Latest / All Balls, No Filter Podcast / #6 - Jets Will Win The Super Bowl

Transcript

#6 - Jets Will Win The Super Bowl · All Balls, No Filter Podcast

• 0:33
  And we're live. Welcome to the All Balls No
• 0:36
  Filler podcast. Live from the cabin Kitchen.
• 0:38
  I'm Zach. He's Brad.
• 0:43
  Hello people. And behind the scenes, we have a
• 0:47
  man who was also not chosen in the NFL Hall of Fame this week.
• 0:51
  It's research Cal. I don't know how he's not made
• 0:57
  the Hall of Fame, if I'm honest. Like so many entries, so many
• 1:02
  votes he should have have. But hey, it's research account.
• 1:06
  Exactly that. How you doing my man?
• 1:08
  How are we? I'm all right mate, I'm all
• 1:12
  right. It's it's Super Bowl week, which
• 1:14
  is really exciting. But as I say, I mean, we've
• 1:17
  already had the Super Bowl, so this is like the Super Bowl
• 1:20
  after party week if you like. But now I'm I'm good, I'm good.
• 1:24
  How are you? I'm all right.
• 1:27
  I'm excited for the Super Bowl, but not ideal recording
• 1:33
  situation for myself today. I'm not going to lie to you.
• 1:36
  So just going to give you all a bit of a heads up.
• 1:39
  This podcast might be really good.
• 1:42
  Oh, really bad. Not going to lie to you.
• 1:48
  Literally from the cab and kitchen today he is in squalor.
• 1:53
  I think he's working on the old light.
• 1:54
  Is it, is it Edge that you used to call it?
• 1:56
  You know, when you get that E on your phone, is that edge?
• 1:59
  Like you must be working on that tonight.
• 2:02
  It might as well be. So just just for the people that
• 2:05
  don't, that don't or haven't got the reference.
• 2:07
  Brad is literally in his kitchen and I'm in my truck cab and
• 2:11
  yeah, the technology hasn't, the gods haven't favoured us today.
• 2:15
  So just apologies in advance for anything.
• 2:18
  You just what We're making it here.
• 2:21
  We're here, we're dedicated. We didn't want to miss an
• 2:22
  episode, so we're here. Brad, what have we got in store
• 2:27
  today? We have got an exciting 1, so
• 2:32
  we're going to look at the latest news from the past week.
• 2:34
  As always, touch upon the latest updates in the ongoing coaching
• 2:38
  carousel. And of course, we're here for
• 2:41
  one reason this week, really, we're here to preview the
• 2:43
  biggest game of the NFL season, and that is, of course, the
• 2:48
  Super Bowl. We'll return to all other balls
• 2:51
  for other major stories in the world of sport and a brand new
• 2:55
  segment for the first time tonight, which I'm really
• 3:00
  excited about, you know, causing a little bit of carnage, but
• 3:04
  what else is more fun than that? So we'll leave it at that.
• 3:06
  I won't tell them too much about that segments.
• 3:09
  I am quite looking forward to it.
• 3:11
  But let's let's get going, shall we?
• 3:14
  Let's get going. Indeed, this week's headlines,
• 3:17
  to be fair to with it being superb, I'm surprised has been
• 3:19
  as much stuff announced what there has been, but there has
• 3:22
  been, right? So, so far this week we we're
• 3:25
  going to start off with the international games that have
• 3:28
  been announced, A whopping 9 games across the world announced
• 3:35
  for 2026. Before we talk on locations,
• 3:39
  Brad, what's your thoughts on 9 games being played outside the
• 3:43
  States realistically? I think realistically I think
• 3:49
  it's just going to get bigger. I think if we go back to a time
• 3:53
  when it was just the London Games, I think the big push was
• 3:58
  really, you know, when are we going to get Auk team, when are
• 4:01
  the Jags going to relocate? What what's the franchise going
• 4:05
  to be called? But I think realistically, I
• 4:06
  don't know what your view is on this.
• 4:08
  We've not really discussed it to be honest.
• 4:10
  Obviously outside of the pod. I just see that not being a
• 4:15
  thing anymore. I just can't see a London
• 4:19
  franchise or any international franchise, not for a long time
• 4:22
  anyway. And I think this is the the
• 4:25
  answer to it. You know, we've got 9 games this
• 4:28
  year, It's going to be 10 next year.
• 4:31
  It's just going to keep on growing.
• 4:32
  Obviously. We've got, I think is it 3 brand
• 4:36
  new locations this year? I don't know, 22 new, 2 brand
• 4:41
  new locations this year. I think we've got Paris and
• 4:44
  we've got Melbourne for the first time, I believe, as an NFL
• 4:48
  international game. And then of course, we're
• 4:50
  revisiting essentially everywhere else that we've hit
• 4:54
  up in the past. We've got Rio, Munich, Madrid
• 4:57
  for the second time, Mexico City, and then of course
• 5:00
  multiple Games in London. I mean, what's your views on
• 5:04
  that? Do it?
• 5:05
  Do you see a British franchise? Do you see an English franchise
• 5:08
  or any international franchise on the horizon?
• 5:11
  No, I don't I don't see I don't see ever working personally.
• 5:14
  I don't see ever people have been ever been able to compete
• 5:16
  just because of the fact it's one of them spot grown and bred
• 5:22
  in in that country. And I'm not saying you can't you
• 5:24
  can't necessarily expand, but I just think it's for them stay in
• 5:27
  your own lane type things. Maybe, maybe a different player
• 5:30
  pathway programme a a better one.
• 5:32
  I mean, there is a good one at moment with the international
• 5:34
  and and the Academy and stuff they got going through.
• 5:37
  But if you're not playing this sport at a young, young, young
• 5:40
  age, like if you're not moving over there when you're when
• 5:43
  you're pee wee level, it's very, very tough to to kind of get
• 5:46
  into the sport of football because of how tough and and how
• 5:49
  it a lot, a lot of people don't realise is these football
• 5:51
  players, these are, these are these are graduates at the
• 5:55
  highest of high levels. These come out with with
• 5:57
  degrees, most of anyway are 90% of them because they have to be
• 6:01
  smart, because football doesn't really, it's not, it's not a
• 6:04
  forever sport. It was what they see on the
• 6:07
  backside of that. I'm a, I'm a on this like how
• 6:12
  many is too many? I love the International series.
• 6:15
  I've been to probably 90 percent, 90% of the years I've
• 6:18
  been out there. I went to the first ever game.
• 6:20
  I think I've only ever missed two years of of not going to at
• 6:22
  least one game a year. I do love the International
• 6:25
  series, but how many is too many?
• 6:27
  I believe like 3 Games in London is fantastic, but I don't think
• 6:32
  it about, I don't think personally I'd have had nine
• 6:35
  games elsewhere. I'd have maybe reduced the
• 6:38
  London Games and still kept the cities elsewhere.
• 6:40
  That's fine. But you know, if you're a fan
• 6:44
  base, you're, if you're Miami Dolphins, I'd go play in
• 6:47
  Australia and you're a season ticket holder, you're a bit
• 6:49
  miffed out here. Maybe, but I mean there must be,
• 6:55
  I mean, I, I won't pretend to know how it works for the season
• 6:58
  holders, but there must be some sort of concessions.
• 7:00
  And obviously nowadays like what they're doing, if I'm
• 7:04
  understanding it right, if from the last year, maybe 2 years now
• 7:08
  is it's those, it's that 17th game, isn't it?
• 7:11
  It's the the home teams of that 17th game and they're the ones
• 7:15
  that are playing abroad. So you could almost argue
• 7:19
  actually, if you've been a season ticket holder for the
• 7:20
  last 1020 years, well, you get 8 home games and you're still
• 7:24
  getting 8 home games. It was actually probably worse
• 7:27
  five years ago when they were sacrificing a home game.
• 7:31
  But I mean, in terms of it being too many, you know, you speak
• 7:34
  about being a Dolphins fan and, and if you're a season ticket
• 7:37
  holder, well, I'm not a season ticket holder.
• 7:39
  I don't travel to Miami every other week, but I am a fan and I
• 7:43
  did try really hard actually getting tickets for the Madrid
• 7:49
  Madrid game. Now, I won't pretend I'm not
• 7:51
  going to spend over the odds on this, but I was more than
• 7:53
  willing to spend more than we pay for our London tickets.
• 7:56
  And you know, we we go for pretty good seats each year to
• 7:59
  be fair. So we don't you know, we don't
• 8:02
  scrimp on the tickets we pay for, but I was willing to pay
• 8:04
  more and I just I just couldn't do it.
• 8:06
  I I could not get them. So when we're saying when's too
• 8:11
  many, when a game like too many games too much, well, I think
• 8:14
  the answer is when they're not selling them out and at the
• 8:16
  minute they are like, I know Germany's been ridiculous to get
• 8:20
  a hold of. Madrid obviously was I I don't
• 8:23
  know about the games in Rio and and Mexico City, but I imagine
• 8:27
  they were just equally as difficult.
• 8:30
  I think Paris is going to be mega.
• 8:32
  That'll be you know, I'm a big fan of Paris.
• 8:35
  I love it. It's one of my favourite
• 8:36
  European cities, but it's just going to be unreal.
• 8:39
  And I mean, I've got family over in Melbourne.
• 8:42
  So my dad and some of my brothers live over in Melbourne
• 8:44
  and I know he, one of my brothers, he married an American
• 8:50
  girl from Wisconsin, big Vikings fan.
• 8:54
  I know they'll be going to that game, they'll be desperately
• 8:56
  trying to get tickets to the Melbourne game.
• 8:58
  So I, I just think they're just going to sell out and until they
• 9:03
  don't, they're going to keep expanding.
• 9:05
  Like why wouldn't you? It's a business isn't it?
• 9:07
  Like why would you not? Well, I well, I fully agree into
• 9:11
  with everything you said. I just get a bit salty because
• 9:13
  it's the Patriots are never the home team.
• 9:15
  I think I've seen the Patriots a few Times Now down in London.
• 9:16
  They're never the home team. So forget I'm still a bit salty
• 9:19
  on that side of things, don't get me wrong.
• 9:21
  But yeah, I I see it for business model.
• 9:25
  It makes sense. I just think it from a fan's
• 9:28
  point of view, if I I'm putting myself in shoes that I don't
• 9:31
  wear, which is like if I were an American living in the country
• 9:34
  of where the games always are. I'm not like, I'm the same as
• 9:37
  you. How many times I mean, you've
• 9:39
  been to games that where watching the games and we don't
• 9:41
  fall on eve of the team. We're just going to watch the
• 9:43
  sport like we, that's what we do.
• 9:45
  And that, that, you know, the people say all the time, like
• 9:48
  you see these international games and there's never a home
• 9:50
  or an away team because you see all 32 jerseys.
• 9:52
  It's a fun game to play When you go down to the international
• 9:55
  series is can you spot all 32 jerseys when you're down there?
• 9:58
  And it's a nice kind of environment to be with people
• 10:00
  that, that like the spot as well.
• 10:01
  I, I, I do get it. I just, I just worry it comes
• 10:06
  away from like a home and away situation more of a show, if
• 10:13
  that makes sense. And.
• 10:16
  It is, isn't it? It is.
• 10:17
  But like, I mean, if you've got, I think if it's that 17th game
• 10:21
  for me, I think that's OK. You're still getting that
• 10:23
  balance out and you're getting 8 home games, 8 OA games and then
• 10:27
  both teams are getting the exhibition match.
• 10:30
  So it's more than an exhibition match, isn't it matters and it
• 10:33
  counts, but I think it's all right.
• 10:35
  I quite like, I quite like the model, I really do.
• 10:40
  The only thing that I wonder about is when, you know, you see
• 10:43
  your rumours every year. Well, this this last couple of
• 10:45
  years about dropping another pre season game and going to 18
• 10:48
  fixtures and God knows how the schedule acts.
• 10:51
  It's already a bit crazy for those who aren't, you know, big
• 10:56
  fans of the NFL like, oh, why aren't they playing everyone?
• 10:59
  You know, it's a bit of a weird concept to a British fan, isn't
• 11:01
  it? You know, when you look at
• 11:02
  football and rugby where they always play each other twice.
• 11:06
  But I think if you add another 18th game, then it's like, well,
• 11:11
  how does this international model look and how does how, how
• 11:16
  does the fixtures work? But I mean, we're getting to a
• 11:18
  whole new. Opening a new One thing I have
• 11:20
  noticed is yeah, one. Sorry.
• 11:24
  One thing I have noticed is Ireland's not on the on the list
• 11:26
  again. Ireland held a game.
• 11:31
  What's it, what's it called? And it's not, it's the, they're
• 11:33
  not, they're not chosen again, which is I'm surprised because
• 11:35
  they did a college game over there as well and that that sold
• 11:38
  out. So I'm very surprised at that
• 11:39
  actually, to be fair. So there could have been 10.
• 11:43
  So apparently, according to research Cali, Yeah, there is.
• 11:46
  The possibility it's just not being announced.
• 11:49
  Well, according to research Cali, it's it's coming back in
• 11:51
  2027. According to his sources, he
• 11:55
  says researcher Carl sources says they are based back in
• 11:58
  2027. So take that as you will, take
• 12:02
  that as you will. But yeah, the international
• 12:04
  games, the international games are announced are back.
• 12:09
  We stood there's rumours on teams that I get that are going
• 12:11
  to be involved with them. Let's see.
• 12:13
  As soon as we know, you guys will know and hopefully it goes
• 12:16
  out from there, right Brad? The, the coaching role, the
• 12:19
  coaching carousel is, has come to an end.
• 12:24
  All vacancies have been filled. Any names that we haven't spoke
• 12:30
  about or strike out or something?
• 12:33
  Oh, so we think, yeah. But anything that's going to,
• 12:36
  yeah. I mean, I think the big, the
• 12:39
  biggest name is, is Clint Kubiak, isn't it?
• 12:41
  It's it's kind of this year's Ben Johnson in a way.
• 12:46
  Like obviously we spoke over the last couple of weeks about like
• 12:49
  Harbour and Stefanski being like the big names that sort of
• 12:53
  they'll set the dominoes fall in and and they absolutely have and
• 12:56
  they did because they are that big name.
• 12:58
  They're established. But like you've got Clint who's
• 13:01
  like the the hot property. And the thing that gets me that
• 13:06
  with this one is that Raiders have kind of almost been non
• 13:11
  raidery. Like they've they've waited and
• 13:15
  they're like, they've obviously done the interviews and they
• 13:18
  clearly haven't announced it yet because, well, they can't like
• 13:22
  it's still in the Super Bowl, obviously this week weekend.
• 13:26
  So it it's kind of it kind of goes against what the Raiders
• 13:32
  do, which is where they may they they fail at what they want to
• 13:35
  do and they make a stupid decision.
• 13:37
  I mean, they quite clearly wanted Ben Johnson last year and
• 13:41
  failed on that one. Brady didn't get his man.
