Around The AFC In 48 Minutes

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They're one of America's largest financial services companies.

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I'm also the NFL's leading husher.

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The Heat the Co Podcast

is about to give your team the best three minutes of its life.

Oh, yeah.

That's what we do.

We always perform for a very brief amount of time.

Dan Hans is here.

Mark Sessler, Connor Orr, heat in that call

post-draft week.

And as per tradition, Ceci, now we dig in to all 32, starting with the American Football Conference.

It's

what an interesting 24 hours after the draft.

I find myself just reflecting on the fog of war that has unfolded up until now.

And you want to say it's peaceful, but I think there's still a couple surprises around the bend.

But today, what we'll do is reset the board a little bit and dig into the American Football Conference, as you have said.

Yes.

Well, I said American Football Conference, so then you could back it down to AFC again.

I could have shortened that.

Yeah.

So that cost us time.

I'm always learning as a news, as a news gatherer.

So,

Connie, how are you?

I'm doing great.

Like, this is now we see the offseason kind of opening up, and I'm not going to be like the cynical person and say, oh, now I just get to lay on the beach.

But now it's like we just get to, now we get to contextualize everything.

Like, there's like a, now all the, all the ingredients are in the pot, and we can see the marinade during rookie camp and mandatory mini-camp.

And it all starts to make sense now.

And that's when it gets fun for me.

Love it.

Connor is in his happy place.

And, you know, as people know, or if you don't know,

for 48 minutes,

once Justin Graver, the gravedigger, hits the foghorn, 48 minutes, three minutes per team.

We go through 16 teams in the AFC, and you need four people to do it.

And Justin's got too much on his plate.

It's too much.

No, he's already handling so many different tasks.

So you need a fourth.

And I got us a good one.

This is great.

This is like what's the Smartless

podcast where, you know,

our net's going to be like, all right, I got somebody really good.

All right, everybody, take a guess.

I'm not going to do that.

But this man is one of our favorite.

I hate saying content creator.

But he is.

He does tremendous work.

Him and his team of That's Good Sports.

Check it out on YouTube.

He's got stuff up all the time.

And his name is Brandon Perna, and he joins Heed the Call for the First Time.

What's up, Pete?

Pete?

Hey, guys.

Thanks for having me.

I think content creator is one step above influencer.

I think I still prefer YouTuber, but when I first started doing this, it was like hard to even call yourself a YouTuber.

So I don't know.

And you are, dude.

And I don't even see, I bet you have a ton of those plaques that they send out for subscribers and hitting view counts because you do some of the best coverage of the United.

I'd like to say, and maybe this is, you know,

this is presumptive, but we, we, as Damashek would say, park our cars in the same garage and how we look at sports and the pro football world.

So we're big fans of your work and everything you do.

So if you don't know that's good sports and you're a heed the call fan, you're going to love what's going on over there.

And that's why Brandon's joining us and he's giving us this time.

We appreciate you, bud.

Yeah, I'm happy to be here.

Big fan of what you guys do.

So

I'm a little nervous, just I don't want to mess this up today.

So I'm going to put a lot of pressure on myself for this whole show.

I don't want to ramp that up, Brandon, but the stakes are even a little higher than you realize.

If this is your first experience around the AFC/slash NFC sphere, we have exactly three minutes.

You're going to help guide us through.

You're going to take four teams.

We take four each.

And if you go over the three-minute allotment, either in your own, with your own team or anyone else's team, if you say something

over that triple zeros,

our producer has a tranquilizer dart gun and he will fire it it into your jugular.

So just the stakes are through the roof physically.

As a new parent who hasn't slept in about three weeks, that sounds awesome.

You're in a dangerous line.

Fired straight into my heart.

Where's Justin?

Get over here.

Tranquilizer?

Yes, please.

All right.

So each team will start in the AFC West.

Let's do that.

We usually start in the East, but I see Gravy in our rundown went west.

And you know what?

Brandon Perna, he's a Denver guy, Broncos guy.

So this all checks out.

I like it.

We're just trying to make the guests feel comfortable.

So let's start there.

And to get us going, it will be Connor Orr with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Hit the...

What do we got for the sound?

What does this sound like?

Go ahead, Justin.

All right.

Hit the Jersey Shore, Foghorn.

Go, Connor.

Okay, I wrote this myself.

The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area and compete in the...

No, just kidding.

Complete offseason overhaul here for the Raiders.

You needed to make yourself relevant again.

So you get a win-with quarterback in Geno Smith.

You pair him with Chip Kelly, who I think is probably the most versatile offensive coordinator to have come back into the NFL from college.

Started as a guy who is running 75 to 80 plays a game with Oregon and then totally changed his stripes at Ohio State, running 50, 55 plays, trying to milk the clock, almost playing Ravens ball, shows that versatility.

And then that spins into, you know, drafting the league's top running back, top running back available in Ashton Genti.

And what's really attractive to me now is I think you have something.

And this Raiders team was actually.

Crazy spunky last year, but you just remember Antonio Pierce would randomly not go for it on certain fourth downs or then all of a sudden become Brandon Staley and completely blow up his decision-making processes.

There was 19 former old white NFL head coaches trying to help him to put everything together.

The old whites are at it again.

Tom Coughlin, Norv Turner.

It's like, okay, let's move on and let's try something new.

And I think they really did.

So what really kind of fascinates me about this team is we have Colton Miller, who's the anchor of that offensive line.

He's going to be an unrestricted free agent next year.

And so after Genti and after you take Besh in the second round, who is kind of, I mean, not Lad McConkey, but he's still got those fast hands.

I think he's going to be able to just be that outlet valve for Geno Smith.

They didn't have anything at wide receiver, but what you're really hoping to do is you're trying to get

one of these two offensive tackles that you drafted to maybe one to kick down into guard, but the other one to be the next

Colton Miller, right?

To be your next anchor tackle.

Connor, we're inside a minute.

Can you throw it to the people already?

Can I throw it to the what?

The people, to us for the conversation.

Okay, here you go.

Guys, what do you think about everything everything I just said?

I will say something very quickly.

Sorry.

I can't think.

I think as a professional football team, it's hard to accomplish as much as the Raiders have in mere months.

Like it kind of changes everything that I think about them.

And I just had to, I struggled to take them seriously for eons.

And at coach, at quarterback, at running back, at offensive coordinator, a lot looks different.

And

it's tangibly a more interesting situation.

Brandon?

Yeah, I I think like my take on the Raiders is it feels like they have adults running the team now.

As a Broncos fan who went through some bad years recently, at least we always kind of had the Raiders to

be like, oh, yeah, they're bad too.

And I think Genty is such a dynamic player.

Going to the Raiders and

Good.

They're doing good.

And I don't want to say it.

I fed that one up, guys.

So let's.

I deserve to tranquilize it.

Yeah, give one to the jugular for coming.

You really rated that one.

The Los Angeles Super Chargers.

You know, I didn't love that Najee Harris signing in a free agent vacuum, but after draft weekend, I kind of love it.

This is a Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman wet dream.

It's a soaking wet dream.

Don't even bother washing the sheets.

Toss them.

Hell burn them.

No one can ever know.

It's a versatile backfield combination made up to two former first-round picks, skill sets that complement each other.

Justin Herbert didn't throw for 4,000 yards in 17 starts for the Chargers last year.

I'm not sure he ever does that with Harbaugh playing offense his way.

Of course, that won't matter if the Bolts continue to win 11 or 12 games.

So yes, I like this Hampton, Harris backfield.

I just wonder, Brandon, how it even shapes out.

Like, is Hampton too good to come off the field?

Because Harris is a little bit blotted me, but they do complement each other well.

Yeah,

it's interesting because they had had Najee, but there was two running backs we wanted here in Denver.

There's a dream scenario of Genti, and we started getting told maybe the Broncos would trade up.

That always seemed crazy, but Omarion Hampton, probably the most mocked running back to the Broncos, was a big need.

And so when you see a division rival take the guy you wanted, and you got two division rivals taking running backs when your team's biggest need is kind of running back, it does scare me a little bit.

Especially since they already had two great tackles on that line, it feels like if they figure out a little help on the interior, Amarion Hampton is going to be really good.

