Latest / The Tailgate Cam Podcast / Tony Wiggins joins the Tailgate, Cam Previews the AFC South, some MLB Results, and Someone is kicked out of the Tailgate!

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Tony Wiggins joins the Tailgate, Cam Previews the AFC South, some MLB Results, and Someone is kicked out of the Tailgate! · The Tailgate Cam Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: On this episode of the Tailgate podcast, we are proud to announce our new sponsor, Death Charts, the most innovative site to track player movements, ratings, where those NFL players stack up on their own teams.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_03: And they also have some pretty awesome custom team merch.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_03: I like to think of it as PFF meeting our lads, but with a little bit more depth.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_03: Check them out at deathcharts.com or depth underscore charts on Twitter and Instagram.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_03: What is up, Tailgators?
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's me, your host, Cameron Clark, and I am back for another episode of the Tailgate Cam podcast.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_03: And we have a jam-packed episode.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_03: We have a special guest coming up helping me break down the AFC South.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_03: I'm going to talk about every one of those teams: the Colts, the Titans, the Texans, and of course my Jaguars.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_03: But first, let's get to a little bit of results in the Major League Baseball Association.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_03: First off, Fernando Tatis in the Padres dropped 18 runs in three games on the Brewers to sweep them in a home series against Milwaukee.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_03: The Dodgers take three straight against the Royals.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_03: The Blue Jays, who've suddenly gotten hot and won 11 of their last 16, takes three straight against Boston to take the first three of that series.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_03: Suddenly, Boston is trending downward, having lost five straight games.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_03: Otherwise, Alec Burleson continues to swing a hot bat.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: The cards take two out of three from the fight and fills.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_03: The Yankees win back-to-back series against the after taking the first two games against the Mariners, who have now dropped their last five games.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: The Rays continue to streak, having now won nine straight games after sweeping the A's.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_03: And Detroit and Minnesota suddenly are tied for the last wildcard spot in the AL.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's going to be pretty interesting to see how that wild card race shakes out.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: You got to figure the Yankees are kind of a lock, being eight games up right now.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_03: Boston is now six games up, so it's really just some of those teams in the AL East.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um and the and now suddenly the Blue Jays fighting for that spot.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: Coming up, we are going to preview every one of those teams in the AFC South.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_03: That's the Colts, the Titans, the Texans, and of course the AFC South reigning champions, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: Stick around.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: If you are watching this on YouTube, you will see that this is a division that I hold very near and dear to my heart.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I guess probably in some ways very far removed from my heart in terms of rivalries and teams that I do not care for.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but it's time to break down each one of these teams before I will have a special guest joining me just here in a little bit, um, Tony Wiggins, who is the host of the Locked On Jaguars podcast.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: Tony will be joining me to help make our official predictions, putting pen to paper and going on record with who will win the division, who comes in last place, and how does the middle of the divisions shake out?
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_03: So let's go ahead and get started with the Indianapolis Colts.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: They re-signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a two-year deal last year, or in the offseason, I should say.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_03: Also re-signed an extended wide receiver Alec Pierce, who was their big play guy.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: Last year averaged about 21 yards per catch, which was one of the leaders in the NFL, had over a thousand yards, so he's definitely one of their focal points.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, speaking of the receiver room, they also traded away wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who had spent his whole career with the Indianapolis Colts, and he now finds his new home and as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, they brought in corner Cam Taylor Britt from the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as a few defensive line pieces.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: Arden Key, who has at this point traveled all around the AFC South between the now Colts.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: He previously was with the Titans, and he also had spent some time with the Jacksonville Jaguars as well.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_03: They brought in defensive tackles, Derek Nandi and Jerry Tillery, to help fortify and give a little bit more depth behind DeForest Buckner.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, some of the other key pieces that they lost in the offseason, linebacker Zaire Franklin.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_03: Franklin uh edge, quitty pay, and saying this offseason was right tackle Braden Smith, who left the Colts for Indivision Foe Houston.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_03: So the biggest question about this team, I I don't even think it's uh a debate, is what will Danny dimes look like this year?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_03: He tore his ACL at towards the end of last season against the Jaguars, um, was immediately ruled out of that game.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_03: It looked like a pretty painful injury.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_03: Danny has always been a guy that has relied on his mobility, his ability to extend plays, especially if you think about his time that he spent in New York, where that was oftentimes all that Danny could provide was a mobile aspect to his game.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_03: And now, coming off of an Achilles injury, how does that impact that?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_03: Does it impact his confidence in his own leg?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_03: Does it impact the Colts' play calling at all and their willingness to put Danny in positions where he's gonna take hits on his leg or their willingness to put Danny out on the edge to get by people?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, they seem to talk about Danny right now in training camp like he is fully back and ready to go.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_03: There's already been quite a bit of trade and uh perhaps cut chatter around former first-round quarterback Anthony Richardson from the Colts.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: So if they're at a place where they feel ready to move on from Anthony Richardson and they feel okay with Riley Leonard as the backup, I would imagine that they feel pretty good about Daniel Jones.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: But I have never been a guy that's been very high on Daniel Jones.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: To me, the Colts have been in stopgap mode at quarterback.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, for at least a decade.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_03: You think about bringing in Phillip Rivers, bringing in Matt Ryan, you know, some of they've just Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, they've really rotated that quarterback position, and there's not been stability there.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: So, from an organizational perspective, I can understand why they want to keep Daniel Jones.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: They had already doubled down on that investment by trading their first round picks for the next two years for corner sauce Gardner from the Jets last year.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_03: So they weren't really in a position to draft a quarterback this past draft or coming up in this 2027 class.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_03: So they were kind of between a rock and a hard place in terms of what their options were at the quarterback position.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_03: They weren't really in a cap position to bring in a star quarterback, and I don't really think it would have made sense for them to move for a guy like Malik Willis or something like that.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: So here they are with Daniel Jones again.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_03: But ultimately, Daniel Jones is not the engine that makes this team go.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_03: The Colts are powered first and foremost by their star running back, Jonathan Taylor.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_03: Last year he had almost 1,600 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_03: That was tops in the NFL.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_03: He added almost another 400 receiving yards and two more receiving touchdowns.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: Currently, Jonathan Taylor is being drafted as a first-round pick as the fourth running back in fantasy drafts behind Jameer Gibbs, B.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_03: John Robinson, and Christian McCaffrey.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, that's about where I feel like he should go.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_03: He definitely is not, in my mind, regarded above a Jameer Gibbs or a Bijan.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_03: And really the question with if you would prefer him over Christian McCaffrey really comes down to how good do you think these offensive lines are, how good do you think the offenses are in general for him to be in position to be scoring 18 touchdowns again or something close to that.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_03: But then ultimately, he's a guy that led the league in carries last year.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_03: He gets hit a lot, and he's a very physical, um, aggressive, in-your-face running back.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_03: And Chris McCaffrey, he's already hurt.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_03: If you listen to the NFC West podcast that I did with my friend Nate Smith, that was the biggest question that we had about Christian McCaffrey is is he going to stay healthy?