• 13:43
  And then they went from Ben Johnson, who was like the young
• 13:48
  hot property to the oldest coach going and signed into a
• 13:55
  three-year contract, fired him after one.
• 13:57
  So I mean, I've seen it somewhere.
• 13:59
  I don't have the number to hand but right the Raiders are
• 14:02
  currently paying like 6-7 different coaches at the same
• 14:04
  like head coaches at the same time like the the figures not.
• 14:09
  So if they're going. To do this, they've got to do it
• 14:12
  and they've got to stick. Yeah, like you've just got to
• 14:15
  stick to it, aren't you? Like if you're going to do it,
• 14:17
  you've got to run with it. And I think the beauty of this
• 14:20
  hire at this time is they've got the number one pick.
• 14:25
  So they're obviously going quarterback.
• 14:28
  They've obviously got then Kubiak and the quarterback
• 14:33
  paired together and you've got to assume this is going to be at
• 14:36
  least a three-year project. I don't see how else it can go.
• 14:41
  No, not with a not with a starting, not a new QB, pardon
• 14:45
  me, a new QB coming in. That's that's fresh, that's it's
• 14:48
  going to be a first round, a first pick, obviously, and and
• 14:51
  with that comes the expectation of starting straight away.
• 14:54
  But that and the first year head coach within the Raiders, that
• 14:58
  is anyway, there's going to be that kind of saying that it
• 15:03
  didn't work with Jared Mayo and and Drake may, but we'll get to
• 15:06
  that in a little bit. But I just think, I just think
• 15:10
  it like I agree with you that it will be a good two to three-year
• 15:15
  process and year one just going to be getting the team gel
• 15:18
  together basically. Yeah, I think it's got to, I
• 15:24
  think the Todd Monken hire was an interesting one at the
• 15:29
  Browns. It's very Brownsy.
• 15:35
  And then obviously the Cardinals have hired Mike Lafleur, which
• 15:39
  is an interesting one. Was it the the MILF?
• 15:42
  The column is it, I'm not sure is exactly set the world on
• 15:49
  fire. Anyway, It's it just seems like
• 15:52
  an odd one. I just can't figure out the
• 15:54
  Cardinals direction with it. Like I think it's it's not a
• 16:02
  sort of sparkling higher. It's not they've not really got
• 16:08
  a clear direction at QB that it's just, I just find it a
• 16:13
  really weird hire. But equally, I don't know what
• 16:16
  would be a good hire for the Cardinals.
• 16:18
  I just think they're this weird entity that just needs a bit of
• 16:22
  a reset and I, I don't feel like they've clearly hit that reset
• 16:27
  in my opinion. I don't know.
• 16:31
  It's I just find probably the Cardinals out of all of these.
• 16:34
  Look at what's on the screen with giants, Titans, Falcons,
• 16:36
  Dolphins, Ravens, Steelers, Bills, Browns, Raiders and
• 16:39
  Cardinals all hiring new coaches, all new head coaches.
• 16:43
  Sorry, apologies for the cough there, the throat clear.
• 16:47
  I just find this one really strange.
• 16:49
  I I I just can't suss it. Yeah, So for for me with this
• 16:53
  Cardinals one, it's going to go one or two ways as daft as that
• 16:57
  sounds. But but at the end of next year,
• 16:59
  they're going to have the faith in him.
• 17:00
  They're not going to do very well because they're going to be
• 17:03
  in two minds with the QB situation under the start Kyler,
• 17:05
  do they not the keep Kyler? If not, they've got his
• 17:07
  contract. They're still paying him.
• 17:09
  Do they carry on with that at the end of year one?
• 17:11
  Do they saw unofficially tanked for that first round QB?
• 17:15
  Is there anything, is there anybody in there the draft that
• 17:17
  they're going to have their eyes on in?
• 17:19
  If that's the case, do they do a Raiders and bin off the two, you
• 17:24
  know, the the the the QB? I don't know the QB, but the the
• 17:27
  head coach, sorry. And get a new head coach with a
• 17:29
  first round pick to kind of rebuild from the 2 main
• 17:32
  positions of what your team is. And when people talk about it,
• 17:34
  your two main positions, top two top 2 is head coach quad.
• 17:38
  Then you've got like your defensive route, like your your
• 17:40
  ends and your rushers, for instance, to they're your three
• 17:43
  main main parts. If you can kind of get two
• 17:45
  people within young, do they give Mike Lafleur a couple of
• 17:48
  years and say, look, see what you can do in year 1?
• 17:52
  We'll reassess it when it comes to Chris, when it comes to like
• 17:54
  mid season. And if we think that, you know,
• 17:57
  we're going to end up with a a mid round pick and the the QBs
• 18:02
  are more top round that we were that we were going to get, we
• 18:05
  can look at not tanking because but a tanking at same time.
• 18:09
  If you if you go from there, they could do that or they're
• 18:12
  just been in both often. I agree.
• 18:14
  I think out of all these ones here, of all these hires that
• 18:17
  that have happened, I think we'll be talking about the
• 18:20
  Cardinals this time next year with either hiring the new coach
• 18:25
  or being like, what's Mike Lafleur going to do?
• 18:27
  Pick one O 1. Yeah, yeah, it's got to be.
• 18:34
  I think there's been some interesting like coordinator
• 18:37
  hires. Almost feels a bit like old news
• 18:40
  really, doesn't it at the minute now.
• 18:43
  Kind of been that many, that's why.
• 18:44
  Just after we recorded last week, Yeah, it's it is.
• 18:47
  There's loads, isn't there? But I think it's going to be an
• 18:51
  exciting year. I think I think with a lot of
• 18:53
  coaching changes, it brings a lot of unknowns.
• 18:57
  And I think that's the beauty of the NFL for someone who's not
• 18:59
  like a big fan who maybe just a sort of at what do you call him
• 19:03
  like an armchair fan? Is that, is that the right term?
• 19:06
  It's sort of, I think not quite grasping the NFL as a British
• 19:11
  armchair fan as well. You're not quite grasping the
• 19:14
  way certain things work to make sure that the the league is
• 19:17
  constant, constantly competitive.
• 19:19
  You know, if you're used to the world of footballers in soccer,
• 19:21
  football, you've normally got the same top 4-5 teams roughly
• 19:26
  competing. Same with rugby, you've got the
• 19:28
  same top 4-5 teams competing. Generally.
• 19:31
  You might get an anomaly one year or two, but it's different.
• 19:35
  You still have that to an extent, but you get teams out of
• 19:38
  nowhere like we've got in the Super Bowl this year that no one
• 19:42
  necessarily expected. And I think we've, with a lot of
• 19:45
  head coaching changes, it brings that sort of excitement.
• 19:48
  You don't really know what you're going to get you.
• 19:50
  Some of the some of these teams, I would say at least three of
• 19:52
  these teams are going to overachieve next year.
• 19:55
  They will. And equally you're going to have
• 19:58
  a two or three of these that are going to have absolutely stinker
• 20:00
  years. But it's just working out
• 20:02
  whether it's the ones that we expect or not.
• 20:03
  And that's the beauty of the NFL and that's what I love about it,
• 20:06
  what we both love about it. So it brings excitement for next
• 20:10
  year. Exactly that Speaking of the
• 20:12
  overachievers, stay tuned for future episodes, guys, because
• 20:14
  we're going to be doing some very, very, very bold takes and
• 20:17
  predicting who's going to win and who's going to get pick one
• 20:20
  O 1 next season. And we're going to do it in the
• 20:22
  in the in the offseason. So so stick with us on that and
• 20:25
  get involved with it as well, right.
• 20:27
  So the coaching carousel's been done.
• 20:28
  It's finished up, it's been full.
• 20:30
  So some coordinators going here and there, but let's move on to
• 20:34
  the next part of the news for the week.
• 20:36
  And that is the finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and
• 20:40
  the NFL honours. Now, let's just address the
• 20:44
  elephant in the room a little bit.
• 20:48
  What does Bill Belichick have to do to get into this Hall of
• 20:52
  Fame? What on earth?
• 20:55
  How has he not got? Look, I'm a Homer.
• 20:59
  I am, I am talking, I may have been there through the Belichick
• 21:03
  era, so, but at the same time I am just talking from a football
• 21:06
  fan's point of view here. Even craft not getting in is
• 21:10
  ridiculous like. What I mean it's, it's a weird
• 21:18
  1, isn't it? Because I've listened to a
• 21:20
  quite, quite a bit. I mean, we were really unlucky
• 21:22
  last week when we recorded the podcast.
• 21:24
  We literally signed off. So we we typically record the
• 21:29
  pod on a Tuesday night and we signed off at about, I don't
• 21:32
  know what was it about 10:30 PM and literally like 3 minutes
• 21:37
  after or maybe 3 minutes before we signed off and we're just not
• 21:40
  seeing it. It was like Belichick's not
• 21:43
  going to the Hall of Fame. It's like what?
• 21:46
  It was just nuts. But I've done a lot of reading
• 21:49
  on it and obviously listen to the podcasts and and you know,
• 21:53
  we're a week it lay into this now, I guess.
• 21:55
  But it's interesting when you actually start on picking it
• 21:58
  because there was the rumours weren't there.
• 21:59
  That was it. The Giants ex owner or I think
• 22:05
  he must have a vote. And there was loads of talk
• 22:08
  about, Oh, he's he's pushed people to say, you know, no,
• 22:13
  don't vote for for Bill. It got to basically suffer for
• 22:17
  Deflategate, excuse me and Spygate, but then he's come out
• 22:22
  and said, well, no, that's not true, sorry, Thanks.
• 22:25
  Research, Carly. It wasn't Giants at all.
• 22:27
  I've got him in my head for a very different reason, which we
• 22:31
  might not touch upon. It was the former Bills and
• 22:37
  Colts GM. We won't time with the same
• 22:41
  brush of what's been released in the the Epstein files, shall we?
• 22:44
  No, no, no. That's not so, but so yeah,
• 22:50
  it's, it's Bill Polian. Thank you, researcher Kyle, you
• 22:53
  saved me there a little bit. But he's sort of come out and
• 22:57
  said, you know, I, I didn't sort of push people not to vote for
• 23:00
  him and I I actually voted for him.
• 23:04
  And then the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame have actually come
• 23:07
  out and confirmed, yes, he did vote for Bill like so it's just
• 23:11
  a weird one. Now.
• 23:13
  I don't know how much you know about this, Zach, because I've
• 23:16
  only just sort of been I had an awareness of it, but I've only
• 23:18
  just recently been a bit more alight enlightened to it through
• 23:21
  this is that so there's I think there's 5050 voters.
• 23:26
  I think it is. And they need 40, I think votes
• 23:30
  to get in. But each of those voters only
• 23:35
  have like X amount of votes to use.
• 23:39
  So it's not like, forgive me if I'm getting this wrong.
• 23:42
  This is just what I'm piercing together from what I've
• 23:43
  understood. Like it's such a bizarre way of
• 23:46
  doing it, but I get it. They it's not like it's right,
• 23:51
  Bill, right. How many of you agree or
• 23:54
  disagree? All those in favour, Aye.
• 23:57
  And, and he's in like they have a certain amount of votes to
• 24:00
  sort of share amongst the finalists.
• 24:05
  It's I. Don't know whether it's it's.
• 24:09
  So sorry, go on and finish up May Sorry.
• 24:12
  Yeah. Oh, and there that that right
• 24:17
  there is an example of the latest it going on.
• 24:20
  So what I was going to say was right is the this is another
• 24:23
  prime example of how the NFL just can't do a simple.
• 24:27
  And by simple, it's quite a big part of someone's life is going
• 24:30
  into the Hall of Fame, but they can't do something as as as
• 24:34
  simple in a simple. There was have to overcomplicate
• 24:38
  everything like just one vote per GM over a certain amount of
• 24:45
  votes. Why?
• 24:46
  Why does it need to be feed to the GM or just the body as such?
• 24:50
  I just I just feel like it's always an overcomplicated way
• 24:53
  with how it seems like the Heisman.
• 24:55
  The Heisman gets brought in like you people random is all like
• 24:59
  people in the media get chose to vote for the Heisman.
• 25:01
  It's like, hang on. No, just there has to be an
• 25:05
  easier way for this. There must be, there must be.
• 25:10
  I kind of get it to a point because really like when you get
• 25:14
  all the finalists, who's going to be the Dick editors?
• 25:16
  No, he shouldn't be in like, I kind of get it.
• 25:20
  And, and I think a lot of the rationale that I'm reading is
• 25:25
  that there's quite a few big names who were basically on like
• 25:31
  the last chance. So you've, you've only got like
• 25:34
  a certain window. So you get it.
• 25:36
  The window opens so long after you retire and then you've only
• 25:39
  got so long to then be voted in. So I think there's like a bunch
• 25:43
  of these bigger names, like older boys who probably before
• 25:46
  our time who were on the sort of last chance.
• 25:49
  So a bunch of voters have kind of like used those votes on
• 25:52
  those guys because let's be honest, Bill and Kraft, that
• 25:56
  they're going to get in. Like, there's no way Bill
• 26:00
  Belichick cannot get into the Hall of Fame.
• 26:02
  Like, if he doesn't, that's complete and utter collusion.
• 26:05
  And there's a travesty there. And that's coming from a
• 26:07
  Dolphins fan. But you've got to give the guy
• 26:09
  his Jews. I still don't get.
• 26:14
  It to a point, but it's messy. I still don't understand the the
• 26:18
  why they why they've only got so many years to get in.
• 26:20
  Like for me, if you've if you've made such an impact, right.
• 26:24
  So I'm just looking at list there.
• 26:25
  There's like Larry Fitzgerald on there, there's Drew Brees in
• 26:27
  there. This is the list that research
• 26:28
  college is set in for us now. OK, and Infinity air is on
• 26:31
  there. Eli Manning's on there.
• 26:33
  But there's certain names on here like, you know, Jason
• 26:36
  Witten, who fantastic player, but I wouldn't put him in kind
• 26:40
  of the same calibre off the off the RIP as Larry Fitzgerald and
• 26:43
  Drew Brees, for instance, this time round.
• 26:47
  But why should he have? Why should it be a cut off
• 26:49
  unless right. Hey, I don't want to bring this
• 26:51
  up again, but like, unless he's been found in Epstein's files,
• 26:53
  why on earth would he be not be eligible for just being a good
• 26:57
  football player, just not being voted in at this current process
• 26:59
  in time. I get having an I get having an
• 27:02
  entry. Yeah.
• 27:03
  So you've got to be retired for so many, so many years.
• 27:05
  We do the same with our with our amateur football, our brick
• 27:09
  ball. We do the same with that Hall of
• 27:11
  Fame. You've got to be retired for so
• 27:12
  many years before you're eligible.
• 27:14
  But no, there shouldn't be. There shouldn't be a cap on it.
• 27:16
  You should be just be able to get voted in as and as and when
• 27:19
  you when you should be, surely. Yeah, you'd think so.
• 27:26
  But like you say, the NFL like to make things complicated.
• 27:29
  Don't then. I don't know, It's just balmy.
