Latest / NFL Power Rankings / #1: Are Packers Top-5 after Micah Parsons Trade?

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#1: Are Packers Top-5 after Micah Parsons Trade? · NFL Power Rankings

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Speaker 1: NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
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Speaker 1: partnership with iHeartRadio.
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Speaker 2: It is a brand new season, Week number one, it's
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Speaker 2: NFL Power Ranking. I's like, am Eric at home with you. Eric,
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Speaker 2: I'm walking into the studio. I heard a rumor, Please
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Speaker 2: tell me if this is true or not, that you
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Speaker 2: had no summer vacation. You spent the entire time obsessing
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Speaker 2: over this set of rankings.
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Speaker 3: Well yeah, early on I was ranking like breakfast cereals
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Speaker 3: and my kids Pokemon cards and stuff, and I got
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Speaker 3: so bored with it I had to dive into football,
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Speaker 3: and it's been a grind. I'm glad we got to
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Speaker 3: this point on SCATHE and we're ready to go. Man.
0:39
Speaker 2: Look, I'm so excited to be with you this entire season.
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Speaker 2: I had a blast with you last season. There was
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Speaker 2: a lot of debate. I don't know how much debate
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Speaker 2: we will have in this episode, but we should reveal
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Speaker 2: some of your top teams and get to it. And
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Speaker 2: not a surprise here, I'm in the Philadelphia Eagles sitting
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Speaker 2: in that top spot. We got the Baltimore Ravens, who
0:56
Speaker 2: we'll talk about, the Bills right behind them at three.
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Speaker 2: Kansas City. Here we go where she writes that six
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Speaker 2: games suspension maybe plays a factor in that fourth ranking.
1:03
Speaker 2: Detroit missing all all of their coordinators, both on the
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Speaker 2: offensive defensive side, were both head coaches, so they are
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Speaker 2: in that fifth spot. A little bit of news this
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Speaker 2: offseason around the Green Bay Packers, who sits six? We
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Speaker 2: have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seven, and the Washington Commanders
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Speaker 2: at number eight. All Right, super Bowl let down? Coming
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Speaker 2: off of winning the title last year? How does Philadelphia
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Speaker 2: make sure and ensure they're back in the biggest game
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Speaker 2: of the year.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I don't just default put the Super
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Speaker 3: Bowl winner in this spot. I think they're there for
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Speaker 3: a good reason. This roster is in terrific shape thanks
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Speaker 3: to Howie Roseman and the scouting staff. They're well coached.
1:38
Speaker 3: I mean Nick Sirianni had to go through it a
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Speaker 3: little bit before it got to the mountaintop, but by
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Speaker 3: the end of last year they were clearly the best
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Speaker 3: team in football. Can they carry that over? Though? I
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Speaker 3: think that is a fair question, especially when you consider Look,
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Speaker 3: they're arguably worse on the offensive line, they lose Becton,
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Speaker 3: arguably worse on the defensive line. Williams and Josh Sweat
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Speaker 3: and maybe in the secondary too. So it's possible that
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Speaker 3: they are not quite as full of roster as what
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Speaker 3: they had at the end of last year. So still
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Speaker 3: some potential cracks that other teams could exploit.
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Speaker 2: Still very talented and wouldn't be a surprise to anyone
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Speaker 2: if they were playing in the Super Bowl this upcoming season.
2:15
Speaker 2: And yet I look at some of the other premier
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Speaker 2: teams in the NFL. In fact, some of the teams
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Speaker 2: that I just name check that you have towards the
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Speaker 2: top of this rankings, the Baltimore Ravens sitting at number two. Eric,
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Speaker 2: they were a team that I got to see in
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Speaker 2: training camp. I don't legitimately think they have a weakness
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Speaker 2: on this roster. In my mind, they might be the
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Speaker 2: best team in the NFL.
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Speaker 3: You know, they're right there. You know you could make it,
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Speaker 3: certainly a strong case, even with last year's playoff disappointment
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Speaker 3: the loss of the Bills, that they are pound for
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Speaker 3: pound as good as the Eagles or any other team
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Speaker 3: in the NFL. It starts with Lamar Jackson, but obviously
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Speaker 3: John Harbaugh has been there a long time. His record
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Speaker 3: is terrific, He's had way more winning seasons than losing ones,
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Speaker 3: and you know, the combination of Derrick Henry maybe some
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Speaker 3: better receivers as well, they continue to kind of fortify
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Speaker 3: that offensive line, and by the end of last year,
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Speaker 3: I thought that defense had really kind of gotten through
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Speaker 3: some of its issues. So look, you know they used
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Speaker 3: now September and October to prepare themselves for the long haul.