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_03: So, really, when you look at the running back position in terms of a fantasy outlook, I think Jonathan Taylor is a for sure lock as a first-round pick, um, and he's going to drive this Indianapolis Colts team this year.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_03: It's just a question of how good can this offense be from a passing perspective to open up more rushing lanes for Jonathan Taylor.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we'd mentioned that they brought back Alec Pierce, who had over a thousand yards last year.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_03: I I noted the fact that he had 21 yards per catch last year, which was one of the league leaders.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_03: They also, I would say their star receiving option this year.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be their second year tight end, Tyler Warren.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, he's a guy that I would really coming out of college in Penn State, where he was um an all-American, all-world.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_03: He could really kind of do it all.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_03: You saw him throw touchdowns, throwing passes, running the ball on direct snaps, very good at the point of catch.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_03: Tyler Warren, if you're not able to snag Jonathan Taylor in the first round, Tyler Warren is a real difference maker in fantasy in terms of the tight end position.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, a position that you can really get some advantages week to week because the bottom of that position from a fantasy outlook can really take a nosedive when you get past your Brock Bowers, your Sam Laporta's, um, and your Tyler Warren's, honestly, Colson Lovelins to name another.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_03: Tyler Warren's one of those guys that should be a premier receiving option as tight ends as far as tight ends go in the NFL this year.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: But I also think for the Colts to be successful this year, their over-under is set at seven and a half.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_03: So for them to surpass that win total, they're gonna need Tyler Warren and Alec Pierce to not only duplicate what they did last year, but take another step alongside that.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, even I'll throw another name out there is Josh Downs, a guy that has been recurringly dealing with injuries, but a guy that can be a difference maker at times.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_03: He you saw it at his college career at North Carolina, and now um entering his fourth year with the Colts.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's time for a guy like Josh Downs to step up and make an impact.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, on the defensive side, though, the I think one of the biggest additions, if you will, or changes to the lineup that you'll see is a healthy DeForest Buckner.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_03: So DeForest dealt with a neck injury for more than half the season last year that ultimately caused him to go on injured reserve.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_03: And you could see that that was a point of focus for the Colts in this offseason.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_03: The fact that they attacked the defensive line in free agency.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_03: They brought in, as I mentioned, Derek Nandy and Jerry Tilly.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_03: I think that they know that the depth behind Buckner last year was not good enough.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_03: And there was such a drop-off in their run defense, their interior pass rush after Buckner left.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's that's always going to happen if you have an injury to one of your best four or five players, but the drop-off was so severe for them that their run defense really got uh cannibalized after that.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, the other thing that I will note and look for is returning general manager Chris Ballard, who has been with the Colts for several years, um, finally seems like he's under a little bit of more scrutiny.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_03: I I even heard um a conversation that he was being asked about, maybe at the start of training camp, about how he feels about his job security.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_03: And he basically said, like, I'm not worried about getting fired.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_03: And my response to that is I don't think you need to worry about getting fired because I think that might end up taking care of itself.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: Some of the roster decisions that the Colts have made, I just don't agree with year over year since he's been there.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like it's always been short-term gain over long-term success, which we're gonna talk about the Jaguars here in a little bit.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_03: And they really attacked the first year of their offseasons uh with their new regime with GM uh James Gladstone, head coach Liam Cohen in a very aggressive manner to overhaul their roster, and then this year, in their second year, took a completely different approach because that is not, you know, the short-term free agency fixes bringing in new quarterbacks, and it just is not sustainable, it's not conducive to building a good uh cohesive offense.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_03: So I I do think it's within the realm of possibilities that Chris Ballard gets fired this year.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_03: So we discussed the Colts.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_03: Now it's time to move on to my team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: Last year, 13-4, winners of the AFC South.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_03: I will say it again.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: The Jaguars won the AFC South last year at 13-4.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: Their over-under this year is set at 9.5, which Vegas predicts them to be in a very close race again with the Houston Texans.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, quiet offseason, kind of like I just alluded to.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: They lost Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd and a few other guys, Andrew Wingard, um, but Etienne and Lloyd were the major losses from a name standpoint.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_03: Devin Lloyd was an all-pro linebacker last year.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: He left to go to Carolina and get his big payday.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_03: And Etienne, after spending the first five years of his career, now leaves for New Orleans.