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TABLE TALK: 2025 NFL Season Storylines And Chatter! · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Table Talk here at the Philadelphia Sports Table
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: in the world, twelve y or strong. We've got a
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: great discussion coming your way this week on Table Talk,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: and we've got a fantastic guest with us. Been a
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: little while since he has been on, but it's great
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: to have him. He is coming to us from great
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: SB nation site Turf Showtimes. That's right, turfshowtimes dot com.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: He covers the Los Angeles Rams. There, we've got our
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: good friend Blaine Grisach. Blaine, how you doing, Buddy?
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Doing great?
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: Jeff, Like I said, got a lot to talk about.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: I'm sure a lot of your listeners are Eagles fans.
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: So there are the top teams NFC, and you know
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: it's finally got some preseason football last weekend, So yeah,
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: the season starting to ramp up.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Look, we got a bunch of storylines that we
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: want to dive into, and I want to first get
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: into a storyline that you're obviously following closely as someone
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: who covers the Los Angeles Rams, Blaine. As we know,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: reports came out last week about Matthew Stafford dealing with
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: an aggravated disc and he's received some epidurals to deal
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: with that. He's week to week here, but he is
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: slated to start Week one. You mentioned the fact that
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: the Rams are going to be one of those teams
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: along with the Eagles, that is going to be very
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: competitive in the NFC this coming season. So I don't
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: know how you're looking at it, Blaine, but with me, like,
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: aside from Matt Stafford and his age, I really think
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: that the Rams offensive line is going to need to
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: play lights out football this season in pass protection if
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: they're are going to have a successful season, and if
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Matt Stafford is going to have a successful season leading
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: this offense. I'm wondering, like, what are your thoughts about
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: this storyline and what this all means for the Rams here?
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: What do you what are you thinking?
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: I mean you never want to hear that your thirty
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: seven year old quarter starting quarterback has as a back injury.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: And then on top of that, the Rams are always
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: pretty vague when it comes to injuries. I mean you
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: go back to a couple of years ago, he had
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: had the elbow thing, and all all all off season was, oh,
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: he's fine, He's fine. And then we get to we
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: get to March and Sean mckface says, Oh, people forget
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: how big of a deal it was. It's like you
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: didn't make it a big deal at the time, so
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: you know, we didn't know how big of a deal
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: that was. But I think this is one of those
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: things where it's like we don't know what we don't know,
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: and we and we won't know until I guess he
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: takes a field on week one on how he looks.
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: He was supposed to start kind of practicing today but
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: he was still in street close. So yeah, the goal
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: is for him to be to be ready for week one.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: Per the team kind of sounds like he this was
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: kind of always kind of part of the plan and
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: in terms of in terms of maintenance. But it's kind
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: of I think one of those things where like you
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: can't completely discredit it. It's not nothing, but it's also
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: probably it's I don't I don't want to make two
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: big of a deal out of it, but I don't
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: want to underplay it either, Right.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Well, I think I think an important aspect of this, Blaine,
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: and what I've been thinking about too, is because I
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: just I love to see competitive football. You know, of course,
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: the Eagles being the defending Super Bowl champions, of course
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: I'm hoping they get back there. But I know that
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: the Rams are going to be one of those teams
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: slated to really compete. Like I mentioned in the NFC,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: if Matt Stafford does take a tough hit, if he
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: takes a tough sack something like that, that may keep
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: him out. What does that backup quarterback situation really look like?
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: And can this Rams offense depend on backups and depth
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: to really get them to that next level?
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that is a good thing.
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: I mean, you took to twenty twenty two and Stafford
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: did this time, and then they were relying on guys
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: like John Wolford and yeah and br Bryce Perkins as
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: a backup. And it's completely different this time around. They
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: have Jimmy Garoppolo, who you know. I he obviously had
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: a lot of success in San Francisco at the forty
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: nine Ers.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: It's always been a couple.