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Speaker 3: So I don't think we should panic if they lose
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Speaker 3: Week one to the Bills or have some early losses
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Speaker 3: to it to contenders. They'll be there in January, and
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Speaker 3: I suspect they're going to be a very, very tough
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Speaker 3: out no matter how long they go.
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Speaker 2: You concerned it all about Derek Henry and just the
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Speaker 2: amount of tread on those tires.
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Speaker 3: I mean, we're talking about a guy who's turning thirty
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Speaker 3: two in January. You know, running backs these days don't
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Speaker 3: typically last as long as that. I mean coming off
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Speaker 3: a season counting playoffs where he had almost four hundred touches.
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Speaker 3: So you know, they kept four backs and in years
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Speaker 3: past we've seen them keep three. But there's a reason
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Speaker 3: why they have Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill and rasheen
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Speaker 3: A Lei who had a great preseason two was a
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Speaker 3: draft pick of THEIRS a couple of years ago. So
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Speaker 3: you know they have ways where you can kind of
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Speaker 3: save Derek for those key drives, fourth quarter situations like
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Speaker 3: that red zone, and still use those other four or
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Speaker 3: other three guys you have on the roster.
4:01
Speaker 2: You know, by the end of the season, Malchi Stark's
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Speaker 2: a kid that they drafted Eric I. I have a
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Speaker 2: feeling we're going to be talking about him on this
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Speaker 2: show as the season unfolds. My god, he looked terrific
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Speaker 2: on the football field, at least of that practice that
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Speaker 2: I was able to go and watch. At number three
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Speaker 2: of the Bills. We had a conversation a year ago
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Speaker 2: at this time concerned about some of the weapons around
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Speaker 2: Josh Allen he became league MVP. Is that at all
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Speaker 2: a concern this season?
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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think it's the same questions we
4:25
Speaker 3: had last year, right defense and weapons. And if you
4:29
Speaker 3: assume that Khalil Shakir getting missed a lot of the
4:32
Speaker 3: preseason in training camp, but if he could take a
4:34
Speaker 3: step forward, that's huge. James Cook is a weapon in
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Speaker 3: the passing game as well as the run game. I
4:40
Speaker 3: was out there at the Bills joint practice with the
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Speaker 3: Chicago Bears, and I thought Keon Coleman looked tremendous. He
4:45
Speaker 3: had a really big day that year, and all the
4:48
Speaker 3: rookie year disappointments, you know, and ups and downs that
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Speaker 3: he went through. I wouldn't be shocked if there's a
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Speaker 3: sophomore breakout there. Josh Palmer's there, Dalton Pincaid still has
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Speaker 3: a chance to prove himself. So they're pretty diverse. They
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Speaker 3: may not have that one true go to guy. Maybe
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Speaker 3: it's shakier, maybe it maybe they spread the ball round,
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Speaker 3: but you know, if he can win MVP with arguably
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Speaker 3: a lesser group last year, I think they're They're in
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Speaker 3: okay shape in the big picture.
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Speaker 2: You know, take holistically between the second team and the
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Speaker 2: third team Ravens and Bills. Do you look at both
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Speaker 2: of these squads and say, hey, it feels like Super
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Speaker 2: Bowl or bust. It is so hard to consistently have
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Speaker 2: a good roster year in and you're out in the NFL.
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Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, on the one hand, you say to yourself, look,
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Speaker 3: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are in the primes of
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Speaker 3: their career. Let's not panic here. But there always is
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Speaker 3: that sense when you're ending up in the top five
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Speaker 3: of every preseason you know, a rankings, power rankings, and
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Speaker 3: you're constantly making these runs in the playoffs, but coming
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Speaker 3: up just short, as those two teams have recently, you're
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Speaker 3: gonna be mentioned as a super Bowl or bust kind
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Speaker 3: of team. And I think that's the attitude in the
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Speaker 3: locker room. But only one of these teams potentially can
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Speaker 3: win it, and the next year we're gonna be talking
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Speaker 3: about both of them as contenders again, I suspect. So, yes,
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Speaker 3: there is that internal pressure. There's certainly external pressure, but
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Speaker 3: I don't think you can say the windows are closed
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Speaker 3: for either one of these teams. It's just another year
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Speaker 3: in that that that that picture where they can win
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Speaker 3: a wing or they could be disappointed.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm sure you're watching hard knocks like I am
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Speaker 2: and the Bills. Just one comment that you got on
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Speaker 2: this defense and obviously some losses in terms of personnel
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Speaker 2: from from last year's team, still feel like the unit
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Speaker 2: collectively is still pretty good.