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: His hometown team, which as a Jaguars fan, I I have no hard feelings for either of those guys.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_03: They deserve to get paid, they deserve to be in those situations where they're going to be regarded as the leaders and the you know, the guys on those teams, if you will.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: So, from a free agency perspective, the Jaguars didn't make a whole lot of moves.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_03: They brought in running back Chris Rodriguez to help replace some of that workload lost by Travis Etienne.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: But really, I think the biggest offseason move or acquisition or whatever you want to call it is the fact that Travis Hunter is back and he is healthy.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_03: And if you've seen clips, if you haven't, go online and look up Travis Hunter.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_03: That dude looks shredded right now.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_03: He's running over 21 miles per hour in practice, recording according to the Jaguars own coaches saying that he has gained about 15 pounds of muscle.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he looks he was already maybe the one of the best 10 athletes in the world.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_03: He was a two-way star at the University of Colorado.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_03: Now back healthy.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_03: I think honestly, I think that time away last year, they had um Travis Hunter introduced his first child into the world with his wife.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: And I think some of that time away, you could really see at the beginning parts of last year that things felt like they were moving a little bit fast for a guy that was trying to do something that was not really ever been done at the scale that he was trying to do it, and that's playing on both sides of the of the ball, playing offense, playing defense, and playing a notable role on both sides.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_03: And you could see it at times that he felt may perhaps felt a little bit over his head, um, especially on offense, not knowing where to line up or maybe running the wrong routes.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_03: But even though that was the case, it always shined through that that guy was an electric playmaker, and he kind of factors into not only a wide receiver room that is very loaded, but suddenly a cornerback room that looks a lot deeper than it did a year ago.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: Jordan Lewis will be back.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_03: He missed the last portion of the season on injured reserve.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_03: They extended Buster Brown, Monterik Brown at corner as well.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: So they have some options there at the cornerback position.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: I would anticipate that Travis Hunter is going to play a majority of the snaps with their starting unit on defense this year.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: I think that they know that his real value to this team and where we honestly need his help is in the secondary.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, last year we were one of the uh bottom teams in terms of pass defense.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: So I think having one of the best talented corners inserted into your lineup every week and having a consistent role can really reshape the way that that secondary plays.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: I also want to touch on the offense.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_03: So Liam Cohen, obviously an offensive guy by nature.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: We have a lot of receiving options.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: Jacoby Myers, who they traded for in the middle of last season, that really kind of sparked the Jaguars run that they went on in the second half of the season.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_03: He it was brought back.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_03: He was uh offered an extension before the season even ended last year, which he signed.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_03: They also have third-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: and fourth year wide receiver Parker Washington.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_03: So between those three guys alone, that that's one of the most maybe not the top elite talent of receivers, but between those three guys, you factor in whatever Travis Hunter is gonna provide on offense, and you have really one of the more well-rounded and dynamic wide receiver rooms, I would say, in the entire NFL.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, a different set of skills from Parker Washington, who's a guy that's gonna go over the middle and he's a yak king?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: He you can see it on his punt returns, he is phenomenal at getting yards after the catch.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_03: It's almost like he's a running back that is playing the wide receiver position, the way that he is able to make people miss and find soft openings at with the ball in his hand.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_03: So that's obviously been a big topic of discussion, too.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_03: Will Parker Washington get a contract extension?
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_03: Still to be seen.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_03: But I really expect this offense to be quite good again.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: We've heard it already all training camp that Trevor Lawrence looks like he's so comfortable compared to how he was last year.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: And last year they were already six in points, and that's despite the first, I don't know, four to five weeks of the season where the offense felt a little bit clunky, where they needed to rely on their defense, which was second in the NFL in turnovers, to get turnovers in bunches to provide ways for the offense.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_03: Also, probably coupled with the fact that Trevor Lawrence was you know eight to nine weeks in to learning this new and pretty complicated Liam Cohen system.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_03: So, from a passing perspective, I I don't expect there to be any drop-off uh from Trevor Lawrence from any of these receivers.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: The guy that I would point out, you know, everybody always asks me, what receiver would I recommend in fantasy off the Jags?