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: Of years removed from that, obviously, but I think he's
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: a guy that this coaching staff really trust to run
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: the offense if needed. I don't think he's someone that
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: they want necessarily being the quarterback over seventeen games. But
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: like he said, you know, Stafford could be one hit
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: away from missing from missing a couple of weeks. But
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: I do think if it were to come to that,
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: Garoppolo is someone that they that they would expect and
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: could trust to execute the offense in a way that
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: they that they would like to.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I want to now get into a specific team
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: over here in the NFC East. And I say over
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: here because I've hated this team ever since I was
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: a child, and that team is the Dallas Cowboys. Man
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: playing the Cowboys always seem to be dealing with some
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: sort of adverse contract situation. It never ceases to amaze me. Now,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: Michael Parsons has requested a trade. As we all know,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: it's a huge storyline heading into the Senate FL season,
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: and as we are in the midst of training camp.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Over the over the past decade, how this organization has
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: been run it is in my eyes, pretty surprising. Then again,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: maybe I shouldn't be surprised given who's at the helm here.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: I'll leave it at that, but I'm wondering what are
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: your thoughts on the Michael Parsons trade request and also
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: how the Cowboys seem to be making just poor decision
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: after poor decision these days as it pertains to their
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: front office management. What are you thinking here?
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's crazy.
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: I mean, Jerry Jones kind of seems to be leaning
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: into the any publicity as good publicity mantra. But I
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: don't necessarily think not paying your best players is the
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: publicity you want.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: And and to be honest, this kind of cost them
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: a lot of money.
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: They kind of waited on the on the Dak deal
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: and they ended up i think paying him probably probably
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: five to seven million dollars, and then then they would
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: have had they just paid him immediately. I think you
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: can see the same for you know, they waited on
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: Ceedee Lamb and then you know a bunch of wide
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: receivers got paid and they end up having to pay
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: him probably probably five million dollars or so more than
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: they would have had to. And then they're waiting here
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: on Michael Parsons and T. J. Watt just cut an extensions,
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: So Michael Parsons deal just just just went up. Yeah,
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: it's it's just it's it's it's a weird way to
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: run a team. I think Cowboys fans are kind of
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: sick of a kind of sick of Jerry Jones and
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: kind of understand that this team probably isn't going anywhere
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: and with with him calling the shots, and then they're
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: they're and they're probably right in that.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: In that thinking, I.
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: Kind of still think Michah gets something done, get something
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: down the Cowboys. But okay, I I it is just
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: kind of with what Jerry Jones has said, the back
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: and forth, I think there is definitely a little bit
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: of a little bit of tension there.
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: But I think money, money cures cures everything.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Absolutely it does. And you know, I gotta tell you,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: as an Eagles fan, I love the way the Cowboys
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: organization is being run right now. Fantastic. Keep up the
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: great work, Jerry Jones. That's what I say, Keep up
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: the great work. So as we're moving along here, Blaine,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: and before we get to our first break here, I
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: want to get your thoughts on a particular storyline that
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna find absolutely fascinating this season, and I hope
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: it turns out to be fascinating. And that is one
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: Travis Hunter. I feel like this storyline down in Jacksonville
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: is either going to just be a boom or bust
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: type of storyline. And given that we're talking about the
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Jaguars here, I mean I'm leaning towards the bust side
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: of things, even though I want it to be an
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: awesome storyline, I really want to see how this particular
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: player in Travis Hunter, how he is going to potentially
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: handle playing the offensive side of the ball the defensive
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: side of the ball throughout the game. What that means
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: for his you know, met whether it's physical well being,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: mental well being, and you know, this new type of
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: player that we see in the NFL here. But then again,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure this is going to hold up too
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: well in the NFL. Not sure his style of play
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: offensive and defensively, if that's where they want to do,
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: you know, that's where they want to put him. I'm
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: not sure if it's going to hold up. I know,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: what are your thoughts on this particular storyline.
