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AFC North to South · The Mostly Football Show

0:03
SPEAKER_00: This is the Mostly Football Show, a uniquely Australian take on the NFL and all things in the world of sport.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: Over to you, Pete.
0:16
SPEAKER_04: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening.
0:19
SPEAKER_04: Welcome to season two of the Mostly Football Show.
0:23
SPEAKER_04: Yep, well, here we go.
0:25
SPEAKER_04: Season two is already upon us.
0:27
SPEAKER_04: Uh and we'll give no excuses that we'll move into focusing very heavily, if not totally, on the NFL through the next coming weeks and through the season and and beyond.
0:38
SPEAKER_04: I'm here with KG and Matt.
0:40
SPEAKER_04: Gents, how have you been over the last month?
0:43
SPEAKER_01: Waiting.
0:44
SPEAKER_01: Just waiting.
0:45
SPEAKER_01: You know.
0:47
SPEAKER_01: This is the part where I get really excited.
0:49
SPEAKER_01: So all the other sports, I love the other sports.
0:53
SPEAKER_01: But, you know, this is why I want to be here and with you guys, because football season is almost upon us.
1:01
SPEAKER_01: My wife keeps saying it's so far away, but to me, I'm like, no, it's it's around the corner now.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: I mean, they're there I I I I see it on my feet every day now.
1:11
SPEAKER_01: So it it's it's happening.
1:13
SPEAKER_01: It's happening.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: Very good.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: How about you, Matt?
1:15
SPEAKER_02: Well, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that is equally true for the lack of NFL and the fact I very much missed Mr.
1:24
SPEAKER_02: Butler's dulcet tones on our podcast, Pete.
1:27
SPEAKER_02: So welcome back, Peryl.
1:28
SPEAKER_02: Um your your absence has been felt, noted, and um a warm, warm welcome back to the podcast, mate.
1:39
SPEAKER_04: And when we handle the fines at the end of season, you know what you know what's coming your way.
1:44
SPEAKER_04: So I do, I do.
1:46
SPEAKER_04: Let's get it done.
1:46
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, let us close off a few uh loose ends uh from from last season's pod.
1:52
SPEAKER_04: Obviously the UFL finished.
1:54
SPEAKER_04: I don't know who won because the standard was so poor, but I do know who didn't win.
2:00
SPEAKER_04: And the person who ends up buying the shirt is you, uh, Mr.
2:04
SPEAKER_04: Butler.
2:05
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I cannot believe uh a team started off so well.
2:11
SPEAKER_01: Uh I I can't remember now, but you know, three and one, three and oh, three-and-o, something like that, and then just you know, tanked.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: Just horrible, horrible, horrible.
2:22
SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Dallas.
2:23
SPEAKER_01: But uh look, the good thing is um they're blue, and you know, I can kind of get away with it.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: So I'm I'm okay.
2:31
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm I'm looking for my renegades jersey right now, so you will see it uh at some point, and we'll have to post on some kind of social media that we will eventually have.
2:41
SPEAKER_01: So it'll be good.
2:42
SPEAKER_04: Yes, we we we probably should start broadcasting on YouTube so people can see how ugly we all are, really.
2:48
SPEAKER_04: So but uh let's let's steady on.
2:51
SPEAKER_04: Let's steady on with that.
2:54
SPEAKER_04: So, gentlemen, 50 days uh on the day of recording, 50 days to the start of the NFL season.
3:02
SPEAKER_04: So seven and a half weeks.
3:04
SPEAKER_04: Uh what's the one thing you guys are looking forward to this upcoming season?
3:08
SPEAKER_02: I mean, from a very personal bears bias perspective, I'm looking forward to seeing if we can get anywhere close to the the record that we had last year, and and also to see if Kaylee can move us from cardiac bears to controlled and clinical bears.
3:30
SPEAKER_02: So I think that's you know, that's the thing for me.
3:32
SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm I'm I'm looking forward to seeing how he matures and how his bond and relationship with Coach Johnson um develops.
3:42
SPEAKER_02: And to hopefully, um I'm not overly optimistic, I never am, but hopefully seeing that last season wasn't a flash in the panel.
3:52
SPEAKER_01: Very good.
3:52
SPEAKER_01: KG, how about you?
3:54
SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit odd, but I I I'm not going to the game, I uh uh or at least so far, unless one of our listeners is going to offer us tickets.
4:04
SPEAKER_01: But one of the things I'm most excited about is having the NFL in Australia, you know, just having it on home soil, you know, um seeing how other people react to a game we love so much.
4:18
SPEAKER_01: So that's exciting for me.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: And and then uh after that it is let's see what the Cowboys do this year.
4:25
SPEAKER_01: They have actually made some moves this year, so I'm impressed.
4:29
SPEAKER_01: Um, but let's see how you know we fare, you know, what what um uh a typical Cowboys year is, which is up and down, uh I'm predicting, but uh I am looking forward to Australian NFL.
4:43
SPEAKER_01: That's the first thing.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: And how about you, Pete?
4:45
SPEAKER_01: What what's big on your list?
4:47
SPEAKER_04: Well, guys, I think that's a really good answer.
4:49
SPEAKER_04: It is quite exciting, although none of us are going to have the NFL here, and hopefully it's a success.
4:54
SPEAKER_04: So we have the chance to go in future years should one of our teams turn up.