• 27:31
  But I mean, let's be honest, we'll be here this time next
• 27:33
  year and it'll be like, right. Bill's in the Hall of Fame.
• 27:35
  Of course he is. But.
• 27:36
  I mean the. Scary thing is I, I've, I've
• 27:40
  thought a good few times about putting big money, I mean big
• 27:44
  money for me, not big money for the the Ballers, but big money
• 27:48
  on like Bill and Brady as being first ballot Hall of Fame
• 27:53
  because you just think there's no way they can't be.
• 27:56
  Obviously you know Brady's not eligible yet, is he?
• 28:00
  But like, I thought about it a lot and the only reason I
• 28:04
  haven't is because the odds are just so crap it's I'd have to be
• 28:07
  paying big, big, big bucks to actually do anything with it.
• 28:10
  But it's, it's brilliant though, isn't it?
• 28:14
  Because there'll be a lot of people who've put a lot of money
• 28:16
  on Bill being in the Hall of Fame this year.
• 28:19
  Yeah, yeah. And I think, I think that's the
• 28:22
  I think that him not being in the Hall of Fame this year has
• 28:24
  taken a the limelight of the people that have got into the
• 28:28
  finalists. So I think we kind of, we put
• 28:30
  the the Hall of Fame in the back burner until the people have
• 28:33
  been announced properly and we're giving them their credit
• 28:36
  rather than just kind of, I don't think, I don't think the
• 28:39
  credit's going to be due now because of the Belichick craft
• 28:42
  situation in particular and not getting in.
• 28:45
  But yeah. So we'll see how we get on with
• 28:47
  with the Hall of Fame and what what it shows kind of in a what
• 28:53
  we're in because in a couple of weeks.
• 28:54
  Is it just before the Super? I don't really know when it gets
• 28:56
  drawn. I'm not going to lie.
• 28:57
  It's really bad for me. I don't even know when it gets
• 28:59
  drawn to get in, I just see just get the notification every now
• 29:02
  and then. Do you know what I mean?
• 29:06
  I'm almost certain the ceremony is the night before or a couple
• 29:11
  of nights before. It's definitely on the run up to
• 29:14
  the Super Bowl, isn't it? But like you say, it's, it's
• 29:18
  almost a bit of a like, I don't know, like on the side of this
• 29:26
  Super Bowl fifth. Yeah, All right, so that's
• 29:29
  what's Thursday, isn't it? It'll be a Friday morning, I I
• 29:32
  imagine. But it's yeah, it's a bit of a,
• 29:36
  a weird 1, isn't it? Shall we have a quick look at
• 29:38
  the honours list? Because that's the same night,
• 29:40
  isn't it? So I think these are the ones
• 29:43
  which we've, we've sort of touched on some of these over
• 29:45
  the last couple of weeks, particularly the MVPI.
• 29:48
  Think we've talked about the coach of the year, but let's
• 29:51
  just have a little look and we've got a list here.
• 29:54
  So we'll like we'll try and fly through these if that's all
• 29:57
  right with you, Zach. We've got a lot to get to
• 29:59
  tonight. But so MVP we've spoke about.
• 30:06
  But those finalists you've got Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence,
• 30:10
  Trick May, Christian McCaffrey and Matt Stafford.
• 30:15
  Any names stand out to you there, Zach?
• 30:18
  For what? For the MVP side of things
• 30:21
  there. So I'm just getting the list up
• 30:24
  here myself. Not not necessarily like Josh
• 30:33
  Allen, I think gets a lot of credit every year, but I think
• 30:40
  he failed. I mean, it's tough because it's
• 30:43
  all, it's all them. It's all them.
• 30:44
  Like season based in it rather than postseason as well.
• 30:48
  And I judge Josh Allen on pro on postseason rather than just
• 30:52
  saying what he does in the season is it's all it's magical
• 30:57
  year in, year out. And then he just always flops in
• 31:00
  that postseason. So I kind of get blinded
• 31:02
  sometimes by it, But yeah, I'm not too sure off top, man.
• 31:10
  I don't know who, I don't know who I'd back to to take it, if
• 31:15
  I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, because I think if you
• 31:18
  just looking at season based, you could take, I think you take
• 31:24
  CMC out of that list for sure. Because I mean, he's had a he's
• 31:30
  had a good a good season, but not not massively different for
• 31:34
  him from a neutral. I think Trevor Lawrence has a
• 31:40
  great shout because he of what he's done this year with the
• 31:43
  Jags. I think my boy Drake May has
• 31:50
  wins it for me on that side of things.
• 31:52
  But Josh Allen tarnishes his view for me because of what what
• 31:57
  happens in the post season every year for him.
• 32:01
  I think it's crazy the only one you've not actually mentioned
• 32:04
  there by name is Stafford. And for me, Staffords, the is
• 32:06
  the MVP you've got. I think it's got to it's going
• 32:11
  to come down to Drake main Matt Stafford.
• 32:13
  I think it is. You know, they've been the
• 32:16
  Patriots have obviously dominated the AFC and we don't
• 32:19
  need to regurgitate our previous conversations there.
• 32:22
  But he has Drake made credit where it's due.
• 32:24
  He is bald and his second year and he's stood out.
• 32:28
  But Stafford has been lights out again this year.
• 32:32
  You know, there's a lot of talk whether he'd even still be at
• 32:34
  the Rams this year or play this year.
• 32:36
  And he's been lights out. And I think he, for me, he's the
• 32:40
  MVP. It'll be interesting to see to
• 32:43
  see how that one goes. But has he been lights out
• 32:48
  purely because he's got an absolute army of people around
• 32:52
  him? And that's the reason why I
• 32:54
  don't bring Matt Stafford. I've got enough for against Matt
• 32:56
  Stafford. And if he wins it, he's he has
• 32:59
  he has played lights out. And I agree with you.
• 33:01
  What I see from an MVP is the Most Valuable Player is Matt
• 33:06
  Stafford the Most Valuable Player on that team.
• 33:10
  If you take away, if you put Matt Stafford in the Patriots
• 33:15
  team, for instance, without the weapons, the number of weapons
• 33:18
  that he's got, does he do the same as what Drake May's done?
• 33:20
  And for me, I think the youth of Drake May, I think you put Drake
• 33:24
  May in the ramp in, in that, in where Matt Stafford was, right?
• 33:28
  With them, with them weapons around him.
• 33:32
  I think he's even better. I think, yeah, I think Drake May
• 33:34
  flies away with it. Yeah, maybe.
• 33:38
  And it's a fairpoint. I know you, you sort of
• 33:40
  mentioned that I think last week or the week before as well in
• 33:43
  terms of like the weapons. And I I get it.
• 33:45
  I completely agree. I can't, I can't sit and argue
• 33:48
  with that point, to be fair. But I just think with these
• 33:51
  honours, kind of like what we're just talking about with the Hall
• 33:54
  of Fame, it's the media, isn't it?
• 33:56
  And it's those media narratives and Stafford, I mean, Patriots
• 33:59
  are a bit of a media story this year.
• 34:01
  And Drake May is quite well liked, isn't he?
• 34:03
  They are a likeable Patriots team, which kills me to say, but
• 34:07
  it's not like the Patriots of old is it?
• 34:09
  Where everyone love to hate them because of their success.
• 34:12
  They're actually quite likeable minus Stefan Diggs who's got a
• 34:15
  million question marks over his head even from his ex team
• 34:17
  mates. But like generally the team as a
• 34:20
  whole are really likeable and I quite like Drake May, but it's
• 34:25
  the media and I think LA have got the media behind them.
• 34:30
  The Rams have got the media behind them.
• 34:31
  Staff is really likeable. He's got the media.
• 34:33
  I just think it's a tough one. It's a tough one to call.
• 34:39
  My bet, Stafford. You're better Stafford.
• 34:42
  My bet is Drake may from this right We've there's quite a few
• 34:47
  honest to go through. So let's do some quick fire
• 34:49
  predictions across the the the honours list itself.
• 34:54
  So I'll jump in with coach of the year.
• 34:56
  So we've got a few a few nominees here.
• 34:58
  We've got Liam Cohen, Ben Johnson, Mike McDonald, Kyle
• 35:01
  Shanahan and Mike Vrabel. Who is your coach of the year
• 35:05
  off the top of your head And a quick 10 seconds to why?
• 35:09
  I'm stuck between Vrabel and Johnson.
• 35:13
  Vrabel because first year with Patriots, obviously they've got
• 35:16
  to where they've got. He's he's a big media
• 35:18
  personality, he's likeable, he's coming.
• 35:20
  He's turned the franchise around.
• 35:22
  Ben Johnson because he's an absolute madman and he's took
• 35:25
  the the Bears from dross from the last 1020 plus years to have
• 35:32
  been within inches of the Super Bowl.
• 35:34
  And I know it's a regular season, but it's tough to call.
• 35:38
  If I had to put money on it, I'd go variable.
• 35:41
  I'm going Mike McDonald from the Seahawks for the same reason as
• 35:45
  what you said for the Patriots. I think what he's done with the
• 35:48
  Seahawks in the turn around to get the Seahawks into a Super
• 35:50
  Bowl contending team and they've looked like it from pretty much
• 35:53
  the get go of the year and they've looked fantastic
• 35:56
  throughout the regular season. For me, it's a Seahawks.
• 36:00
  If not, I would go bye bye MM Rabel just for the same reasons,
• 36:04
  just the opposite or the opposite conference.
• 36:07
  Easy as that. For me it's Mike Rabel or it's
• 36:09
  Mike McDonald, Assistant coach of the year.
• 36:14
  I mean assistant coach of the year.
• 36:19
  We've got we've got Victoria Fanigo.
• 36:22
  Is that how you is that? I'm really bad at pronouncing
• 36:24
  names there. So we've got Victoria Victoria
• 36:25
  Fanigo nuts at. All you need to start that
• 36:30
  Victoria Fangio. Fangio Fangio if you've watched.
• 36:35
  Or listened to this podcast. You know, Zach is terrible with
• 36:39
  names, but that was atrocious. That was all.
• 36:42
  I drive for a living. I drive for a living.
• 36:45
  Not read. OK.
• 36:45
  I drive not read right. You know what you can read?
• 36:49
  You can read the rest of these names because I'm just going to
• 36:51
  get them wrong. I know I am right.
• 36:54
  Fine, we've got Victoria. We've got Victoria, Fangio,
• 36:57
  Brian Flores, Vance Joseph, Clint Kubiak.
• 37:00
  Or is it Clint Kubiak and Josh McDaniels?
• 37:06
  For me, I'll go first because I just nailed the names and you
• 37:09
  were atrocious. It's it's a tough one again,
• 37:14
  It's Clint Kubiak or it's Brian Flores for me.
• 37:17
  I think Brian Flores is the big name.
• 37:19
  He's been lights out with Vikings DC.
• 37:22
  He's obviously resigned there. But I think Clint Kubiak is the
• 37:27
  new Ben Johnson this year and done what he's done with Donald.
• 37:32
  It's Clint Kubiak for me. I agree, I agree with me.
• 37:36
  I think the that that Seattle offence is I'm going to try and
• 37:39
  do it. I should agree what you said and
• 37:41
  the name that you pronounced. OK, so I'm going to back you on
• 37:44
  that one. Comeback player of the year,
• 37:46
  I've read, I've pre read these so I can pronounce all these
• 37:49
  ones. All right.
• 37:50
  Comeback player of the year. We've got Stefan Diggs from the
• 37:52
  Patriots, we've got Aiden Hutchinson, we've got Trevor
• 37:54
  Lawrence, we've got Christian McCaffrey and Dak Perez Scott.
• 37:58
  I think the comeback player of the year is the most grey area
• 38:02
  kind of award. You know, you can just get it if
• 38:06
  you missed a few games back. Looks in it.
• 38:08
  It's what are you going for it? Yeah, it's.
• 38:10
  The worst it's. Yeah.
• 38:13
  It's got to be for me, like, I mean, all five of these are
• 38:16
  horrendous. This isn't a comeback player of
• 38:19
  the year, but I think who's had the biggest impact after a bang
• 38:25
  every year basically is what the award is now I'm going Trevor
• 38:28
  Lawrence. I'm going Stefan days because he
• 38:32
  was actually injured from majority of the year.
• 38:34
  So no, he. Came back so defensive player of
• 38:40
  the year. I will take these and I think
• 38:42
  it's an absolute given. You've got Will Anderson junior,
• 38:46
  you've got Nick Bonito, you've got Miles Garrett, AM Hutchinson
• 38:50
  and Mike Parsons. Surprise, surprise, all
• 38:53
  defensive players of the year nominated are defensive ends.
• 38:56
  Shock. It's Miles Garrett, isn't it?
• 38:59
  Like he's got the second record. It's got to be Garrett.
• 39:02
  It's going to be nobody else. OK, moving on to the offensive
• 39:05
  player of the year, Drake May, Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nakua
• 39:08
  Bryant, Bijon Bryant, Bijon Robinson and Jackson Smith and
• 39:13
  Jigra. It's one name for me on here
• 39:16
  quite easily. It's Jason.
• 39:18
  He's the he's, he's the, he's the boy this year for me.
• 39:24
  I've I would probably agree other than the fact I think
• 39:27
  Stafford will win the MVP and therefore I think Drake May will
• 39:31
  take the offensive player of the year.
• 39:35
  Maybe so. Maybe so you can take Offensive
• 39:38
  Rookie of the Year, OK. All right, so we've got Jackson
• 39:43
  Dart. We've got Emika Egbuka.
• 39:46
  Did I write that one? We've got Trevion Henderson.
• 39:50
  Jesus, we're going to to toy. I just said titty.
• 39:58
  Oh God, we got Macmillan. You set me up something chronic
• 40:04
  here. Oh God, and we've got Tyler.
• 40:08
  Is it SHO, SHO, SHO, SHO the Saints QB.
• 40:12
  Oh God, that was awful. And I hate this award.
• 40:15
  You know, I hate this list because I don't really think.
• 40:22
  None of them have been great. I've like I think like the Mecca
• 40:25
  egg Buka started out the first half of the season phenomenal.
• 40:29
  He was like, Oh my God, this is the next Puka Nakura.
• 40:32
  Like where's this guy called him?
• 40:33
  He's been fantastic and then just nose died of a Cliff and
• 40:37
  never caught a ball again. I feel like Jackson Dart just
• 40:41
  die bombs into everything. And I think if Jackson Dart have
• 40:44
  been smarter about concussions, would have would have maybe run
• 40:49
  away with this award. But I just, I just think he
• 40:52
  wasn't think. He still could.
• 40:55
  Do you know what I I genuinely think off this list, it's
• 40:58
  Trayvon Henderson. I'd really do off that list,
• 41:01
  it's just Trayvon Henderson. It's been the most impact
• 41:04
  personally. Mcmillan's had a really good
• 41:09
  year though, and I can't say the guy's first name.