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see kind of how
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: it works out. We've never seen a player like this
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: in in the NFL anyway, maybe if you have Show
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: hay Otani obviously in in baseball, but in terms of
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: the NFL, we've never seen a player consistently play both
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: sides of the ball, and like you said, with with
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: when it comes to the Jaguars, there isn't a lot
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: of optimism and something like that, something like this working out.
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: But I do think like this, it's just like from
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: the from from a front office perspective. You know that
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: they get James, they hire James Gladstone. He's a he's
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: a former guy from the Rams front office. Who and
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: so I I really like that. Liam Cohen, I think
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: is one of the brighter minds, brighter offensive minds in
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: the NFL. Maybe he's able to, you know, get the
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: most out of out of out of Trevor Lawrence again,
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: get the most out of the guy like a guy
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: like Travis Hunter who's just just insanely talented. How it
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: works out, it kind of I kind of think he
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: plays majority offense and maybe they have like some sub
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: packages for.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: Him on defense. I don't know if he'll be I
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: don't know if it'll be full time.
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: I'm on on both sides, but yeah, we'll kind of
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: it kind of sounds like to but when he was
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: drafted that he was fined plane full full time on
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: both sides. But again, and NFL is a different beasts.
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: It's more physical. Guys take more hits. I think his
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: his frame is a little smaller, so they'll definite want
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: to protect the attle bit. But yeah, you know, it'll
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: definitely definitely be definitely, definitely be interesting to something everybody
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: will be watching this season.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, it's gonna be fascinating to watch. And again, folks,
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: we are talking to Blaine Grisak from the Turf Showtimes
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: dot com Great SB Nation site. Blaine, let everybody know
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: where they can find you out there in the interwebs
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: if they want to follow you, follow what you and
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: your colleagues are doing out there.
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: Let everybody know, and you can follow me on Twitter
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: at begresectst.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: A lot of a lot of content.
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: Going there always and then you hear all my work
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: over at Turf Showtimes dot com.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: All right, if you are new to listening to the
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: PST podcast show or watching here on YouTube, like and
• 9:54
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• 9:59
  Speaker 1: have our social media sites as well. We are on Instagram, Twitter,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: slash X. You can follow me over on TikTok at
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: mister Jeff Warren. I'm also over at Blue Sky at
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Jeff Warren. You can search me out there on threads
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: like our Facebook page as well. Great discussion so far,
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: but we got a lot of great topics to get
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: into when we get back from our break. Stick with us.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: We'll be right back. All right, We are back, and
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: again we are with Blaine Grisak from turfshowtimes dot com.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: He covers the Los Angeles Rams and as we're moving
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: along with the show here in this discussion about this
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: upcoming NFL season, Blaine, I really feel like the Chicago
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: Bears are going to make some sort of headway this
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: year in the NFC North. Now how much headway, I'm
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: not too sure. As we all know, they hired Ben Johnson.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: He runs a very creative offense, and I guess the
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: question really is can this new coaching leadership and regime
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: really unlock the talent that Caleb Williams may actually have
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: within him. What are your thoughts about the Bears this
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: coming season in this particular storyline. I think it's interesting.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: Oh, it's definitely interesting.
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: And this is this I think you you you some
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: similarly to the Jaguars. You know you when you when
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: you when you talk about the Chicago Bears, they don't
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: really have a long history of making things work, let
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: alone at the let let alone at the quarterback position.
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: So yeah, so you know it's definitely gonna be gonna
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: be interesting to see Ben Johnson.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: I think was a home run hire.
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: He was I think one of the one of the
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: better offensive mines and in in the NFL, if not,
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: if not the top up offensive mine the last couple
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: of years, kind of got the most out of out
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: of Jared Goff with the Detroit Lions. Just like I said,
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: I think he's been one of one of the more
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: one of the more creative offensive lines in in the
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: in the NFL.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: And and and they have a lot of offensive playmakers.
