Latest / Know Your Personnel Pod / NFL Week 1 Matchup's Look-Ahead | Patriots vs Seahawks SB rematch, 49ers & Rams in AUS & more!

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NFL Week 1 Matchup's Look-Ahead | Patriots vs Seahawks SB rematch, 49ers & Rams in AUS & more! · Know Your Personnel Pod

• Nathan Hawthorne: Does Drake May develop and take another step? Or is he still kind of unable to read the coverages? Has he just not seen enough in the NFL? Jarod McInroy: CJ Stroud specifically, I'm like, dude, just go be a top fifteen quarterback. That's it. That's all we're asking. And that defense will get the job done. Nathan Hawthorne: And listen, I think that they can split with the Rams. You look at all of their games, their last six games, the Rams have the nod four to two, but they've been one possession games Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another special episode of KYP. My name is Nathan Hawthorne. This is my co-host Jared McEnroy, giving you the most complete week one breakdown in the NFL. We're gonna go over the five key games that are not just going to be played this weekend, but they are going to shape the NFL season in week one. This is not an overreaction. Do you wanna get right into it, Jared? Jarod McInroy: Let's get right into it. Super Bowl rematch. Let's start off with that one. Patriots and Hawks. Wednesday night football. Wednesday night Nathan Hawthorne: The Super Bowl rematch. Tell me, what's the line? Wednesday night football. Jarod McInroy: football. It's I I loved I love the sound of that. Yeah, I wish we could have football every single night. Everybody says it would lose its novelty. I don't think so. I could watch football any day of the week. But you said the line. Let's let's take a look here. I mean, w we're looking at Seahawks minus three, which you know, if anybody knows about sports betting, typically home field advantage gives you three points. So they're basically saying it's a pick So i and that's Nathan Hawthorne: Wow. In Seattle, yeah. Jarod McInroy: yeah, in Seattle. So here's the deal. I and we're gonna frame all of these a little bit differently. We're not gonna just get into you know, predictions or anything like that. We're gonna really hone in on the implications of these games. so for first starters here. What will this game tell us between New England? Of course, it's week one. We don't wanna, you know, do any any crazy overreactions, but we're going to anyways, because we're dramatic people. What this game's gonna tell us is is the new New England locker route really figured out? Have they retooled, gotten some of the bad people out of the locker room that necessarily weren't you know, contributing to a good relationship? from an offensive standpoint, defensive standpoint, we're not gonna point fingers, Stefan Diggs. And are they actually going to be a real competitive football team for the next decade? Was this a one time thing? Was this a you know, a one trick pony that maybe got figured out and all of a sudden, you know, they find themselves needing to to retool again? or are they here to stay? Do they have staying power? I think a f Super Bowl rematch is a perfect way to come out this season and show what they're gonna be about. and then on the Seahawks side of the field, can Mike McDonald show That that offense is still electric even without Clint Kubiak. And what will the new offense look like under Brian Fleury? Obviously, he was the run game coordinator under Cal Shanahan for a while. it's a great tree to be a part of. Will you be the next person to come out of that tree and prove that you're the guy? starts with being your own head or your own offensive coordinator, and then Can that transition into maybe a potential head coaching job down the line? So got a few different things here. What are your initial reactions though before I kinda get into the nitty gritty? Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah, I just I think what this game's gonna tell us is is cover six truly Drake May's kryptonite? We saw teams late in the season and increasingly in the playoffs go to cover six, resulting in some poor play from Drake May. What does that look like this year? Does Drake May develop and take another step? Or is he still kind of unable to read the coverages? Has he just not seen enough in the NFL? We're gonna find out very quickly. I'm sure the Seahawks are gonna go back to a very similar game plan. And do these Changes on offense yield a better offense. Offensive line is still looking shaky. Last year's first round draft pick, Will Campbell, is not going to be the starter at left tackle, and he got rinsed in the Super Bowl. So are we going to see a different offense or are we actually going to see an improved offense? Yes, you added AJ Brown, but is Romeo Dobbs really that much better than Keyshawn Booty? We will find out. I tend to think so, but yeah, we will find out. And then for the Seahawks. You already talked about it. What does this offense look like under Brian Fleury? Are they going to be run heavy? Are they going to be pass heavy? How do they want