4:59
SPEAKER_04: I think uh I've always maintained a pact with my wife that if the Packers played in the UK or they played in in Australia, then the the budget would uh take a massive hit while I uh went to see them.
5:13
SPEAKER_04: That's cool.
5:14
SPEAKER_04: Uh uh Yeah, uh look I a lot, I I I'm I'm fairly optimistic about the Packers season, though I have a fear we might go one and done in the playoffs again just simply because it looks like Mika Hyde sorry, Mika Parsons won't be back until maybe game six or game seven.
5:33
SPEAKER_04: Wow which is is not good.
5:35
SPEAKER_04: Uh but we have just locked in Devontae Wyatt for a long three-term three-year contract, which is great.
5:43
SPEAKER_04: I I'm looking forward to see how those teams that performed unexpectedly well last year performed this year.
5:55
SPEAKER_04: I think I think last year was a big realization for me that the schedule actually means a lot.
6:00
SPEAKER_04: And and you know, as we go through the next few weeks, my plan will be to go through the divisions, make predictions and things like that, but there'll also be some outrageous takes, uh something that I'm quite used to doing, um, and things like that.
6:13
SPEAKER_04: But uh but last year I realised that that you can get fairly deep with a couple of bits of luck and a nice schedule.
6:22
SPEAKER_04: Um and so I'm interested to see how teams like New England do.
6:26
SPEAKER_04: I'm also keen to see how Seattle uh bounce back but also uh looking at the Raiders because of all the all the teams last year who were let's be f honest piss poor.
6:42
SPEAKER_04: Uh they they've they've had a a good a piece of luck retaining Max Crosby, but they drafted well, and of course Roy Rogers' best friend Cousins is there as well.
6:54
SPEAKER_04: So so they brought in a veteran to support their rookie.
6:58
SPEAKER_04: Uh I think it's I think some people might be surprised by the Raiders this year.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: They also had a pretty decent uh go at free agency as well, uh gents.
7:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm also looking forward to seeing how the Raiders go.
7:13
SPEAKER_02: I doubt very much that they'll be worse team in the league again this season.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: The green and white team in uh New York who play in the Stadium Nother World Cup final was just uh hosted at that.
7:27
SPEAKER_02: I fully expect to fill that right uh that position.
7:31
SPEAKER_02: But um I'm optimistic about the uh the Raiders and I think they have um for a change um made some very, very smart moves uh in in the in the closed season.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Very good.
7:45
SPEAKER_01: Another one uh who was good but still low in their division was the Lions.
7:50
SPEAKER_01: So I I know they're not exactly underdogs, but I'm hoping they do better this time.
7:56
SPEAKER_04: Uh it's too early to be poking the Gary Bears in this in this situation.
8:00
SPEAKER_04: Um Buddy.
8:02
SPEAKER_04: I I I I I look I look the Lions um have done some good work in free agency as well.
8:09
SPEAKER_04: Um I know they let uh Montgomery go, uh, but they they replaced him pretty handily, so it's gonna be interesting to see how they they go and whether they'll come off their last place finish um from this year.
8:24
SPEAKER_04: But we'll see.
8:25
SPEAKER_04: We'll see.
8:26
SPEAKER_04: So, Matt, um give us the news.
8:29
SPEAKER_04: What's happened in the last month?
8:32
SPEAKER_02: Well, there's a fair bit of very um different news as one would expect with the NFL offseason.
8:41
SPEAKER_02: You did mention that the Packers had just extended Devontae Wyatt.
8:45
SPEAKER_02: Three years fifty-seven million.
8:47
SPEAKER_02: Wyatt was the first round draft pick in 2022.
8:50
SPEAKER_02: He was in his fifth year, so that was an option year, and um and the Packers have shown him the money.
8:56
SPEAKER_02: He is coming back from a very, very nasty injury.
8:59
SPEAKER_02: Funnily enough, Kerry suffered on Thanksgiving against the Lions last year, where he broke his fibula and tore some encore ligaments, but the Packers clearly believe in him and have uh made a significant investment.
9:13
SPEAKER_02: Just staying with the Packers, uh Pete, uh, you mentioned um Parsons probably not being back until mid-season.
9:20
SPEAKER_02: Tucker Craft thinks he's going to be ready for week one.
9:24
SPEAKER_02: So one of your main weapons.
9:27
SPEAKER_02: Um looks as though he's tracking ahead of schedule and um will be back sooner rather than later.
9:34
SPEAKER_02: Also, picking up on a previous conversational thread, uh the Raiders, um, our good friend Max Crosby released not only his first, but also then followed that up with his second and third rap singles.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: Um that was something we didn't expect to be uh bringing to the table.
9:54
SPEAKER_02: But um let's look out for for Max Crosby and his rapping.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: Um in other uh news, um players have been pushing.
10:04
SPEAKER_01: I was gonna ask if you were gonna you know give us a couple of lines, but I guess the least you can do is sing us a couple of lines.
10:13
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely not.
10:14
SPEAKER_04: Well, wrap us a couple of beats, then yes.
10:17
SPEAKER_04: Yes, give me a beat.
10:19
SPEAKER_02: Moving on from that unpleasant subject to another one, following the culmination of the World Cup, there's been a uh uh a concerted push by the NFL players under the social media hashtag of worth the cost for um clubs and owners to install natural grass.