• 41:11
  So team McMillan wide receiver Panthers had a really good year
• 41:15
  and they overachieved as well. And it's I mean, Carl's just
• 41:18
  putting the stats in now actually like over 1000
• 41:21
  receiving yards. Tetaroa.
• 41:24
  Thank you, thank you. Sounds is that like, is it it
• 41:30
  must be like a Maori sort of Polynesian name that it
• 41:32
  definitely sounds it Samoan. Thank you.
• 41:36
  I was I was there with the Polynesian sort of Lynx.
• 41:40
  But yeah, like he's had a good year.
• 41:42
  He's had a sneaky good year, but I just the the annoying thing
• 41:45
  with all these awards is this media voted award and Jackson
• 41:49
  Dart was like this media sweetheart want it because it's
• 41:51
  a bit of a Nutter. So I just him and Scataboo like
• 41:56
  they were both like 2 peas in a pod nutters.
• 41:59
  They're in that New York market. So yeah, like if I had a
• 42:04
  sensible bet with a sense instable head, it will be
• 42:08
  McMillan for me. I don't disagree massively the
• 42:11
  point about Henderson, but I just, I think that could be
• 42:14
  there. But yeah, let's move on to
• 42:18
  Defensive Rookie of the Year. We've got Abdul Carter, we've
• 42:21
  got oh God, I've just set myself, we've got Nick, Emma
• 42:23
  Wari, we've got James Pierce, Junior, Carson Schweisinger,
• 42:31
  Schweisinger, Schweisinger. It's got to be something like
• 42:33
  that. And Xavier Watts, Abdul Katter's
• 42:39
  the big name there, I would say. Tough one.
• 42:45
  I don't know, I don't know, I. Struggled to call this one.
• 42:48
  Yeah, same. And I and I would be, I would be
• 42:50
  calling Abdul Kar just purely on the name basis because he's been
• 42:53
  the biggest name that, that on the list for me.
• 42:57
  But that's, that's off top of me.
• 43:00
  That's where I'd be going down, down the road, just just for
• 43:03
  names. Yeah, we've got research Cal in
• 43:05
  the background, Cal saying Emma Ware for his, but he's research
• 43:12
  has tactically just put, but the Browns linebacker is what he's
• 43:16
  hearing is the favour. I notice he's not putting the
• 43:18
  name in there or anything because he's you.
• 43:20
  Know probably struggles. To pronounce it like I do, but
• 43:23
  it's calmer. That isn't it.
• 43:24
  I've just rinsed you for it and now I've set myself up.
• 43:26
  But what I love about these awards, and I think this is the
• 43:29
  first time we've got the protector award, so basically
• 43:33
  defensive lineman of the year award, which I love because they
• 43:36
  are the absolute unsung heroes of a football team.
• 43:39
  Like without an offensive line, you've got no run game.
• 43:41
  Without a run game, you've got no passing game.
• 43:45
  It's brilliant. So I'm I'm really pleased with
• 43:48
  this one. We've got Garrett Bolezzo balls
• 43:52
  Broncos tackle Aaron Brewer Dolphin centre.
• 43:54
  Yep, Yep. Fins up Creed Humphrey chief
• 43:58
  centre Quinn Mainers is it Broncos guard Penny Sewell,
• 44:03
  Lions tackle and Joey Thune Thune, however you want to
• 44:07
  pronounce that one is the bears guard.
• 44:11
  I'm going to try not to be biassed here, but like Aaron
• 44:14
  Brewer really surprised me this year.
• 44:16
  Like he he really Sean and we've struggled with lion on dolphins
• 44:22
  for years with the exception of the odd one or two.
• 44:27
  But Peru had a really good solid year generally.
• 44:30
  I don't think he'll win it. I think he potentially got maybe
• 44:34
  pennies. I think it's one of the it's one
• 44:38
  of the two Broncos guys for me. I think the Broncos have how
• 44:41
  they've kept Bonex kind of go in and save and things.
• 44:44
  I think it's from the genuinely that list.
• 44:47
  I think it's one of the the Broncos guys and this is not me.
• 44:50
  I couldn't tell you what even these guys look like if if
• 44:52
  there's one in front of me, I wouldn't even know they were in
• 44:55
  in a polite way. I'm just looking at it from the
• 44:58
  teams that are on this list right now whose offensive line
• 45:00
  to me as kind of, you know, being noticeable to improve and
• 45:07
  keep their QB safe keep the QB moving and and and going across
• 45:11
  there like and again what I see said it background Joe Tony Tony
• 45:17
  Tony. Well, apologies for getting that
• 45:19
  wrong. I've got an excuse.
• 45:20
  I can't talk the bears another great offensive line that's
• 45:23
  improved and and kept Caleb going in that game.
• 45:26
  So yeah, I I I'll go got it. Bowlers is what I'll go with.
• 45:32
  That's that's, that's my, that's my vote on that.
• 45:37
  Well, time will tell. We'll find out in a couple of
• 45:40
  days, won't we? Shall we move on to the most
• 45:45
  pointless and most horrific few days in the entire NFL season?
• 45:52
  I don't really want to, but we're going to have to do.
• 45:54
  And that's all about the Pro Bowl because, Oh my sweet Jesus,
• 45:59
  it is horrendous. Should we have like 30 seconds
• 46:02
  on the pro ball and then getting something exciting like, I don't
• 46:05
  know, setting mafia on fire? 30 seconds, 30 seconds is great.
• 46:10
  Like, yeah, this is horrendous. There's just nothing.
• 46:14
  I just don't see the point in it anymore.
• 46:15
  Like it was pretty poor when it was a game, but no one made
• 46:20
  contacts because they're not going to injure each other,
• 46:22
  obviously. They're not going to risk
• 46:23
  themselves, obviously. And now it's just stupid games
• 46:28
  and stupid, a stupid flag football game.
• 46:32
  And that's not me making slight flag football.
• 46:33
  Like I've done some coaching of flag football in in another
• 46:38
  world. And it is just it's just a
• 46:40
  different game. It's a completely different
• 46:42
  game. It is not the same as contact
• 46:45
  American football. Your tactics are different, the
• 46:47
  strategies are different. Everything's different.
• 46:50
  It's just a different sport. So like, you know, when we're
• 46:53
  thinking about the Olympics, is it in 20?
• 46:57
  Is it it's not this year, is it? Is it 2028 when flag football is
• 47:03
  part of it? Because it's in the States,
• 47:05
  isn't it? Like some NFL stars have been
• 47:10
  saying, they're going to sort of put themselves forward, but
• 47:12
  like, it's just a different game.
• 47:14
  And obviously they're athletes. So.
• 47:16
  But the Pro Bowl is the most ridiculous things.
• 47:19
  I mean, I'm sorry, but we could go deep into the teams.
• 47:23
  I'm happy not to if you are, Zack, but I just want to touch
• 47:26
  upon the quarterbacks. That's, that's, that's the one
• 47:29
  thing I really want to touch on. So the NFC quarterbacks, you got
• 47:34
  Dak Prescott because obviously you're not going to have the,
• 47:36
  the quarterbacks who've been in the, who are in the Super Bowl
• 47:39
  and you're probably not going to have those who've been in the
• 47:41
  last couple of games as well. So you got Dak Prescott, you got
• 47:45
  Jared Goff and you got Jalen Hurts.
• 47:47
  Like 3 decent enough names. I guess they're not the top
• 47:52
  three NFC quarterbacks in the league.
• 47:55
  Obviously the top couple aren't going to play because they're
• 47:58
  still been in the play offs, but it's the AFC God, Joe Burrow,
• 48:06
  Joe Flacco and should Sanders. What on earth is going on?
• 48:17
  I'm. Sorry.
• 48:19
  I'm sorry but. God could could you imagine at
• 48:22
  the start of the year So cashew week four week 5 start year
• 48:28
  comes round you turn around and you go yeah, two of the Browns
• 48:31
  QB is going to be Pro Bowl this year.
• 48:34
  I know Flacco moved eventually, but like it is absolutely a
• 48:41
  patrocious just how should know Sanders who got in purely on NIL
• 48:45
  but NIL basically like they brought they brought college NIL
• 48:49
  into the Pro Bowl to try and get some views into it because the
• 48:52
  Pro Bowl is the most horrific thing that's happened to
• 48:55
  football is the most pointless put it pre season I've ever
• 48:58
  laughing a joke off epopsy. The Pro Bowl used to be great
• 49:01
  when they used to come out of these web packs get involved,
• 49:04
  actually tackle each other. The Pro Bowl used to be
• 49:07
  fantastic. It were the best of the AFC
• 49:09
  versus the best of the NFC. It was great.
• 49:13
  And now it's just it's, it's the Community Shield of soccer.
• 49:19
  No one cares about it. Like why are they doing it?
• 49:23
  I think the only way you could make this any good is by paying
• 49:27
  some big bonuses like, and I mean big bonuses because that's
• 49:31
  what it's about. Like they don't want to get
• 49:32
  injured because they don't want to miss the main season, which
• 49:35
  is why the money comes from like, I get it.
• 49:37
  I completely understand the rationale.
• 49:39
  So I'm not like slating the players and I think the NFL have
• 49:42
  tried to respond to that. So again, like, I get it.
• 49:46
  They've tried to make it fun. They've tried to make it silly.
• 49:49
  I mean, you might have seen it, you might not.
• 49:51
  Was it? I think I'm on Ross St Brown who
• 49:55
  did there's like a catch competition.
• 49:57
  He did like a flip like a like a side flip off of a trampoline
• 50:01
  onto a crash man caught it like upside down like it was class.
• 50:06
  But it's pointless. It's absolutely pointless, and I
• 50:09
  think none of those AFC quarterbacks deserve to be
• 50:13
  there. Like Joe Burrow, spent 60% of
• 50:16
  the season on the sideline, as he always does.
• 50:19
  Flacco, he's got to get a bit of credit like he does, all right.
• 50:25
  He did well at the Bengals when he was there, holding the Fort
• 50:27
  to an extent for the situation he's in and then should do like
• 50:35
  those. Questions We.
• 50:36
  Didn't get drafted. It's ridiculous.
• 50:41
  It's it's genuinely ridiculous for me, for the for the river.
• 50:45
  I had more of a shot to get in than shooter Sanders.
• 50:48
  Like I, I, I just look, let us know in the comments below,
• 50:55
  guys, what do you think about the Pro Bowl?
• 50:58
  If you're watching, if you listen to this in your car with
• 51:00
  audio only, we have video versions of this on YouTube and
• 51:03
  on Spotify. Head over.
• 51:04
  Come on, let us know in the comments.
• 51:06
  Give us some engagement. We'll, we'll, we'll get back in
• 51:08
  in with you on that one as well. But for me, I think the Pro Bowl
• 51:11
  has had far too much coverage already.
• 51:13
  And it's just it's just us. But yeah.
• 51:18
  So, Brad, are we happy to are we happy we've covered the
• 51:22
  important things and, and, and toss the pro ball to one side?
• 51:26
  Do you want to get into the Super Bowl?
• 51:29
  I mean, that's why we're here, isn't it?
• 51:32
  Let's do it. Let's do it right.
• 51:34
  So what we are doing is we're going to be bringing in and
• 51:37
  we're going to be doing a deep dive of the two Super Bowl teams
• 51:41
  for this year. Super Bowl 60 is here.
• 51:44
  Me and Brad have gone our separate ways.
• 51:47
  We've taken a team each had a look into the background and a
• 51:50
  look into the season, and we're going to do a bit of a Super
• 51:53
  Bowl preview of Super Bowl 60. Brad, it's over to you, my man,
• 51:59
  the Seattle Seahawks. Okie, Dokie.
• 52:05
  So the deep dive into the Seattle Seahawks.
• 52:07
  I mean, Zach, I'm going to keep coming to you except you,
• 52:10
  although you know, we've said we're going separate ways.
• 52:13
  I do want your input on this a little bit, but let's start with
• 52:16
  Seattle then, because this might be to me, the most surprising
• 52:20
  Super Bowl team that we've had in a long time.
• 52:24
  I mean, the first Super Bowl since the Legion of Boom era
• 52:28
  era, that was a big name, wasn't it?
• 52:32
  Like it was this big flagship name or I don't know what you
• 52:36
  want to call it, like a title for that group.
• 52:40
  And there was quite a lot of doubts this year, weren't there?
• 52:44
  Because then 2025 with a really heavy turnover on the roster,
• 52:51
  there was a lot of scepticism there and there probably wasn't
• 52:56
  a bigger scepticism then what you'd probably argue is 2 of the
• 53:00
  flagship positions for a team that needs to reach Super Bowl.
• 53:04
  Last quarterback and receiving receivers.
• 53:06
  Sorry. So obviously they had Gino, who
• 53:12
  actually had a couple of good years.
• 53:14
  I mean, they probably got rid of the right time seeing what he
• 53:16
  did at Raiders, but in a couple of good years and then they
• 53:20
  moved on from Locket and they've moved on from Metcalf.
• 53:24
  And there was just quite a lot of like uncertainty.
• 53:26
  And they replaced Gino with Sam Darnold.
• 53:32
  Like the what, the new ginger rifle, Can we call him now?
• 53:37
  I don't know. Like he's just for me, he's had
• 53:41
  like one of the most messed up, weird, up and down careers.
• 53:51
  And I love, I love that he's in the Super Bowl.
• 53:54
  But they went from that massive turnover to then being 14 and 3.
• 54:02
  So they were the first overall seed in the NFC.
• 54:06
  They finished first in the NFC West, which obviously right
• 54:10
  behind them was the Rams, who very, very nearly got themselves
• 54:15
  a ticket to the Super Bowl and then the playoffs.
• 54:18
  They absolutely smashed the 49ers to bits.
• 54:21
  And obviously then win that competitive game in the
• 54:24
  championship round against the Rams.
• 54:26
  Like, this is nuts. It's their 4th appearance in the
• 54:31
  Super Bowl. It's their first NFC title in 11
• 54:34
  years. Like, did you see this coming?
• 54:37
  Like did you expect this at the beginning of the year?
• 54:40
  No, not at all. You see Sam Darnold coming in
• 54:43
  after what I've done in previous years and we spoke about
• 54:46
  numerous times about QBs in particular not being right for
• 54:49
  their organisation at the time and it making them QBs look like
• 54:52
  terrible, terrible at the job. I was one of the people that was
• 54:57
  sat there laughing at Sam Darnold at the various places
• 55:00
  where he'd been in the past being like the guy lost his job
• 55:04
  to, to JJ McCartney 9 or whatever he calls himself,
• 55:09
  right? He, he, he lost out there and
• 55:13
  now, but they are kicking themselves over this because he,
• 55:16
  but because he wasn't the right fit.
• 55:18
  He's coming to this team. And I don't know, I, I, I take
• 55:23
  JSN out of that team. I don't think they do half as
• 55:25
  well, but take some down all the way from JSN.
• 55:28
  I don't think they do half as well.