to treat Sam Darnold? And can Sam Darnold sustain play? And then the last part, defense. You lost quite a few guys and you're missing some key guys due to injury. Eamon Wori and Bug Clark, your new safeties. They're not going to be available. Tariq Wollen no longer on the team. Boy Mafe no longer on the team. What does Mike McDonald put together in his defensive master class in week one? We'll see. Jarod McInroy: You go back to the Patriots for a second. Christian Gonzalez just got paid. We saw that contract come out. he's getting paid a lot of money. So here's the thing he's your stable corner. You paid him. Great. I I love that move. When you have guys you know, like Christian Gonzalez who have proven that they can be, you know, a top five, top three corner in the NFL at this point. I feel like that's pretty fair to say. go pay him. But here's the thing when you pay one person You gotta pay another, you gotta pay another, you gotta pay another. All of a sudden, you really have to pick and choose if this is going to be a decade long you know, success story, you have to pick and choose who is important to keep in your building. And I think this is gonna be a really important season. as we kind of these these draft picks that they've been making, will they turn into household names? or will they be on the move and taking bigger contracts elsewhere? So, and then who will step up? on offense. I think that's that's the big thing. Can AJ Brown prove that, you know, he had a right to field the way he did in Philadelphia? So I think he needs to really step up in a big way and be that big target for Drake Mae. And I think he can be I mean he has the talent for sure. the last thing the run game. Trevion Henderson was named R B two, even though he outperformed Ramondre Stevenson last year. I know there was, you know, some injury There was an injury situation kind of here and there. Honestly for both of in terms of availability, but I mean three hundred more rushing yards from Trevion Henderson. and honestly, if we're talking about upside, I feel like Trevion Henderson kind of has a little more upside at this point. We kinda know what Ramondre Stevenson is and does. and I know it's just the title. When you have a dual backfield, does it really matter R B one versus R B two? Nathan Hawthorne: Mm-hmm. Jarod McInroy: but I think to them it matters. And when it comes down to getting paid it matters. So I think really really committing to who they see for the next few years in that backfield, they're gonna ha probably have to move on from one of them at some point. so this will be that that telltale season of who will that be? Nathan Hawthorne: with Trevion Henderson and Ramondre Stevenson, again, that offensive line is a little shaky from the Patriots. Ramonde Ramondre Stevenson is significantly better in pass protection. So it's we expect Trevon Henderson to get better, but it's hard at the NFL level. These guys are coming aggressive. They're coming quick. If you can't pick it up and block it, it's hard. Ramondre Stevenson is just better at it. So I think that's why, you know, a a more not necessarily a conservative guy like Vrabel, but You know, Rabel and McDonald's are probably looking at this like, okay, we gotta make sure that Drake May is protected. So we're gonna have to have Ramondre in more consistently. But I mean, the the big plays that you get from Trevion Henderson, I think just far outweigh what Ramondre Stevenson can do. So yeah, it's certainly gonna be a tandem back situation again this year, as long as Trevion Henderson can stay healthy. on that defensive side, they have one of the best defensive fronts for the Patriots. Expect the defense to come back better this year. You already mentioned Gonzo. edition of Kevin Byers like they're gonna they're gonna be good on defense again. Again, my concern is Drake May and his continued development. And concern might not be the right word. I I expressed on the last episode I don't I didn't think he was that great of a thrower of the football, despite what all the stats and advanced stats said. He has control over trajectory. He has a good arm, not a great arm, but against cover six, his ability to deliver the football looked really inconsistent. Now a lot of people look at that like, it's just another coverage. But what you see with Josh McDaniels is he wants to read the coverage that the defense is tipping first and get the play set up or plays multiples set up for Drake May to be able to go somewhere with the football. When you play with cover six, it's really, really easy to disguise. Is it a cover four quarters look? Is it a three high look? Is it a two high look? But when you start playing quarters to one side and then on the other side you're playing cover two It probably is really unsettling for Drake May. Now I know he probably worked on that all summer. He saw every single team start playing almost a third of their snaps towards the end of the season in cover or in cover six. So look for Drake May's ability to play against different coverages and have those coverages mixed up now that he's playing