10:41
SPEAKER_02: Recent NFLPA poll uh uh revealed that 92% of the players polled, and there were over a thousand, I believe, um, want natural grass.
10:52
SPEAKER_02: Um the owners are reluctant.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Stephen Jones has previously said that it's very difficult to do in indoor stadiums.
11:00
SPEAKER_02: And uh good old Jerry doubled down on that and said he's got absolutely no intention of um maintaining the natural grass that they put into ATT for the World Cup final, and he'll be going back to artificial grass for the NFL season.
11:16
SPEAKER_02: Um, in less present news, Saquon Barkley and his family um were subject to a home invasion this weekend.
11:24
SPEAKER_02: Yes, absolutely very happily, however, um Saquon and his family have uh reported that they've been safe.
11:32
SPEAKER_02: The police responded the uh invaders flee the scene before they arrive.
11:37
SPEAKER_02: So that'll be an interesting one to watch.
11:41
SPEAKER_02: Um and uh staying on the subject of crime, Terrion Arnold, uh the Lions quarterback, has been charged with kidnapping.
11:50
SPEAKER_02: Um, and as a consequence, the Lions cut him loose.
11:54
SPEAKER_02: He's a free agent.
11:56
SPEAKER_02: Terrion's agent claims that there are four teams interested in him as he wait uh awaits his trial.
12:04
SPEAKER_02: Um interesting that he also said that while four teams are interested in him, he is having to wear an ankle bracelet and may need to wear one depending on the timing of um his professional try-out or um uh preseason reps um and his trial.
12:23
SPEAKER_02: Um also off the field, Taylor and Travis finally tied the knot at Madison Square Garden.
12:29
SPEAKER_02: Um, guests included Matthew Stafford, uh, Mike Vrabel, and his wife.
12:35
SPEAKER_02: Uh former Seahawks quarterback Richard Sherman, Cooper Cruck was there, Hugh Grant and Bradley Cooper, not together, Ethan Hawke, Dakota Johnson, and Ed Sheeran.
12:49
SPEAKER_02: So very interesting, um, very interesting uh celebrity invitee list.
12:56
SPEAKER_02: Seahawks have agreed the sale of the chai or the Seahawks franchise has finally been sold.
13:03
SPEAKER_02: $9.6 billion to Vinod Kostler, who is a co-founder of Sun Microsystems.
13:12
SPEAKER_02: Um's 2025 valuation list had the Seahawks ranked the 14th most valuable franchise at 6.7 billion.
13:23
SPEAKER_02: So they've clearly done exceptionally well in that, say, all to go for 9.6 billion.
13:29
SPEAKER_04: They did it while they're winning a Super Bowl really helps, right?
13:33
SPEAKER_02: Or it Paul Allen found uh Paul Allen estate, sold the Seahawks.
13:40
SPEAKER_02: Paul Allen originally bought the Seahawks in 1997 with his Microsoft money for 194 million.
13:49
SPEAKER_03: That's our right profit on that.
13:53
SPEAKER_02: Um in Sabus, um Marshawn Neeland, uh former Dallas Cowboys player who we lost last season, uh was uh it's been revealed that he was suffering from CTE.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: So um probably not a surprise given the tragic circumstances of his death.
14:13
SPEAKER_02: Um, but um that has been made official.
14:17
SPEAKER_02: So there is a wild and varied runaround of some of the main stories of this offseason.
14:24
SPEAKER_02: Gentlemen, is there anything that you'd like to pick apart amongst that smoggers bored and delightful collection of new Well uh I there's a couple of things.
14:37
SPEAKER_04: One, you you didn't mention your name when you talked about the wedding.
14:40
SPEAKER_04: I'm I'm guessing you weren't invited.
14:43
SPEAKER_02: Definitely not.
14:44
SPEAKER_02: I wouldn't know a Taylor Swift song if you sang it to me.
14:48
SPEAKER_02: You I'd probably recognise Max Crosby before Aria.
14:53
SPEAKER_02: Um and I'm I'm now wanting to do a Max Crosby, Bing Crosby joke, but I'll leave it there.
15:00
SPEAKER_04: Best done.
15:01
SPEAKER_04: Uh uh let's talk about the the natural grass.
15:04
SPEAKER_04: I because uh I I I don't know, and I'm sure there's some boffins out there who've got statistics.
15:09
SPEAKER_04: Surely it's better for you to be playing on natural grass than it is on the artificial turf and and someone like Dak Prescott uh would benefit from playing on grass regularly um for the longevity of his career, maybe.
15:25
SPEAKER_04: Because it's not about his throwing arm, it's about the knees.
15:28
SPEAKER_04: Alright?
15:28
SPEAKER_04: So um if you could have a word with Jerry KG and tell him that grass is always better.
15:34
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
15:34
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
15:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
15:36
SPEAKER_01: I uh um yeah, I I would have to agree with that.
15:39
SPEAKER_01: I mean, the the speed of the game is different on um turf.
15:44
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's no doubt, it's it's nice and quick.
15:47
SPEAKER_01: Um stops are instant and people can move, but those instant stops are what um, you know, uh destroy ankles and knees and you know, all those other things that we see happen, and it's usually on an artificial surface where you see it happen in a in a bad way.
16:04
SPEAKER_01: So I think it would be everyone's um request, and it as you can tell, you know, if the p the players are definitely wanting it, but uh I know that it's you know a cost of the game, but uh I'd be a vote um in the way of natural grass, and uh I'll do all that I can for natural grass.