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_03: I still think it's Brian Thomas Jr.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_03: I know that the narrative around him last year was that he had a lot of drops, and he did, and he was also dealing with a few injuries.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm not here to make excuses for him, but I do think that from a sheer talent perspective, he's the most talented receiver on the roster.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: And from his ability to stretch the field, to win those contested catches down the field on the sideline.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_03: I, you know, you can think about the end of the Chiefs game, the end of um the Colts game, uh the one where Dan Daniel Jones got hurt last year.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_03: Brian Thomas was making tremendous catches down the field.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_03: And I think if they really lean into that skill set that he has, he's gonna be our leading receiver this year.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_03: And that's the guy that I would really want to target from a fantasy perspective.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_03: The Jags also had the best rushing defense in the NFL last year.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_03: So, what major strides can occur for a team that led the NFL in rush defense, was kind of middle to the back of the pack in pass defense, um, and also forced the second most turnovers in the whole NFL behind the Chicago Bears.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_03: Well, starters Eric Armstead, Devon Hamilton, they're those guys are always going to be great against the run.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: We may not be the best run defense in the NFL this year, but I don't think we're gonna drop off that much.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I think there's obviously gonna be some regression, harder schedule as well coming off the uh division title, but they traded for Ruka Roro from the Atlanta Falcons.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: They traded away our former second-round pick, Maison Smith.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_03: And we also brought in quite a bit of pass rust depth.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: So two second-year guys that were undrafted free agents last year, BJ Green and Danny Strigo, I think are really going to ascend into much more consistent roles, especially if you're gonna talk about BJ Green.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think he is primed to actually break out as that third pass rusher, designated pass rusher on this team.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: And then they also drafted two more edge rushers, uh, Zach Durfe from the University of Washington and Wesley Williams from Duke.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_03: I think that gives Trayvon Walker and Josh Hines Allen, who may not be the best combo one-two, we'll we'll get to who I think is probably the best one-two pass rush combo here in a minute.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: But I think this depth gives them the ability to be more versatile.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_03: Anthony Campanili is a very intelligent defensive coordinator.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_03: So giving him more tools in his toolbox to be able to mix and match body types and different proficiencies, whether it's pass rush, edge setting, um, or pass drop in coverage for a guy like Wesley Williams or uh Zach Durfee.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I think from a defensive line perspective, I'm very excited to see what happens.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_03: But my two biggest takeaways about this team is that Trayvon Walker, who played through most of last season with an injured wrist, is gonna be fully healthy.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_03: He got his big contract extension before we saw more guys on that edge market get contracts, so got in kind of a at a good time to get that contract reset from a team perspective.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: And then the guy that I already talked about, Travis Hunter.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_03: I think having him sprinkled in a little bit more on offense and a more consistent role that he is able to dial in for, but then mostly his impact that he will have in the secondary, complimenting a guy like Jordan Lewis in the slot, complimenting Monterik Brown.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_03: I think that Travis Hunter is gonna make a huge impact.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's like people have forgotten that he was the second pick of the draft last year.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's like people forgot that he won the Heisman Trophy as a two-way player.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_03: Travis Hunter is gonna make people remember who he is this year.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_03: But one under the radar guy that I want to give everybody on the defense is safety and former third-round pick who missed all of last season, um, former Tulane Green Wave safety, that is Caleb Ransall.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_03: He was drafted in the third round, James Gladstone's first rookie class, the second um this the second free safety on the depth chart right now.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_03: But I think from a role perspective, giving them more depth and and replacing some of the snaps that Dewey Wingard had last year, I think Caleb Ramsall is primed to have a strong impact on this defense.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_03: And then the last thing that I want to touch on in on the Jaguars before we move on to the next team, and that's the running back situation.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: So there's obviously been a lot of chatter about Bateshaw Tutan, about the addition in the offseason of running back Chris Rodriguez, who played for coach Liam Cohen in his college career at the University of Kentucky.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_03: They also have another second-year running back, LeQuent Allen, who was more of a third-down specialist, pass block specialist.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_03: But to me, there is a clear leader in this room.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_03: The Jaguars brass being Liam Cohen and James Gladstone, at least to this point, are not guys that are going to get up there and give you a lot of coach speak or lead reporters or give kind of false impressions of what they expect out of guys.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_03: They're very transparent.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: If they believe there's a vision for a guy, they say it.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_03: And that's typically how it goes.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: And they've been pretty adamant that Baychall Tootin is going to be an a key component of this offense.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_03: You can see the explosive running ability from Bayhall Tootin.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_03: I expect him to not only replicate what Travis Etienne was able to do last year from a receiving perspective.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_03: I expect him to have a huge impact.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_03: I expect the screen game that we have that really struggled last year.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_03: We had a hard time connecting on a lot of screens.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: I think that our screen game is going to improve.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_03: Again, having that familiarity with a complicated system in Leon Cohen.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think that Baychall Tutin is the clear leader of this running back room.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm excited to see this offense.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, I'm just excited to see the Jags again.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_03: So that's the Jags.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_03: Now it's time for my least favorite team in this division, but we can't be that biased on the Tailgate Cam podcast.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_03: That's the Tennessee Titans.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: So last year they fired coach Brian Callahan midseason, brought in former Jet head coach and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Sala, which gives them an immediate storyline in the rivalry with the Jags.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_03: If anybody remembers the Liam Cohen, Robert Sala, keep my name out your mouth interaction that they had after the Jags upset the 49ers on the road last year.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, those guys almost got a little physical, a little chest to bumpy uh action going on.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that is gonna be good cinema, good reality television in the middle of the NFL game when the Titans and the Jags match up this year to see how those two guys interact with each other.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_03: From an offensive perspective last year, um, oh, I forgot to mention the Titans went 3-14 last year, finished in last place in the division.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_03: Their over-under is set at 6.5.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_03: Their leading receiver last year was tight end Chigo Conquwo, who's no longer with the team.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_03: They really lacked in terms of options on the perimeter.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_03: Their best receiver last year was Calvin Ridley.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_03: They didn't have a lot of options for rookie Cam Ward to go to, other than Tony Pollard, who was able to squeak out almost 1,100 yards last year.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: But ultimately their downfall was just that they were not an explosive offense.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_03: Their defense wasn't even that bad.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: They were kind of middle of the pack in rush and pass defense.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but they brought in Wandell Robinson from the New York Giants, and then their most notable offseason acquisition was drafting Carnell Tate, the wide receiver from Ohio State, with their first-round draft pick.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_03: Somewhat of a surprise to some people, um, given where he was drafted.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, I think a lot of people even might have penciled in Jeremiah Love going to the Tennessee Titans, but they decided to draft Carnell Tate to help complement Cam Ward's receiving options just a little bit more, as he only was able to throw 15 touchdowns last year versus seven interceptions.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_03: So clearly that is a team striving for more pass catchers for more explosion in the past game.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_03: So I think I appreciate the fact that they tried to address this weakness.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_03: I just don't know that Calvin Ridley, Wandell Robinson, and Carnell Tate scare a lot of defenses in the NFL, especially with maybe not an elite running back in Tony Pollard and Tajay Spears.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_03: They did draft running back Nick Singleton from Penn State in the draft.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_03: They also had another first-round pick that they used on uh defensive defensive edge Keldrick Falk from Auburn, but they completely remade this defense.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_03: They allowed the fifth most points in the NFL.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_03: I did say that they were kind of middle of the pack and yards allowed, but they gave up points.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_03: And some of that was just due to the fact that they put their defense in bad positions with short fields because their offense was not able to consistently move the ball up and down the field.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_03: They brought in uh Jermaine Johnson, a former solid guy when he was the head coach of the Jets.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_03: They traded former second-round pick from the Titans, uh Tavondre Sweat to the Jets for Jermaine Johnson, brought in John Franklin Myers.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, they also brought in Mizou, former Mizoo Tiger Jordan Elliott, and then two pretty large cornerback additions, Elante Taylor and Cordell Flot, to round out their cornerback room.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: So the biggest questions here on the Titans will we see a Cam Ward improvement?