against more. I would say top level defense in the schedule this year. But yeah, in this first game, you know the Seahawks are gonna go right back to that game plan. They're gonna make Drake May beat you with his arm. They're gonna get that pressure right up the gut and off the edge. And they're gonna make it really difficult for him to distribute the football. Offense, yeah, for the Seattle Seahawks, I should say here. You don't have Clint Kubiak. I love Jackson Smith and Jigba. I don't think that the rest of the rest of the wide receiving core is great. Shahid and Cooper Cup are both solid in what they do. But then I think honestly your next best receiving target is AJ Barner and I think he's really great. but yeah, what does this offense look like? I'm convinced that Sam Darnold has kind of come into his own. We've seen two really good years of football out of Sam Darnold dating back to his time with the Vikings. So I'm confident there. But yeah, just what does this offense look like? Jarod McInroy: Yeah, and let's not forget that him and Brian Fleury have familiarity with each other too, w from his time in San Francisco. So it's not this isn't like they're starting from scratch type of thing. And also they they have an identity now. Fleury specifically has an identity of, you know, mixing in a lot of guys in a lot of different ways. right now they have a very injured running back room with Charbonnet out, so they're gonna rely on George Helani to s kind of step into that tandem role, but it's gonna come down to his Jedi and Price ready. Is he ready to go? man, hard knocks makes you think that he's ready to pop off. so I Nathan Hawthorne: Thinks he's the guy. But he was the second best back. Sorry to cut you off. And we just saw Jeremiah Love get placed at R B two. So also very different situations, but I just thought I'd throw that shot. Jarod McInroy: Yeah. It's it's gonna be interesting. No, it's it's gonna be very interesting. So th this game will be very telling on both of the the sides of the football, for both teams, what the season's gonna look like and really set the stage. So Nathan Hawthorne: Overreaction overreaction. I think this th with a win Seahawks prove that they're Super Bowl contenders again with a loss for the Patriots. It means yeah, it was definitely just some schedule cheese last year. Jarod McInroy: It's a fair overreaction. That's a very fair overreaction. Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Jarod McInroy: I'm gonna leave it there. No notes. let's Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah. Jarod McInroy: get into game two, Niners Rams. Nathan Hawthorne: Niners versus Rams. This is I I love that we're getting this matchup in week one of the NFL season. It's a divisional matchup. It's in Australia. There's so many different factors they're kind of putting in together. But to me, this is all about are the Rams, are the Los Angeles Rams all glamour and no hammer? We saw last year the offense was fantastic when they needed to be. Defense extremely shaky. Could come up with some stops, but were not great. You've went out and you've acquired Trent McDuffie. You attra you you acquired Miles Garrett. This defense needs to be a hammer now for you. It can't just be star-studded names across the roster and being in Los Angeles. Now it's time to prove there is a reason the Rams are a Super Bowl favorite this year, and it starts with a dis a decisive win in week one against your division opponent. And for the San Francisco 49ers, is a does age really matter? I'm looking at this depth chart again. A lot of old Out and injured. Can this team hold it together with duct tape for an entire season? We will find out. Jarod McInroy: Yeah, I need Purdy to come up and and really prove that he's again, there's a lot of prove it seasons out there right now for a lot of players. It's certainly Nathan Hawthorne: Mm-hmm. Jarod McInroy: one for him. injuries, whatever. You're gonna have to the only way to prove that is just by being able to play in the game. but in terms of performance standpoint, he's gotta prove that he's the guy. He's gotta go up against a team like the Rams, who they know very well in a division rival and go win a game. Now it is a neutral site, so it's not on their home turf. However, traveling to Australia to play the Rams is a tall task. Just that's it is what it is. It's a very tall task. So go prove it. Go and and it it's a really big game for that team to show that the offense looks inspired again. We can't have them just, you know, go try and they're not gonna pick apart anybody right now. Like in I I understand schematically that Shanahan can pick you apart. But they they also need to have the talent, you know, the pop, the speed, the excitement. They need to do a little more on offense, rather than just, you know, try and pick you apart because when you got guys flying around on the other side of the football, they'll they'll be able to pick up on that pretty quick. and only takes three downs to get you off the field. So and then from the Rams perspective, what did they really have anything to prove? at this point, like or I d or are they one of those rare teams this year that can kind of just skate their way through the regular season? 