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NFL | AFC North Coverage | Banter with the Boys - Gridiron Updates · Banter with the Boys

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  get laced up let's go it's time for banter with
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  the boys what is going on everybody welcome back
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  to banter with the boys gridiron updates this
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  will be the afc north preview i'm here with rob
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  our co -host again thank you still sitting here
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  Yes, yes. You invited me back. Thank you so much.
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  You do not disperse from my smell. That's good.
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  No lucky smelling. Well, I showered today, so
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  that was good. And you wore purple, so double
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  win for you. Double win. Double win. Kev behind.
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  the cameras and getting everything done for us,
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  edited and posted to where you're listening to
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  it right now. But without further ado, Rob, let's
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  just hop right in here. Let's get in it. Football,
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  baby. I know AFC East, we started with the bottom
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  team, or at least who we felt would be a bottom
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  team. I'm going to go ahead and do it again.
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  Last year, the Cleveland Browns went 3 -14. Joe
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  Flacco was named the starter. The old legend.
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  The defense still is not that bad, to be honest
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  with you. Really? Why do you say that? I don't
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  think they're that bad. I mean, you still got
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  Miles Garrett in there. Mason Graham, the rookie,
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  coming in. I'm curious what he's going to give
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  us. Allegedly had a good camp, but so does everybody,
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  right? That is true. But he was a beast in Michigan.
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  I like Grant Delpit a lot. Greg Newsom II. I
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  mean, the defense is still loaded for me. It's
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  the offense that's the big question. But for
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  me, I have a drastic change for the Cleveland
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  Browns. I still have them finishing last. It's
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  tied for last, actually, in the division. So
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  this division, people are going to make fun of
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  me. It's crazy. But this is one of the toughest
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  divisions in football this year, along with the
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  other North division. Cleveland, I have going
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  8 -9, which seems ridiculously high, right? Eight
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  and nine. Yeah. I don't even know where Vegas
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  has them. Are we recording this right now? Yeah,
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  we are. This is recorded, right, Kev? Awesome.
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  Eight and nine. I know. It sounds stupid. From
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  three. I mean, there's going to be a team every
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  year. I have most of the teams in this division
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  splitting. with each other. I mean, this is a
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  tight division. It's tough. I expect it to be
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  what we expected it to be last year. You know
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  who the starter is coming in. Yeah, we knew it
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  was Deshaun Watson last year, but he did not
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  look good. He brought everybody else down around
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  him. Yes, he did. It is time to move on from
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  him, whether it's Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett,
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  Dylan Gabriel, Shadur. I don't care who it is.
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  It is time to move on from that mistake. You
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  probably got to pay him and it's fine, whatever.
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  But again, Joe Flacco starting the season for
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  the Cleveland Browns. How do you feel about that?
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  Well, I don't feel as good as you do. I have
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  a 5 -12. 5 -12. I mean, obviously, it needs QB
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  play is the number one thing. They were last
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  in points last year, you know, worst on close
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  to the end, worst on third down. And they did
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  pick up that Junkins. Who knows if he's going
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  to even play this year. So that's going to really
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  hurt. Is he at camp now? I thought I saw the
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  thing got dropped or whatever. No, he's not in
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  jail. He's not in jail. It got dropped. Almost
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  positive. You got Judy back. you know you know
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  he had 90 for 1200 last year so you got him on
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  the outside and on the tight end defensively
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  they sacked the ball well but against the run
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  in the past in between those sacks they weren't
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  very good so yeah they could stop the run a little
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  bit better i think that'll help their secondary
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  a lot so i'm just not very high on them right
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  now so Fair enough, fair enough. Sorry, dog pound.
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  Sorry, dog pound, he says. Yeah, no. You're in
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  the dog house. Offensively, I'm looking for Jerome
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  Ford to have a pretty good season as well. And,
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  yeah, if Judkins can play, awesome. Another game
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  -changing player at the college level. Will it
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  translate? We'll see. They also picked up Isaiah
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  Bond when his also charges just got dropped.
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  So it'll be, you know, the first videos of him
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  coming out of camp were. Just looks like a guy
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  who hasn't been able to run routes for a minute.