• 55:29
  I think they've just got this connection where they know where
• 55:35
  they are on the field. They know what they're doing and
• 55:37
  then they have the other weapons I'm sure you're going to touch
• 55:40
  on, so I don't want to take your talking points away, but how do
• 55:42
  the weapons they can count on when JSN starts getting double,
• 55:45
  triple, quad teamed or whatever, you know?
• 55:50
  Yeah. And I mean, you're absolutely
• 55:51
  right. Look like Sam Donald, Sam Donald
• 55:53
  is is the story of the season for his team, like he absolutely
• 55:58
  is. And we'll touch on those other
• 55:59
  names that you mentioned there, but like he was was what was his
• 56:04
  second overall, I think if memory serves, third overall.
• 56:08
  Thank you, Karl. Obviously, Jets took him same
• 56:11
  year as Baker Mayfield. And there was this whole thing
• 56:16
  about, you know, these two, it could have gone either way.
• 56:20
  And they've both gone to these historically stupid, messed up
• 56:25
  franchises and they were the saviours.
• 56:27
  And Mayfield probably had a bit more success at Browns and and
• 56:31
  sort of sustained that success a little bit.
• 56:34
  I think he's always at the media behind him a little bit more, a
• 56:36
  bit more of a personality, a bit more likeable.
• 56:38
  But Daniels just quietly got on with it.
• 56:41
  He obviously had that stinker of the game, the scene Ghosts game
• 56:43
  against the Pats, ironically, and is then gone from team to
• 56:52
  team and he's landed in what you probably think is the right
• 56:58
  system at the right time. He's been calm, he's been
• 57:02
  efficient and you could say like he's been he's been clutch.
• 57:06
  Hasn't even like some games that that that championship game, he
• 57:11
  was unreal like that was an MVP calibre game from Sam Donald.
• 57:17
  And you've kind of got to give credit to the guy that he's just
• 57:22
  done nothing but the right thing.
• 57:26
  He hasn't been lights out every single game, but he's been
• 57:30
  absolutely what this team needs. And I guess the flip side to
• 57:33
  that is you've got to give John Schneider a bit of his dues
• 57:37
  really this like he's he's pulled in Sam Darnold, he's
• 57:40
  pulled in Cooper Cup, he's pulled in DeMarcus Lawrence,
• 57:45
  Rashid Shahid. Like we're all pivotal in this
• 57:50
  balanced roster, this balanced team, all these players together
• 57:54
  at the right time with the right set up around them and have
• 57:58
  taken the Seahawks to the grandest stage of all.
• 58:03
  But like they're they're just clicking.
• 58:07
  And you know, Mike McDonald, if I listen to another podcast and
• 58:15
  there was a beat writer for Seahawks, Michael Shonda Garde,
• 58:18
  he was on there and he was talking about like the Legion of
• 58:24
  Boom era and how some of those like Seattle's not a massive
• 58:29
  market. Is it like New York, like LA and
• 58:31
  stuff like that. But you suddenly had like
• 58:34
  Richard Sherman, Marshawn, and then obviously Pete Carroll just
• 58:40
  become these massive names overnight with that era.
• 58:46
  Whereas when Mike McDonald's come in, he's just been a bit
• 58:48
  unassuming and he's not been huge.
• 58:50
  But then suddenly about like halfway through the year when it
• 58:54
  was just clicking for the Seahawks, it was like October
• 58:57
  time, wasn't it? And people just started
• 58:59
  recognising them as this actually a complete team.
• 59:04
  And he came from the Ravens and he came with a lot of positivity
• 59:10
  around him from the Ravens. He was he was definitely on that
• 59:12
  top list of like head coach candidates when he got this job.
• 59:16
  But it's his second year with the team and the defence is is
• 59:20
  him. It's it's what we saw at the
• 59:22
  Ravens. They're disciplined, they
• 59:24
  compliment the offence. Lovely.
• 59:26
  They they've made adjustments throughout the season to
• 59:29
  maximise like the strengths that they've got and that turn
• 59:34
  around's almost become like his signature.
• 59:36
  So I think that combination of the GM, the head coach, getting
• 59:39
  the right players in at the right time, it's just been been
• 59:44
  pivotal. And I think when you've got the
• 59:47
  offence clicking like they are, you've got Donald, you've got
• 59:49
  Cooper Cup, you've got JSN, but then you've got the defence
• 59:52
  clicking at the same time like you're a Pats fan, right?
• 59:56
  If you're in that locker room and you're coaching the Pats
• 59:58
  stack, what are you going to try and stop 1st?
• 1:00:01
  And I know the easy answer out as well.
• 1:00:02
  All of it. But like.
• 1:00:04
  We know it's a game of chess. Like what?
• 1:00:07
  What do you think you're hitting first?
• 1:00:09
  Like what's your target? Oh, so for me, for me it's the
• 1:00:16
  obvious threats. You, you put Gonzo over JSN, you
• 1:00:20
  double team JSN deep root because you can, you can sling
• 1:00:23
  it out there. You you eliminate a deep ball
• 1:00:26
  straight away. So they have to play a shallow
• 1:00:28
  game. That's where I'd start and go
• 1:00:29
  with it. You try and force the run,
• 1:00:31
  albeit if Seahawks have got a phenomenal run game as well.
• 1:00:34
  I'm not I'm not doubting that or debate in any way, shape or
• 1:00:37
  form, but they are they are putting second strings in there.
• 1:00:40
  So I will be trying to force that run playing some cover like
• 1:00:45
  you basically get eliminating that passing game.
• 1:00:47
  The first thing I can do now just touching back onto like,
• 1:00:51
  you know, you, you were talking on the on the on the coaching
• 1:00:53
  staff and, and the change that they've had and the turn around.
• 1:00:56
  They had the comeback player of the year's and horrendous award,
• 1:00:59
  which we know about. But this is like the comeback
• 1:01:01
  team of the year. This has been the most improved
• 1:01:05
  team I think I've seen in recent years.
• 1:01:08
  Go from go from a level where they were at and they didn't
• 1:01:12
  really look like they had much. They had some bright sparks in
• 1:01:16
  places, but they needed too much work doing like the Raiders at
• 1:01:20
  the moment. They've got some great like like
• 1:01:23
  sparks in places, but oh, there you are.
• 1:01:29
  I'll lost you there as we've got some great, great sparks in
• 1:01:33
  places, but they need a lot of work doing to them.
• 1:01:35
  So yeah, I think that they did great.
• 1:01:38
  But for me, I'd try and stop that pass game, deep ball mid
• 1:01:41
  midway, short pass game the best I can do and then focus on the
• 1:01:44
  run. I think yeah, I mean, I probably
• 1:01:50
  agree. What's interesting though, I
• 1:01:52
  think about this team and and I've obviously just touched on
• 1:01:55
  it is, is the defence. And I feel like this season
• 1:01:58
  actually with a few teams and I don't think it's just the
• 1:02:00
  Seahawks. I've mentioned this in a
• 1:02:03
  previous pod and and it gets mentioned generally anyways,
• 1:02:06
  like the NF LS, this slight cycle isn't it where the offence
• 1:02:09
  is clicking for three, 4-5 years and there's all these new
• 1:02:13
  exciting schemes and then the defence figures it out and the
• 1:02:16
  defence start outsmarting the offence and defence is winning
• 1:02:19
  and it's all these exciting defence stuff.
• 1:02:21
  And then the offence figures that out and it's just a
• 1:02:23
  constant cycle. And I think this year
• 1:02:26
  particularly, I think it's probably that first year into
• 1:02:30
  that sort of defensive shift. Again, I think we've probably
• 1:02:33
  seen it this last maybe four or five years where offence has
• 1:02:35
  been the dominant one. But it's interesting that it's
• 1:02:38
  happening with Seattle again, because that Legion of Boom era,
• 1:02:41
  like, I mean, Russ at the time was great as the QB.
• 1:02:45
  Like you give him that credit. I mean, he's an odd guy in he,
• 1:02:50
  but he led the old team well and did exactly what he needed to
• 1:02:55
  do. But it was the Legion of Boom
• 1:02:57
  that that ran that team and you've seen it again this year.
• 1:03:02
  You could argue that they were like the engine, if you like, of
• 1:03:05
  of this success so far, the ranked among among one of the
• 1:03:09
  top defences in both yards allowed and points allowed.
• 1:03:12
  The you know, if you're looking at like DVOA and other metrics
• 1:03:15
  like that, I think it's one of the best in franchise history,
• 1:03:20
  even better actually in some metrics than that 2013 Super
• 1:03:23
  Bowl team. And they're absolutely elite at
• 1:03:26
  limiting them. Big plays like a really
• 1:03:28
  aggressive pass rush and that third down defence is is just
• 1:03:31
  there when you need it. And you've got those big names
• 1:03:35
  like Witherspoon, you've got Lawrence who are just off the
• 1:03:39
  chart. So they've kind of almost
• 1:03:42
  transformed the, the, the, the sort of the norm, if you like.
• 1:03:52
  And I, I think it could be that return to defence wins
• 1:03:55
  championships, which we probably had about, I mean, it was
• 1:04:01
  probably about 10 years ago that was the same, wasn't it?
• 1:04:03
  Defence wins championships. We, I think we'd probably both
• 1:04:07
  agree that complementary football wins championships.
• 1:04:10
  But I think Seattle have got that.
• 1:04:12
  But the defence is is leading it.
• 1:04:14
  They've quite possibly got one of the best units, defensive
• 1:04:17
  units in the NFLI think this year.
• 1:04:19
  Yeah. So on that shift of personnel
• 1:04:21
  you had, if you just get into the sport of American football
• 1:04:25
  in the NFL, you, you had an area of QB such as Ben
• 1:04:29
  Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, you know, Drew Brees could,
• 1:04:32
  could be kind of in, in that, that sense as well with the Tom
• 1:04:35
  Brady's missing names there, the Manning brothers, for instance,
• 1:04:39
  who were pocket passers, who stayed in the pocket.
• 1:04:41
  And that was the norm of the game.
• 1:04:43
  And then you had this, this influx of Lamar Jackson, you
• 1:04:47
  know, and, and the the partner homes coming into it and the
• 1:04:51
  cycle of new QB's. I mean, so it shifted from that
• 1:04:55
  big, you know, heavy front set because they will win at a time.
• 1:04:58
  The defence know how to stop that getting through.
• 1:05:00
  If you eliminated the pocket passer, you got to the pocket
• 1:05:01
  passer, you eliminated the offence and then they had to
• 1:05:04
  scramble QBs and then that took a shift and then Lamar Jackson
• 1:05:07
  and stuff with the with the with the big boys.
• 1:05:10
  So that I agree what you're saying.
• 1:05:11
  I would just explain that to a layman as such there.
• 1:05:14
  But I agree with exactly what you're saying.
• 1:05:15
  Now I can see the shift of of big boy football coming back and
• 1:05:19
  big boy defence coming back where it's a lot more of the you
• 1:05:23
  know, the hard hits, heavy hitting getting into QB because
• 1:05:28
  I've had to you look at that, that defensive player of the
• 1:05:30
  year will look to they're all defensive ends because the red
• 1:05:33
  rushes because they've got to get to that mobile QB.
• 1:05:36
  So the sack rates going up and up and up and up and up, as well
• 1:05:40
  as their mobility and their fitness, their their tight ends,
• 1:05:44
  but bigger. That's what the end is.
• 1:05:47
  Such a is a big is a bigger tight end, but as mobile is
• 1:05:49
  tight end and it's it's it's scary to see.
• 1:05:52
  And I fully agree what you're saying there with with the
• 1:05:54
  Seahawks. They're doing convention
• 1:05:56
  football is great. They're an all round unit.
• 1:05:59
  But the defence is, yeah, I'm not worried.
• 1:06:03
  Yeah, it's an interesting one. It's it's an interesting 1,
• 1:06:06
  isn't it? It's like it's, it's almost the
• 1:06:08
  return to sort of big boy football, isn't it?
• 1:06:10
  And like, Callum's just shown some really interesting stats
• 1:06:14
  that I've not picked up on. So Seattle are fifth in the NFL
• 1:06:17
  in usage of two tight end sets and 22 tight end and two running
• 1:06:21
  back sets. Like that's that's heavy boy
• 1:06:23
  football. You've seen it with the Rams as
• 1:06:25
  well, playing three tight end sets.
• 1:06:29
  It's it's getting back to that ground grind.
• 1:06:32
  It's sort of grind the winds out or like ground and pound.
• 1:06:35
  We're going to take it to them. It's kind of the contrast of
• 1:06:39
  what we've seen over the last 3-4 years.
• 1:06:41
  Like, you know, I'm speaking, I'm just speaking from
• 1:06:43
  experience. But like that Mike Daniel, Mike
• 1:06:45
  McDaniel offence of speed and strategy and confusion and
• 1:06:51
  stuff. Now it's just like, we're going
• 1:06:52
  to be bigger than you. We're going to be harder than
• 1:06:54
  you. We're going to be stronger than
• 1:06:55
  you and we're just going to smash it down your throat and
• 1:06:58
  you've got to stop it. And it's it's fun football to
• 1:07:02
  watch. I think when it's like that,
• 1:07:04
  definitely. But I mean, let's just I'm going
• 1:07:07
  to sort of wrap it up a little bit, Zach.
• 1:07:09
  So I've talked about that sort of identity underminded for
• 1:07:14
  Donald. I've spoke about like that
• 1:07:15
  roster balance. Obviously there are weak spots,
• 1:07:19
  you know, there's turnovers in their game that may be a little
• 1:07:23
  over reliant on defence at times.
• 1:07:27
  And obviously their offence has clicked and it's probably
• 1:07:30
  clicking at the right time. But it's it does stall.
• 1:07:32
  It's not it's not perfect. So here's kind of a question to
• 1:07:40
  you. If Seattle lose against the
• 1:07:43
  Pats, why? Composure, and I'm going to
• 1:07:51
  touch in on that with the pat side of things very, very soon
• 1:07:57
  when we get into the parts, excuse me, I think the gravity
• 1:08:02
  of the game will, will, if they were to lose the gravity of the
• 1:08:08
  game we're having the personal around them will be too much
• 1:08:15
  personally and touch more on that at the end of the Patriots.
• 1:08:22
  Yeah, yeah, for sure. Oh.
• 1:08:25
  A little teaser there for us. And so look, they're not flashy
• 1:08:31
  out there. They're not a flashy team.
• 1:08:34
  I'm looking forward to watching them.
• 1:08:35
  I've quite enjoyed watching them all year.
• 1:08:38
  But they are complete. They're physical, they're
• 1:08:42
  they're big team. And, and I think that I think
• 1:08:45
  Mike McDonald's probably gotten built for these big moments.
• 1:08:47
  I think there is that element there, that composure like you
• 1:08:51
  referred to. And I think that's maybe, that's
• 1:08:53
  maybe what Donald's got lingering over his head.
• 1:08:57
  He obviously showed he couldn't do it his early years.
• 1:08:59
  He wet the bed at the Vikings with that last week game.
• 1:09:03
  And it's probably the reason he didn't get signed, which is
• 1:09:06
  rubbish, but he's proven it this year.