'Cause we know they'll be there in the postseason. Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah, th I think that's a great point. The Rams with the continuity from a lot of the key pieces and then adding the pieces to your garage, it's like adding toy cars to your garage. Now you got the Ferrari and the Bugatti. Like they need to dominate from game one. There should be no lackluster performances. Now it's the NFL. Anybody can win any given Sunday. But from week one on, this team has to be disgustingly dominant. And then people are gonna be mad if they aren't, but they have too much talent, they have Too much continuity and you've got a great coach, great quarterback. They're that I just think they have absolutely zero excuses to really drop any games to a team that's not gonna be a AFC champion. I'm sorry, not an AFC championship, an NFC championship contender. Well, yeah, really either side, no matter who they playing, like th who they're playing, those should be the teams that they drop games to if they do. Jarod McInroy: Yeah, a hundred percent. And I if you ask the forty niners, I bet they wish this game was probably like week three so they could get a couple under their belt, because the the two games against the Rams and the two games against the Seahawks are going to be very critical in their quest for one of the wildcard spots. You you Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah. It Jarod McInroy: probably accept that you're not gonna win the division at this point, but there are three wild card spots and there's a lot of teams going for those right now. if you want one of you're gonna have to at least split with one of those two teams. and you're gonna have to win a lot of games that are not against them. Nathan Hawthorne: And listen, I think that they can split with the Rams. You look at all of their games, their last six games, the Rams have the nod four to two, but they've been one possession games outside of the game at the end of last year when the the Niners really had just kind of fallen apart at that point. But these g these teams, you already mentioned it, are so intimate and familiar with each other, it's hard to really get that leg up. And then at Australia, Niners have been there for like 10 days now. the Rams will have been there for literally just showing up. But what's interesting As I saw a great thread. I'll give somebody credit post if I can. But the Rams did this last year when they traveled to London. They went basically just in time to play the game play their game and keep themselves on their West Coast time. So they ended up going to London and beating the Jags thirty-five to seven. It worked. So they're taking this and applying it to my goodness, to Australia. A bigger time difference, I think over thirteen hours versus being you know, eight hours in London, but still like these guys are coming in last second to come and play this game. They want it to feel like it's an evening game for their body clocks, whereas the Niners are trying to be, you know, there already and acclimated. It's a ten thirty five in the morning kickoff. In Australia, which is crazy. And then you got to think about the Niners. Jarod McInroy: Get up. Nathan Hawthorne: You got to travel back and then you got to get re on West Coast time. Does that impact Jarod McInroy: Yeah. Nathan Hawthorne: you for the next two weeks? Now, fortunately, you've got the Cardinals and the Dolphins at home. I wouldn't say those are incredibly tough games, kind of gives you a chance to catch your breath. But still, like I wonder what that implication looks like. Overreaction here for the San Francisco 49ers. You lose this game, everything gets affirmed for your offseason. Old, injured, and just out of gas. For the Rams with a win here, obviously Super Bowl contenders and probably your Super Bowl champions. If it flips the other way around, we've got some serious questions to ask. But I think Rams by at least 10. I think this is a two score game. Jarod McInroy: And the overreaction for the forty niners is if you go out and you win this game in in convincing fashion, you show that you're here to n you're not gonna mess around the entire season and you're a legitimate you know, playoff contender. So maybe not even that might even just be a fair reaction, but I digress. Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah, yeah, maybe. Jarod McInroy: Bill's Texans, game three. Nathan Hawthorne: Bill's Texans talked to me, what a game this is. Jarod McInroy: I'm gonna bring up another line here. Vegas has Buffalo at minus one and a half. So they they're giving them the favorite on the road in Houston week one. Very interesting for a f for a brand new first time head coach against a team that just came off a very big stepping stone of a season and has a very, very tough defense. Here's what this game's gonna tell us. Can the Bills prove that they made enough changes to take a step in the right direction? And was the hire of Joe Brady the right hire? will he actually look engaged when the defense is on the field, or will he just still be kind of acting like a coordinator? Those are very important things to be engaged to encourage to you know, if you if you want to step into that head coaching role, you gotta be ripping people on the defense. You have to understand the defensive side of the football and and I guess be on the same page as your defensive coordinator. and then on the Houston side, CJ Sprout has to prove that he can at least be a top fifteen quarterback for this defense. That's that's a minimum. Just be a top Nathan Hawthorne: We're not asking a lot. Jarod McInroy: fifteen no, top fifteen quarterback. Sam Darnold did this last year. And I know it like Sam Darnold has skewed our thoughts on so many different quarterbacks this year. Calor Murray being one of them, and we'll talk about that later. But with CJ Stroud specifically, I'm like, dude, just go be a top fifteen quarterback. That's it. That's all we're asking. And that defense will get the job done. You you can't turn the ball over. You can't go out and just, you know, have have terrible three and outs. That's another big b like Turning the ball over is one thing, but going and having a three and out is basically a turnover. You're just giving them the ball back and you're giving your defense no time to rest. There's and the momentum also, when you get a three and out on defense, it feels the same as a turnover. So it it's very important to go out and prove that you can move the football. you can get the ball to your skill position players. you know, the of course they need to get healthy. They need to prove that they can be healthy, but Nathan Hawthorne: Mm-hmm. Jarod McInroy: you have a ta you have talent everywhere. You have Nico Collins. you know, you have Tank Dell, you have you have people all over the field, as long as they're on the field. But at the same time, what what we can't do too many excuses. We can't do too many more excuses. And I he's not gonna get the same leash that Herbert's getting, that Josh Allen's getting, T Law's getting. This is a contract year. you wanna get paid fifty million a year. That's that's the talk of the town right now, is he's holding out, he wants fifty or sixty million dollars a year. it they're not gonna just end it to you. This is a very big game to go prove at home week one against the Bills that you can do it. And I that means is over twenty points like that's reasonable. That's is that too low? Like am I am I giving him even too much slack there saying over twenty points? Nathan Hawthorne: I think the defense is gonna produce some of that 20, if we're being honest with you, but I I think you said it absolutely right. For the Bills, Joe Brady has to prove that he can rein in Josh Allen and identify what Josh Allen is doing wrong from a quarterbacking perspective, whether that is game management and learning how to be a point guard out there. I'm not talking about scoring highlight plays, putting the cape on. I'm talking about controlling the pace of a game. Can I do a one minute drive? Can I do a three minute drive? Can I do a seven minute drive? Can I keep my own defense off the field while maintaining momentum with the offense? Those kind of small things. I don't need to take the big ball. I can take seven yards right now. Those are going to be the kind of things we need to see from Josh Allen. He struggles with Houston. I don't think he's ever won in NRG Stadium in Houston. So it's going to be a tall task. But I think this sits on squarely on Joe Brady's shoulders. What does he do that is different? Or are we going to just see the same Bills team? On the flip side, I'm not even going to put this on CJ Stroud. This is on D'Amico Ryan's dog. W do you know the offensive side of the football? To me, right now, the answer is no. All of the moves otherwise have proven whether that was not moving on from Bobby Slowick when it was time and going a year two with Nick Cayley when the offense really did not look better at all. And it's clear that something isn't connecting between him and CJ Stroud. Does a year two Nick Cayley, a CJ Stroud that's fully healthy and not concussed, create a better offense? The wide receiver room's been a little bit tough in and out with injury. But I need to see that D'Amico Ryans can put together an offense to complement his incredible defense. That's what I need to see. I need to see the offensive acumen come through. Otherwise, his tenure is just going to be kind of like a Mike Tomlin situation. You're going to win some games, you're going to lose some games. But this team is way too talented not to be a contender for the AFC championship. And so again, D'Amico Ryans, show us that you have set things up for success on offense, hiring the right staff around you. That's what I need to see in week one. Jarod McInroy: Yeah. I think you even CJ too much even too much slack there by by putting it on D'Amico, but here's the thing. Nathan Hawthorne: I I n I mean no doubt, right? He has to perform. And like you said, he wants he