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  So I think once he gets back, you know, moving
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  around a little bit, he'll be just fine. Before
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  the dumpster fire starts. I don't think, see,
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  and I just, I don't think there's going to be
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  a dumpster fire for the Browns this year. I don't
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  know what it is. I think, again, it's just, I
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  think every game is going to be a battle for
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  these guys. Now, they could absolutely win only
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  five games. I don't. I'm not going to argue against
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  that. They won't go over eight where I have them.
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  All right. What's the over -under on what Kevin
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  Savansky needs to win to keep his job? Ooh. Seven?
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  What is that number? Yeah. I'll throw seven.
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  Do you think higher or lower? Oh, he's got to
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  be higher than seven to keep his job. So if he
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  wins seven games, he's fired. Yeah, it's tough.
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  You're in a tough division. That's a great question.
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  What do you guys think? Yeah, seriously, what
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  do you guys think? Is Kevin Stefanski going to
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  be one of the first coaches fired this year out
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  of the few that are potentially on the chopping
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  block? Dable, I'm looking at you. I'm waiting.
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  An 0 -4 start, would that be enough for him to
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  lose his job? Let's see. The Browns, real quick.
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  Versus Cincy, I have that as an L for the Browns.
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  At Baltimore, that's an L. Green Bay in Cleveland,
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  low key. I do have them starting. Nope, you know
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  what? This is what I did. I have them losing
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  to Cincy, losing to Baltimore, beating Green
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  Bay at home in Cleveland, and then proceeding
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  to lose to Detroit, lose to Minnesota, and then
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  lose to Pittsburgh. So they could easily be 0
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  -6. And then they turn it around after that for
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  me. And win the rest of the games and go 10 -6.
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  Then it gets slightly easier. Okay, okay. I see
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  where we're going with this. They have a little
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  easier second half. Like after the bye is slightly
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  easier for them, for me. Well, yeah. How did
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  I get eight wins out of that? That's crazy. But
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  here we go. Tyler's right over there. Otherwise,
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  you're gone. No doubt. You're gone. So, yeah.
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  Good for you, Cleveland fans. We just gained
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  some subscribers, probably. Probably. I probably
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  got some haters coming. I'm going to the team
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  that I have tied with them for last in the division.
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  Okay. At eight and nine as well. The team that
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  went ten and seven last year, the Pittsburgh
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  Steelers. Obviously, we know they made a change
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  at quarterback coming into this season. Big upgrade.
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  Bring it on. It's really not. It's the same thing
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  for me. However, however. Tell me more. If the
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  defense can play at an elite level, Aaron Rodgers
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  shouldn't have to do all that much. He really
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  shouldn't. And Russell Wilson didn't need to
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  do that much either last year, and they had some
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  limited success offensively. I have him at 10.
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  Fields came in and went 4 -2, I'm pretty sure.
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  I have him at 10 -7. Do you feel like Aaron Rodgers
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  had a bad year last year? 28 -11. I think it's
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  a year where he's a veteran quarterback that
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  is coming off of a major injury at Achilles.
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  Still. At that age. And he did 28 -11 after that.
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  Poor, and I'm not even going to dare say that
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  I'm trying to compare Kirk Cousins to Aaron Rodgers,
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  but look how poorly Kirk Cousins played last
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  year after his Achilles. You know, I think there's
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  something to be said about that. For sure. I
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  think he's in line to have a better season than
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  he did last year, 100%. Whether or not he, because
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  Artie Smith is the OC there now, right? Yes,
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  who loves to run the ball. FYI, fantasy football
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  people. And wasn't he, was he the OC with Rabel
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  in Tennessee? With Tannehill and all that? Then
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  he got the job in Atlanta. So that's the part
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  I like, because obviously they had Derrick Henry.
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  You got Jalen Warren, way different running back,
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  way different style. But you know you're going
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  to run the ball. You add a DK Metcalf to the
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  outside. I mean, I don't hate what's going on
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  in Pittsburgh. Another set of tight ends. This
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  seems to be a common theme right now in the AFC
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  so far for us. Pat Frymuth, and they just added
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  Johnny Smith. You know, it's a copycat league.
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  You know, you do the same thing, the same division
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  does. But my biggest thing on offense is they
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  picked in the second round is Caleb Johnson from
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  Iowa. You know, another, you know, so that Warner
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  -Johnson run would really help with Roderick
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  because his play -action game is on point, you
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  know. And Austin, tight ends, you're seeing good.