16:25
SPEAKER_01: So I mean picking up the phone right now and calling Jerry.
16:30
SPEAKER_01: I know.
16:31
SPEAKER_02: A couple of hopes here for you, uh Kerry, and you you and Pete can comment comment on them.
16:37
SPEAKER_02: Um Jerry actually said that he has no interest at all in making any long-term changes at ATT Stadium.
16:46
SPEAKER_02: Good soldier and head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated FIFA has their rules, soccer players have their rules, our rules are very different.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: We feel like AT ⁇ T gives us a great home field advantage, and the turf is what it is.
17:00
SPEAKER_02: We firmly believe it's one of the best turf surfaces in the league.
17:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, fair.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: They paid a lot for it, but uh you know, again, does it beat the real thing?
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Probably not.
17:11
SPEAKER_01: It it's it's a good imitation.
17:13
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
17:14
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
17:15
SPEAKER_04: It'd be interesting to see how many if they get they go down horribly injured this year with a lot of ACL injuries, whether they'll they'll uh be singing the same tune again next year.
17:24
SPEAKER_04: But um Yeah, like I I think also, you know, grass, it it just it it also brings that une a little bit unexpected stuff in there, right?
17:34
SPEAKER_04: With uh you know footholds and and the odd thing like that, you know, it's it's always worse playing soccer on an artificial pitch because good teams are really good.
17:43
SPEAKER_04: That's what that's the problem.
17:44
SPEAKER_04: And and you need to bring that little bit of inconsistency, although, you know, when you're playing, I guess, in a dome, does it really matter if you're playing on grass or an artificial surface?
17:55
SPEAKER_04: There's no rain, there's no nothing else that can get in your way.
17:58
SPEAKER_04: Right, so um we'll see.
18:01
SPEAKER_04: We'll see that plays out.
18:03
SPEAKER_04: Um there's also been a well, there's been no movement in the naughty boy lists.
18:07
SPEAKER_04: Um Josh Jacobs is still sitting on the naughty boy list.
18:11
SPEAKER_04: He is practicing with the Packers currently.
18:14
SPEAKER_04: My my fear is the whole legal process will kick off in about five weeks' time.
18:19
SPEAKER_04: Um they currently say they are gathering more evidence or gathering evidence um for the case.
18:26
SPEAKER_04: So hopefully it will kick off soon or die down or move away or whatever it is, um, so the Packers can at least focus a little bit on who will be their running back next year, because obviously if he's found guilty, he will be stood down um until the whole thing plays itself out.
18:45
SPEAKER_04: Um and most likely if he is found guilty of what he's been charged of, will no longer be a Green Bay Packer.
18:51
SPEAKER_04: There's also been a naughty boy in the Dallas Cowboys, who's for once is not Pickens.
18:56
SPEAKER_04: It's Charles Snowden, who was suspended for the first three games of the regular season for violating NFL's personal conduct policy stemming from a previous DUI case.
19:08
SPEAKER_04: So not uh he's he's gone a another traditional way of sports stars and thought he could drink and drive at the same time and uh will miss the first three games of the season.
19:19
SPEAKER_04: But I'm guessing, as you guys looked at me with curious eyes, that Charles Snowden is not known or that well known and will not be well missed from a Dallas Cowboys perspective.
19:31
SPEAKER_01: Heard of him on my list, but I'm sure lots of people are gonna miss him.
19:36
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I'm I'm yes, I'm sure.
19:40
SPEAKER_04: With that done, with all the news done, let's think about who we think is gonna set the world alight next year.
19:49
SPEAKER_04: Or maybe we should just talk about our clubs and what we think they're gonna do next year.
19:54
SPEAKER_04: It's uh it's it's as as you said, um Kerry, it's the it's the exciting time, the 50 day countdown.
20:02
SPEAKER_04: You know August is next and the first week of September brings football.
20:06
SPEAKER_04: So how optimistic are you for Dallas this coming year?
20:13
SPEAKER_01: I I am.
20:15
SPEAKER_01: Um the so uh I'm a typical Dallas fan, right?
20:20
SPEAKER_01: We're we're optimistic, but we're always pessimistic at the same time.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: So I think we'll do better than we did last year.
20:27
SPEAKER_01: Uh I think we did not do ourselves any favors with our um porus defense.
20:36
SPEAKER_01: And I think look, I I think we did better than we were supposed to on offense.
20:43
SPEAKER_01: Uh Pickens was a fantastic addition, and I think that surprised a lot of teams.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: It gave us some resilience um when CD Lamb was, you know, down and unavailable.
20:56
SPEAKER_01: So I think we did better on offense than I expected, but the record it really showed that, you know, without a defense, you really can't outscore um your opponents.
21:08
SPEAKER_01: And and so I think their focus on defense is is very much appreciated, and every Dallas fan will uh love that that's happening.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: But it's tough because Parker's unproven at the position.
21:23
SPEAKER_01: I like um how he's talking and I like the um the thinking of changing the scheme, but you know, a first-time um defensive coordinator, it's gonna be tough.
21:36
SPEAKER_01: So I think we'll improve, but I'm not sure we're gonna be quite, you know, at that elite level defense quite yet.