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_03: I think uh there's no question that his numbers will look better.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_03: I just don't really, as I already said, kind of looking at their pass catchers, I don't think that there is enough meat on the bone and enough skill in this offense to take tremendous steps forward and consistently threaten NFL defenses, especially some of the better teams that they play in this division.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, the Jags, the Texans, the Colts all have pretty strong defenses, and I think that puts them in you know behind the eight ball when they play six games a year, when their offense will struggle to match up against the defense that they play.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_03: And if you don't win games in your division in the NFL, you're probably gonna have a long season.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't think that this season is gonna be much different for the Tennessee Titans, but from a fantasy perspective, can we see Tony Pollard be a good fantasy option this year?
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I mean, he did manage to get 1,100 yards last year, and I do think that they're gonna rely on him, but I do think this is gonna take more of a running back by committee feel.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_03: There's gonna be more Tajay Spears, there's gonna be a little bit more Nick Singleton, and I even think we're gonna get some more designed run from Cam Ward just to kind of diversify that offense a little bit, and then from a receiver perspective, what receivers stand out here?
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_03: So one is uh second round our second-year tight end Gunner Helm, who was formerly at the University of Texas.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_03: I like his chances to make a late round impact.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_03: If you're looking for a flyer at the tight end position, Gunner Helm is a guy that I like.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then another guy that I like, just for where you can get him in drafts, that's Wondell Robinson.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_03: I don't if you're playing in a PPR league, he's gonna get targets, he's gonna get catches because they need someone to throw the ball to.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what that's what his strength was when he was with the Giants was being able to, you know, soak up a lot of targets, you know, help move the chains on third and five and getting seven yards.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_03: So Wondell Robinson, Gunnarhelm are the two guys that I would target, but ultimately this is an offense that I would want to stay away from week to week, that I don't think that they're consistently going to be putting up very big numbers.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_03: While we're talking about offenses that don't put up big numbers, I think it's appropriate to move to the Houston Texans.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_03: So some notable changes for a team that went 12-5 and finished second in the division last year.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_03: They're over under, as I already stated when I talked touched on the Jags, it's set at nine and a half, tying them for the Jaguars in in terms of the Vegas projections for this year.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_03: Some notable changes uh to this team, though.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_03: Titus Howard gone off the offensive line, running back Joe Mixon is no longer there.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_03: And then from a defensive perspective, safety Jimmy Ward and defensive pass rusher Mario Edwards are gone.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_03: They did extend Daniel Hunter, who, as I alluded to, formed I I don't even know if it's arguable, the best one-two pass rush combo in the NFL with all pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, from an offensive perspective, they um were 18th in yards per game last year.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_03: They traded for David Montgomery.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_03: Their rushing leader last year was rookie running back Woody Marks, who only had about 700 rushing yards, and their offensive line struggled quite a bit.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_03: So we they brought in Braden Smith, as I mentioned earlier, from the Indianapolis Colts.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_03: They also brought in guard Wyatt Teller and then drafted Keelan Rutledge from Georgia Tech in the first round of the draft.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_03: So they should have three new starters on their offensive line this year, which that was one of their biggest weaknesses last year, being able to push the line of scrimmage.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_03: And then David Montgomery brings a much different uh physical element and some big play ability to that offense.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_03: I like that move for them.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_03: I think he fits in pretty nicely with how they run their offense there.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: Some of that wide zone, um, kind of stretch style, long bootleg play action setup.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: I think David Montgomery compliments that team pretty well.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_03: He's a fantasy guy that I think does provide a lot of value.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think where he you can get him in a draft, he can be a very strong RB2 this year.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_03: I like David Montgomery.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but the guy to know here is wide receiver Nico Collins.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_03: He leads kind of by a lot.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, what is a strong receiver room, but he's the person to pay attention to.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, some other guys to look at, wide receiver Tank Dell, hopefully looking to regain some of his earlier form in his career before he suffered multiple leg injuries.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_03: They also have a trio of Iowa State Cyclones, um, Jaden Higgins, uh, Jalen Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson, all comprising um some of their depth at the wide receiver position.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_03: But ultimately, this team will go as far as CJ Stroud will allow them to.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: He is, I've never been high on CJ Stroud, he's pretty limited, he's not a great athlete, not super fast, doesn't have elite arm strength, and it seems like his confidence is pretty shaken.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_03: We all saw what he looked like in that playoff game.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_03: Even the game against the Steelers that the Texans won, he looked terrible.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_03: And then when they went on to take on the Patriots, I know that that was a bad weather game, and the Patriots offense didn't even really play that well, but he threw, I think, four interceptions, maybe five interceptions in that one game.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_03: He was terrible, and it really seems that that it shook his confidence.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, heading into the offseason, there's been a lot of questions about what the Texans will do moving forward with CJ Stroud.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_03: This team will go as far as CJ Stroud allows them to go, which I mean, they they led the NFL in yards allowed, they were second in points allowed behind the Seattle Seahawks.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_03: They have a ton of great players in their pass rush that I've talked about, in their secondary from Derek Stingley, Kamari Lasseter, Jalen Petrie.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_03: There's a there's a lot of pieces to like on this Texans team, but more often than not, the theme of the NFL is do you have a good coach and do you have a good quarterback?