I think the smartest thing the Chargers did was move on from Joey Bosa and keep Khalil Mack, which is probably, it might be crazy for some people to say, but like Bosa hurt so much

for the Chargers.

And the fact that they just kind of move on from that and Mac was more productive.

I think,

you know, it's AFC West is going to be very competitive.

And Dan, to your question about how do you use both running backs.

I think it's a high-volume run game, so there's a chance they both get used.

But I think O'Marion Hampton is like rookie of the year candidate.

And you're right.

They stole him from Denver.

They wanted him, and he's in the same division.

And I think you love the match with him in Harbaugh.

And I think he stars right away.

I think he's a star in the first month of the season.

Every single one of the premier backs that we've seen go in the last two to three years has had a workhorse ahead of them, right?

Bijan Robinson had a workhorse ahead of him in Atlanta, and Jameer Gibbs had a workhorse ahead of him in Detroit.

And I think that's become sort of the in-vogue thing where there's a natural parting of ways, right?

And we saw it last year when David Montgomery got hurt, where Jameer Gibbs was more valuable as a full-time player at that point.

And I think we all saw it, the changing of the tides, and that will eventually happen, I think, organically for the Chargers.

And they did add another wide receiver to the room in Trey Harris with Lad McConkey and Mike Williams.

I think, especially if Williams comes back healthy there, along with that offensive line, which is very good, I think the offense could be a lot to deal with, and they'll do it with Harvaugh's style in year two of his program.

Chargers?

Three.

Keep an eye on the Chargers.

If this was around the horn, I would have awarded Dan several points for best use of wet dream in the show.

Up next, thank you very much.

That actually means a lot.

The Kansas City Chiefs defending conference champions with the Sess Dog.

Yeah, so both of Kansas City's Super Bowl losses.

I think you can pin the first one essentially against the Bucs on the offensive line.

Certainly that was an issue in this last one.

And so you cut to February and they're whacked like a mob victim by the Eagles and then they trade away Joe Tooney to the Bears.

So part of me was like, okay, it's another year where the Chiefs have an offseason need to address.

They signed Jalen Moore.

to play tackle, but this is someone who's started 12 games in four years.

And so I love the move to go get Josh Simmons out of Ohio State.

If it works and I trust them, it's great.

But we are talking about this division that feels so different to me than years past.

We've already touched on two of the teams.

They just, it feels to me like it's another year and it feels like three years in a row with the Chiefs.

Have they done enough in the offseason to stay as dominant as they are?

It's a different division.

Like, do you at any point have any concern about the Chiefs falling off a little bit and not being dominant based on whether they've done enough at the offensive line?

Or is it just like rinse and repeat whenever we do this exercise?

It's Mahomes, Reed, we're fine.

Have a nice day.

In the regular season, yeah, I think they'll be okay, even though, like I just said, this division is getting better and better.

It does seem like, did they, you mentioned the offensive line, did they, on the tackles, Tooney's gone now, did they actually address this?

It's a bit of a question mark.

I know out there, Connor Mahomes is saying, oh, we're looking to get back to being a dangerous downfield team on offense.

That is one narrative I'm a little bit sick of hearing now that we've heard it for like the third offseason in a row.

They are a team that their identity is going to be shifting as well now with Travis Kelsey another year further removed from being a dude.

So they're an interesting team to watch, but you quote unquote trust them, I believe.

I think so.

And it's like, I mean, the Patriots comparison is so tired at this point, but they went through a massive adjustment, like a five-year gap between when they went to their last Super Bowl and then their next set of Super Bowls when they were able to get that team churned and get them around.

I think this might be the final of the year.

I remember talking to coaches in Kansas City about Kelsey and them thinking that there was still that other evolution into sort of that, you know, 38-year-old John Stockton kind of player where he's more of a facilitator, more of a pick setter, more getting other people open.

We forget how dynamic that offense looked with Rashi Rice before he got hurt last year.

And I think the strategy is very clear.

Let's just keep drafting big people.

Let's keep drafting big people and then we're going to let Patrick Mahomes figure it out.

It hasn't really failed them to the point, okay, you can say they lost two Super Bowls, but they've gotten to a shit ton of them as well.

They've peaked.

They've already peaked.

I'm confident in saying that.

Yeah, that's fair, though.

That's a fair take.

That's sort of what my question is.

I mean, like, have they, yeah.

It's, I pray that's the truth.

Josh Simmons, if he's good, then they're going to be fine.

I think Travis Kelsey's getting old, though.

He's got to play better this coming season than he did last year for any of that to work.

And Rice, even if he comes back, we still don't know how long he could be suspended for based on the car wreck situation from last year.

And the division's more competitive.

But yeah, they peaked.

That's one.

Oh, you hit him in the arm.

He wants the dart.

Some people, it is true.

Some people want the dart.

I've found that.

That is a

what's that all about?

Well, I think there's deeper questions to be asked there.

There's no question about that.

Yeah, but that team has hurt me so much.

I

I have no shame in praying on their downfall.

That's very fair.

All right, let's.

as a Jets fan who went through the Patriots,

it's okay if

this time has come.

All right, let's close it out with your Denver Broncos, Mr.

Perna.

Yes, some say the Broncos were the greatest story in the NFL last year.

Maybe the best sports story of this century.

Bo Nicks cooked.

Sean Payton cooked.

The defense cooked.

Led the league and sacked.

It was dynamic.

But the entire AFC West got better.

They have the four oldest collection of head coaches on earth.

We know the Broncos' offensive line, good.

The defense should be better, especially after this draft and the free agency period.

So, my question for you guys is: Will the Broncos regret not doing enough in free agency and the draft to put more explosive playmakers around Bo Nicks?

And how did you see the Broncos draft helping in that area?

Con man, I love the Broncos draft.

And this was something that we didn't hit hit on in our post draft show and i think is a valuable conversation point we talk a lot about drafting for need but what i really love is drafting for dominance where it's like your coaches are there to elevate mediocre players and get them to replacement levels so it's like oh no we need a guard so we have to draft a guard f that you already have the best cover corner in the nfl and then the best corner in the draft slips to you draft him and make that second rank you were the second defense second best defense in the nfl last year make it better give vance joseph a chance to evolve on what he had.

So I thought that was brilliant.

And you have the quarterback whisperer coach, so you figure it out.

You make it work and you bring them along organically.

You bring them along slowly.

There will be other opportunities to supplement, whether it's the guys that get cut on cut down day.

I mean, there's still wide receivers that you could trade for during training camp.

I think some of these guys will come available as we see what the rookie class becomes too.

Yeah, I think like Sean Payton has done a lot to alter and change this roster like in his time there.

And I think you're right, Connor.

There are moves ahead, and he's going to find his type of guys to come in.

And I guess you're right.

Like, if you're Bonix, did you want to do what the Patriots did and surround your young quarterback with like five or six new guys on offense?

Well, I don't think the need was as desperate for Denver.

And I kind of think that they've balanced, they've had a balanced draft.

They added a lot on defense.

And I just trust the coaching staff.

So I think it's another arrow-up team in a really gnarly division.

Let's see.

Let's see.

Let's see.

That wide receiver depth chart.

Cortland Sutton, okay.

okay.

Pat Bryant, third-round pick.

Marvin Mims.

Yeah, I could see why you would have concerns there, though, Brandon.

Is that the big spot for you, the playmakers on the outside?

I'm not so concerned about it.

I'm the type of person who talks myself into everything they do.

So like R.J.

Harvey, he's the next Barry Sanders two days after looking at him.

Yeah, I love Evan Ingram, by the way.

I think that was a really nice movie.

That's a good ad.

I'm more curious to see how people not in Denver view this draft and free agency period for the Broncos.

Eight, seven.

Well, I'm sure Connie's brought you a lot of peace for a minute.

Yes, it was very nice.

It's exactly what I wanted.

Look at that under the clock.

I can actually just leave now, right?

I feel better about my team.

Do you ever watch the show Chopped and like everyone's scrambling to get the shit on the plate?

And there's that one cool motherfucker who has it done already?

Like,

that was Brendan there.

That was awesome.

I watched that show and I feel like they are deceiving the viewer

on the final minute antics because there's no way some of those things happen.

Like eight seconds left, like a woman puts like four perfect garnishes on four plates.

No, you didn't.

Like I don't want to hear about that.

