.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um and some of it's you know, you know, a bit more frustrated with some of the fielding that goes on.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_04: But even if you think about the game we lost to the the cubies in the tenth innings, he took out our two best banners.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um to put in specialist position players, and I get it, and and had uh Crow Armstrong not hit at the home run, they probably would have got away with a a sweep.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_04: But it's just rookie coaching errors.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_04: And and you've got to look to you know, kind of the front office and and bust a posey and say, well everything is saying we should be selling, but our offence is number one in the league.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_04: So what what are we doing?
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_04: You know, why are why are we not looking to invest?
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_04: Uh maybe we should be thinking about that well, let's keep the offence strong and and write off this season and then go help a leather for a couple of starting pitches in the closer in the offseason.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_04: But there's not too many close seasons, close closers who'll be available in the offseason with that trade.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: No, not at all.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it's usually arms that are in demand at the trade deadline, isn't it?
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_01: So uh yeah, long way back, 27 and 40 foot for a 403, 15 and a half games back of the Dodgers who just keep on.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_03: No, well, you're not gonna catch the Dodgers.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the Dodgers, Brewers and the Braves seem to be, you know, so far out in front of the rest of the um National League.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's not even funny.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_01: Over in the American League, the Rays, um the American League is just bang average, isn't it?
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um the Rays and the Yankers are the only two teams with a 600 record, everybody else is 500 and lower.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_01: So uh you couldn't have two more, you know, two more different um, you know, the league divided in two more different ways, but um unfortunately for us, mate, both of our teams sit in the Powerhouse National League and um everybody's just beaten everybody else up, right?
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and if you look at our uh the Giants uh post All-Star game schedule, it it is uh allegedly a lot easier than the one prior to it.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_04: But you know, this month alone we we we we pay you guys and you've got a positive record.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_04: So whether we're looking, we paid you at six games.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_04: Once we're done with the nationals and and you, we've we've got the Braves.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_04: We're playing Atlanta six times in in the course of a a a two-week period.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's tough.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, which which means you know, we can get the all-star game maybe twenty games behind five hundred or or sixteen games behind five hundred.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_04: Or we're gonna have to trade a rias.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_04: I'd love to keep him.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he's batting 320 something again, but he's the only trading chip we have, and Robbie Ray, maybe as a as a strong arm for another team, and and then look to build in the offseason.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um but you know, our big no trade clauses on Chapman and and Adamez and Devers.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, Devers was the best battery, mate, across all the major league baseball.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_04: He's still the number one person for doubles in all the major league baseball.
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_04: So they're starting to tick.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_04: You know, but you're gonna get to a point where you know uh uh you you either keep a rise for the season and let him walk.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_04: Or hope you can sign him back.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_04: But he you know, we've got three batters nearly at 300 and over.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_04: And and Jung Hu Lee this season is I I mean, have Pete grow Armstrong, or maybe it's because it was May and and what Jung Hu Lee has done, you know, bordering May and June, he's on a 15-game hit streak, which is the longest one in MLB to date, um, or the longest ongoing one in MLB to date, but he's batting at 500 over over 14, 15 games, he's patting at batting at 500.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_04: Um it's not like we're playing the the Rockies everybody, either.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, I've had enough of ranting about baseball.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_01: On Struggle Street at the moment.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_01: I must admit, um, one one takeaway of mine from uh the Cubs Giants uh series was Robbie Ray does wear the tightest trousers in Major League Baseball.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_04: Doesn't he ever, yeah.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_01: There needs to be an intervention.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_04: Yep.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he he's very proud of his backside, I would say.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_04: That's uh anyway, anyway.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_01: What else have we got to cover, mate?
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_04: Uh not much today, given that uh we're 51 minutes in, and the quick episode is always a good episode.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um we we need to get Carrie back in.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_04: He needs to front up with his renegade shirt um and talk about uh the prospects for Dallas for next season.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_04: I think we should probably reach into the into our guests again and and get them to come on and talk about uh maybe other Chris or New England Chris, as we'll we'll start calling him, uh, to come on and talk about the Patriots and and their acquisitions.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_01: We also should get Gordy and Nathan on to talk about the Australian Ice Hockey League, which is about halfway through halfway through the season.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm heading along this weekend, so having been overseas for most of it, I'm gonna head along there playing Melbourne Mustangs.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_01: So the game is has been sold out for two weeks already.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um and um as you know, I'm trying to get a bunch of us together to um to get to a game um in July.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_01: So um I'm also going on a road trip with Gordy and Nathan down to Canberra to watch the Bears when they play at the Australian Institute of Sport.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_01: Canberra have got a brilliant setup down there playing a you know in a in a bowl arena.
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_01: So um 5th of July, uh boys boys' trip down to Canberra, and then hopefully um you, Pete, and some some other friends of ours can can join for a little bit of hospitality, um a Macquarie for the game against the uh Central Coast Rhinos.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_01: So it's all going on in the Australian Ice Hockey League, and I'm I'm here for it.
• 52:23
  SPEAKER_04: And and the overseas players are now here, right?
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_04: That's the that's the big deal.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a big did a little bit of tinkering, they've had some injuries to a couple of their imports.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um they they did sign two players who made their debuts last weekend.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_01: They did go down to Newcastle, I believe, who were top of the league.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_01: But um they signed a boy from uh Great Britain um from the British League.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_01: He scored five, sorry, four goals on his in his debut.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um so um looking forward to um seeing how uh the forward and the and the defensemen that the Bears have signed um bed in over the next two or three games.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um but they both started with a bang, which is awesome.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_04: Excellent.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_04: Well, on that uh bang bombshell, uh we'll call it quicks for this week.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Matt, uh good to see you as always.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_04: Um next week we'll we'll be back with more of the same.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um and maybe we'll all uh be a bit happier about our baseball teams.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_04: Look after yourself, everyone, and we'll see you soon.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_02: Ta-da! That's a wrap on another episode of the Mostly Football Show.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_02: Don't forget to subscribe and review or get in touch at mostlyfootball25 at gmail.com.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_02: See you next week.