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_03: The Texans certainly have a good coach.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_03: Damico Ryans knows how to get his team ready, get his team prepared week in and week out.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_03: There's not usually a large emotional drop-off, even when they lose tough games, win close games.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_03: He's a good coach, but they are handicapped by the fact that CJ Stroud is their quarterback.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_03: I expect this defense to still be very, very good, one of the best five defenses in the NFL this year.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_03: But it's to be seen once we get into our predictions here in a minute, if that defense is able to win in spite of CJ Stroud.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_03: Tailgate podcast is excited to welcome in a guest that I would say that I'm a pretty big fan of.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_03: That is Tony Wiggins, who Tony, why don't you introduce yourself?
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Tony Wiggins, they call some people call me T Wig from the Locked On Jaguars podcast, locked on NFL, uh, every single day at two o'clock, wherever you get your podcast, the whole Locked On Podcast Network, man, radio veteran, all of that stuff.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_00: And uh glad that glad to join you, man.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm glad you reached out to me so we can get to it.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_03: I appreciate that.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_03: I have to tell you before we get into it, my wife is a big fan of your podcast, maybe more than I am, so she's excited about this too.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, they say they say women are smarter than us, so you know what I'm saying.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, uh you know, that's that's not the first time I've heard that.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: I more of the players' moms listen to me, yep, and then they they actually end up introducing me to the dad of the players.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: I got is one uh parent in particular says, If I hear your annoying voice in my house at eight o'clock in the morning, one more time.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: So so some of the players over the years have even joked with me that their moms were bigger fans of me than they're I'm usually a YouTube watcher of podcasts, and it's kind of funny.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_03: Whenever my wife will come in the room and you're on, she always walks in and says, Hey Tony, what's up?
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hey man, hey man, ain't nothing wrong with it.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: Don't don't hate now, you know.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's all good, man.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's just I think it's just the good vibes, man.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's yeah, yeah.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_03: Well, the reason that I thought it was appropriate for you to be here today is I am doing my AFC South preview.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_03: And with that, we got to put some pen to paper and make some predictions.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, as the guest, I'm gonna let you go first with your fourth place team in the AFC South.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_03: When you look at this division, who do you think is gonna end up at the bottom of this division when we're talking about this in five months?
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: The Colts.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason why is because uh we're still waiting on Daniel Jones.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: This is the first year of his extension, and we're still waiting on him to show us why he ever got any money to play starting quarterback in the National Football League consistently.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: We see all the tools, but if you don't put it together, it really doesn't matter.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: Not only that, it feels like I uh I like uh the young Miss Ursay, who but but the whole down on the sideline with a notepad, I'm like whatever you're writing on that pad ain't gonna help you.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm sitting here thinking, just it all feels kind of weird, especially with uh Shane Steichen now.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't probably a make it or break it year, and coaches tend to do some desperate things when they get uh when they're like that.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't have a first-round pick, they don't have one next year.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: It just feels like they're headed towards uh the bottom, and it feels like it's going to happen this year.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_03: I share a lot of your sentiment there.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_03: One of the things I was talking about when I did the Colts rundown before you joined um was the fact that Chris Ballard even kind of made some weird comments a few weeks ago about not being super worried about his job security, which I feel like he probably should be at this point.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_03: You trading all those picks away.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_03: I I still think that the Titans end up at the bottom of this division.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_03: I I just don't think that there's enough firepower on their offense.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_03: I know they drafted Carnell Tate and brought in Wandell Robinson.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_03: I just don't, I just don't think it's enough.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think it's enough, especially when you look at the defenses that the Titans are gonna be playing just in this division six games a year, that most of the time they're gonna be outskilled with the defenses that they're gonna be facing versus what they can match up with on offense.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_03: So I have the Titans in fourth place.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_03: So who does that leave with you in third place?
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm going with the Titans.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_00: And and the reason why is because I'm probably a little higher on them than some people.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_00: I also would tell you that Jeffrey Simmons is a top five interior defensive lineman who's gonna play as a more natural position, obviously.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: The way that they play it, they don't necessarily play with that nose guard.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: Just think about the 49ers and what they do, right?