21:46
SPEAKER_01: It may take us still a couple of years, and once we get back to the, you know, to the days where the defense kind of rules and then the offense can do their thing, I think Dallas will be a better team.
21:58
SPEAKER_01: So uh a little bit optimistic.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: I think we'll do better.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: I'm hoping we'll make the playoffs.
22:03
SPEAKER_01: And if we make the playoffs, I'll be a happy, happy camp.
22:07
SPEAKER_04: Very good.
22:08
SPEAKER_04: Very good.
22:09
SPEAKER_04: So, Matt, um, after last uh after exceeding expectations last season.
22:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, very much.
22:15
SPEAKER_02: And we we do have a winner's schedule this season, which to your earlier point, Peter, makes things very, very different.
22:23
SPEAKER_02: Um look, I I as a realist, I'm not expecting us to uh to go as well as we did last year, but I think everything everything in Chicago rests on Caleb and Ben Johnson.
22:35
SPEAKER_02: Um we didn't address our uh pass rush in or defensive line overly well in either the draft or free agency.
22:47
SPEAKER_02: So that remains a concern.
22:48
SPEAKER_02: I think even though we lost Kevin Bayard, our secondary safeties with the number one draft pick, and uh Dylan Thineman and Kobe uh Bryant, we who we picked up from the uh Seahawks, that's you know looking quite nice and I would imagine setting us up well for the future.
23:07
SPEAKER_02: Um, a lot will depend on how two of our wide receivers go.
23:12
SPEAKER_02: Roma Dunze, who was selected eight spots or nine spots after Caleb in the draft a couple of years ago, um, showed an enormous amount of promise and then has had two quite bad foot injuries.
23:24
SPEAKER_02: So need a huge bounce back from Rome and also really keen to see the progression of Luther Verden III.
23:33
SPEAKER_02: I think he has quasi-superstar status.
23:37
SPEAKER_02: It feels very, very weird talking about Bears wide receivers as superstars.
23:42
SPEAKER_02: So that's why I put the uh the quasi in front of it.
23:47
SPEAKER_02: But um, yeah, I think we go as Caleb goes.
23:50
SPEAKER_02: And um as I kind of joked earlier on or referenced earlier on, I think if he can settle us down a bit more and we can move from you know last minute.com winners to a team that can get out in the run, look after a lead, you know, not have to perform miracles on the last drive with less than 30 ticks left on the clock week after week.
24:13
SPEAKER_02: Um, that will make me happier, not only in the short term, but I think in the longer term as well.
24:19
SPEAKER_02: I I do feel um very confident in um something that I said earlier.
24:26
SPEAKER_02: I think we are yet to see the best of the bears.
24:29
SPEAKER_02: I really hope that that is the case.
24:32
SPEAKER_02: Um we may have had a semi-fall stall last season with the way the uh end of season turned out.
24:41
SPEAKER_02: But I I I'd just like to see sort of steady incremental gains there because I think if Johnson and Williams keep going the way they are going, we're going to see a young team get better and better and better.
24:55
SPEAKER_04: I think I think that's a fair show.
24:56
SPEAKER_04: Uh Ben Johnson, obviously, in his second year of coaching for you guys.
25:00
SPEAKER_04: Um you know I think he's a knobhead, but do you think he will mature a little bit?
25:06
SPEAKER_04: Or does he thrive off the the the rivalry everyone's against us type coaching?
25:16
SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, this sort of shtick is I think it's partly his personality and partly calculated.
25:24
SPEAKER_02: I mean, we've the Bears have been in the doldrums for so long, it's probably a cause worth celebration to um you know to to shout about how much he enjoys beating the Packers and you know how much he wants to get one back over on the lines, because we've been nowhere close to either of those two teams nor the Vikings in in past um in past seasons.
25:49
SPEAKER_02: So look, I think he's not going to decrease his not dead value in your eyes.
25:56
SPEAKER_02: And and as a Bears fan, nor should he.
25:59
SPEAKER_02: I think you know he he's found a way to resonate with the fans, he's built optimism.
26:06
SPEAKER_02: Unquestionably the players have bought into his messaging.
26:10
SPEAKER_02: Um you know, the the most prominent teacher in the entire city of Chicago when I visited in May, which is deep in the doldrums of offseason, was Good, Better, Best.
26:25
SPEAKER_02: So long may it continue.
26:27
SPEAKER_02: I think it's great that we get, you know, get some optimism and some excitement and some energy around the bears because there's a lot of stuff going on that year after year that detracts from that.
26:39
SPEAKER_02: So um I'm I'm here for it, Pete, and um think you're just gonna have to deal with it, mate.
26:44
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, look, I I I I don't mind it.
26:47
SPEAKER_04: Uh you know, as much as I think he's a knob ed, it what he does works for him, and it's obviously working for Chicago.
26:52
SPEAKER_04: They their opening game is against Carolina.
26:56
SPEAKER_04: So that's a nice friendly start to the season.
26:58
SPEAKER_04: So um and that could shape the way the season goes from there, right?
27:02
SPEAKER_02: It's on the road though, and you know, Carolina in when do they start?
27:07
SPEAKER_02: September.
27:08
SPEAKER_02: That's gonna be damn hot.
27:10
SPEAKER_02: Um and the Bears are a cold weather team, so yeah, on paper it looks as though it should be a dub, but you never know, Peter.
27:18
SPEAKER_02: Um uh we'll see.