• 1:09:09
  But I think will the big stage get to him?
• 1:09:11
  I don't know. So let's flip it, Zach, because
• 1:09:16
  standing in their way is a very different kind of team.
• 1:09:20
  So I'll hand over to you and take us through the Patriots,
• 1:09:24
  why don't you? The New England Patriots, the
• 1:09:27
  obvious underdog for the Super Bowl, and that's that's a phrase
• 1:09:32
  or two, two phrase that I never thought I'd put together
• 1:09:36
  Underdog Patriots or three underdog Patriots Super Bowl,
• 1:09:39
  all in the same sentence. It's a tough one to say because
• 1:09:43
  for the last 20 years, whenever you spoke about Super Bowls, the
• 1:09:48
  Patriots have been in people's mouths, whether they're involved
• 1:09:52
  with the Super Bowl or whether they're being compared to by a
• 1:09:55
  team that's in the Super Bowl where they're like the likes of
• 1:09:58
  the Chiefs are making a run at the Super Bowls.
• 1:10:00
  And the X amount of them, they're getting compared to the
• 1:10:03
  dynasty years and the things of, of, of the how the Patriots did,
• 1:10:07
  whether QBs are going in there. I will compare it to how Tom
• 1:10:10
  Brady did in a Super Bowl. They've always been a a talking
• 1:10:14
  point for the Super Bowl on the area that there and there's a
• 1:10:19
  very good reason why we're deep. Have a little bit look into the
• 1:10:22
  dynastics. It's unfair to talk about the
• 1:10:24
  Patriots and a Super Bowl without touching on the dynasty.
• 1:10:27
  It really is right. 9 appearances, 6 Super Bowls, 17
• 1:10:32
  divisional titles. And the wild thing is, I'm
• 1:10:36
  looking forward to your reaction here.
• 1:10:38
  The wild thing is it felt like they never had a super team to
• 1:10:42
  do it with. They never had a team full of
• 1:10:44
  studs. Now don't get me wrong, there
• 1:10:47
  was some good players within that team and there was players
• 1:10:50
  that got bred into being Hall of Fame players.
• 1:10:54
  Brady was never drafted as a a stud QB.
• 1:10:59
  Who's going to take him to six to win 6 Super Bowls?
• 1:11:03
  Edelman, you know, Daniel Modolo, Wes Welker, they were
• 1:11:06
  never drafted as stud wide receivers.
• 1:11:08
  Edelman were drafted. I gave her a QB at college and
• 1:11:12
  throughout that, that having that like that dominance of the
• 1:11:16
  hard together as a unit without having that that kind of
• 1:11:21
  immediate star power to begin with just shows what the
• 1:11:25
  backroom staff and the sideline and that culture of that that
• 1:11:29
  new that that Patriots kind of coach that brought in with.
• 1:11:32
  And what helped with that was how the defence won the game
• 1:11:36
  early, kept the points low to begin with, allowed the
• 1:11:39
  offenders to come on the field and not have to worry about
• 1:11:41
  chasing the game. Because you knew if Brady was
• 1:11:44
  there in a third down, he'd not with a third in short, third and
• 1:11:48
  five, he'd normally make it. If it was in the red zone, he'd
• 1:11:50
  normally score. If you gave him the ball back
• 1:11:53
  three points down with a minute left to go, you'd be worried
• 1:11:57
  that he'd be he's going to he's going to take it to the end zone
• 1:12:00
  and score. And it's it's games like that 28
• 1:12:03
  three comeback they did against the Falcons that shows that
• 1:12:07
  patriots kind of mindset and culture.
• 1:12:11
  Now, look, that's in the past. I know that's in the past,
• 1:12:16
  right? But we can't ignore a dynasty
• 1:12:21
  and to what it to what it's come on with.
• 1:12:24
  Let's take a look at this season and a little bit of last season
• 1:12:28
  as to what the Patriots are going into the Super Bowl.
• 1:12:31
  So last year, finishing four and 13, Jared Mayer was the head
• 1:12:35
  coach. Now, at the end of the year, he
• 1:12:39
  was fired after a year. Does he get fired if Mike
• 1:12:44
  Vrabel's not available? What do you think on that, Brad,
• 1:12:47
  actually? Yeah, I think it was just the
• 1:12:52
  wrong appointment from the get go.
• 1:12:54
  And I think, I think if it wasn't in his contract
• 1:12:58
  essentially was the rumour, wasn't it?
• 1:13:00
  I don't know if that's actually confirmed or not, but the rumour
• 1:13:02
  was it was in his contract that basically Bill goes he's the
• 1:13:05
  next one. I like that.
• 1:13:08
  I really like that because Craft has shown his loyal to people,
• 1:13:12
  hasn't he? And he gave him a chance.
• 1:13:16
  But credit where it's due, like Craft also owned up to that
• 1:13:20
  anyway. Like it's on me.
• 1:13:22
  It was the wrong decision. We love Mayo and we think he'll
• 1:13:26
  be a good head coach. Just not yet.
• 1:13:31
  And I think if Variable wasn't available, I think it is still
• 1:13:34
  gone. But I think that maybe been
• 1:13:36
  looking at a very different type of coach, maybe trying to push
• 1:13:39
  for like a Ben Johnson or something like that with a new
• 1:13:42
  young quarterback. But I think Variables been the
• 1:13:46
  perfect hire. I agree and I I actually want
• 1:13:50
  the flip side of this round. I'm not too sure.
• 1:13:52
  I'm on the fence whether he would have got fired or not.
• 1:13:55
  I think Mike, so Mike Rabel last year was sat with the Cleveland
• 1:13:58
  Browns just consulting for him and he openly stated that he'd
• 1:14:02
  love to come and coach of the Patriots be a head coach down
• 1:14:05
  there. I think they were kind of like,
• 1:14:06
  you know, look, it's happening, it's happening and what a turn
• 1:14:10
  around it's been. So from a foreign 13 season
• 1:14:13
  popping after a 14 and three season finishing winning the AFC
• 1:14:18
  East title to get into a Super Bowl.
• 1:14:21
  And not only that, a few a few starts here from this Patriots
• 1:14:23
  team this year winning ten straight games at one point,
• 1:14:27
  second in the league in points scored per game, 4th in total
• 1:14:31
  yards per game, 4th in passing yards per game, and 6th in
• 1:14:36
  rushing yards per game. Now look, the schedule is always
• 1:14:41
  been a talking point when it's come to the Patriots this year,
• 1:14:45
  but the schedules mainly being a talking point because of the
• 1:14:51
  offences playing against the like the offences don't be able
• 1:14:54
  to score the points. The back of QB is coming in or
• 1:14:57
  you know, things like that. We face some tough defences and
• 1:15:00
  them stats. There are the stats of the
• 1:15:07
  Seahawks slide up on his chain. There we go the the stats there
• 1:15:11
  are offensive base stats coming up against good defences.
• 1:15:15
  I mean dung them around. We've played some ass defences
• 1:15:17
  as well. I'm not going to shine away from
• 1:15:18
  that, but we have played some good solid teams, some good
• 1:15:21
  solid defences and I think it should be shy like shining the
• 1:15:26
  glass because it's been quote, UN quote the weekly schedule,
• 1:15:29
  but without regurgitating content.
• 1:15:33
  We kind of play what's in front of you, mate.
• 1:15:35
  And that's what we've done this year.
• 1:15:37
  That is what we've done this year.
• 1:15:39
  Moving on to the man himself, Mr Drake May, who has just shy of
• 1:15:45
  4000 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and eight
• 1:15:49
  interceptions. That's MVP quality, that's
• 1:15:53
  efficiency, 8 interceptions all year.
• 1:15:56
  That just seems real low to me. Does that like I, I just think
• 1:16:03
  it's I think it's great to see and I think the the progression
• 1:16:07
  he's made, not just as the team and not just as a coaching side
• 1:16:15
  of things, him himself has just blossomed and come out as being
• 1:16:20
  yeah. I mean, he led the he led the
• 1:16:22
  NFL in completion percentage as well, which again, all offensive
• 1:16:26
  starts across there. What have you seen Brad from
• 1:16:31
  this? And it's going to kill you being
• 1:16:33
  rivals. But what have you seen that
• 1:16:38
  pushes the Patriots towards the post season?
• 1:16:40
  Let's just say because there's been a little bit of
• 1:16:42
  controversy. I know there has.
• 1:16:46
  I know, Lord, I know. I've given him a lot of stick.
• 1:16:49
  And I don't think, I don't think it's controversy as such.
• 1:16:52
  Listen, I completely agree with you.
• 1:16:54
  Like you can only play what's in front of you.
• 1:16:56
  Like you can't choose your own schedule.
• 1:16:59
  You can pick what the teams are like that you're playing
• 1:17:01
  against. I've been pushing the point
• 1:17:04
  about the schedule. Of course I have.
• 1:17:08
  But I said it earlier, didn't I? Like they're a likeable team and
• 1:17:12
  it frustrates me. It really does frustrate me, but
• 1:17:16
  it's not like going back 6-7 years where it's like, oh, here
• 1:17:20
  they are again Patriots, here they are again the Patriots
• 1:17:24
  again here Brady is. It just don't feel like that.
• 1:17:29
  There's no one that stands out on the team that you don't want
• 1:17:33
  to root for. Like you kind of probably, you
• 1:17:36
  probably rooted for Brady in the early years, you know, 6th round
• 1:17:40
  pick and he had this success and then it just got tiring and you
• 1:17:45
  just got sick of his smug little face.
• 1:17:48
  And you haven't got that now. Like Drake May is a likeable
• 1:17:56
  guy. Maybe he'll have a smug little
• 1:17:58
  face in another 10 years. I don't know.
• 1:18:00
  But at the minute he's he's likeable and you've got to give
• 1:18:04
  him his dues, his his stats. And I know everything's not
• 1:18:08
  stats, is it? But we've we've both mentioned
• 1:18:11
  them. His stats are great.
• 1:18:13
  Like he he generally has had some fantastic games.
• 1:18:18
  The the touchdowns to inception ratio is solid.
• 1:18:22
  His completion percentage is up there that you can't knock it
• 1:18:27
  really looking at passing percent, passing rating, QBR,
• 1:18:31
  blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like he is there and it's look,
• 1:18:37
  am I ever going to like the Patriots?
• 1:18:39
  No, of course not. They're an AFC East rival and
• 1:18:43
  it's the Patriots. But like, yeah, I mean, if they
• 1:18:47
  if they win this game and we'll get to it, it'll be it won't be
• 1:18:52
  as bad as it would have been six years ago.
• 1:18:54
  It's they're a likeable team and Drake Mays deserves the credit.
• 1:18:58
  His game. He's a good he's solid.
• 1:19:01
  I'd take him in the on the Dolphins.
• 1:19:03
  So let's let's go to I've got a couple of questions for you
• 1:19:07
  here. And the first one on the dynasty
• 1:19:11
  side of things. Every every good run comes to an
• 1:19:15
  end, every dynasty comes to and then you have the rebuilding
• 1:19:17
  process. Is this the the quickest turn
• 1:19:20
  around in a new dynasty of going to X amount of Super Bowls the
• 1:19:25
  next amount of years to then having the rebuilding process
• 1:19:29
  because they lost a lot of players, people retired, people
• 1:19:31
  moved on, lots of coaching staff to then go back to being here.
• 1:19:35
  Do the Patriots maintain this going forward with the a harder
• 1:19:43
  schedule, let's say next year? Is it is it a quick turn around
• 1:19:47
  or is this the luck of the draw? I think it's probably a bit of
• 1:19:53
  both and this, this is me trying to be not a Dolphins fan.
• 1:19:59
  This is me trying to be, you know, more of an analyst.
• 1:20:01
  I'm not calling myself an analyst, that's all.
• 1:20:03
  But this is me trying to be fair and balanced.
• 1:20:05
  I think it's a bit of both. I think you've got two things at
• 1:20:11
  play. You've got, I think you've got
• 1:20:12
  good coaching. I think you've got a solid
• 1:20:14
  quarterback and I think you've got a generally well balanced
• 1:20:17
  team. But I think.
• 1:20:21
  And this, I'm not trying to hammer over the same point, but
• 1:20:24
  the schedule matters. It does.
• 1:20:25
  You can. You can't shy away from that.
• 1:20:30
  And look at the draw matters. Do I think you'd have beat
• 1:20:33
  Denver last week or the week before if bonus was playing?
• 1:20:37
  No, I don't. But I think going from that
• 1:20:42
  dynasty era to where they are now is a very quick turn around.
• 1:20:47
  And you've got to give the franchise credit for that.
• 1:20:49
  Whether you look at craft, whether you look at the layers
• 1:20:53
  below, whether you just look at this year and you look at
• 1:20:54
  variable, they deserve the credit they're getting.
• 1:20:59
  What I don't want, and this is the danger of Patriots fans, I
• 1:21:03
  think especially modern Patriots fans that have experienced 20
• 1:21:07
  years of success, it's for them to go look at us.
• 1:21:10
  We're back in the Super Bowl, Dynasties revisited.
• 1:21:14
  Here we go. Like, I think it it could very
• 1:21:18
  much easily be like a Bengals flash in the pan when they had
• 1:21:21
  Burrow at his peak and healthy. They had the one year they got
• 1:21:26
  to the Super Bowl. It was a great year.
• 1:21:28
  And then let's be honest, they've done nothing since.
• 1:21:31
  Yeah, they're a good team when they're off iron on all
• 1:21:33
  cylinders, but don't happen all that time, all the time.
• 1:21:37
  I know it's a different team. I know it's a different
• 1:21:39
  scenario, but what I just hope for, what I hope for the sake of
• 1:21:44
  the Patriots and their fandom is I just spoke about Tom Brady's
• 1:21:48
  smug little face. What I hope is the Patriots fans
• 1:21:52
  don't go back to that smug little fandom sort of atmosphere
• 1:21:59
  that used to happen through the dynasty or the dynasty we're in
• 1:22:04
  Britain, you know? I just hope it doesn't go back
• 1:22:07
  to that because it's one year success and if they maintain it
• 1:22:10
  then fair play, fair play, but they deserve the thing they get
• 1:22:14
  in this year. They played what's in front of
• 1:22:16
  them. They played very well, but we'll
• 1:22:17
  see. From a as a Patriots fan point
• 1:22:20
  of view, right? And yeah, we've been there.
• 1:22:23
  We've had the we've had the many Super Bowl parties where we've
• 1:22:26
  been to the populist for past 10 years.
• 1:22:28
  We've been Super Bowl parties is going to mean you and we've been
• 1:22:31
  around Patriots. It's in the Super Bowl and I get
• 1:22:35
  it. Looking back at it now, I get
• 1:22:37
  that, that that kind of smugness that we had because we were the
• 1:22:40
  dominant team, But I think now it's what's different now is
• 1:22:44
  we're playing exciting football and it's it's a different level
• 1:22:49
  of football rather than just Tom Brady used to just act you up by
• 1:22:53
  5 yard pass, 5 yard pass, but it weren't as much as it was Tom
• 1:22:57
  Brady it with a play call. That was the that got it from
• 1:23:01
  there. But I agree with you there.