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody's a pass rusher.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: They got John Franklin Myers, who I wanted to come here in Jacksonville.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: He he led all interior defensive tackles last year with those sacks and pressures.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: So you get those two, and then you know, they've done some things, some nice things on the edge, too.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_00: And add that to the fact that they're just a better coaching staff.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_00: And uh Cam got all of that stuff out of his system last year.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_00: They still got, I think Calvin Ridley's still over there.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you you got Carnell Tate being your big uh number one, sort of like a George Pickens body type.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now the pressure ain't on Calvin Ridley to do nothing more than what Calvin Ridley should be doing right now.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's about 800 yards, you know, per year.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then they got some other little pieces that they like.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: Wandell Robinson in the slot, man.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: Don't discount that because he's probably the dude that's actually teaching everybody the offense since he played for Brian Day Bo in New York.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think they're just gonna be better.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you just take the coaching staff, they'll be better.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then they actually did get better, the scheme will be better, and I just don't believe in the Colts.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_03: That's fair.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I feel like my reasoning for having the Colts just slightly above, either way, I think they're both gonna miss the playoffs this year, but I think part of my reasoning for having the Colts slightly above is their offensive line has some more continuity to it that I trust in pieces that I've seen with the Colts.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_03: And they still have Jonathan Taylor.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he led the NFL in touches last year from the running back position, which that's hard to duplicate.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_03: The human body can only go through so much.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_03: So I think that's really where their drop-off is gonna be.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_03: That there's gonna be some physical breakdown across their team.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_03: We already saw it with Daniel Jones and DeForce Buckner last year.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_03: I think there's some unquestioned drop-off there.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I just don't know that the Titans have enough, you know, firepower really to match up with some of these teams.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_03: But that leaves us with two teams that were in the playoffs last year, the Jags and the Texans.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_03: So, how do you want to do this?
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_03: You want to give us the winner first or the second place team?
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'll go second place team first.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_03: Who do you have in second place?
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Houston.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's why we're saving the best for last.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_00: I got Houston.
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_00: I got Houston in second place.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_00: Look, I love the defense.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: Really, really good team.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think they've addressed their offensive line.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: Keelan Rutton is the rookie that I loved in the draft.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: He's gonna play center for him.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: They've done that.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I like their wide receivers.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_00: I like the fact that Tank D.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: Coming back, and the you know the additional the running back they got from uh Detroit.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the issue the difference in these two teams.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now they're not necessarily apples to apples because most people would say that the defense of Houston's is better than the one in Jacksonville, but the one in Jacksonville is really, really good, right?
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: Right, especially against the run.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: The difference for me is Trevor Lawrence is better than CJ Stroud.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that and that that that to me means something because when it comes down to it, if you ask me what was more likely to happen, CJ Stroud uh winning the game, or well, the most unlikely to happen, CJ Stroud winning the game on a game winning drive, or Trevor Lawrence losing the game because of his play.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: The one that's most likely to happen is Trevor Lawrence losing the game because of his play.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think CJ Stroud, I seen him, I saw it last year twice, where he just blew a game because of what it what he had going on.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_00: So he's trying to find his footing and find himself.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the Jaguars offense has better footing right now with what they have going on with Grant Yudinsky and Liam Cohen.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_03: I completely agree.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_03: And I I try not to be biased thinking about this, but some of the things that you said, like just the when you look at the NFL, oftentimes it just comes down to how good is your coach and how good is your quarterback.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_03: And both the Texans and the Jags both have great coaches.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_03: Damico is an awesome coach, always gets that team ready to go.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_03: And it doesn't ever seem like they have huge emotional drop-offs.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_03: But when you factor in the quarterback piece of that, there is some drop-off there.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_03: And oftentimes last year, especially like even that playoff game against the Steelers, they win in spite of what Stroud is able to do, where Trevor can elevate what this offense does.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_03: And Liam and Trevor clearly have a good synergy together, working together.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_03: And ultimately, I think that is the difference in why the Texans finished second place in this division.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_03: So that leaves one team left for both of us.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_03: So why do you think the Jags are gonna win the division?
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think they'll be better.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't mean they'll win 13 games.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think they will be a better team.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody's gonna blow them out like last year.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_00: They had a couple of games that got away from them.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that happens.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_00: They will never lose a game to a team that they're really, really overwhelmingly favored to beat because they the way that they do things over there, it is minute by minute.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: It is win right now, win the day.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_00: And something Liam said about he has been talking about last year they tried to find an edge.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: This year they're attacking those edges, and they were able to get better in the areas where they felt they needed to.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_00: They've developed uh the third edge rusher, and now there's a whole bunch of competition for the fourth and fifth edge rusher.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_00: And Branson Combs and Ventrell Miller, they made a good call on Devin Lloyd because unless even if Devin Lloyd is first team all pro this year, as long as those dudes play the way that they're supposed to play at the number that they're gonna play at, it's worth it to not pay that.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_00: So the the one thing that could derail them is if they have to get too far into the depth on their offensive line.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_00: And right now, that's a little bit of a bugaboo because we're seeing what's going on in camp.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_00: But better all of these things happen now than those things happen when the games actually matter.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_03: And for me, like the two big things that I look at is how hard the Jaguars are to line up and defend as an offense.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_03: They're so versatile and they have so many different style guys that win in different ways.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_03: When they really started finding ways for BTJ to be more effective last year, it was pushing him down the side of the sidelines, you know, running him deep down the field.