That's possible.

I could film another podcast with that.

At times, I almost feel like reality television deceives its audience.

It's possible.

That's my hot take.

We're on to something.

It's real, though.

I don't know, man.

Gravy, got a little interstitial for us as we transition to the next division.

Yeah, I was thinking a fun thing we might be able to do here.

We've been talking a lot about these NFL season-long plays on Underdog.

Let's build out a ticket here today as we go through each division in the AFC.

I'm going to choose my favorite play from each of those divisions.

Can you put our James Gladstone inspirational music under each one of your Underdog plugs?

That would be awesome.

Oh, my goodness.

Yeah, I totally can.

I just need a second or two to

get on my radar here.

Travis Hunter is not just a player, he's a spiritual being who transcended from another dimension to come save our team.

Thank you.

Okay.

Perna gets it.

All right, go ahead.

So, for the AFC West, there's a few options I like.

Brock Bowers, receiving yards, higher lowers, interesting.

Ashton Genty, you know, favorite twin offensive rookie of the year.

But, Dan, something you said there, I picked up on Justin Herbert.

You don't think he's ever going to throw for 4,000 yards under Jim Harbaugh's tutelage?

Never.

His higher-lower passing yards right now is set at 36.99.5.

He has gone higher than that number in four of his five seasons in the NFL.

He went over that by about 150 yards last year.

But I think with the addition of Hampton and Najee Harris in the backfield, they're going to want to be a good ground and pound team.

So I am going to take the lower on Justin Herbert's passing yards.

I think he throws for lower than 3,700 passing yards.

They see they did a nice job.

They set that number right where I feel very uncomfortable.

Yes, agreed.

It's a tough one.

All right.

I'll bang the higher on that one.

All right.

Moving to the AFC East.

Ceci, get us going with the fish.

All right.

So 583 days ago, Mike McDaniel's Dolphins put up 70 points on the Broncos.

And we were under the impression.

Sorry, Brandon, I didn't mean to bring that up.

But we were under the impression back then that like a beautiful football experiment was at hand.

And 583 days later, why does it feel like the wheels are slowly coming off as the Dolphins vehicle crescendos down like a beachside pathway in South Beach and like nearly hits a woman?

Like something, I know we've been a little down on the Dolphins, but something feels kind of like a point-break scenario right now where it's like, I don't like what's happening with some of the veterans on this team.

I don't like the fact that I don't, I kind of sense that there's too a doubt from the top down.

Am I just being too negative?

Because I've been pounding this all offseason, that there's something not quite right in Miami.

Can't totally put a finger on it, but don't love the energy at this point.

I think that's very fair,

Quiet Storm.

I believe when we do our hot butt rankings of coaches in danger entering 2025 come September, I think Mr.

McDaniel is going to be very high up on that list.

This does feel like a season,

a huge season for the Dolphins, where either they surprise us and they're in a better position than we realized, or the wheels do come off and maybe Tua gets hurt again.

We hope it doesn't, and then the offense stalls, or maybe even stays healthy, and it still doesn't work out, and they clean house.

I think they're much closer to cleaning house than contending.

What do you think, Brandon?

I think the Dolphins, I love Mike McDaniel.

He's probably my favorite coach in the NFL, but

they had a really nice offseason when they traded for Tyreek Hill.

Tua was healthy that year after.

I think, was that the same year they brought in Jalen Ramsey too?

It felt like Chris Greer kind of figured it out.

But since then, I feel like they have done the wrong things every time, and they've also been a victim of injuries on their defense.

We traded Bradley Chubb to him.

He got hurt.

They lost Andrew Van Ginkle in free agency last year.

He goes to the Vikings is really good.

Vic Fangio didn't work out as defensive coordinator.

Goes to the Eagles.

They win a Super Bowl.

So

I think it's more of a roster building problem than a Mike McDaniel problem.

I totally agree.

I mean, I think if anyone was on the hot seat,

it would be Chris Greer.

And it's always hard.

We've been saying this ever since they got Tyreek Hill.

It's like, this is nice, but speed wears down over the course of a year, especially the way that Mike McDaniel uses these guys.

They're essentially running both vertical and lateral sprints before every play and then during every play.

And so a sprint, you don't even ask a sprinter to do that.

And the fact that they've had to get tough in this draft at this juncture with younger guys is a really hard thing to have to do.

You know, defensive tackle right now is not really helping your case.

Two, one,

two,

and a two.

Don't shoot

clean.

Connor, the Patriots.

All right, let's not f this one up.

So the Patriots had three main objectives, I think, this offseason.

They needed to find weapons for Drake May, solidify the offensive line, and get tougher against the run.

So I don't think any team really did a better job across the board of, you know, you could say, okay, it's a, it's a really bad team and now they're going to become like a really pesky eight-win team.

But I think that's significant in the first year for a new regime.

You bring in Stefan Diggs, Mac Collins, Austin Hooper, Travion Henderson, Kyle Williams.

That's a lot of explosive plays and some help in the intermediate for guys.

You revamp that offensive line.

So make Mike Anye doesn't have to be your anchor.

He can be like your third or fourth best offensive lineman.

I think that helps.

And they got super stout against the run.

I mean, Milton Williams, I think, was the score of free agency.

He was one of my favorite players.

Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, big culture guy.

I think he's going to bring a lot to that locker room.

Am I crazy to think that if someone like Keon White takes a leap on the edge for New England, that this is a potentially a nine-win team next year?

Here's what I hate, Connor, and great setup.

Here's what I hate.

And put this from the perspective of what we were talking about earlier, Brandon, like imagine the Chiefs do go into decline and then they're down for three or four years, and then your team that's also in the division fails to take advantage of that, like my Jets, for instance, right?

And then you go into a draft last year where they get Drake May, who looks like a future star potentially.

And then everyone in the media now is writing that this team, in this case the Patriots, but maybe the Chiefs down the line,

nailed free agency and they got the best grade for free agency.

And then everyone, consensus seems to agree that they nailed the draft as well.

Does not make me, as a Patriots hater with battle scars, feel good that they are trending in the wrong direction, possibly the opposite direction of the wrong direction, which is the right direction.

To you, Brandon.

I think the thing that should scare Patriots fans is they've gotten the consensus best draft grade of any team.

So of all the draft grades combined, Patriots are number one.

And I feel like anytime that happens, it never lives up to the hype.

Yes.

So I would worry about that a little bit.

But I think just Mike Vrabel coming over is

such a good move for New England that I do think they'll be better.

And I think it's one because the Jets are in a transition.

Well,

they're always, it feels like they're always in a rebuilding year.

And if what we just said about the Dolphins is true and they do not deliver, then the Patriots are primed to be the second best team in that division this season.

I agree with you, Brandon.

And I think that the Mike Vrabel fit here and the fact that you've stumbled upon what looks like a star young quarterback, like,

yeah, nine wins is not that, like, average teams can pull off nine wins seasons.

So if that was your question, absolutely, I think they can do it.

And I think the problem is for you, Dan, and everyone else, is like, the future is suddenly quite bright for a team that was your arch enemy for eons.

Yeah.

And Travion Henderson was a great pick.

Lark, that's what I just said.

I'm not feeling good about it.

Shoot, dart me.

Dart me and then put me to sleep for another 10 years if this turns into what I fear it could be.

The Buffalo Bills with Brandon Perna.

All right.

Buffalo, they re-signed 54 of their own players, which is crazy because they only needed 53.

But

free agency, their plan was to bring their guys back.

They did that.

They also replaced Von Miller with Joey Bosa.

First part of this question, does Joey Bosa play more than 12 games?

Under.

And have they done enough on defense to not give up over 30 points to the Chiefs

in the playoffs?

And then on offense, are you guys worried about James Cook holding out at this point?

How does that play out?

How do they replace his 16 touchdowns from last season, which jumped up from two the year before?

And are you as confident as Brandon Bean in them not a drafting the receiver room?

Yeah, we'll get, we're going to get to the Bean part of all this in a moment, some of his comments.

But what do you think, Connor?

I love the Bills offseason because of the prices that they got everyone at.

Like, I think you extended early on Khalil Shakir, who is one of my favorite players in the NFL, and you extended smart on Rousseau, who's still an ascending player, and I think still probably has some room to grow.