• 1:23:03
  And and looking looking into it, I just, I think, you know, I
• 1:23:07
  think it's going to be it's good for the sport all around.
• 1:23:09
  So Brad moving on to the Super Bowl 60 preview right now going
• 1:23:16
  to get as as guesses very soon. His predictions very soon, but
• 1:23:22
  head to head record. Seattle lead 11 and 9 against
• 1:23:25
  games against New England. OK, Drake may also looking at
• 1:23:30
  that first. So we have 11 and 9 in in games
• 1:23:35
  against New England. That plays a part into it.
• 1:23:41
  No, I I think previous record doesn't matter the different
• 1:23:45
  teams. I think I love the NFL and I
• 1:23:49
  love the crazy stats, but I think also sometimes too much is
• 1:23:51
  played in stats 11 and 9 isn't the record of these two teams.
• 1:23:56
  It's it's just not so I don't I don't think that plays into it
• 1:23:59
  at all in my opinion. But I do think my opinions
• 1:24:06
  changed over the last week. I do think it's going to be a
• 1:24:08
  closer game than I was sort of making out when we sort of
• 1:24:12
  reviewed the championship weekend.
• 1:24:14
  I don't think it's going to be as dominant as I thought once
• 1:24:19
  all as one sided because it's a Super Bowl.
• 1:24:24
  But I do think, you know, I do think that record probably stays
• 1:24:31
  intact in terms of the Seahawks keep in your hand.
• 1:24:37
  So I'm inclined to agree with you on on the going forward, but
• 1:24:45
  I can't say out loud at the same time.
• 1:24:48
  It hurts me to say out loud at the same time, so I'm not going
• 1:24:50
  to. But Drake made your second
• 1:24:52
  youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl after your boy Dan
• 1:24:56
  Marino, which were in 1985. Nice little fun factory there.
• 1:24:59
  The big thanks to research car for finding these these this
• 1:25:02
  information out for us as well. Mike Vrabel being the first
• 1:25:04
  person to represent the same franchise as a player as
• 1:25:08
  represent the the the franchise as a player and as a coach in
• 1:25:11
  the Super Bowl. I love the start and This is why
• 1:25:14
  I believe that the boys are going to ball out for him for
• 1:25:18
  this, this, this reason for what he always changed going into
• 1:25:22
  there. The biggest one from me, I'm
• 1:25:25
  sure you're touching the second to last stop there for the
• 1:25:27
  people. I can't see this.
• 1:25:28
  Mike McDonald 2 and I was a head coach at Levi Stadium.
• 1:25:31
  Again, I don't think that plays too much into it.
• 1:25:33
  There's no kind of home field advantage there with that.
• 1:25:36
  I think this one starts, that starts.
• 1:25:38
  The biggest one for me here is that Seattle have allowed zero
• 1:25:41
  100 yard rushes in 2025. The run game is a big thing for
• 1:25:46
  New England and I think that's where we're going to struggle.
• 1:25:52
  Yeah, you've seen it. You've seen it in the playoffs,
• 1:25:55
  haven't you? They've just, they've just
• 1:25:56
  absolutely crushed people. They've been dominant upfront,
• 1:26:00
  the box, they just, they hit hard.
• 1:26:03
  It is the Legion of boom, like 2.0.
• 1:26:07
  They hit hard, they're aggressive and they just play
• 1:26:11
  their game. They don't really let the
• 1:26:13
  offence dictate it. And, and I think that's where I
• 1:26:18
  think that's where the Patriots will struggle.
• 1:26:21
  They've kind of been able to at some point dictate their own
• 1:26:25
  game because of I'm not, I'm not clinging to the schedule thing,
• 1:26:29
  but because of who they've been against, they've been able to
• 1:26:32
  talk, take a lead on it. I think a lot of the time I
• 1:26:35
  think this could be a different scenario from them for them,
• 1:26:39
  sorry, where they're chasing the game or chasing the the momentum
• 1:26:47
  of the game, trying to get themselves into a position where
• 1:26:50
  they can dictate it a little bit and they're just, I just think
• 1:26:57
  they're going to struggle. Kyle's putting a really
• 1:26:59
  interesting start in here actually, which had not picked
• 1:27:01
  up on despite my deep dive that Seattle play some of the most
• 1:27:05
  nickel personnel in the league as a as a defence, which for
• 1:27:10
  those who don't know, basically you've got your five DBS sort
• 1:27:16
  of. So you you sort of with the
• 1:27:17
  nickel D, you're more protected against the pass in essence.
• 1:27:22
  But actually what they've been amazing is it stop at the run,
• 1:27:24
  stop in the run. So it's quite an interesting
• 1:27:29
  sort of stat that almost like flips its its own stat on its
• 1:27:32
  head a little bit, doesn't it? I just think I think Patriots
• 1:27:37
  are going to struggle to to dictate the game.
• 1:27:40
  And I think as long as Seattle can maintain that posure and
• 1:27:46
  control the game, I think that puts Donald in the best place it
• 1:27:49
  can be. I think if Donald's having to to
• 1:27:52
  chase the game and play hard, he's going to struggle.
• 1:27:56
  But but to contradict my own point, he probably played the
• 1:28:03
  game of his or one of the game of his lives in the championship
• 1:28:06
  game where he was neck and neck with a, a really solid Rams
• 1:28:10
  team. So I think Patriots have got the
• 1:28:13
  work out for them, but I think it's going to be a bit more of a
• 1:28:16
  fun game than I may be made out last week.
• 1:28:20
  So that being said, let's I want a prediction of score and I want
• 1:28:27
  a prediction of either something that will happen in the game or
• 1:28:31
  a wild take of the game. I think Drake May will throw
• 1:28:43
  more picks than touchdowns and I think Seattle take the win, but
• 1:28:54
  I think it's going to be a much lower scoring game than we
• 1:28:56
  think. And I'm going to go 21, 14
• 1:29:06
  Seahawks. OK, 2114 Seahawks, you for me.
• 1:29:12
  It's going to go one or two ways.
• 1:29:13
  The Seahawks are going to score 50 pastors and we're not going
• 1:29:16
  to get going and they're going to show that NFC dominance
• 1:29:19
  that's just been around all season.
• 1:29:21
  Or the Patriots win by a field goal and I think the game, the
• 1:29:25
  game gets controlled by the Patriots and the pace gets
• 1:29:27
  controlled. I think it's frustrates they
• 1:29:30
  they they beat the Seahawks by frustrating them and game
• 1:29:33
  managing basically. That's, that's my view on it.
• 1:29:37
  My wild take is I think there's going to be a a punt or kick off
• 1:29:43
  return that goes back for a touchdown.
• 1:29:48
  I just, I just see it. I feel like from a Patriot side
• 1:29:51
  of things as well. I think, I think the Patriots
• 1:29:53
  side, we go in and we get, we get a punt return all the way.
• 1:29:57
  I just feel like this year we've been great and we've been great
• 1:30:00
  at the special team side of things.
• 1:30:02
  I think we catch them off guard and we go and we score.
• 1:30:04
  We score ATD that way for me score wise, I'm going to go.
• 1:30:11
  I think it's going to be an entertaining game, right?
• 1:30:14
  And my brain says Seattle will run away with it.
• 1:30:20
  My heart says New England are going to win by a field goal.
• 1:30:24
  So I'm backing my boys 2421 New England you've had a first and
• 1:30:30
  we we get we get the field goal that wins the game in the first
• 1:30:34
  half the the punt return win does the game up the special
• 1:30:38
  teams. Let's go baby.
• 1:30:40
  That's what's getting it I. Love it, Research cals probably
• 1:30:47
  like his chairs. Probably a little bit moist.
• 1:30:52
  We'll share research cals bets here.
• 1:30:54
  So research, Cal is saying that Seattle win 1713 and a defensive
• 1:31:01
  player will win the Super Bowl MVP.
• 1:31:04
  So there you have it. Myself and RC back in the
• 1:31:09
  Seahawks and you've got Zach back in his boys, the Patriots.
• 1:31:14
  Probably more with heart than head, but we'll see what happens
• 1:31:18
  on on Sunday. I'm excited.
• 1:31:21
  I'm excited as well, mate. I am excited as well, right.
• 1:31:24
  We're going to move on now. We're going to swiftly move on
• 1:31:26
  to conscious of time. Actually, we've been a been a
• 1:31:28
  chocolate episode. I'm not going to lie to you.
• 1:31:30
  We move on now to our weekly segment of All the Balls Now.
• 1:31:39
  All of the balls. All the balls got a confession
• 1:31:42
  to make for you. I'm going to hold my hands up
• 1:31:45
  here. I've been annoyed by there's
• 1:31:50
  only one, there's only one all of the balls this week.
• 1:31:53
  That's all I'm going to say. I might have forgot my balls, so
• 1:31:58
  I'm sorry about that. So I'll own it now, but I
• 1:32:01
  believe you've got a good story for us today.
• 1:32:05
  Yeah, I mean, it's all right. It's not a bad story and I think
• 1:32:09
  there's a few things happening in the world sport which we'll
• 1:32:12
  just touch on. Obviously you've got the Rugby 6
• 1:32:20
  Nations starting this week, which is exciting and you've got
• 1:32:25
  a a similar sad story in rugby league.
• 1:32:28
  So if you if you tuned into one of our early episodes, we spoke
• 1:32:31
  about Featherstone Rovers, who are rugby league side who have
• 1:32:37
  got sort of financial struggles going to administration, not so
• 1:32:40
  much in the league anymore, not for this year anyway.
• 1:32:44
  Similar picture happening in Oldham at the minute.
• 1:32:46
  So really old school club from rugby league.
• 1:32:49
  They're not in the Super League, they haven't been for a long
• 1:32:50
  time, but they're like a heartland M62 corridor club.
• 1:32:54
  Really sad story there. But the story we're going to
• 1:32:58
  touch on is in the tennis. Tennis is one of those weird
• 1:33:03
  sports for me where I can take it or leave it for watching it.
• 1:33:09
  But, and I don't do it often so I'm not going to pretend I do,
• 1:33:14
  but I really enjoy playing it. It's a sport that I really enjoy
• 1:33:17
  playing. It's it's up there with like
• 1:33:19
  cricket, golf, darts, sports that I'm not that bothered about
• 1:33:26
  watching but I do enjoy playing. But there's a nice little story
• 1:33:30
  and we won't dwell too much into it.
• 1:33:32
  But essentially you've got Alcaraz, who has become only the
• 1:33:37
  9th man to win all four Grand Slam tournaments.
• 1:33:43
  So he'd be Djokovic who. If you know anything about
• 1:33:47
  tennis, you'll know Djokovic his name.
• 1:33:50
  But he beat him 266263 and 7 five in the Australian Open,
• 1:33:55
  which happened in Melbourne. And with that, he completes the
• 1:34:01
  Grand Slam of Australian Open friendship and Wimbledon and the
• 1:34:07
  US Open. It's actually the first time
• 1:34:10
  that this has been won since Djokovic, which is the guy that
• 1:34:14
  actually beat, but since Djokovic won it in 2016.
• 1:34:20
  So just a nice little, you know, just nice, one of those little
• 1:34:24
  stories. It's a nice one to know.
• 1:34:26
  And really, I think unless you're into tennis, you've
• 1:34:29
  probably not really heard of Alcaraz.
• 1:34:32
  But he's actually the youngest male player to actually complete
• 1:34:37
  a career Grand Slam. Career Grand Slam.
• 1:34:41
  There we go. That's a tongue twister.
• 1:34:42
  I didn't even realise it was. But he's.
• 1:34:46
  Yeah, he's he's he's one or four and he's he's the youngest guy
• 1:34:49
  to do it, which is amazing. Yeah.
• 1:34:52
  Nice, nice little happy. I am just.
• 1:34:57
  I am up there with tennis is you when you read out them set
• 1:35:02
  numbers, is that what I want to say is the set numbers?
• 1:35:05
  That's just numbers to me. That is that is numbers to me.
• 1:35:09
  Tennis is one of them games, sports matches, whatever you
• 1:35:12
  want to call it, where I can appreciate how hard it is to
• 1:35:14
  play. I've probably played it.
• 1:35:16
  I could probably count on my on my hands on the time I've played
• 1:35:18
  it in my life. I sometimes I can't watch, but
• 1:35:22
  I'll sit and watch snooker and golf.
• 1:35:24
  So don't do that. That's how you want to take it
• 1:35:27
  as such. But I appreciate great sportsman
• 1:35:30
  and I appreciate how hard this probably, but it definitely is
• 1:35:34
  so good on you, Alcaraz. I mean, just for context with,
• 1:35:38
  with those sets, you know, so it's game set match, isn't it?
• 1:35:42
  So you win one game, you get the point, you've obviously got to
• 1:35:45
  win so many games to complete a set and you've got to win by a
• 1:35:49
  certain margin. So basically it's first to six,
• 1:35:52
  but you've got to win by I think 2 games margin and that
• 1:35:56
  completes your set. And then you've got to win the
• 1:35:58
  sets in the same sort of way. But if you look at those
• 1:36:02
  numbers, so 26626375, that's nearly 40 games of tennis they
• 1:36:06
  played against each other. Like you hear some stories, I
• 1:36:12
  don't have the stats. I don't have the stats for this.
• 1:36:13
  I won't lie to you, but there's some stories where like tennis
• 1:36:16
  matches can go on for like 5-6, seven hours sometimes.
• 1:36:21
  It's nuts. So we're, I mean, we're, we're
• 1:36:24
  an NFL podcast by main focus, aren't we?
• 1:36:27
  And, and people go, it's such a long game.
• 1:36:29
  It's three hours. It's not when you it's
• 1:36:33
  one-on-one and you're playing for 5-6 plus hours.
• 1:36:35
  It's barmy. It's absolutely barmy.
• 1:36:39
  That's that's, that's wild, but that is, that's not all the
• 1:36:45
  balls for this week. So I apologise.
• 1:36:48
  I didn't have when I locked on that one.
• 1:36:50
  That is my fault. I didn't come out of there.
• 1:36:51
  But that's all the balls for the week.
• 1:36:55
  Now, I am not excited about this next segment in any way, shape
• 1:37:01
  or form because I don't like not being able to like plan things
• 1:37:07
  more than anything else. Well, we've got a new one that
• 1:37:11
  we're going to introduce to you guys.
• 1:37:12
  And Brad, I'm going to leave it over to you to introduce talking
• 1:37:18
  absolute balls. OK, so talking absolute balls is
• 1:37:26
  AB Beauty. So the concept is Zach and I
• 1:37:30
  will give a statement that we have to then defend for two
• 1:37:39
  minutes. Whether we believe it or not, we
• 1:37:42
  have to defend it until we are within an inch of our life.