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_03: And then Parker and Jacoby are just excellent over the middle of the field.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_03: Brenton Strange in the run blocking game, pass blocking.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_03: I just think they're so versatile, and that's really hard for a defense and a you know, we know how short the NFL weeks are to be able to prepare for.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_03: And then the other factor that I just can't, I can't my mind can't get past is Travis Hunter.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I don't think that there's any possibility that Travis Hunter doesn't remind people who Travis Hunter is this year.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_03: I think that you when you look at his body right now, I mean, we've seen the reports of how fast he's been running at camp.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_03: I I just think that he's gonna show up both as a corner and sporadically when they put him in on offense and really change the way that the back end of our defense, which was probably the weakest part of our team last year, is able to lock down number one, you know, and and number one receivers and good pass catchers on other teams.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_03: So to recap, Tony has the Colts in last place, the Titans in third place, the Texans in second, and the Jags winning the division.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_03: I have the Titans in last place, the Colts in third, the Texans in second, still making a wild card in my mind, um, getting carried by that defense.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I just think that they're probably gonna end up being like the seventh seed in the AFC.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_03: The AFC so hard that I just think that they're not gonna win enough games to be much higher than the seventh seed.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I would say the Jags are probably gonna be in that three, four seed conversation again.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, because I'm I'm kind of with you.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think that we win 13 games, but I think it's realistic that we win 10 or 11.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm I'm I think we do better than 10.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's somewhere, I think 11 and a half for me.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_00: That's where I'm I'm trying to figure out if it's gonna be 11 or 12, because there's reasons why things can happen.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_00: You could you could lose a game on a bad call, you can lose a game in inclement weather, you can doink a field goal, you could lose Trevor for a half, he's fine, but you know, you got to hold him out, and and and it's against a really good opponent.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_00: So there are lots of ways that you could lose games and lots of ways you can win games the same way.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, I just think more so with the Jaguars this year and Houston.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think they'll be top three teams, but obviously, because the you can't seed it that way.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: There's only four divisions.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_00: So the best they'll do, the best one or the other will do is get a fifth seed.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_00: I actually think Jacksonville, Denver, and Houston are the three best teams in the AFC.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, one other thing I want to ask is do you have any like really hot takes about this division?
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_03: It could be about any team.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just curious, like anything that if you told somebody, they might be like, oh, Tony, really?
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh, I think Tennessee is gonna be very similar to some Jaguar teams we've seen over the year, where they're probably at best a seven-win team, maybe five.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_00: What they'll be is what New Orleans was last year, a very hard out for a lot of people.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_00: I I just I think they're gonna play new coaching staff.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_00: They really get after it, they they're high octane with it.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Robert Soller is a really good coach, and I I really believe that they're gonna be that hard out team for a lot of you you're gonna beat them, but if you go in there playing around, you might not beat them.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_00: That that's what I'm talking about.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_00: Arizona, the way the Cardinals have been over the years.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: There's you you never know.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we almost lost to Arizona last year, right?
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_00: We almost lost to the Raiders, right?
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I'm just right during that winning streak, people don't remember those games, those games came down.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_00: If Devon Hamilton, the one everybody wants to get rid of all the time, didn't knock the ball down, the Raiders beat Jack the Jaguars in that game.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_00: So those types of games and those types of teams, that's who I think Tennessee's gonna be this year.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_00: I really do respect their staff and where they come from, and I like some of the things they've done in the offseason.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_03: Well, the last thing I always ask everybody that jumps in the Tailgate podcast is Did you enjoy your time in the Tailgate?
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: Man, always, man.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_00: I I knew I was gonna enjoy it before I even got here.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_00: I saw this whole thing play out, dog.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_00: You telling me your wife walking around screening, hey, screaming hey T-Wig every time I'm on the TV, man.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_00: I this went perfect for me.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, man.
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I ought to pay you to have me.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_03: Well, uh, Tony, I appreciate it.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_03: For those that uh are interested in looking for a Jaguar-specific podcast, follow Tony on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, locked on Jaguars.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_03: That's Tony Wiggins.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate it, Tony.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for jumping in the tailgate.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks, dog.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_03: What to watch for?
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_03: Well, there's a busy jam-packed weekend.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I know the Jags are playing on Saturday, but that's not what I'm giving out as my what to watch for.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_03: That is UFC 330 Saturday night, Philadelphia.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_03: Ian Gary, Islam Mokachev in the main event for the welterweight title.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_03: But there's other gold on the line.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_03: Mackenzie Dern also puts her straw weight belt on the line against Jillian Robertson.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_03: Gonna be some electric fights there at the end of the night.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_03: We also have Jalen Turner on the card and a few other notable fights.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, a dual uh Abdul Mahak Rahim is fighting.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, there's there's a lot of good fights on that card.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_03: Uh also the Dodgers are taking on the Brewers this weekend.
• 53:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um, a matchup of two teams that are fighting for the first seed in the NL right now, and the dot Diamondbacks are heading to Atlanta to take on the Braves.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_03: And one other thing that I am uh kind of excited to see is Saturday at one o'clock, the Browns take on the Bears.
• 53:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I really want to see how Deshaun Watson and Shador Sanders uh look in this quarterback competition.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_03: From all the reports, it sounds like Deshaun Watson has just been terrible in practice.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um it and Chador had his moments at last year, but I wouldn't have a ton of confidence in him being a starting quarterback for them.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_03: So I mean they're between a rock and a hard place, but I'm interested to see who starts off the year on uh that that terrible mission that the Browns will be on in 2026, which is going to be taking on a lot of losses.
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then instead of a gold star this week, somebody's getting kicked out of the tailgate.
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_03: And that is none other than the Seattle Seahawks, because you guys decided to sign Tarion Arnold, who currently still has eight open felony charges, some of them related to kidnapping.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_03: So the Seahawks, the reigning champs, the hard knock uh star right now, you're kicked out of the tailgate.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_03: But thanks to everybody else for listening to Tailgate, this is your host, Cameron Clark.