27:20
SPEAKER_02: Um the Bears were, you know, were had an early bye last season.
27:27
SPEAKER_02: I don't think their record ahead of the buy's memory says was overly promising.
27:32
SPEAKER_02: And Johnson took that eye week to do a good old reset.
27:36
SPEAKER_02: And after the bye, we you know we turbocharged our record a little bit.
27:41
SPEAKER_02: So uh I'm hoping that with a you know a solid off season, um he's he's reportedly working with Caleb on accuracy um decision making, which sounds very, very sensible to me.
27:56
SPEAKER_02: But um it'll be interesting to see if he can um drive an uptick in that whilst not squash with any of Caleb's explosiveness or creativity, because A, that's what he won the Heisman based on.
28:09
SPEAKER_02: You know, B, that's probably his game.
28:12
SPEAKER_02: And C, Ben wants to probably mould him gently into a well-rounded pro quarterback without, you know, without um constraining the you know, the monstrous talent that's is within him.
28:25
SPEAKER_04: Well said.
28:26
SPEAKER_04: And Dallas opened up against the Giants, just to round that off a bit.
28:30
SPEAKER_04: So uh again, uh a a fairly friendly start to the season.
28:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but um you know how it is.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: It's it's still a you know divisional rival, and they'll be up for the game.
28:46
SPEAKER_01: So theoretically it should be good, and and I'm hoping that it does turn out to be a good start, but you know, it's it's still um a a tough division, typically.
28:58
SPEAKER_01: It hasn't been in the last couple of years, but um I wouldn't put it past them to do better than they should against the Cowboys, because the Cowboys are gonna come into the game with the same expectation that they should win it, which is always a dangerous place.
29:13
SPEAKER_01: So let's see.
29:14
SPEAKER_02: I think your team are always gonna score points, Carrie, and last year we saw the very, very worst of their defensive efforts.
29:23
SPEAKER_02: So you could reasonably expect one, maybe two more wins this season if there's an improvement on the defensive side of the board.
29:34
SPEAKER_02: And we, you know, assuming that the Cowboys still rack up points in the manner which we've been accustomed to.
29:40
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you're always going to it's always going to be a shootout if the if if the uh if the defense can restrict teams and tighten things up a bit, you could be pleasantly surprised with you know with an improvement in in your team's um you know performance this season.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, it would be nice.
30:02
SPEAKER_01: It would be nice.
30:03
SPEAKER_01: And look, the the reality is, you know, the they were in a lot of the games that they lost, but you know, when you when you can't hold a team, um it it just doesn't go in your favor.
30:17
SPEAKER_01: So, like you said, if we can just get a a mild improvement, it'll be uh a better year for them.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: So um I'm hoping that we get that better year.
30:25
SPEAKER_01: Let's let's see though.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: Let us see.
30:27
SPEAKER_01: And what about the Packers, Pete?
30:29
SPEAKER_01: Do you think that they are going to be true to the form and without uh Mr.
30:35
SPEAKER_01: Parsons and those little things already in the beginning of the season?
30:39
SPEAKER_01: What do you see?
30:40
SPEAKER_04: Look, I think I think it's uh it's a bit of a make or break year for for Matt LaFleur on this season.
30:47
SPEAKER_04: And there's plenty of people out there who are calling for his head at the end of last year.
30:51
SPEAKER_04: And there's plenty of people who are calling for his head during the year as well.
30:55
SPEAKER_04: Um but but uh you know, facts are he's something like the third most winningest coach who's currently active in the NFL, and Green Bay are the third most winningest team currently active in the NFL over over the last six or seven seasons.
31:10
SPEAKER_04: So it's you know, it's interesting to say you should move on or part ways, but the reality is uh we're coming in at sixth seed.
31:20
SPEAKER_04: You know, if we're lucky, uh we're losing one and done, but we're not just losing, we're giving away games.
31:27
SPEAKER_04: And if you look at, you know, two of our losses last year, one was to Cleveland.
31:31
SPEAKER_04: Uh and and you know, that is even before the Shadur debacle that they went through.
31:37
SPEAKER_04: We've got to st stop losing games like that.
31:40
SPEAKER_04: Jordan Love has to step up and start dominating or trying to dominate games like that.
31:46
SPEAKER_04: And and the defence needs to stop step up when we are playing teams like that, because it's it's often we drop down to their level as opposed to start keep playing at ours.
31:56
SPEAKER_04: And I think if you look at the the number of games where we lost, where we threw away significant leads in the fourth quarter, it's also looking at how do we want to play the game.
32:07
SPEAKER_04: Because it's alright, uh and and Matt will love the phrase I'm about to say, it's all right to say we we we have what we hold or we hold what we have or we keep what we've got or whichever way you want to put it.
32:18
SPEAKER_04: But when you're constantly giving the balls away and giving it back to teams who have threatening quarterbacks like Caleb Williams, Dak Prescott, I mean I think Dak Prescott uh Dallas scored more points than anybody last year.
32:31
SPEAKER_04: These guys can score points, and if you're constantly giving them the ball back in the fourth quarter, they will score points.
32:37
SPEAKER_04: And when you go three and out, you know, two times in a row, then the the time you need to make that first and ten becomes so much harder.
32:45
SPEAKER_04: So it's going to be really interesting for me to see can we get enough protection on Jordan Love?