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Speaker 3: I do too. You know, turnovers, they've got to create
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Speaker 3: more sacks, big plays, things like that. Worried about cornerback though,
6:30
Speaker 3: I mean I look at Tredavias White return. You know,
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Speaker 3: he and Christian Benver are supposed to be the starters
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Speaker 3: right now with with Maxwell Harrison out, but both guys
6:38
Speaker 3: have missed the good amount of practice. So you're going
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Speaker 3: into a pretty big game in week one. I know
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Speaker 3: everything I just said about the Ravens there, but still,
6:45
Speaker 3: you know, those are the games that end up being
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Speaker 3: crucial tie breakers when it comes down to playoff times.
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Speaker 3: So I know, you know it's in high Mark Stadium,
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Speaker 3: final year there, They're gonna send it off with a bang,
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Speaker 3: or so they hope. And if that defense isn't healthy enough,
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Speaker 3: you know they're missing some d lineman two with suspensions
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Speaker 3: and whatnot. You know that that first game could be
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Speaker 3: a real chore.
7:04
Speaker 2: You know, I I know, I joked at the start
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Speaker 2: of the show that Eric was working on his rankings
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Speaker 2: the entire summer. There is some truth to that. But
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Speaker 2: I got to imagine when you have a mega deal,
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Speaker 2: there's a team that possibly moved up just a little
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Speaker 2: bit just because of that Michael Parsons deal. Time for
7:20
Speaker 2: Power Moves. It is presented by Energizer. Where'd you have
7:23
Speaker 2: Green Bay before the Micah trade? Because right now you
7:26
Speaker 2: have them six.
7:27
Speaker 3: I think I had them eighth, and I wanted to
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Speaker 3: keep the Bucks seven. I know that's higher than some
7:32
Speaker 3: people have them, but I kind of believe in the
7:33
Speaker 3: Bucks this year. But I felt like that move kind
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Speaker 3: of put him over the top. Had I been a
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Speaker 3: power ranker back in twenty eighteen, I probably would have
7:40
Speaker 3: done a similar thing with the Chicago Bears. But this
7:43
Speaker 3: Packers team. I remember going on radio in Wisconsin this summer.
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Speaker 3: They asked me about the roster and they said, what
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Speaker 3: do you think? And I said, well, it's pretty good.
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Speaker 3: I mean there's really no major questions, kind of like
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Speaker 3: what you're saying with the Ravens. But the difference is
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Speaker 3: the Ravens have superstar players. I don't know that you
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Speaker 3: could have said that about the Packers prior to this trade.
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Speaker 3: But Micah Parsons is a singular defender, and boy, if
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Speaker 3: you want just a teaser, I think of what could
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Speaker 3: be on the table this season assuming his back is okay.
8:11
Speaker 3: Go look at Jeff Hafley, their defensive coordinator, what he
8:14
Speaker 3: did with Chase Young. Remember how excited we got about
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Speaker 3: Chase Young as a college player in twenty nineteen, standing
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Speaker 3: up as a middle linebacker, edge rusher, kicking inside as
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Speaker 3: an interior rusher. You're going to see all kinds of
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Speaker 3: creative stuff from Halflee when it comes to Parsons, But
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Speaker 3: he's getting epidurals for week one. That back may not
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Speaker 3: hold up. That may be another factor to the trade
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Speaker 3: that some people didn't kind of consider at the time
8:37
Speaker 3: that Dallas made it.
8:38
Speaker 2: You know, last offseason, Jordan Love gets a huge deal,
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Speaker 2: two hundred million dollar contract, gets banged up early, but
8:44
Speaker 2: you saw this progression, You saw him play better as
8:46
Speaker 2: the season went on. I hate to ask if there's
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Speaker 2: like more pressure. I don't even want to frame it
8:49
Speaker 2: that way. Every single starter in the NFL feels that.
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Speaker 2: But knowing that there's a leap defender, at least singular
8:56
Speaker 2: with with Michael Parsons on this roster, that conversation is shifted.
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Speaker 2: I almost feel like there's probably more attention on Jordan
9:01
Speaker 2: Love having to ball out and maybe even thrust himself
9:04
Speaker 2: into that MVP conversation.
9:05
Speaker 3: Oh, no doubt about it. Look, I mean, he's already
9:07
Speaker 3: been paid, right. It's the same situation that Trevor Lawrence
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Speaker 3: finds himself in in Jacksonville. Obviously, with less pressure because
9:13
Speaker 3: they're not quite a super Bowl contender yet, but a
9:16
Speaker 3: quarterback who's been paid, but there's still lingering doubts about them,
9:19
Speaker 3: right Kyler Murray in Arizona. Stuff like that where you
9:22
Speaker 3: say they could be great, but we don't know that yet.
9:25
Speaker 3: And when you add a superstar to the other side
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Speaker 3: of the ball, that defense could elevate itself in one way,
9:31
Speaker 3: that may reduce some pressure on Love. Right, they may
9:33
Speaker 3: have more defensive scores, more turnovers, more possessions for the offense.