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: I mean you look at you know, Kayleb Williams is
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: obviously very very very creative and the things that he
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: can do kind of the you know, extending players with
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: his legs and whatnot. And then you know, they they
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: draft Polston love Loveland out of Michigan in the first round.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: They have they have room and saying that they drafted
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: last year, they also drafted Luther Burden, who was one
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: of the more i think just explosive of offensive explosive
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: wire receivers in the draft. So that offense certainly has
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: the potential to to work. It has the pieces and
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: that now will or not it does work. I think
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: will will be seeing you always. I think we see
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: those offensive those really really top offensive coordinator or coordinators
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: in general that kind of are better better coordinates than
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: they are coaches. Yeah, I think you know where We're
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: going to find out where where Ben Johnson kind of
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: kind of kind of kind of fits in that this year.
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: But like like I said, he has he has the
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: pieces to make it work.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: I think it really depends on that relationship between Caleb
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: Williams and between Ben Johnson and the coaching staff. Two
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: relationships are so very important in terms of how that
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: manifests that what we see on the field as well.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: I mean we see it time and time again. If
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: you're not going to have a great relationship with your coaches,
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: you're not gonna be able to do that much out
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: on the field. So I think that's a part of
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: this Bears team in Caleb Williams terms of his development.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: But as we're moving along here, I feel like the
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: quarterback hierarchy is in flux in the AFC. And I'm
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: talking about with both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: they try to get their respective offenses and teams to
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: the Super Bowl to really help cement their legacies. Here, Blaine, look,
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson, his numbers usually dip come January, come the postseason.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: We have seen his numbers dip time and time again.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: And Josh Allen, we know that narrative. He just can't
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: get past the Kansas City Chief. So I'm wondering which
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: quarterback do you think really has the better chance to
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: push through and to potentially get to the super Bowl
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: this year.
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, no, no, that's that's a very tough question, I think.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: I mean, these were the two two top quarterbacks the
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: and the MVP discussion last year. Yell, they're both in
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: sanely talented and like you said that, they've both been
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: been right on the COSP. I think you just kind
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: of look at both teams though, and I kind of
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: think because like you said, Lamar's number of numbers have
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: kind of dipped dipped in January.
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: He did play really.
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: Well last year last year in the playoff loss, but
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: just just kind of came up short. But yea, I
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: do think that Ravens team is so complete, is a
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: lot more complete than I think the Bills are than
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: the Bills of they have so many more offensive weapons.
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: I think Josh Josh Allen's top targets is gonna be
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: Josh Josh Palmer, who was kind of more of a
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: more of a role player with with with with the
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: Chargers the last couple of years, and the Bills are
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: still kind of expecting Josh Allen to be to be
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: this the superman of their offense, and and and he
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: can and he can do that, but it's kind of
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: reminds me a little bit of you know, Dan Reno
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: back in the nineties, where you know, this insanely talented quarterback,
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: we never really kind of give him the defense or
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: or or the playmakers around him that that are going
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: to get him over the top. And I just I
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: think Lamar and he has. He has the defense, he
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: has the head coach that has done it before. So
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: I think he's I think more he has the pieces
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: around him to to to to take to take that
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: next step. In as much as we'd like to kind
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: of pin quarterbacks against each other, at the end of
• 15:12
  Speaker 3: the day, it is a team. But it is a
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: team sport and in situation matters, and I kind of like,
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: I think Lamar situation just just a little bit better.
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, And I think when it comes to
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: the running back situation too. You look at James Cook
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: up in Buffalo, you look at Travis Henry in Baltimore,
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: and I think, I think with Travis Henry. Why did
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: I just say Travis Henry, it's not Travis Henry. Dear heavens, everybody,
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: if you see me out in public, you should slap
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: me in the face for that one. We know who
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: I'm talking about. Yes, Oh my gosh, dear heavens, I'm
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: just thinking. The running game in Baltimore. It's always an emphasis.