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  And then they had Troy Faluola was injured last
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  year, so he'll be back. So their offensive line,
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  you know, I think that's where they're going
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  to win and lose, you know, on their floor ceiling
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  of a six and whatever to a possibly, you know,
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  11 -win season. Yeah, and you said what? You
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  have them at 10 -7? 10 -7. Defensively, I still...
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  On paper, that's a fairly elite defensive. They
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  stay healthy. Darius Slay is aging. Jalen Ramsey
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  is getting up there. Joey Porter Jr. is a solid
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  young player. How old is Patrick Queen right
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  now? You know what I mean? They are in Highsmith,
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  you know, and then isn't Hayward, is he holding
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  out right now? D -tackle? Is he? But they still
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  got T .J. Watt, too. If he can stay healthy.
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  We got to remember that guy, too. If he can stay
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  healthy. Yeah, so, I mean, defensively, all their
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  numbers across the board are money. Cam Hayward
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  returns to practice amid contract disputes. Yep,
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  so, yeah, so I'm... They'll compete for a playoff
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  spot. They'll be right on the edge of a wild
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  card. That's what I mean. I think this division
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  as a whole can go any way other than Cleveland
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  for you. Probably for me. They're last no matter
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  what or tied for last is how I have them with
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  the Steelers. For me, I think the next team would
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  be the Cincinnati Bengals. Bengals finishing
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  9 -8 last year. Have a new DC coming in the door.
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  I think that's going to make a lot of changes.
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  Needs to. Needs to. Trey Hendrickson right now
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  is in limbo. So I'm going to go ahead and say
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  that the Bengals are going to finish 9 -8 again.
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  9 -8. Yep. I think the offense is outstanding.
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  I mean, that's a dangerous offense. Obviously,
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  locking up T. Higgins, you have Jamar Chase,
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  arguably the second -best receiver in the league
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  behind Jettas. Sometimes looking like the first
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  receiver. Oh, yeah. Top receiver duo in the league?
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  Yeah. I would think so. I mean, Higgins could
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  be definitely number one on a lot of teams. I
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  would agree 100%. 100%. Gusecki has his days
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  up and down. Chase Brown I like in the backfield
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  a lot, actually. He was in Illinois. He was sneaky.
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  He got 54 catches, style. I think there's a lot
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  to be excited about offensively for the Bengals.
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  Defensively, they're not fully out of it either,
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  but I think if you lose Trey Hendrickson, that's
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  a big deal. Probably edge rusher last season,
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  I believe. Didn't he lead the league? Yeah, Zach,
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  he did. What did you have him at? Oh, did I even
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  say? Oh, yeah, I did. 9 -8. Yeah, so I got him
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  at 10 -7. For me, it's all about the O -line.
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  They have the exact same O -line as last year.
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  So the middle of the line needs to step up. And
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  Joe Burrow was running for his life. Yes. Half
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  the season. So they just need to play better.
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  They didn't upgrade anywhere there. And the defense
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  needs to step up. You know, they have a bunch
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  of talent, you know, especially coming on the
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  line. They end up drafting the steward out of
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  Texas. You know, so. That'll help. And maybe
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  he switches sides and has to play where Trey
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  Hendrickson is. You're filling in for who retired
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  Hubbard. Yes. Who didn't really produce at a
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  high level. That's probably why he retired. It's
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  more of a name. Yeah, for sure. But he had his
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  moments before. A couple years ago. Yeah, right.
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  No, I hear you. I hear you. Where do you have
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  the Bengals? I got them at 10 -7. So they're
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  right there battling with the Steelers for second
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  in that division in my book. It should be interesting.
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  And they got another deal. That's backed up.
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  What's their head -to -head for you? Bengals
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  and Steelers. Split. It is split. I'm kind of
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  with you. It's a tough division. I don't think
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  Cleveland will be the only team that doesn't
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  split across the board like you said. Still the
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  next team that we're about to talk about is...