• 1:37:46
  So I will start by providing Zach an outlandish take and
• 1:37:51
  whether he likes it or not, he's going to believe it.
• 1:37:54
  And he's going to convince you that he believes it and he's
• 1:37:58
  going to defend it for 2 minutes straight.
• 1:38:02
  And that, ladies and gents, is talking absolute balls.
• 1:38:09
  A great car. I really, I'm so excited for
• 1:38:12
  this, but I'm not going to lie to you, but it so we're going to
• 1:38:15
  have a timer on the screen. It's a nice little whistle to
• 1:38:18
  finish it off with when. So I've got this, I've got the
• 1:38:23
  slide ready. I've got the, the, the, the,
• 1:38:25
  the, the, the screen to go on. I haven't seen it yet.
• 1:38:30
  You're just telling me when to Bob it on and I'll Bob it on.
• 1:38:34
  You read it to me. Tell me when to hit the timer
• 1:38:37
  and then we'll go from there, OK?
• 1:38:43
  All right, here we go. Launch the slide, Zack.
• 1:38:45
  So your take is the Detroit Lions are only good because the
• 1:38:52
  NFL decided that someone had to win games in the NFC North once
• 1:38:58
  Aaron Rodgers left and Detroit was the least embarrassing
• 1:39:05
  option? You have two minutes, my man, to
• 1:39:08
  defend this take. You believe it?
• 1:39:11
  You tell us. You believe it.
• 1:39:13
  Over to you. Oh, right.
• 1:39:18
  OK, so we have, oh, no, I don't. Oh, it's oh, right.
• 1:39:27
  Can we just, let's just pause that a second.
• 1:39:30
  Paul, we're on a bit of a technical issue right there
• 1:39:33
  because the timer has not come on the screen, but you can still
• 1:39:37
  hear it in the background. So I can play to the whistle,
• 1:39:40
  say what I'll do, I'll restart it.
• 1:39:42
  OK. Is that all right?
• 1:39:43
  Apologies for that. The timer did not go on the
• 1:39:45
  screen and I don't know why but we can wear that.
• 1:39:47
  For next time we. Can wear that for next time
• 1:39:49
  right I'm going to start this time I'm going to start the
• 1:39:51
  music and you'll hear it in the background we'll go from there
• 1:39:53
  and let's go right so I've got to tell I've got to tell you why
• 1:39:57
  a team's least embarrassing and they even they're good right OK
• 1:40:01
  so. NFC North when Aaron Rodgers
• 1:40:04
  When Aaron Rodgers left, they needed to find a team.
• 1:40:06
  Obviously, it was always going to be the Detroit Lions, but why
• 1:40:09
  would it be anybody else? We weren't going to be the Bears
• 1:40:11
  because the Bears were rebuilding when they decided to
• 1:40:16
  when Roddy decided to leave. So they're not going to choose
• 1:40:18
  that. It'd be too obvious if it were
• 1:40:19
  them. Detroit Lions are a team of hard
• 1:40:22
  working fans and, and, and fan favourites.
• 1:40:25
  So you pick a team that have got a loyal fanbase behind them to,
• 1:40:29
  to to back you on it and you get the fans, you get the money and
• 1:40:32
  it's all about money. Speaking of money, they're
• 1:40:36
  always on prime time games. So if I remember right, I could
• 1:40:41
  be talking absolute balls right now, but I think that Detroit
• 1:40:44
  Lions are always on big prime time games.
• 1:40:46
  Just Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
• 1:40:48
  Maybe I'm just I don't I definitely not making that up.
• 1:40:51
  I'm sure they are there as well. So why not make a team that is
• 1:40:57
  absolutely, well was absolutely trash amazing by hitting the
• 1:41:04
  prime time games was there? So what else do we have?
• 1:41:07
  We've got loads of information because I you know, this is a
• 1:41:10
  super factual truth. They haven't been to a Super
• 1:41:15
  Bowl. So why not make this a great
• 1:41:19
  team to go with? Because if they get to the Super
• 1:41:21
  Bowl, you get money. This 2 minutes is really long by
• 1:41:28
  the way, really long. But Detroit Lions are a good
• 1:41:33
  team because the NFL made them do so.
• 1:41:37
  I believe this statement, I really do.
• 1:41:40
  It weren't going to be the Packers again because Rogers has
• 1:41:44
  just left. It's not going to be them.
• 1:41:47
  Who else? Who else?
• 1:41:50
  What else could it be? The whistles there.
• 1:41:56
  Much longer to go. The whistles there.
• 1:41:59
  Oh my God, that is so hard. Minnesota.
• 1:42:03
  I miss the Vikings. Well, that's shit, so that's
• 1:42:06
  fine. Oh my God.
• 1:42:08
  Oh God, you. Started so strong.
• 1:42:13
  You started so strong. You were almost like I knew
• 1:42:16
  this, I knew this, I knew this. And then I've run out of stuff
• 1:42:19
  to say do. You know what the word Joe, what
• 1:42:21
  the annoying thing is, the timer was actually on the screen just
• 1:42:23
  because of my ring light being parked there.
• 1:42:25
  I couldn't see the timer. So it actually was on the
• 1:42:28
  screen. Well, that's that's a bit of a
• 1:42:30
  it's a bit of a Boo Boo from me. Well, wow.
• 1:42:33
  As you can tell, this is a bit. Of a technological nightmare for
• 1:42:36
  you, isn't it tonight? I mean, yeah, yeah, I have.
• 1:42:40
  I hold my hands with the biggest podcast of the year for the
• 1:42:42
  Super Bowl night and I apologise that I have messed this up.
• 1:42:45
  That is my bad on that, guys. But as you could tell from the
• 1:42:48
  heart, I believe that statement that is harder than you think,
• 1:42:53
  buddy. Now.
• 1:42:56
  You're you're very convincing for about 30 seconds.
• 1:43:03
  You know, it's so high when you can't prep it and you've got to.
• 1:43:07
  I'm trying to think of teams that are in that are in the NFC
• 1:43:11
  North and I didn't want to get them wrong.
• 1:43:13
  That's each or. Well look, so can I make a?
• 1:43:18
  Request just for full transparency to the audience.
• 1:43:21
  So with the technical issues I can't see a timer.
• 1:43:27
  I can just about hear the music in the background though.
• 1:43:29
  So can you and this is up to you.
• 1:43:33
  Can you give me accounting so I can launch a timer?
• 1:43:37
  Yes, yes, I can. Then hopefully the latency won't
• 1:43:40
  play about this, we'll do its best thing.
• 1:43:42
  I would promise you we're doing our best, right?
• 1:43:45
  I'm going to give you my take. A countdown to from three.
• 1:43:48
  You can fire it in from there. OK, So your take is Brad, that
• 1:43:58
  the New York Jets will win a Super Bowl in the next two
• 1:44:03
  years. So the New York Jets, hey, you
• 1:44:09
  believe this and you, I mean, I mean.
• 1:44:12
  Yes, of course they will. Yeah, and you're ready.
• 1:44:15
  Your time will start in 321. All right, God, OK, I mean, I
• 1:44:27
  believe this. So before anyone clips this and
• 1:44:30
  sends it to any friends or family, yes and no.
• 1:44:33
  I'm about to talk about The Jets, but I don't think it's
• 1:44:38
  actually impossible and it's annoying that it's not.
• 1:44:41
  So first of all, The Jets are built around defence, right?
• 1:44:45
  And chaos, which historically, as we spoke about, is how like
• 1:44:48
  stupid things happen in the NFL. Like over the last few seasons,
• 1:44:52
  The Jets have been actually all right.
• 1:44:54
  They've been up there, aren't they?
• 1:44:55
  Like been in that top half of of top 10 inefficiency.
• 1:44:59
  There must have been while the offensive actively tried to
• 1:45:03
  sabotage the defence. They've been horrendous and that
• 1:45:07
  tells you that the structure works but the problem has been
• 1:45:09
  the identity. So that leads us to the offence
• 1:45:14
  or whatever we're calling it. So last season Jets quarterback
• 1:45:16
  play was terrible, must have been like bottom 3 and the like.
• 1:45:22
  Pass rate and success rate was horrendous and that's not below
• 1:45:26
  average. That's like call an adult bad.
• 1:45:29
  They need to get someone in there but if that improves the
• 1:45:32
  league average, so not good, not exciting, but it just works,
• 1:45:36
  then surely with a good defence, and we're seeing it with the
• 1:45:39
  Seahawks, a good defence and above slightly above average
• 1:45:42
  quarterback means it can work. 2015 Broncos did it.
• 1:45:46
  Early 2000s Ravens didn't win because they cooked, they won
• 1:45:50
  because they didn't implode. And now zoom out to the AFC.
• 1:45:55
  Must have about 30 seconds left, if that.
• 1:45:57
  You've got Kansas City, they're brilliant but like no depth.
• 1:46:01
  You've got Buffalo who are elite but they're like chaos.
• 1:46:05
  Cincinnati can't keep the quarterback fit.
• 1:46:07
  Like every single one of these teams are terrifying but they
• 1:46:10
  just shit the bed and that's where The Jets sneak in.
• 1:46:14
  They are going to get in as a random moment of success in the
• 1:46:18
  chaos. Chaos of the AFC with a good
• 1:46:21
  defence and a bang average quarterback.
• 1:46:24
  Oh my God. You sounded so scared throughout
• 1:46:31
  the entire thing. I'm.
• 1:46:35
  I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted.
• 1:46:38
  I think as well off the back of that, I think I nailed the
• 1:46:41
  latency issue as well as in I started it I think at the same
• 1:46:45
  time because you see you finished the list went off.
• 1:46:47
  So let's go Bravo, Sir. But the must have been facts
• 1:46:51
  were fantastic. You would definitely believe the
• 1:46:55
  fact that must have been true. Absolutely brilliant.
• 1:47:04
  That's hard. I don't, I don't Guys, give us
• 1:47:09
  some give us some ideas and suggestions in the comments and
• 1:47:11
  stuff below. What would you want to see of
• 1:47:13
  some of these talking absolute balls?
• 1:47:14
  We can kind of write them down and get get some ideas for it.
• 1:47:17
  What do you think of this section as well?
• 1:47:18
  It is talking waffle. We're having some fun with it.
• 1:47:21
  But hey, I liked that, mate. I liked, yeah, that, that, that
• 1:47:27
  definitely what I needed at 10:45 PM, you know, to get my
• 1:47:31
  heart racing like, so. Absolutely.
• 1:47:34
  But mate, we're going to move on to swiftly after my performance
• 1:47:39
  anyway. We're going to move on to the
• 1:47:42
  final section of the evening. And that would be, of course,
• 1:47:47
  the Carl's conundrum now, Carl's conundrum.
• 1:47:51
  Carl's conundrum last week, last week was who was the last
• 1:47:56
  Cleveland Browns quarterback to make the Pro Bowl before Sajur,
• 1:48:00
  Sajur Sanders right now, We had a few comments on our Spotify.
• 1:48:06
  We had a few comments through the Instagram as well that we
• 1:48:10
  put out there. Thank you very much.
• 1:48:11
  People getting involved. The answer was a Mr Derek
• 1:48:15
  Anderson in 2008. So if you've got that right,
• 1:48:18
  well done, Bravo. Big Pat on the old back for you.
• 1:48:24
  Now we have another one for you this week.
• 1:48:29
  OK, so again, get yourself involved.
• 1:48:32
  It'll be all over his socials that at ABNF pod across all your
• 1:48:36
  socials. Go over there, get involved.
• 1:48:39
  This week's Carl's conundrum is which player holds the record
• 1:48:43
  for the most career rushing yards in Super Bowl games?
• 1:48:47
  And this is across multiple Super Bowls.
• 1:48:50
  So which player holds the record for the most career rushing
• 1:48:54
  yards in Super Bowl games across multiple Super Bowls.
• 1:49:03
  Now my first thing is like thinking of teams that I've been
• 1:49:10
  in the Super Bowl a fair bit just to if it's across multiple
• 1:49:14
  Super Bowls to rack up their numbers, but was like, was
• 1:49:20
  Legrette Legrette bump in that many?
• 1:49:24
  How many the six? What I mean?
• 1:49:26
  I mean. You've also then got like,
• 1:49:30
  you've got the older Super Bowls as well and you know where you
• 1:49:32
  used to, you'd have a few teams on the bounds who'd get there
• 1:49:35
  like 2-3 four times in a row. Like you've got these dark
• 1:49:40
  horses, haven't you? I've not got a clue.
• 1:49:43
  I never do. No, I'm not.
• 1:49:44
  Even going to lie, I've. Never got a clue.
• 1:49:46
  With these. This is so hard to think about,
• 1:49:48
  but I I'd go with a Pats running back across that maybe blunt, Of
• 1:49:52
  course, across multiple Super Bowls.
• 1:49:54
  That's just off the top of my head.
• 1:49:55
  It could be completely, it could be further from the truth, but
• 1:49:58
  just one more time. Which player holds the record
• 1:50:00
  for the most career rushing yards in Super Bowl games?
• 1:50:03
  And that's across multiple Super Bowls.
• 1:50:05
  Please feel free to gain, get in touch, let us know across all of
• 1:50:08
  them. That is Carl's conundrum.
• 1:50:12
  That's the show. It's been a long one, it's been
• 1:50:16
  a fun one and I'm absolutely knackered after that.
• 1:50:20
  So to sign as a, it's. Still pounding.
• 1:50:25
  To sign us off. Thank you very much for
• 1:50:27
  watching, listening and taking part of the all balls no filler
• 1:50:30
  podcast. We are loving doing this week in
• 1:50:32
  week out. If you are listening, you do
• 1:50:34
  enjoy it in any way, shape or form.
• 1:50:36
  Wherever you're listening, please drop a follow hit,
• 1:50:38
  subscribe, you know, leave us a review or a comment like it
• 1:50:42
  helps us out so, so much and has caught and of course, all the
• 1:50:46
  socials at ABNF pod you can get involved with like the weekly
• 1:50:50
  predictions. We want to start pushing stuff
• 1:50:52
  for next year to get you boys, you boys, you guys and girls
• 1:50:55
  involved with the predictions of of the games and stuff coming
• 1:51:00
  up. We really like to try and build
• 1:51:01
  a community out of this. So please get involved at ABNF
• 1:51:04
  Pod across all of your socials finds on YouTube, Spotify, Apple
• 1:51:10
  Podcasts and whatever else you get your podcasts from.
• 1:51:12
  Brad, anything from yourself before we leave?
• 1:51:17
  Thank you for listening, folks. And just, yeah, just keep doing
• 1:51:21
  what Zach said. We really appreciate.
• 1:51:22
  It's been really good hearing from you all.
• 1:51:25
  We're doing this for the love of it and we're working on it every
• 1:51:28
  week trying to get things right. So we do appreciate you sticking
• 1:51:33
  with us. So please, you know, give us a
• 1:51:34
  feedback, comment, subscribe, all that more like it, and we
• 1:51:37
  will see you after the Super Bowl.
• 1:51:41
  Go Pats, please.