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: It's always significant, it's always part of the equation for
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: their success from season after season because very rarely do
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: you see this Ravens team faltering in terms of the
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: running game. I think the running game is going to
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: be stellar, and I think that's really gonna help propel
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: them to if not Lamar Jackson and his rushing capabilities too.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: So the anyway, buddy, before I let you go, I
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: really wanted to dive into some possible surprises that we
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: may see this coming season in both the a f
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: C and both the NFC as well. So, uh, I
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: guess two part question. Let's start with the a f C.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: Who do you think is the team in the a
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: f C this coming season you think is gonna surprise everyone?
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: Who's that?
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: So I'm kind of between two and I'll just I'll
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: just give shout out because I think both teams are
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: gonna surprise in different ways. I think I think that
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: the Denver Broncos are our team, our team that are
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: going to agree with you. I think bo Nicks kind
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: of takes that and it takes that next step and
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: takes more I think accountability in that in that Sean
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: Payton offense, I think Sean pat ssed to trust a
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: little bit more. They have an incredible offensive line which
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: is gonna help Boone Nicks out. Defensively, it's they they have.
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: They have Patrick obviously, and in the second day that's
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: one of the better defenses in the NFL. So yeah,
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: I think they could be a true, a true contender
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: in in in the a f C that that a
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: lot of people are kind of I don't think looking
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: at right right now, and I'm my other team is
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: also also also comes from the a f C West,
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: and that's the Las Vegas Raiders.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: I think I.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: Don't know if I have the have the guts to
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: put them in the playoffs, but I I really like that.
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: I really like the things that they've done. Bringing Pete Carroll,
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: who's kind of gonna I think when it comes to Raiders,
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: I think they just kind of needed an adult in
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: the room at the head at the head coach spot,
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: and Pete Carroll gives him that. They get Gino Smith,
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: who's going to give them. I think he may not
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: have a lot of upside, but he kind of gives
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: you a baseline, a high floor at the quarterback position.
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: They Brock brock Blowers obviously. They they they drafted uh
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: G n t from from Bois State. I think that's
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: gonna be one of be more fun offensive in the NFL.
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: And Pete carroll specialty is defense, So if he can
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: just kind of make that defense average, I think they
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: could be could be could be pretty fun to watch.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: And then on the NFC, I'm gonna say the team
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: that two teams that I watched, I think Arizona Cardinals
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: could be I think a lot better than than than
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: people expect. I really like I really liked what they
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: what what what they did in the what they did
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: in the draft, and they they've kind of been right there.
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: They were right there last year and I think just
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: this year they'll get more consistency over the course of
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: the season. It could be, it could be surprised, and
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: I think a disappointment in the NFC could be. Could
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: be the Detroit Lions. I think, you know, they lose
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: Ben Johnson, they lose they lose Aaron Glenn uh, Jared
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: Goff loses, loses his center, and in in in Frank
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: Craig now to retirement. So I think that that's that's
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: just that's a lot of change. That's a lot of changes.
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: And yeah, they might start a little slower than than
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: than some than some are expecting.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, Boy, what a great conversation, and just to let
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: folks know what Blaine was talking about with the Broncos
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: and the Raiders. If you head back in the podcast
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: feed or if you're here on YouTube, you can go
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: back with our videos our Opposition Territory podcast. We covered
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: the Raiders and the Broncos within this past month. Those
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: are great conversations with our guests that we had at
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: that time. But folks, he is Blaine Grisak from turfshow
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: Times dot com over at SB Nation Blame buddy, It
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: was great talking with you. Thanks so much for jumping
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: on and hope that we'll be able to talk at
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: some point down the road.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: My friend, of course, thanks fan you. Jeff's great to
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: connect again.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: That's gonna do it for us here on table Talk
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: this week. Please share our podcast with your friends and
• 19:31
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• 19:35
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• 19:38
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• 19:42
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• 19:45
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• 19:49
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• 19:57
  Speaker 1: Take care and well, catch you next time.