But I think Cook is absolutely the question of this offseason because running back has a renewed importance, at least within the NFL parlance.

And if you're him, you're playing in that environment, in that division for that team.

You don't touch the field unless you have a top of market contract extension.

They've already done a lot of work there.

That might be by Beans just feeling a little bit of, maybe he's just had a couple of tough days.

And, you know, but again, that's, he's been in contract stare downs before, but this is probably going to be his biggest, his most significant one.

I think one victory for them is they.

The reporting is they wanted Maxwell Harrison in cornerback, like the fastest corner in the draft.

They wanted him.

They got him.

That's the player that you trust the coaching staff to do the most with.

And so I don't see anything I dislike about their offseason.

A year ago, I was very down on the Bills, thinking like there wasn't enough on offense.

There weren't weapons.

And like they found a way to get through that.

So

I don't have a problem with what they've done.

And I don't like look disapprovingly upon it.

Yeah, definitely a benefit of the doubt.

They use each of their first four picks on the defensive side of the ball, which tells you, obviously, a lot about how they feel and their confidence in their scheme.

And above all things, their quarterback who lifts all boats.

Is it the tide that lifts all boats?

Something like that.

He raises them both.

Yeah, he raises all of it.

Yeah, their cornerback, they have had, they nailed Christian Benford, a sixth-round pick.

They totally missed the boat on Kayera Elam in 2022

in the first round.

But Maxwell Harrison, he's going to be a big part of that.

If he can step in and be a dude for them and makes their defense that much tougher, you know, the bills are going to be there again.

They're going to be right there.

Can they get over the hump?

That's the question.

A lot of pressure.

Seven, six.

Pressure is tough.

You know, pressure on all of us.

Look at all that is.

That woman nails that countdown

each time.

Right.

And she's expensive, too.

Oh, yeah.

So she better.

Sitting just off camera there.

Thank you, Wendy.

Timeout.

I'm going to use our first timeout.

We get three timeouts, Brandon.

We mentioned the general manager, Brandon Bean,

who was on local radio.

I think WGR is the local station up there in Western New York.

And just listening.

Let's have some fun.

And we had two draft parties, so we're kind of tired too.

We were up late with you on the first round and the second round.

It was a busy weekend for you.

Yeah, no, it was.

It was.

I was just listening to the last few minutes of your show before I came on, waiting on your Sounds like 2018 all over with you guys.

Well, we're very.

How so?

Well, you guys were bitching in 2018 about Josh Allen.

You guys wanted Josh Rose, and then now you guys are bitching that we don't have a receiver.

I don't get it.

Like,

hold on, let me talk.

We just scored 30 points in a row for eight straight games.

A year ago, I get you guys asking why we didn't have receivers.

But I don't understand it now.

You just saw us lead the league in points when you you add all the postseason.

No one scored more points than the Buffalo Bills, including the Super Bowl champions.

So you just saw us do it without Stephon Diggs, same group.

How is this group not better than last year's group?

Like, I don't, like, our job is to score points and win games.

Where do we need to get better?

Defense.

We did that.

So I get it.

You got to have a show, and you got to...

You got to have something to bitch about.

But

bitching about wide receiver is one of the dumbest arguments I've heard.

Sorry, Dad.

For him.

I love that.

I love it, dude.

I love that.

Jeremy White is the.

And it's a good point, by the way.

Yes.

Yeah.

I think it's like if Keon Coleman is good, like if he takes a step forward this year,

we won't even think about the Bills and what they did in the draft for receivers.

Like there's still a lot of untapped potential there, I think, for that player.

But God, I want every GM to just be that brutally honest after the draft.

It's like a reminder, and I think we saw it with some of the Shador Sanders stuff and the way GMs all kind of came to a group's consensus at a certain point that they're just part of it.

They're all a bunch of bros.

They're a bunch of dudes.

And in this case, it's just Brandon from Orchard Park was waiting on hold to get on.

And he didn't like some of the things the hosts were saying.

So he decided to give his own little like Doris from Rego Parks monologue.

And I'm here for it.

I like the

I understand what you people need to do on your microphones and drum up this or that.

Like that is.

Well, bitching.

The term using bitching, too, is like.

Yeah, yeah.

It's very fair, though.

It's very fair because, like, I think he caught the guy on the right, if you're watching on YouTube, the guy in the colorful hat, like, he's a nice one.

Justin,

give him some names.

Let's give them the plug.

One is the great Jeremy White.

Jeremy White.

He's the guy on the left with the blue hat.

Okay.

I don't know who the guy is.

Jeremy and the stinker.

Oh, Jeremy and Joe.

Okay.

Yeah.

Like that.

What were you saying, Mark?

No, no, no.

I mean, I'm sure they're both wonderful broadcasters, but it just seemed like I enjoyed watching their faces as like the Bills GM is starting to unfurl like verbal fire on you.

It's just great to watch.

Were you not like, yes, because that guy's got to talk to me.

He's contractually obligated to.

So if he comes on and he starts saying the B-word, like, that's awesome.

That shit's going viral, you know?

Oh, yeah.

As someone who's come out of the primordial ooze of New York Sports Talk Radio, like, I'll never not love that stuff.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's great.

All right.

Let's time in.

Let's move to

the New York Jets.

You have to understand the twisted nature of the mind of a tortured Jets fan.

When I heard the news about Jeff Ulbrich's son, my first reaction was literally, oh, thank God he's not connected to our team anymore.

John Lennon once sang, I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.

I really love to watch them roll, no longer riding on the merry-go-round.

I just had to let it go.

under aaron glenn we are off the merry-go-round bye aaron rodgers not interested shador

hello sturdy decidedly unsexy first-round pick at right tackle okay

tough physical violent aggressive resilient aaron glenn said if we continue to get guys like that you'll start to see the brand show up on the grass and you know what I know how this shit works.

I've been misled and fooled too many times to know this might not work.

Who knows if the sloganeering actually translates come September, but the temperature has been turned down.

This is what I do know.

Temperature is turned down.

Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner are reportedly planning to attend their offseason workouts.

No drama there.

The owner is mostly out of sight.

We're watching the wheels go round and round.

And Connor, that's okay.

It's very much okay.

And I think there's nothing wrong with, it's almost like Woody Johnson just focus grouped like the last 14 years of Jets football.

And he's like, what are like the three things that everyone liked?

And it's like, okay, strong-willed defensive head coach who's not afraid to speak his mind.

Okay, let's go get one of those.

And then let's just build a really strong offensive line, like with Dabrikashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold and Brandon Moore.

Let's just do that again.

Okay, great.

And now we've just hit all that.

All the customers are happy.

Lower the price of beer by $2 and you have yourself a happy season, you know?

The question for me always with any new coach, because I really like Aaron Glenn in the fit with the Jets, is if they are two and six, six,

everything looks different, and what happens then?

Robert Sala, we were talking it this way about him a number of years ago, and then there's a hardcore organizational meltdown.

Like, you're going to have to go through some tough times, and I, and we'll find out who he is.

But I do think Aaron Glenn and the Jets are a really interesting and good match.

Yeah, I think everybody likes Aaron Glenn.

And I think what everybody likes about Aaron Glenn is what we've heard from players, right?

Like, players love playing for him.

So, the fact that Rodgers went on McAfee and the first thing he did was throw Aaron Glenn under the bus, probably a good sign for the Jets.

Hi, Aaron.

And then

I guess, like, I'm curious to see, one, if they actually are or have considered trading Brees Hall for personal reasons.

And I think, like, drafting tackle, great.

And maybe we'll be looking at this draft class as the Jets making the smart move, not going quarterback, and waiting until next year when it's a better QB draft class, and finally the Jets do the right thing and get the right quarterback, but you got to wait until 2026.

You've been waiting

for Joe Beningo, from your lips to God's ears.

History tells us it won't be a Manning, though.

All right, let's move to the AFC North.

Yeah.

Oh, oh, sorry, Justin.

I apologize.

Hey, before we move on, let's get our AFC East underdog season-long play in here.

So I'm going to go back to the bills.

Everything you guys said about the offense, I agree with, but I think it worked really well last year.

And I think it's going to work again.

I'm not worried about James Cook because they have the ultimate touchdown maker in their backfield already.

Yeah, 16 from James Cook.