wants the big bag. But you don't get the Reggie F Jarod McInroy: He does. Nathan Hawthorne: you don't get the Reggie Biggie bag if you don't play like you deserve it. Right? Yeah you got you gotta deserve Jarod McInroy: I know. Nathan Hawthorne: it. Jarod McInroy: But also we've seen a lot of very talented quarterbacks do a lot with coordinators that aren't necessarily the right fit for them. he hasn't really done much. Is that fair to say? Like it's at least Nathan Hawthorne: That's fair. Outside of his rookie year, no, he is not. Jarod McInroy: So and again it's n it's no Nathan Hawthorne: But I saw him, he's doing he's he's locked in. Jarod McInroy: it's a crazy, crazy thing he's got going on there, but Nathan Hawthorne: I get it. I get it. Jarod McInroy: it's no it's not a lack of talent. I think we can all agree. We saw CJ Stroud in in college. you know, we we all we all bought into the hype. He came out, he was firing his rookie year, we'd continue with the hype, and then maybe he's just kind of let us down a little bit and we're being very harsh on him, and that's fair. However, it's not lack of talent. It's it's l lack of production. It's as simple as that. And Nathan Hawthorne: Mm-hmm. Jarod McInroy: I believe in him. I think he can do it. I think he needs to make that step. And again, just be a top fifteen guy. be a Sam Darnold and we'll see what this team can do. but Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah. And Jarod McInroy: this first this first game is very, very big in showing that you can do it in the big games. Not egg everyone's gonna do it against bad teams. You're gonna get those wins. It's important to get those wins. However, can you do it against good teams? Because the These are the teams you're gonna be facing in the playoffs and you need to string together four wins. Four? Yeah. Nathan Hawthorne: And and here and here's what I'll say about CJ Stroud. We talked about it a couple episodes ago when we did the AFC South Division breakdown. If you guys haven't seen that, make sure you go check that out. It's a great video. When we did that breakdown, we talked about the quiet offseason that CJ Stroud had and how it kind of gave us an indication that maybe he's getting locked in. I am all in for quarterbacks doing weird things when they warm up. Why? Because it gets them into the right headspace. We saw Dak, right? And he's borderline been an MVP candidate. The dude slings for 9,000 yards every single year. So if what it takes for CJ Stroud is to just work on a little bit of eye focus, I'm good with it. Bring whatever you need to bring to show up on Sunday. That's all I'm asking you for. Jarod McInroy: Yeah. All right. Fourth and final game. We got the Packers Vikings here. What Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah. Jarod McInroy: do you got for me? Nathan Hawthorne: Listen, for the Packers, my goodness, I get so fired up talking about the Packers. Can the Packers be the big cheese? We've been waiting for it. You got the fans, you're in Lambo. Can you be the big cheese this year? And for the Vikings, did you fix your problem at QB or have things just been delayed again? For the Packers, we keep talking about every year how much Jordan Love is developing and How the defense is coming around, and we've got these young weapons that are excellent. You should have blown things up more than you did last year. We talked about it in our division breakdown again. Guys, go check out the division breakdowns. They are so good. But for the Packers, they didn't necessarily get better, which means they expect Jordan Love to take another step and lead this team. Jordan Love, what I need to see you do is again be the commander of the offense and of the entire team. I don't want to see you just focusing on what you do for the offense. I need to see how you are impacting and supporting the defense. The defense is down bad this year. Lost your defensive coordinator, lost Rashawn Gary, lost a number of other guys. I can't even come to mind right now. But you have to be able to keep them off the field. We can't do short drives. We can't be too risky with some of our turnovers that we have as Jordan Love, trying to trust in our arm too much. Jordan Love, I need to see you be the team's commander, not just the offensive commander. And then for the Vikings, Kylo Murray, just ball out, baby. That's all I want to see. I just want to see Kyler Murray play free. I want to see the offense look detailed, looked focused, and looked like it can execute for the Vikings. Jarod McInroy: Yeah. I'll let's let's start with the Vikings for a second here. Kyler KOC is the QB whisperer, man. We keep talking about it. He's he's officially getting that title. I think this is the freest we'll see from him in terms of like being able to just freely play, trust his weapons being in the right place on the field, you know, timing rest. Like there's so many there's so many little things. He gets to get back to the nerdy side of football now that he is under this head coach. He did not get that in Arizona. It was It was schoolyard football. It this