32:51
SPEAKER_04: Can he step up and can Matt LaFleur just change his coaching a little bit to to stop giving away leads in the fourth quarter?
32:58
SPEAKER_04: We've we've sorted out the wide receiver mix now.
33:02
SPEAKER_04: There were so many wide receivers last year.
33:04
SPEAKER_04: All right, so Dontavian Wicks has gone, Romeo Dobbs has gone, and we're settling there with with uh Reed and Watson.
33:13
SPEAKER_04: Tucker Craft is back, and obviously Matthew Golden, who scored an outstanding touchdown in the in the game against Chicago, uh where we eventually lost, will get to see more game time this year.
33:24
SPEAKER_04: And they are quick, speedy wide receivers.
33:27
SPEAKER_04: So if they can get beyond the the defence and into the secondary, they'll the Packers will score a lot of points.
33:32
SPEAKER_04: What they've got to do is stop conceding a lot of points as well.
33:36
SPEAKER_04: So you know, uh and if if you look at the NFC North, uh and and Matt's just talked very eloquently about the Bears, you could argue that both teams will go eleven and six, even twelve and five, but equally they could both go nine and eight.
33:51
SPEAKER_04: Um just simply because they've got to play each other twice and begrudgingly they've got to play Detroit twice each as well.
34:00
SPEAKER_04: And uh, if Detroit do pick up like everyone is expecting them to, that's that's four tough games already on the schedule.
34:06
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
34:07
SPEAKER_04: And Bears have a winning schedule.
34:11
SPEAKER_04: Packers don't, but that that doesn't mean their schedule is that much easier.
34:15
SPEAKER_04: Fortunately, we've got the Jets about week three, so if we haven't had a win in the first two games, then we'll get one on the board when we play the Jets, or worse, we'll win the first two and lose to the Jets.
34:24
SPEAKER_04: That's that's kind of the way it went last year.
34:26
SPEAKER_04: Um but yeah, it's gonna be I'm excited, but I'm also intrigued to see how they approach this because you could clearly see where some of the errors were last year, and some of them were in coaching.
34:37
SPEAKER_04: Now we've we've got a new special teams coach.
34:40
SPEAKER_04: Obviously we lost our defensive guy as well.
34:43
SPEAKER_04: He's gone on to uh be the head coach down at Miami, and so we'll we'll have to see how we lined up in the first game of the season.
34:54
SPEAKER_04: There are opening games against Minnesota, so that that's uh a double bubble.
34:58
SPEAKER_04: That's a team we should expect to beat.
35:00
SPEAKER_04: Um but if you you suddenly copper you know first game of the season, three-point loss, not only have you lost a game, but you've lost to a divisional rival as well.
35:10
SPEAKER_04: And in a division as tight as the NFC North, it's that that's a a big deal.
35:15
SPEAKER_04: Now I expect this year that uh JJ McCarthy will get found out, and Minnesota will be the bottom team in the NFC North.
35:22
SPEAKER_04: But if you ask me to pick who's going to be top, and we will do that in a in a couple of weeks' time, um heart and head would have probably two different answers at the minute, and I suspect if I if I asked Matt, uh he'd give me the same answer.
35:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I was just looking at your record last season, Pete.
35:39
SPEAKER_02: You you lost to the Browns and you lost to the Panthers, both games by three points, and then if memory serves, you gave up a big lead against the Cowboys in that tied game, is that right?
35:50
SPEAKER_04: Uh yes, yes, and we tied in overtime to make a draw.
35:55
SPEAKER_04: So it was it was a hugely.
35:56
SPEAKER_04: We gave up two big leads to the to the Bears as well.
35:59
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
35:59
SPEAKER_02: So you know, odds would have it that you're not making, hopefully, for you, you're not making those same critical errors or you know, you're you're executing better against teams.
36:14
SPEAKER_02: You simply cannot lose to the Browns and the Panthers in the regular season if you're the Packers.
36:19
SPEAKER_02: That's just unthinkable.
36:22
SPEAKER_02: Um But um, you know, you add those you turn those that that tie and those two losses into wins and you win the division.
36:32
SPEAKER_02: Um so it's you you know it's thin margins in the NFC North, I think.
36:36
SPEAKER_04: So uh ironically, we might have ended up playing the Bears in the playoffs still, but but you're right, that those are the things that can't happen.
36:45
SPEAKER_04: You know, because if if you're talking about uh LaFleur being one of the most winningest coaches that's out there now, if you look at the teams that he loses to, it's not the the Chiefs, it's not the Broncos, it's the bloody Browns and the Panthers and the Jaguars if you're not careful.
37:04
SPEAKER_04: So yeah, it's uh uh look again, you know, just talking to you two guys now for the last forty minutes.
37:11
SPEAKER_04: I'm really fired up to start the season, so um I'll have to look at what time in the morning Green Bay's game kicks off.
37:18
SPEAKER_04: I've I think Chicago's a three o'clock in the morning game, so um Yeah.
37:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah Umsbook Fan jewel for the current odds for next season.
37:29
SPEAKER_02: The Rams opened um opened the pre-season as seven dollar uh favourites, but obviously that's firm five dollars fifty given um they acquired Miles Garrett.
37:44
SPEAKER_02: Um Rams firm favourites, Buffalo Bill's second favourites at$10, Ravens third favourites at$11, Seahawks Brendan Champs,$4, 4th favourite at$12,$49ers coming next at$15, Chargers at 16.