How about Josh Allen with 27 rushing touchdowns combined over the last two seasons?

His higher lower right now for rushing touchdowns this season is 10 and a half.

I am banging the higher on that one.

I think he is almost a, he's like an anytime touchdown scorer lock almost every week.

And he had 12 last year, 15 before that.

I think he goes for 11 or more again this year.

You know what the only thing missing there, Brandon, was?

The James Gladstone inspirational music.

Otherwise, a masterclass from our producer, Justin Graver.

You know, I'll put it in post.

Nobody will even know.

No, it's okay.

We'll just, we're going to nail it, though, for the next division.

But before that.

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The AFC North.

And Perna is going to get us cooking with those bengals.

Josh Allen and Travis Hunter were both created in the same magical realm, by the way.

Bengals, 9-8 last season.

Sixth best scoring offense, seventh worst scoring defense.

Joe Burrow led the league in passing yards and touchdowns.

Hendrickson was a sack leader.

Jamar Chase led everything.

This is a notoriously cheap franchise that suddenly decided to pay both T.

Higgins and Jamar Chase, same offseason.

Trey Hendrickson's future, uncertain at this point, which would be a huge problem for an already bad defense.

Do you like that they paid paid both T and Jamar, knowing what those guys mean to Joe Burrow?

And how concerning is the Trey Hendrickson situation as they head into

the no man's land of the offseason right now?

I wish it wasn't still hanging over the team.

I've been vocal on the show that I said sign Jamar.

Get Hendrickson under contract and then get cheaper and let Higgins walk.

They obviously made a decision that I think was strongly

had a strong hand from the quarterback, Burrow, obviously.

And then the question is, did they do enough in this draft and in free agency to make one of the biggest disappointments of the AFC in 2000?

If the Broncos were like the biggest surprise team, I think the Bengals flopping last year is the other end of the coin and other side of the coin.

And did they do enough this offseason to fix this team?

I'm not sure they did.

My thing a little bit is that I don't know that you could have possibly even done enough on defense to fix some of the problems there.

And that, like, they're a bit of a, they're top heavy, obviously.

I always like the idea of if you want to, if you want to work with your quarterback inside of an organization where there are worlds where Joe Burrow decides he doesn't want to be with that organization if things just weren't, if he were not being listened to.

So kind of like you had to do it.

You just had to do it and you had to pay the wide receiver.

I don't have a problem with that.

But like this to me feels like a little bit of an uneven team.

And it's not one of these contenders where I look at the coaching staff and say, they're the difference maker.

I don't feel that way about Zach or anyone in Cincinnati.

Al Golden is interesting to me there as a new defensive coordinator, but I think in taking Shamar Stewart with the first, your first-round pick, you need Trey Hendrickson because Trey Hendrickson is your closer.

Shamar Stewart was the problem with him, the issue with him, why he fell was that he had a lot of pressures.

He led college football on pressures, but didn't have any sacks, barely had any sacks, right?

And so I think you need that tandem to work together in order to create that chaos.

And while there's a lot of factors, Texas A ⁇ M's defense blitzed a lot of guys, and so their sack numbers were more evenly dispersed.

You've put yourself in the position where you need to make another financial commitment just to set the table for this season to make sense as true contenders.

Another pick that stood out in the third round, 81st overall, Dylan Fairchild guard out of Georgia.

They could use a little continuity and a rock in there on the interior.

Do you hit on a third-round pick?

Those aren't easy to do.

Two, one,

two,

two.

Trey Henderson might have had the greatest defensive performance of any player ever last year when you consider

the lack of health he received.

So true.

And he's like, pay me.

Yeah.

Go watch the tape.

That part I don't get.

You actually, you got marked both times.

That was crazy.

Sassy,

if you're woozy, try to battle through because the Steelers are up.

I will attempt it.

Look, I think the Steelers are kind of that one team sitting out there with the major question mark.

Unless you think Skylar Thompson is going to lead you to the playoffs, you still have the Aaron Rodgers question.

And I

have been as annoyed at Aaron Rodgers as Dan or anyone else.

It kind of feels like

when you're younger and the girl's not texting you back and you're wandering around.

It's like he just kind of ghosts everyone for months.

And it's like we're waiting on this guy.

To be clear, there wasn't texting when you were younger.

Well, you know, even in the world of texting, that has occurred to me in the past.

But like Jerry Dulak, the bad boy of Pittsburgh newspaper worlds,

basically said early this week that he is pretty dead certain that Rodgers is happening.

And so I want to flip it just a little bit because I get how

he is tedious and he weighs on our patience.

But what if quietly, Like he's got one great season left and the Steelers somehow backed into the best quarterback signing of the offseason, if it happens and when it happens.

Like, I know we're just presuming because of what happened with the Jets.

Like, he's on the decline.

The whole thing's going to melt down.

We have no patience for it.

But what if instead, like, the Steelers sitting pretty in the AFC North and you get a rebound season from Aaron Rodgers, and they look like the smartest people in the room?

Here's the problem.

Here's the problem with Aaron Rodgers because it's not a, and in this case, I don't think it was, oh, it failed because the Jets.

The whole experiment because of the Jets.

But Aaron Rodgers wasn't the the solution because he's no longer Aaron Rodgers.

And I think the one thing people keep missing and why I was surprised, okay, they took Sanders off their board, obviously, a quarterback.

But why they waited into the sixth round, I think it was to go get quarterback depth.

Rodgers physically is, I don't think he withstands the rigors of playing this season in the AFC North.

And then you have Mason Rudolph behind him, and it's just like, maybe he'll be okay when he's healthy, but he was healthy for about five weeks total last year.

And I think that's what they're missing, That there's no there's a durability concern at this point with a 41-year-old pass.

Yeah, I think with his performance with the Jets, he has like he had like nice stats last year, but every time you watched, it was like something's not working on their offense.

And I think he had, there weren't excuses for why that offense didn't work with him there.

The weapons were there.

They bring in Devontae Adams.

So going to Pittsburgh, where I think you get a bit of a downgrade in that department, I don't foresee him being better in Pittsburgh.

I don't know if this is an insane take or not, but I loved Will Howard out of Ohio State and has NFL size, has a little bit of mobility.

And through the whole draft, I was like, why aren't they taking a developmental quarterback?

And I don't know, man.

I mean, you know, again, if you loved him, you should have taken him in the third round, in the fourth round, in the fifth round.

But sometimes these things just hit.

And I don't know.

Is that part of the solution?

Who knows?

Also, Aaron Rodgers plus George Pickens plus DK Metro.

Yikes.

Little implosive.

Oh, my God.

The Cleveland Browns.

Kevin Stefanski's seemingly dejected demeanor when Shador Sanders went down on Saturday might be connected to his sudden realization that he'll be expected to walk a tightrope, lathered in P.

Diddy type lube at the game's most important position this season.

Hell, starting in rookie camp after drafting Dylan Gabriel in the third round, Sanders, of course, in the fifth.

They have four quarterbacks

entering the season that are an open competition, we're being told, for the starting job.

Remember, they traded for Kenny Pickett.

So they brought him in.

You got Joe Flacco as well.

No other quarterback was selected, by the way, between Gabriel and Sanders over 50 picks.

It was just a wild, wild decision.

Two questions: who is most likely to play the most snaps of QB this season?

And two, can we trust the Cleveland Browns to handle any of this?

Brandon Perna.

Ooh.

Who starts the most?

Yeah, who plays the most snaps this season?

I think it's going to be Flacco.

I think Flacco plays the most snaps.

I would love for Shadur to earn the backup job there, and he's going to have to earn it.

But no, at this point, like the saying, like, if you have two quarterbacks competing for a job, you don't have any.

We don't know about four.

We don't know about four quarterbacks.

That could be the secret.

That could be the secret to this.

Yeah.

It might be the secret.

I don't trust the Browns to figure it out at this point.

I feel like I can't buy into the Browns until they are actually free from the Watson contract.

It's almost like there's just going to be a curse on it.

No matter what they do, it's just going to be wrong until they're away from it.

Connor, shouldn't you just play the two young quarterbacks this year in what's clearly a developmental year?

Like, why is Flacco and Pickett, for that matter, even involved at this stage?

I disagree.

I think you need to win.

And I think that you only have about a year left.