was Nathan Hawthorne: Mm-hmm. Jarod McInroy: not dialed in, you know, analytical, really dissecting the game of football. This offense will look awesome. It's gonna look really cool with you know, Joan Jennings, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison. We keep talking about it. don't love their running back room. I would love to see, you know, maybe they pick up somebody, you know, as the year goes on. But Nathan Hawthorne: I'm I'm I'm telling you though, Demond Claiborne, just keep an eye out. Keep going. Jarod McInroy: Okay. All right. but yeah, this is gonna be Keller has to show that he's engaged and that he's actually interested in that kind of football again. he he's getting money, he's getting paid. so do you care about winning football games again and proving that you're gonna be here for a little while? do you still love football? and this is the place to do it. It's gonna be awesome. The defense is gonna be firing. that that we know what O'Brien Flores defense will look like. but this first game specifically at home against a division rival and the Packers, it's very, very important to prove that you are not the bottom of the barrel of this division. Honestly, it kind of feels like this might be the separating game. Like they want both of them want to prove, like, obviously there's two other teams in this division that that kind of both well The Lions didn't take a step last year. Last couple years they've taken a big step. And then the Bears more recently took one gigantic step last year. so who's going to be that third team? Who's going to be trying to play for a wild card spot? Maybe even win the division. Who knows? The Packers side of things, man. Yeah, I said Jordan Love's overrated. I said all these things about him. that's all analysis of what has been up until this point. So moving forward. That is not saying I'm counting him out. Again, this is another person where the talent's there. The team is there. I would like them to rethink their roster construction going into next year, specifically on the offensive side of the football. you know, they they let a lot of people walk this year. They let Dontavian Wicks walk. Like that was a big target for him. Now you're you're looking a little thinner. They're expecting not even expecting, they're desperate. For a gigantic leap from Matthew Goldeness here. so I I'm not even gonna put it all on him, but like you said, we do need to see him be the leader. Watch old tape of Peyton Manning flying around a sideline in Nathan Hawthorne: Yeah, it's gonna be time to prove that you are the big cheese. And again, for the Packers as well here, you got no Josh Jacobs, who was your big cheese. Okay, he was the motor for that offense, which is why when Jordan Love was hurt and you had to lean on Malik Willis and got Malik Willis paid, you gave Josh Jacobs like twenty like twenty-five carries, right? So we need to see Jordan Love again take another step. Christian Watson, he's gonna play half the games due to a hamstring injury. Jaden Reed, I hope his collarbone stays healthy. Generally, you don't break those twice, but I would hate to see some other shoulder injury pop up just from, you know, kind of being tender to one side. And like you said, Matthew Golden's got to step up and then Tucker Kraft coming off that ACL injury. Like the weapons are there, but it's kind of a similar question that we asked earlier in this episode. Are they going to be on the field? And we hope so. But Jordan Love, you got to step up. And this line, right? So the Vikings are favored by one and a half. And this is in Minnesota. So they're telling you it's pretty much a toss up game. We don't know who's gonna win. Vikings, you gotta hold court. You gotta win your home field advantage this week. Cause if you don't, I'm gonna start to ask questions and you're gonna make me look bad. Okay. You guys are Super Bowl contenders. Show it this week. And just and just put the pack put the Packers out of their misery. But that's what we need to see. Packers, be the big cheese. Be the big cheese. Try to be, at least. The the bat the overreaction is stinky cheese is on the field. Josh Jacobs not available. This offense is falling apart, and you've got LaFleur losing the locker room. That's stinky cheese. That's overreaction week one. And for the Vikings, overreaction is wow, this team really could be Super Bowl contenders. We're talking about starting as hot as they did with Sam Darnold. Kyler Murray, JJ's down there somewhere. I don't care if you can't see him. Just trust it. Let it fly. that'll do it for week one of the NFL season. We're going to be doing a breakdown similar to this every single week for you guys, letting you know what we are looking at, what the overreactions are to each week, and how this applies not just to that week, but the rest of the season. So once again, this is KYP, the Know Your Personnel podcast. Like and subscribe if you've made it this far. We love you. We'll talk back to you in the comments. My name's Nathan Hawthorne. This is my co-host, Jared McEnroy, and we will see you on the next one.