38:02
SPEAKER_02: Now our three respective teams are the 14th, 15th, and 16th favourite teams.
38:11
SPEAKER_02: So Bears, Packers, no Cowboys um favoured out of our three teams twenty-two dollars, Cowboys also twenty-two dollars, it's twenty-seven dollars interest.
38:25
SPEAKER_02: Riddle media, oh by the way, the Detroit Lions are eight just eighteen dollars.
38:30
SPEAKER_02: So bottom place team are the most fancied NFC North team.
38:35
SPEAKER_02: The uh divisional champion, Chicago Bears, only just come in ahead of the Minnesota Vikings.
38:44
SPEAKER_02: Wow, who we feel are probably the team that's gonna be spat out the back of the NFC North Peter.
38:50
SPEAKER_02: I think that's fair for us to say.
38:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Bears are$27 with that, you know, style of winning and that and winners, very tough winner schedule this season.
39:01
SPEAKER_02: Be uh interesting to watch.
39:02
SPEAKER_02: Bringing up the RIA.
39:04
SPEAKER_02: Arizona, the least likely uh favourites.
39:08
SPEAKER_02: I think they are 100,000.
39:13
SPEAKER_04: Not even not even worth putting a dollar on them.
39:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, 100,000.
39:18
SPEAKER_02: Uh oh, that might be uh 10,000.
39:23
SPEAKER_02: Um 750, New York at$400, Cleveland Browns at 225, Raiders at 125.
39:33
SPEAKER_02: So there's a big gap um between the Raiders, but even um even uh Las Vegas and the odds makers think that we're gonna see an uptick in in uh raiders this this year.
39:46
SPEAKER_02: Be interesting to see how that all shapes up and um develops throughout the season.
39:54
SPEAKER_04: Very good, very good.
39:55
SPEAKER_04: And on those odds bombshells that uh everyone but us favors Detroit, uh let's finish today.
40:03
SPEAKER_04: Uh so gentlemen, how about next week we tackle the AFC East and West?
40:08
SPEAKER_04: Found fucking plan.
40:09
SPEAKER_04: In terms of uh analysing there and predicting who'll win each uh division.
40:15
SPEAKER_04: And uh we'll we'll do a deep dive on those next week, followed by AFC's North and South, then we'll go back to the NFC and finish off there.
40:26
SPEAKER_04: Um when when all our stuff is done, we'll talk about fantasy football, we'll talk about predictions, and I will be pressing these two gentlemen for a wild shout that is as wild as me saying that Josh Allen will ask for a trade in the upcoming year.
40:40
SPEAKER_02: Or that in that FN World Cup.
40:44
SPEAKER_04: Oh, yes, that was a good shout.
40:48
SPEAKER_04: That wasn't a bad shout, but I think for the record, uh uh Matt, when we talked about who would win the World Cup, you said France and I said Argentina, so that makes me just one better than you.
41:00
SPEAKER_04: Yes, yes.
41:01
SPEAKER_02: Neither of them won, but that makes you just better tick.
41:07
SPEAKER_02: Makes me one.
41:08
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we were in season two and nothing's changed, Kerry.
41:11
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
41:12
SPEAKER_02: If if Kerry was laid Brooks, he wouldn't be giving he'd be giving you no more money than he would.
41:19
SPEAKER_01: You wouldn't get a winner, no winner.
41:22
SPEAKER_02: Kerry, you can take the money and uh gets as much as I do, which is nothing.
41:28
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
41:29
SPEAKER_04: Well well, maybe we should put a a a carry on whose team does best next year, then.
41:34
SPEAKER_03: Oh listen to this.
41:35
SPEAKER_03: Homemaker or uh what a carry of choice.
41:41
SPEAKER_03: This is big.
41:42
SPEAKER_03: Let's go.
41:43
SPEAKER_03: Let's go.
41:44
SPEAKER_02: I love the way Kerry.
41:45
SPEAKER_02: You started off by talking about spending money, which was if the Packers ever played in England, the budget goes out the window.
41:53
SPEAKER_02: Now he's talking about us spending our money on him because he's so confident that his Packers are gonna finish with a better record.
42:00
SPEAKER_04: Yes, so from season one has continued over in So let me just clarify the pact with my wife about going to see the Packers if they were in England was when I lived in England.
42:14
SPEAKER_04: Not uh not in now I can I can barely afford to go to Melbourne, let alone go to uh um uh the all the way to the UK to watch the Packers.
42:23
SPEAKER_04: If the Packers play in Australia, however, yes, the budget will be found in some way, shape, or form.
42:30
SPEAKER_04: Uh because hey, why wouldn't you as well?
42:33
SPEAKER_04: Um and yeah, if they brought the Packers and Bears to uh Melbourne, y you and I would be there front and centre, Matt, I'm sure.
42:41
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
42:43
SPEAKER_04: Very good, everyone.
42:44
SPEAKER_04: And on that bombshell that I'm not as rich as Matt, then uh let's all uh say goodbye, and we'll see you all next week where we'll talk about the AFC East.
42:55
SPEAKER_04: Thank you very much, Jens.
42:59
SPEAKER_00: That's a wrap on another episode of the Mostly Football Show.
43:03
SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to subscribe and review or get in touch at mostly football twenty-five at gmail.com.
43:10
SPEAKER_00: See you next week.