That entire offensive line's on the wrong side of 30.

That's a veteran group that's been through a lot of shit.

They have no interest in developing a rookie quarterback.

They want to make it back to the playoffs once.

One more time.

Miles Garrett, same thing.

I mean, that's kind of what you sold him on.

That's why you got him a defensive tackle to make life easier for him.

I think you play Flacco and you dangle Kenny Pickett.

If someone gets hurt, if someone else's backup gets hurt, maybe you can recoup your picks.

And worst case scenario, again, we talked a little bit about this on the draft whoever loses that qb3 battle between dylan gabriel and shader sanders is going to get injured like have a shoulder issue at the end of camp and go on ir for a red shirt year and then you kind of start the whole process again next year yeah i mean i would say like it sanders certainly feels like a jimmy haslam pulling the lever there at some point but i would say if you're cleveland and i'm innately sort of down on the whole watson era of course too i'm with you brandon but like why not swing at every quarter i draft two quarterbacks.

I don't have a big problem with it.

First of all, Kenny Pickett should be the first one out the door if we've got a crowded house here.

It's like,

I like what they did.

I actually like what they did.

And

Stefanski has won with a lot of different types of quarterbacks.

Let's call a quick timeout here.

A few things to digest

around

Sanders after he was obviously the big story of the 2025 draft.

Let's start with, as I mentioned, Ulbrick, the defensive coordinator of the Falcons, formerly the interim coach and D.C.

of the Jets.

We knew that Shador Sanders got a prank call, and apparently that's now an epidemic.

Like a lot of guys across the league were getting these calls.

Everybody, stop being f ⁇ ing dicks.

It's shitty.

And this one got amplified because I guess it happened live on.

I don't know, some stream of some kind.

And it turned out that it was the son of Jeff Ulbrich, Ulbricht, which is outrageous.

It is the son of the defensive coordinator of an NFL team that is responsible for the call.

Here's the Falcon statement on it, by the way.

This is the best part.

Yeah.

Can I have the missive music?

Earlier in the week, Jax Ulbricht, the 21-year-old son of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbricht, unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shador Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parents' home.

I believe this.

As a father of a 10 and 8-year-old son, they are always scoping that iPad anyway He wrote the number down to conduct a prank call Jeff Ulbric was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank and was made aware above only after the fact I don't know I have and have a great father you can pull this down now but I will say one thing

this would be the worst.

All right, I gotta go home and face the music situation I can ever imagine a college kid dealing with with like that drive home and walking into that house.

Holy shit.

Yeah.

Such a betrayal by your son.

Yeah, you're messing with that dad's career and you just like sully the family name.

It's as bad as for something that's not overly quote unquote serious.

It's, it's pretty, it's pretty awful.

Oh my God.

Well, like, I would say, like, you know, me a culprit, when I was young and I mean, in my 20s and during, I loved prank calling people I mean I probably would do that with friends that was the jerky boys era you know that was yeah I mean so it's like I can understand the urge

and I think he you know when they showed him they there was a like video or footage of him like in his dorm room with his friends of course like you're the coolest person to your friends if you can like prank call Shador Sanders on draft day there's a meanness to it that may not have he probably he wrote a statement to this the son and he seemed like or someone wrote it for him like there was a meanness to it but I almost just think like if you're a parent like your children are gonna do two or three things that um drive you absolutely nuts uh i kind of i don't know i'm in the middle because i was very angry at the person then i find out who it was and stuff and it's kind of like i don't know yes so i have some relevant experience in this field i was suspended from school for prank calling our history teacher and uh i had to uh i had to get scoped out by the school resource officer would you say it was a bad situation this is pre-town and country connor and adolescent Connor.

That's that's high level, that's explosive.

Yeah, I was 17, and we were on the back of the football bus, and someone handed me a phone, and they were like, Oh, the history teacher's on the phone.

And I was like, Well, I'm gonna say some stuff.

Um, but so there was that angle of it.

And there was also, um, when I was a junior and a senior, uh, football recruiting websites started popping up, personal ones.

So, if you were good, you put your film on a website, and then there was a contact page where you didn't have to put a return email address.

So, I would go to all of them them and act as if it was Bob Stoops from Oklahoma at the time and just send me kids' messages.

So

you jerk.

Yeah.

Like, do I, is it a bad thing to do?

Yes, but I was about three years younger than Jax Ulbrick and I probably would have done the same.

Right.

Right.

If the guy who prank called Tyler Warren stays anonymous, then he should be given an award for not getting sniffed out for doing the prank call.

I think we should, we should

reward the people who do it without getting caught.

I think that's the lesson.

That's the lesson we've learned today.

And let's give the final word, as we often do, on the Shador Sanders

trials and tribulations of the weekend to Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Shador tweets, thank you, God.

KFC replies, the colonel was rejected 1,009 times before finally landing our famous original recipe.

Sometimes all a Sanders needs is a little time to cook.

Congrats, Shador.

That's the positivity we need in this country right now.

That feels good.

I think Colonel Sanders sold his franchise for like $2 million too.

And then a few years later

went for hundreds of ways of dollars.

Can I ask a more specific question about that tweet?

Like we have it on record that he failed 1,009 times.

Like, it just feels a little ridiculously specific for me,

but I don't know.

I'll have to study more on the Colonel and what he got up to.

Right, that's true.

Factually, we can't.

Thanks God, and just Colonel Sanders responded.

He is the God of fried chicken in a way.

So, there is a connection there tangentially.

All right, finally, Connor, AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens.

Perfectly Ravens offseason where, okay, we need someone to compete for the number three cornerback spot.

Let's just go get Chidobe Wuze.

We need someone for the number three wide receiver spot.

Let's just go get DeAndre Hopkins.

I think we could further mold this amoebic defense if we can get another Kyle Hamilton chess piece in there.

Oh, Malachi Starks is available in the draft.

And so it's a very sensible Ravens thing where you get all those players in a row, including a second-round pick that even though you have no tolerance for bad things, you just apparently take a guy who has a very checkered past and you're allowed to still say that you have a zero tolerance policy for some reason, even though you're the leader.

Oh, we looked into it thoroughly.

Sure.

Well, much less their kicker, but they also drafted a kicker.

But so my big question to you guys, like, there's a lot of these little procedural, very Ravensy things that make sense.

Like, can you kick Emery Jones, who you drafted?

Nasty tackle.

You have that spot at guard where you probably need some help or at least some competition.

Does he fit there until Ronnie Stanley retires?

Because you brought him back and you made a big stink about that.

But did they do enough?

Like, this team is always just...

just kind of struggling to get over the hill.

Did they make that big move?

Like, you know, if they went out and traded for Tyreek Hill tomorrow, I'd feel a lot better about where this is going.

Like, it seemed like this was your punch the foot on the accelerator offseason.

You might only have one year left with your offensive coordinator before he gets Todd Munkin, before he gets a head coaching job.

Did they do enough, in your opinion?

I will say one thing about the Ravens quick.

It's like they historically are very active right up until the season starts in terms of adding and trading for people.

And so I trust that if they feel they haven't, that they are going to be one of the first teams that goes and does it.

And like, I know that

the Mike Green Green background is questionable, but like for them to go get him at 59 from just a player angle, it's like a total Ravens steal right there if he works out.

So I kind of feel like they're never a team that's completely done with moves and could be trading and agnet in players right up to the trade deadline.

So more to come.

As long as Derrick Henry's still good next year, I love the Ravens.

That was such a nice move that looked like a better move early on, even more so than Saquon Barkley until they kind of switched spots there.

But

the Ravens are going to be fine.

It feels like they were so close to beating Buffalo, coming back in that game.

They really don't need to do much.

And I think they had one of the best drafts of all the teams.

And I know very little about the draft.

But according to, yes, the consensus out there is that they had like a top 10 draft.

Malachi Starks, we mentioned Mark Green, Emery Jones.

These are guys that are going to make them better because they have that track record.

Now, the one thing they really are dealing with here is the Steinbrenner doctrine.

Anything short of championship is considered failure, and they can't even get out of the AFC yet.

So it feels like, have they just.

I'd be worried.

Two, one,

two,

and a ten.

Nobody's ever allowed to say anything bad about, you know, Lamar and the Ravens, you know.

But nope,

I'd be getting worried.