9:37
Speaker 3: But on the other side, you know, you know now
9:39
Speaker 3: that you are in that Super Bowl inner circle if
9:41
Speaker 3: you will, you have that superstar and you have a
9:44
Speaker 3: pretty great roster even with a loaded NFC North. I
9:47
Speaker 3: think you have to consider the Packers among that top
9:50
Speaker 3: cadre of top contenders.
9:52
Speaker 2: Eric. I read your article once again. It's on NFL
9:54
Speaker 2: dot com where you give analysis on all thirty two
9:57
Speaker 2: teams in order of this rankings, and I can't help
10:00
Speaker 2: but think when I shift our attention to the Washington
10:02
Speaker 2: Commanders at number eight RLS in what you said about
10:06
Speaker 2: the Houston Texans from a couple of seasons ago, it
10:08
Speaker 2: went from Darlings a team that become almost a sleeper
10:11
Speaker 2: to make a significant run to now just being a
10:14
Speaker 2: really good team in the AFC. A lot of that
10:17
Speaker 2: has to do with c J Stroud. I'd say the
10:18
Speaker 2: same exact case could be made for Jaden Daniels. How
10:21
Speaker 2: does he avoid And I don't want to say a
10:23
Speaker 2: sophomore slump because that's not what CJ went through. Sure,
10:26
Speaker 2: I think that's probably overstating it. Clearly it wasn't as
10:29
Speaker 2: good as is his rookie campaign. But what is it
10:32
Speaker 2: about what you see from Jayden Daniels that how you
10:35
Speaker 2: thinking like, hey, this team legitimately can stay towards the
10:37
Speaker 2: top of the NFC.
10:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, I did drop them this week, and preemptively, I
10:42
Speaker 3: guess you'd say, or whatever, And some people may take
10:44
Speaker 3: that as a sign that I'm suddenly down on the Commanders.
10:46
Speaker 3: Not the case, right, I want you guys over by
10:49
Speaker 3: by ranking you hot. They're the Commanders higher than any
10:51
Speaker 3: other person did I think last year preseason, so I
10:54
Speaker 3: felt like I got a little credit from Commanders fans.
10:57
Speaker 3: I hope I don't lose it now, but I just
10:59
Speaker 3: think it's going to be a tougher climb. Everybody knows
11:01
Speaker 3: their contenders right. Progress for quarterbacks is not Linn. We've
11:05
Speaker 3: seen quarterbacks like Stroud, very talented players in year two
11:09
Speaker 3: face some obstacles that they weren't seeing in year one.
11:11
Speaker 3: All of a sudden, now you have way more tape
11:13
Speaker 3: to evaluate and a whole summer to do it. While
11:15
Speaker 3: while I was doing power rankings, the coaches were breaking
11:17
Speaker 3: down jayde danniel State, finding ways to slow him down.
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Speaker 3: Arguably they might be better offensively. I just don't know
11:25
Speaker 3: if they're going to take that big step defensively that
11:27
Speaker 3: everybody is kind of hoping and wishing they can. We'll
11:31
Speaker 3: see maybe I'm wrong. If they are, I'll reflect it
11:33
Speaker 3: in the rankings, no doubt about it. But you know,
11:35
Speaker 3: I think it's going to be a tougher division. I
11:37
Speaker 3: think the Giants are going to be a tough route.
11:39
Speaker 3: We'll see about Dallas, but certainly Philly as well. So,
11:42
Speaker 3: you know, just getting to thirteen and four in a
11:44
Speaker 3: couple of playoff wins is an amazing achievement. Can they
11:48
Speaker 3: do it two years in a row? Hard to do
11:50
Speaker 3: in this league.
11:51
Speaker 2: Well, they open up against the g Men, and we'll
11:52
Speaker 2: talk about the Giants a little bit later in the show.
11:55
Speaker 2: Can't you make the case at least I would between
11:57
Speaker 2: Deebo and Tunsel this roster, And I know it's just
12:00
Speaker 2: two guys, but I feel like the roster is actually
12:02
Speaker 2: better this year than it was last season.
12:04
Speaker 3: It might be right, Josh Connery. They're raving about the
12:07
Speaker 3: rookie tackle a Jacory Krossky Merritt right, he emerged and
12:10
Speaker 3: allowed them to trade Brian Robinson, who wasn't deemed a
12:13
Speaker 3: perfect fit. So when they're making those kinds of moves,
12:16
Speaker 3: I think it's a reflection that there were some voids
12:19
Speaker 3: last year that they were able to kind of mask
12:21
Speaker 3: and cover up. This year, they're able to fill them
12:23
Speaker 3: with some better talents and make these aggressive trades. They
12:26
Speaker 3: wouldn't have done that if they didn't think they had
12:28
Speaker 3: a shot at the Super Bowl. So, you know, I
12:30
Speaker 3: trust Adam Peterson's evaluation Dan Quinn the coaching job he
12:34
Speaker 3: did last year. If those two guys are as on
12:36
Speaker 3: point this year as they were last year, they should
12:38
Speaker 3: be right in the thick of things.