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  Bring it in. Baltimore Ravens. You have Lamar
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  Jackson coming back, which I thought it was an
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  MVP season over Allen. I think we both thought
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  he was snubbed. He had 4 ,100 yards. He had almost
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  1 ,000 rushing. He had career numbers across
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  the board, but I think they just got sick of
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  giving it off to him. i'm big on what's messed
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  up yeah i'm big on on baltimore this year i think
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  they're the team that broke hot ball better you
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  know they still got henderson bateman flowers
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  across the board they got offensively they're
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  really good kind of the same line they lost the
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  left guard um uh patrick um care i think to jackson
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  uh jacksonville i think and defensively still
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  got smith back there their secondaries loaded
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  with they picked up starks from georgia to another
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  safety i like that yeah another one that the
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  packers lost so they're having starks and uh
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  no i'm sorry hamilton starks starks didn't leave
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  the packers that's not where he came from I'm
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  thinking of Eric Stokes went somewhere else.
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  Yes. Starks. The old Georgia cornerback. Yeah.
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  Where the heck did Starks come from? I can't
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  remember. Anyway. The rookie? Oh, yes, yes. Yeah,
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  I'm thinking of Stokes. He was our first -round
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  pick. And they got Alexander from Green Bay.
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  So their secondary is loaded. If he can stay
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  on the field, he's a solid corner, very serviceable.
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  For me, somebody's got to stop. Where do you
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  have them finishing? Sorry, did you say? It's
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  like at 10 -7. Well, wait, no, not them. Sorry,
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  I didn't even say that. Ravens, Ravens. Ravens.
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  They finished 12 -5 last year. 12 -5. Haven't
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  met 12 and 5. And my note says team just got
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  better. That's all I wrote is the overall summary
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  of their team. Yeah, and I totally agree with
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  you. They improved to 13 and 4 for me. I believe
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  that makes them, no, I'm sorry, that makes them
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  the number two, tied for the number two seed
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  for me in the entire AFCs behind the Bills and
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  tied with another team still to be talked about.
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  But they lost. Oh, wait, they beat the Bills
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  because that was one of the Bills lost, so then
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  they would have the two seed. If I remember right
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  with the Bills, you said that. I'm saying for
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  this season. I have them behind the Bills. Yeah,
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  the second seed I'm talking about. Yeah, I have
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  them tied with somebody else. Oh, I got you.
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  Yeah, yeah. The Bills are in my number one seed
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  at 14 -3. And Baltimore's 13 -4, and there's
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  another team in the next division that's also
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  13 -4. But anyway. Somebody needs to stop their
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  rushing attack. I mean, Derrick Henry with 1
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  ,900 yards. Lamar Jackson, like you said, almost
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  1 ,000. He's sitting at over 900 yards. Yeah,
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  stop that. Good luck. So I think this is the
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  year for the Ravens to make a deep run and win
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  the Super Bowl. Jake, I'm telling you right now,
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  Jake is one of our guests that will be back this
• 15:58
  season. We can't wait. Our Ravens fan. That will
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  be back. I think out of the AFC, for me, this
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  is the team going to the Super Bowl this season
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  if they stay healthy. Yeah, they're definitely,
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  in my book, the team to beat with all their new
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  add -ins, and they didn't lose anybody. And Lamar
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  seems to just keep getting better. I think statistically
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  his yards per attempt were even better than ever.
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  Lamar's back to MVP. I love that defense, too.
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  Yeah, they're solid. So, yeah, I have them finishing
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  up top in this division. It should be fun. I'm
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  excited for it. No, I am, too. And like we said,
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  probably this is I mean, AFC West tries to make
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  a. a case but i think this is the toughest division
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  in the afc and tied for the toughest division
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  in in football this season like we said last
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  year and then it kind of was weird last year
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  i don't know it kind of went up and down last
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  year not as dominant and black and blue as i
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  kind of expected it to be and what i'm kind of
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  looking for this year out of this division yeah
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  the bangles were a little bit down i think i
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  remember in our predictions last year so but
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  bangles bounce back this year They will. They
• 17:13
  will. Never bounce back this year. Rob, thanks
• 17:15
  for being here, of course, as always, for this
• 17:17
  AFC North preview. Kev, getting it done behind
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  the cameras. Obviously, don't forget to like,
• 17:23
  comment, subscribe wherever you listen to the
• 17:25
  banter, whether that's YouTube, Spotify, Apple
• 17:28
  Podcasts, or iHeartRadio. And we will see you
• 17:31
  in our next episode where we will be previewing
• 17:33
  the AFC South, Rob. We'll be there. Peace. Don't
• 17:39
  forget to follow, like, and subscribe. Tune in
• 17:43
  next time for more banter with the boys.