Yes, Justin.

Let's do our add to our play here, pulling from this division.

I went with Miles Garrett.

His higher lower is at 13.25 sacks, so he needs 13.5 sacks.

Each of the last two seasons, he's had 14.

He had 16 in the two before that, so he's gone higher four straight years.

Mark, is he going above 13.25 sacks again in 2025?

I'm hitting the under on this one, and

I just sense that like something's the lower.

Something's not going to go right here.

In terms of just missing like three or four games, you're going lower.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

Yeah.

So a little bit of maybe injury concern.

Getting older, maybe doesn't.

I think the Mason Graham draft pick is going to help Miles Garrett get to the quarterback much more easily.

So I would go higher there.

I also have a notorious record for getting underdog picks wrong.

That's important to know.

So that is that's good advice.

I went 53, 54, 55 straight pick'em entries in 2023 without getting any correct.

So that's your warning.

So you put them out there publicly, and if the public goes against it, that means they win all of those in a row.

It was, in a sense.

An elite run.

Well, public.

I'll take him in there as well.

I mean, Sassy, I know as a Browns fan, there's pessimism that's always going to leak in, but you just signed him to a four-year extension that averages $40 million per year.

When you sign a veteran at, you know, age 30 or thereabouts to an extension, you're banking on those those first year or two of that extension for the guy to be playing at his highest levels well they are i hope for the they are stage i'm not stage they are i i see things differently 123 and a half million in guaranteed money you better give me 15 sacks bro figure it out

all right where are we

last division

the afc south oh zuzzer is up okay i'll start with the south and the houston texans uh they they surprised us when when they traded their franchise left tackle away.

One offensive line more or less ruined year two of C.J.

Stroud's development.

In the draft, Houston added just one offensive lineman, Minnesota's Ariante Ursury, with their second pick of the second round.

Apologies if I got that name wrong.

They sandwiched that pick by addressing another need at wide receiver, you know, the injury issues around that spot, the selections of two Ohio State standouts, Jaden Higgins and Jalen Knoll, in the second and third round.

Oh, excuse me, Iowa State in the second and third round.

So, after a season that started last year with Peyton Manning comparisons around C.J.

Stroud, ended with a bunch of confused shrugs about how come this guy didn't take the next step in year two.

Do we feel the Texans have done enough this offseason to better position the quarterback that means everything in Houston, Mr.

Perna?

I like that they added receivers in this draft because the receivers have just the last couple years have gotten injured.

So, I think in terms of like, if you're looking at weapons, yes, they did a nice job addressing that in this draft.

Offensive line is still probably the big question mark.

I think part of CJ's struggles was because pressure

was

a lot,

he faced a lot more pressure last year from pass rushers, whatever.

And I think it just threw off his rhythm, his timing, and a little trust in himself.

But I don't know.

If the line's not better, the receivers might be irrelevant.

I think their defense is very good, and I think they added

in the secondary this offseason.

So, as long as the defense is still good, I think

he will look better than he did last year.

And we'll be talking about him the same way we were kind of at the end of his rookie season.

I'm with you in the sense that, like, I look at this coaching staff, and I think they've there's a track record of them developing their defensive players very well.

And, like, they've got a couple of really flashy star-type players.

So, I think they're solid, but it's offensive line, and suddenly, suddenly, your quarterback has a new offensive coordinator.

And that's a fill-in-the-blank.

We don't know how that's going to work.

Like the meltdown of what happened with the offensive staff a year ago

was one of the more concerning AFC storylines.

I thought, did you get too cute, right?

I mean, you had your first round pick.

There were anchor tackles that were on the board.

And you're trying to kind of manufacture this a little bit now.

And you're trying to, you know, play the comp pick.

You're trying to play the pick game.

You're trying to amass more value.

And they've done that before.

But is this the offseason where you kind of expel the characters that you don't want and you want to reset the culture?

Don't you kind of want that flagship first-round pick to come in and be emblematic of all the things that you're trying to tell the other guys that you want?

And again, the value is good, and they should have done it.

But I think,

do you miss out on that opportunity a little bit?

10.

The additions at offensive line also, a lot of Jag Hall of Famers: Cam Robinson, Lake Tomlinson,

Trent Brown.

hope these guys hit.

Up next, the Colts.

Brandon.

All right.

Indy, they were 8-9 last year, which shocked me when I went back and looked at that because it felt like things were much worse than an 8-9 record for the Colts.

Tyler Warren falls to them at 15.

I think that's a very nice pick for them.

But the Colts, like, their entire future depends on Anthony Richardson's development.

So I want to know what has a better chance of happening in Indianapolis this year.

Anthony Richardson starting every game and getting his touchdown and interception ratio in the positive.

Daniel Jones resurrecting his career, a la Sam Darnold, or we see Riley Leonard start a couple games and they hire Lou Anarumo coming over for Cincy, who's kind of scapegoated.

Is that a guy who can come in and help their defense right away?

Great questions.

I think yes on Lou Ann Arumo.

I think that defense gets better in a hurry.

I think they have some guys that he can work with that he certainly didn't have in Cincinnati, like you said.

The Riley Leonard thing is interesting because he was a almost 70% completion thrower, but Notre Dame just ran him like a quarterback from Army and just didn't let him throw until the second half of the national championship game.

And so now everybody's sitting there and being like, oh, wow, because he played in a really basic offense at Duke.

He goes to Notre Dame and they're just like, you know what?

We just have to run the ball.

And that's all that we're going to.

But in those pressure situations, he was kind of interesting.

I also love six-round pick quarterbacks.

It's sort of a fun little pet project for me.

So

I think if you're Shane Steigen, like the Anthony Richardson experience drove you crazy last year.

And at some point, it's going to cost jobs if that quarterback doesn't develop.

much strong more strongly believe that Daniel Jones starts the season and plays as well as as long as he's functional, he's the guy.

I think that's the move.

And like Anthony Richardson, I kind of wonder, are they psychologically still involved with him?

Have they moved on?

Has the coaching staff moved on?

I'd love to know what they say behind closed doors about team on the street.

Yeah, two things.

Linebacker is a spot of great vulnerability for this team.

What is the number?

I saw this.

They only have one player, Zaire Franklin, that has more than two career starts on the roster.

So the guts of the defense could be vulnerable.

And then, you know, not to belabor anything Aaron Rodgers-related, but I'm still surprised that the Colts haven't been in this marketplace.

I feel like he would have been a much better guy to have in the mix.

The Jones Richardson setup, yes, I think who's the third guy in the step chart again, Brendan?

Riley Leonard.

Yeah, Riley Leonard, I think, I think, and it might be in a tank scenario.

I mean, he could end up playing December into January because I don't think either of those guys are the answer.

Optimism be damned from the inside of that operation.

I got one last fun nugget here if you want to try and do it.

Will

Tyler Warren finish his career with more yards and touchdowns than Dallas Clark?

Clark was a dog.

He was, but his numbers aren't as crazy as I thought they were.

53 TDs, 5,665 yards.

It's a great question.

We'll take the darts.

That's okay.

Because it gets to the heart of

what do you want from a first-round pick?

Because I think Colts fans might say, no, we want him to be a superstar, which Dallas Clark never was.

But the number of

first or second round tight ends that ever reach that plateau,

that is very small.

I would sign up for that, I guess is what I'm saying.

It may be a better era to be Tyler Warren than back during Dallas Clark's time, too.

Or, well, Dallas Clark did have Peyton Manning.

Yeah.

Covering my head.

That is a fair counterpoint.

Yeah.

At risk of getting shot here, because part of the reason you drafted Tyler Warren is because you also want him to do other things like play Wildcat quarterback and run the ball.

So is that going to take away from his receiving statistics?

God damn it, he's got his eye.

You got him in the eye.

That's permanent.

All right.

Up next, the Jacksonville Jaguars with Connor Orr.

Yeah, so the Jacksonville Jaguars, I think what was interesting about hiring Liam Cohen is the first thing that we heard coming out, Liam Cohen, former college quarterback at UMass.

In order to win this job, in order to get this head coaching job, you had to identify the Trevor Lawrence problem and you had to pitch it to ownership and you had to pitch it to the general manager.

And I think the first thing that everyone saw and the thing that Liam Cohen saw was he's not stepping up into his throws.