12:40
Speaker 2: Glad you named checked to Corey and Krosky Merritt. I
12:42
Speaker 2: actually was fortunate enough to be able to call the
12:43
Speaker 2: East West Shrine Bowl he played in that game hard,
12:47
Speaker 2: it was around him for a couple of days or so.
12:48
Speaker 2: Not hugely surprised that they feel confident in his abilities
12:52
Speaker 2: in that backfield. We're just scratching the surface here, Eric,
12:55
Speaker 2: we're going through your rest of your rankings nine through sixteen.
12:58
Speaker 2: I still can't believe, based off of doing the show
13:00
Speaker 2: with you last season, we haven't mentioned his name. Aaron
13:03
Speaker 2: Rodgerson always got a new team. Where does he sit
13:06
Speaker 2: with his Steelers squad? That's covered up next here on
13:08
Speaker 2: Power Rankings presented by Energizer. Back here on Power Rankings,
13:20
Speaker 2: Mike Haman Eric at home with you. As you look
13:22
Speaker 2: at Eric's teams nine through sixteen. The Denver Broncos checking
13:26
Speaker 2: in at number nine, potential will be the best defense
13:29
Speaker 2: in the league this year. At ten, it's the Cincinnati Bengals,
13:31
Speaker 2: who will discuss in a moment. Eleven the LA Rams.
13:34
Speaker 2: The health of Matthew Stafford is going to be something
13:36
Speaker 2: we don't stop talking about this season. At twelve, it's
13:38
Speaker 2: the Vikings with the new quarterback and JJ McCartney. At thirteen,
13:42
Speaker 2: it's the Texans fourteen, the Chargers, the Niners at fifteen
13:46
Speaker 2: and the Pittsburgh Steelers with Aaron Rodgers sitting at number sixteen.
13:50
Speaker 2: But let's circle in on Cincinnati Joe Burrows team. We
13:53
Speaker 2: saw this late season push for him. The guy should
13:56
Speaker 2: have been well, I guess he was technically in that
13:57
Speaker 2: MVP conversation, But when you have a record, you're on
14:00
Speaker 2: the outside looking into the postseason. Hard to win that award.
14:02
Speaker 2: Plus the way that Josh and Lamar played, that was
14:04
Speaker 2: going to be an uphill battle. But give me your
14:06
Speaker 2: take on why you have Cincinnati this high, because I
14:09
Speaker 2: feel like, based off what we saw last season.
14:11
Speaker 3: This is bold. Well, you make a great point in
14:14
Speaker 3: that you know Trey Hendrickson played a full season, Joe
14:16
Speaker 3: Burrow had virtually a career year, was incredible by any
14:20
Speaker 3: other standards, and they were a nine to eight football team.
14:23
Speaker 3: They had so many issues defensively, penalties, lack of discipline.
14:27
Speaker 3: Kind of got back in the race nominally at one point,
14:30
Speaker 3: but never were able to sustain it and stop people
14:33
Speaker 3: on the other side of the ball. But I think
14:34
Speaker 3: getting Hendrickson signed at least for this year, you know,
14:37
Speaker 3: like it's a one year deal, they're probably going to
14:38
Speaker 3: part ways next season. But if you view this through
14:41
Speaker 3: the lens Of. They kept their big three on offense
14:44
Speaker 3: and Hendrickson. Maybe new defensive coordinator Al Golden can find
14:48
Speaker 3: some solutions on that side of the ball. You know,
14:50
Speaker 3: look at at what happened with the Chargers last year,
14:53
Speaker 3: pretty low ranked defense. In twenty twenty three, Jim Harbaugh
14:56
Speaker 3: new staff comes in, they clean things up. They're ranked
14:59
Speaker 3: in the top five in several categories. I'm not saying
15:01
Speaker 3: they're going to make that big a jump, but I
15:03
Speaker 3: do think there's a chance they get better on that
15:05
Speaker 3: side of the ball. Yeah, the division is tough, and
15:07
Speaker 3: maybe even tougher than last year, but I still think
15:10
Speaker 3: that that prolific offense is going to give a lot
15:13
Speaker 3: of people trouble on some point.
15:14
Speaker 2: Last two seasons one in three to start the year.
15:17
Speaker 2: I feel like this staff has recognized that we saw
15:20
Speaker 2: Joe Burrow, we saw Jamar Chase early in the preseason
15:23
Speaker 2: get some runs, so I feel like that's something we
15:25
Speaker 2: hadn't seen in previous years. Joe obviously has had some
15:28
Speaker 2: health issues, which was a part of that, but the
15:30
Speaker 2: fact that he was playing early in the preseason to
15:32
Speaker 2: me says no, no, no, not a slow start this
15:34
Speaker 2: upcoming season. Time for future champions. It's presented by Fan
15:38
Speaker 2: Duel and the NFC West. There's a fan duel things.
15:41
Speaker 2: In terms of who is the favorite is San Francisco
15:44
Speaker 2: forty nine ers according to them, followed by the Rams,
15:47
Speaker 2: the Cardinals, and then Seattle plus five point fifty there,
15:51
Speaker 2: So the Niners are the favorite. God, Eric, I can
15:53
Speaker 2: story this for it. Just be healthy. They're the walking
15:55
Speaker 2: wounded out there a year ago. Is it as simple
15:58
Speaker 2: as they stay healthy? This division's theirs.
16:01
Speaker 3: I think you have to preface it by saying, look,
16:03
Speaker 3: pound for pound, and this may not be as strong
16:05
Speaker 3: a roster top to bottom as it was a year ago,
16:08
Speaker 3: at least heading into the season. Right, all those injuries
16:10
Speaker 3: certainly decimated their chances of climbing back in the race.
16:14
Speaker 3: You know they won that game in Week ten last year.
16:16
Speaker 3: I thought, Okay, here they come, and then everything just
16:18
Speaker 3: fell apart. So your point hold's true. Right, if they
16:20
Speaker 3: avoid injuries, they should be in great shape. The schedule
16:23
Speaker 3: is very favorable. They still have Brock Purty, Kyle Shanahan
16:27
Speaker 3: and a host of weapons. But I do worry about
16:29
Speaker 3: that receiver room. You saw Deebo Samuel there a second ago.
16:32
Speaker 3: He's gone, Juwan Jennings. Is he committed to the team?
16:35
Speaker 3: Is he involved? Is he going to be a big
16:37
Speaker 3: player this year? Perhaps we'll see, you know, George Kittle
16:41
Speaker 3: will be a standby, and they're hoping that Ricky Piersoll
16:44
Speaker 3: is going to be that big thread on the outside
16:45
Speaker 3: as well. But I think they'll eventually find a lot
16:48
Speaker 3: of solutions, especially going up against the schedule that reanks
16:51
Speaker 3: is frankly one of the easiest in the NFL this season,
16:54
Speaker 3: even if there are no true easy games in this league.
16:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, for what it's worth. And I know Arizona wasn't
16:59
Speaker 2: in this group because we went teams from nine through sixteen,
17:02
Speaker 2: so they'll be in the next group. For what it's worth.
17:04
Speaker 2: I read your once get on NFL dot com. You're
17:06
Speaker 2: higher on Arizona than most, aren't. I think you could
17:08
Speaker 2: store Seattle being right in the thick of things as well.
17:11
Speaker 2: The Steelers at number sixteen. All right, Aaron Rodgers, Man,
17:14
Speaker 2: I feel like we talked about this dude all the
17:16
Speaker 2: time last year with the Jets, last couple of seasons.
17:18
Speaker 3: With the Jets.
17:19
Speaker 2: Is this experiment going to be successful this year?
17:23
Speaker 3: I don't know, you could tell. I'm hedging here, right,
17:25
Speaker 3: I'm putting smack dab in the middle of the rankings there.
17:28
Speaker 3: And obviously you look at Mike Tomlins, you know, a
17:31
Speaker 3: sterling record of consistency. I know, obviously playoff results have
17:34
Speaker 3: not been what you'd expect recently in the last you know,
17:37
Speaker 3: really seven eight years. But they're a good football team.
17:40
Speaker 3: They have what could be an excellent defense. There are
17:43
Speaker 3: some very encouraging parts there on offense. But in order
17:46
Speaker 3: to get this offense where it needs to be, I
17:49
Speaker 3: think Aaron has to give a little bit, right. I
17:50
Speaker 3: think he has to understand that that run game with
17:53
Speaker 3: Warren and Johnson is still going to be a big
17:55
Speaker 3: part of what they do. Aaron's results the first certainly
17:59
Speaker 3: in the first half of last year, but even in
18:01
Speaker 3: parts of the second half of the season, you know,
18:04
Speaker 3: lacking a lot of ways. He is not the quarterback
18:06
Speaker 3: he was four years ago, five years ago when he
18:08
Speaker 3: was an MVP candidate. So there's got to be an
18:10
Speaker 3: understanding I think of what his limitations are, what the
18:14
Speaker 3: strengths of the Steelers are, and find that perfect marriage
18:17
Speaker 3: to put it together offensively. So you talked about slow
18:20
Speaker 3: starts with the Bengals, I almost wonder if that's not
18:22
Speaker 3: an issue for the Steelers too, where they're still maybe
18:25
Speaker 3: sorting their offensive identity out as we come to the
18:28
Speaker 3: beginning of October. Who knows. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he
18:30
Speaker 3: finds his footing right away, But I still think with Aaron,
18:34
Speaker 3: he wants things his way and other people may see
18:36
Speaker 3: it differently.
18:37
Speaker 2: Well, I think most teams will want to avoid to
18:39
Speaker 2: slow start a little extra motivation for Aaron Rodgers the
18:43
Speaker 2: fact that they get the Jets in week number one.
18:45
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, right, we're at.
18:47
Speaker 2: The midway point here. First sixteen teams. We've told you
18:49
Speaker 2: where they sit. The rest of the sixteen two squads
18:53
Speaker 2: in my mind, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, no more, Michael,
18:56
Speaker 2: where do they sit? The answer to that, Oh, by
18:58
Speaker 2: the way, who's in that last spot, the not so
19:00
Speaker 2: coveted last position on Eric's rankings. The answers coming up
19:03
Speaker 2: next on Power Rings along with Eric at home, Mike
19:14
Speaker 2: Iam with you. Welcome back to Power Rankings. It's team
19:17
Speaker 2: seventeen through twenty four. For what it's worth, Eric is high.
19:20
Speaker 2: He's bullish on the Arizona Cardiners, who check in at seventeen,
19:24
Speaker 2: the Bears, who will talk about in a moment at eighteen, Seattle,
19:28
Speaker 2: Eric's looking for a team identity. They check in at nineteen.
19:30
Speaker 2: I think there's some upside around the Atlanta Falcons at twenty,
19:33
Speaker 2: the Dallas Cowboys sitting at twenty one. I think the
19:36
Speaker 2: arrow's pointing up for the Patriots at twenty two. How
19:38
Speaker 2: about that combination Brian Thomas Junior not to mention Travis
19:42
Speaker 2: Hunter for the Jags at twenty three and can do
19:44
Speaker 2: a stay upright for the Fins at twenty four. All right,
19:48
Speaker 2: let's check in on eighteen the Chicago Bears. Ben Johnson
19:51
Speaker 2: takes over. We saw what he was able to do
19:53
Speaker 2: with the Lions and more specifically Jared Goff. Is he
19:56
Speaker 2: the quarterback whisperer for a former number one overall pick
19:59
Speaker 2: in Caleb Williams.
20:00
Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean three years ago, not many people knew
20:02
Speaker 3: who Ben Johnson was. Now he comes in as the savior.
20:05
Speaker 3: I mean, obviously we put a lot of pressure on
20:07
Speaker 3: him based on what he's done the last two and
20:09
Speaker 3: a half years with a brilliant offense that he and
20:12
Speaker 3: Dan Campbell really put together in their own like, in
20:14
Speaker 3: their own image and their own belief system and translating
20:18
Speaker 3: that and bringing it over to a quarterback like Caleb
20:21
Speaker 3: Williams who's played in a structure that he's sort of
20:23
Speaker 3: familiar with. It's gonna cause some lumps. I think they're
20:26
Speaker 3: gonna be some tough times. Look, they play a brutal schedule,
20:29
Speaker 3: but I think already you can see the fountain of
20:34
Speaker 3: creativity that comes out of this team. With different playmakers,
20:37
Speaker 3: different formations, different concepts. It's gonna be way more advanced
20:42
Speaker 3: and I think way more productive than last year. But again,
20:44
Speaker 3: I still see some chances there for the head coach
20:49
Speaker 3: and the quarterback to be at odds. I think they're
20:51
Speaker 3: going to have to grow together on this thing. First
20:53
Speaker 3: year head coach, second year starting quarterback. It's not going
20:56
Speaker 3: to be an easy ride. But I think eventually they'll
20:58
Speaker 3: They'll find Peydrt and I think they'll be a very
21:00
Speaker 3: successful duo. But this season, with these teams in this
21:04
Speaker 3: nfcorth Boy, I don't know, it's asking a lot.
21:06
Speaker 2: Some growing pains. Run the Dallas Cowboys without Micah because
21:09
Speaker 2: now they move on a double dip on this squad.
21:13
Speaker 2: What is life without Parsons going to look?
21:15
Speaker 1: Like?
21:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's a great question. Obviously, you have to
21:18
Speaker 3: lean on the offense at this point. Dak Prescott two
21:21
Speaker 3: years ago played at a near MVP level. You still
21:24
Speaker 3: have Steedee Lamb ultra productive. You bring in George Pickens,
21:27
Speaker 3: we'll see what the offensive line looks like in the
21:30
Speaker 3: run game. There are questions on that side of the ball.
21:33
Speaker 3: You know, defensively though, losing your top pass rusher, your
21:36
Speaker 3: top wild card, your your your ultimate playmaker, the one
21:40
Speaker 3: guy that offensive coordinators started their game plans to try
21:43
Speaker 3: to short circuit. He's gone. Now, Yes, that secondary has
21:46
Speaker 3: made a lot of plays over the years, but a
21:48
Speaker 3: lot of it came from the pressure up front. So
21:51
Speaker 3: you know, Donovan ezri Aku's got to step up as
21:54
Speaker 3: a rookie, and you got to see Sam Williams and
21:56
Speaker 3: these other rushers take that void and find a way.
21:59
Speaker 3: I mean, they're gonna they're gonna have their hands full
22:01
Speaker 3: the first month of the season, right, I mean, you're
22:03
Speaker 3: facing Parsons in week You've got the Eagles in Week one.
22:07
Speaker 3: A lot of sort of soul searching during that first
22:09
Speaker 3: month of the year, and Brian Schottenheimer's maiden voyage a
22:12
Speaker 3: head coach, and again a lot to deal with right there.
22:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, let's get through your teams, starting at
22:18
Speaker 2: twenty five through thirty two. I think you could story
22:21
Speaker 2: the Raiders being a much better football team than where
22:23
Speaker 2: you have them. The Tennessee Titans at twenty six. I'm
22:25
Speaker 2: almost surprised and not a lot of depth on this
22:27
Speaker 2: team that you had him at twenty six. The g
22:29
Speaker 2: Men feel good about them at twenty seven, The Colts
22:32
Speaker 2: at Daniel Jones this show at twenty nine, Carolina, we
22:35
Speaker 2: saw a push with Bryce Young late. The Jets at thirty,
22:38
Speaker 2: The Cleveland Browns at thirty one, the most talked about
22:41
Speaker 2: quarterback room in the NFL this offseason, And speaking of
22:44
Speaker 2: quarterback rooms, the Saints they named their starter. It's not
22:47
Speaker 2: Tyler Schuck, It's Spencer Ratler at thirty two, so they
22:49
Speaker 2: said dead last. The Giants at twenty seven. I think
22:53
Speaker 2: you could say the product is going to be better
22:55
Speaker 2: this season. I don't know if the wins will be
22:57
Speaker 2: there based off of the schedule alone. You buy that.
23:01
Speaker 3: I think the schedule is right now the biggest thing
23:04
Speaker 3: hold me back, and I'm not ready to say that
23:06
Speaker 3: the Giants are playoff contenders. You can see where I
23:08
Speaker 3: ranked them. It's obviously a reflection of a lot of
23:10
Speaker 3: things right the last couple of years. You know, the
23:12
Speaker 3: pressure that Brian Dabele and Joe Shane are facing right now.
23:15
Speaker 3: But the arrival of this rookie class with Abdul Carter
23:18
Speaker 3: and Jackson Dart, I think has changed the you know,
23:20
Speaker 3: the trajectory if you will, or at least the immediate outcome.
23:23
Speaker 3: I think both can be big factors right away. You
23:25
Speaker 3: know you're gonna see other rookies contribute as well. They've
23:28
Speaker 3: got a lot of slew of young, exciting playmakers on
23:31
Speaker 3: both sides of the ball. If that defense can can
23:33
Speaker 3: take another natural step up and all those those receivers
23:37
Speaker 3: are back and they can make steps as well, they
23:40
Speaker 3: might have something exciting. Like I don't know that they're
23:42
Speaker 3: going to be this year's commanders or anything like that,
23:45
Speaker 3: but like you said, the schedule is so tough, but
23:48
Speaker 3: I think there are some wins in there. I think
23:50
Speaker 3: they're going to surprise some people. It may not happen immediately,
23:53
Speaker 3: but it's coming all right.
23:54
Speaker 2: See, you had Saints did last I'm not saying you're
23:56
Speaker 2: wrong here, but why did you slot them at thirty two?
23:59
Speaker 3: They clearly wanted Tyler Schuck to win that job right away.
24:02
Speaker 3: He didn't do it, Spencer, Tyler didn't win a game
24:05
Speaker 3: as a starter last year. Not saying he can't. He's
24:07
Speaker 3: got talent, but I think they're going to be limited
24:10
Speaker 3: at that position. I think it's you know, both guys
24:12
Speaker 3: are going to have to feel this pressure of needing
24:14
Speaker 3: to prove themselves to the new head coach, Kellen Moore,
24:17
Speaker 3: and neither one of them may end up being their
24:18
Speaker 3: long term starter. So the shortcomings of that position, the
24:23
Speaker 3: questions elsewhere on the roster, all the financial mismanagement for years,
24:27
Speaker 3: it's really hurt their talent.
24:29
Speaker 2: Erica the Best Man guest. News is, we have football
24:32
Speaker 2: this week and we get to do this show next week.
24:34
Speaker 2: Thanks for watching Power Ranking.
24:36
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