So let's get him a guard.

And so you have, you know, you brought in a new guard who can play in there because Brandon Scherf, the team moved on from him.

But also Liam Cohen has been really good at, you know, there were games last year where Baker Mayfield was getting rid of the ball on average on 2.2 seconds, which is insane.

So Trevor, this is, this whole thing has been about Trevor Lawrence.

You backstopped the Travis Hunter pick with another cornerback.

So my question to all of you guys is, can Trevor Lawrence actually have his best NFL season?

And his best NFL season prior to this was Doug Peterson's first year, where he completed 66% of his passes, 4,100 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight picks.

Lawrence during that one

really solid season, down like the last eight or nine games of that year, was one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

So it's like we see he can do it.

So my answer would would be, yes, I think you hired this coach for this reason.

And we've been waiting for this from Trevor Lawrence.

And if it doesn't happen, like that almost becomes a huge problem for this organization because is he just a milquetoast top 17 guy?

Or is he what we think he could be?

Yeah, I feel like his best season is next year.

It's,

you know,

another

offense, another scheme he's learning, like the third, is this third one in his career here with Jacksonville right now?

And we don't know 100% how they're going to use Travis Hunter.

It sounds like they're going to use him on offense more to start, which is the opposite way I would use Travis Hunter because he's more polished and ready to go as a corner.

And I feel like playing a corner in situational football is odd.

But if they use Travis Hunter as much as if he's a full-time receiver, then maybe Lawrence has better numbers this year.

I think that's in the realm of possibility.

But I think young GM, new new coach, it's just going to take a while before we really see the identity of what that offense is going to be.

And to the point of what I was saying about Stefanski and the Browns, Liam Cohen and the Jaguars, are they equipped to handle this?

This is a tightrope to walk with how to handle Hunter.

And you heard the way, and we talked about it on Saturday, the way Gladstone talked up.

Hunter is not just somebody that changes the team, that could change a sport itself.

So there's going to be pressure on this head coach to maximize what this kid brings to the team.

And that's a lot to put on a first-year head coach's plate.

In my last two seconds, I'll add that people think that I'm wrong about their defensive tackle spot, I don't think.

Like, I've gotten a lot of YouTube comments about our defensive tackles are way better than you think you're.

But

I don't think they are.

It's always the little cough at the end.

That sells it even more.

I like that.

A little throat clear.

You did it.

I love it.

Let's close this whole thing out with the Tennessee Titans and Mark Sessler.

I want to close it out with a quiz question, a multiple-choice quiz.

And I'll throw it to Justin after I finish this here.

But the Titans are,

colon, A, a sneaky candidate to thrive under coach Brian Callahan, win nine games, and sneak into a milquetoast wildcard contest.

B, an intriguing rebuild operation coming off of a solid draft headlined by a quarterback and Cam Ward, who might become the next big thing.

Or C, the least interesting team in American professional sports.

Justin

to the large portion of people C, I would love to say A, but I think it's B, a somewhat feisty team, but Brian Callahan has got to prove that he's not a terrible head coach, and he hasn't done that yet.

So we'll see.

Fair and balanced.

Yeah.

Least interesting team in American sports history.

And I'm rooting for Cam Ward.

I think it's good that the spotlight's not on him.

For a number one drafted quarterback, that is a luxury not a lot of guys get.

uh being this weekend brandon nobody was talking about the number one overall pick even at the weekend he was drafted yeah it's crazy and i think that's a nice thing i like for cam that's a really nice thing uh and they were interesting every time will levis was on the field and he's not going to be on the field anymore so i like seed that's true yeah they i was gonna say the most boring team ever was the 2024 titans but yeah the car crash the levis of it all the unintentional comedy we lose that um yeah that's what you hope for, right?

I would almost, if you are an intriguing rebuild, right, Justin, you get something added this year and the quarterback and the head coach play caller, you guys work together.

Like, this is, then you can, there's something you're building on.

And that's all it is for the Titans in 25.

The best case scenario is that they mirror what the Bengals did under Zach Taylor first year, horrible season, second season, draft Joe Burrow, number one overall.

Still not great that year, picked fifth overall, out of Jamar Chase, and then bang, they've they've been a contender every year since.

You just have to cross your fingers and hope Callahan can recreate what he was a part of in Cincinnati.

I did before the draft is survey and I talked to like 25 NFL coaches, GMs, you know, former player, former quarterbacks.

And I asked if your son, if you could pick your son to go to one place in the NFL, where would it be and why?

And you're, you know, everyone's saying, oh, I want him to play for Sean McBay.

I want him to play for Andy Reid.

And one person said, I want him to play for the Titans.

And I was like, please elaborate.

And they said, because it is just the middle of football nowhere.

And I think sometimes if you look at guys who have wilted, it's sometimes that anonymity, and especially juxtaposed with Shadur Sanders, who's going to be the most talked about quarterback, even through training camp.

Cam Ward has a little bit of time and a lot of sun to grow, and no one's really going to give a shit.

And I think that's nice.

I think that's valuable.

And some people do think that's important.

And Cam Westworld,

Cam Ward will challenge for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but Ashton Genty will win it.

And, you know, Gravedigger, you know, you know what Justin does, Mark, whenever we fall into that conversation about them stealing the Houston Oilers history.

He sends his minions at me, all his flying monkeys on Twitter.

Right.

And all these Titans fans are like taking shots at me and...

calling me all sorts of names.

My favorite one was from a guy that goes under the moniker Titans Goon Squad, which is fitting.

Your eye rolling and groaning about the Warren Moon thing is pedantic and highly annoying.

The whole situation seems to live rent-free in your head.

Yes, I'm coaching third base for my son's Little League game yesterday, and then all I'm thinking to myself is, oh my God, I can't believe they flew Warren Moon.

I don't ever think about it.

But when you keep on dragging it back into the news cycle, I'm going to comment on it.

So every time the Titans try to make it a thing, it is my duty as a broadcaster to counter that with throwing some the shade that they deserve.

Shame

well, your hunch that we would never be on the same page about this is just the most perfect hunch of all time.

I will close out our underdog season-long play here with a pick'em from the AFC South.

Obviously, you guys know I like Cam Moore to go higher than 31.99 passing yards, but I'm taking my bias out of it.

I'm going with CJ Stroud.

His passing yards is set to 37.99.5.

He was lower than that number last year by

about 70 yards.

I think the Texans are going to try to keep helping him out as much as they can by putting the ball in the hands of their run game.

So I'm taking the lower here as well, and that rounds out our play.

Justin Herbert, lower than 36, 99.5 passing yards.

Josh Allen, higher than 10.5 rushing touchdowns.

Miles Garrett, I'm going higher than 13.25 sacks.

And CJ Stroud, lower than 37, 99.5 passing yards.

If you put $10 on this on Underdog right now, standard play pays you $100.

Or if you make it a flex play, you only have to hit three out of four.

That gives you the injury insurance there if you're worried about Miles Garrett not quite getting to that number.

And all you got to do to start playing is scan the QR code on your screen, sign up with the code HTC.

Very good.

And you also have the option of playing the reverse Perna as it's now known, which is just do the opposite of what we just said.

And you can hit on those potentially as well.

Right.

Yeah, I like Stroud for the lower as well.

So that is a guaranteed higher.

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All right.

Well, that was a good job.

We just went around the AFC in exactly 48 minutes.

Brandon, you've said it all.

Check out That's Good Sports, youtube.com/slash at that's good sports.

Thank you so much, sir.

Any final words before you say goodbye?

No, this was fun.

Thank you guys for having me.

Very honored to be here today.

I've got one little Brandon-related note because before we ever did this show or met in person for years,

In our home, we've been drinking the coffee that he creates.

Yes.

The girlfriend was a huge fan of this coffee.

Bench Warmer Brew.

Bench Bench Warmer Brew.

It comes in, well, you can explain the product better than me, but like it is a great coffee.

It's wonderful and it ships by mail quickly, seamlessly.

There you go.

This is our bestseller for obvious reasons.

All right.

Really good coffee.

We have great coffee.

Where can you get it?

Benchwarmershop.com.

I'm going to do it.

I appreciate the coffee.

Did I send you coffee, Mark?

Did I ever actually do that?

you did I believe yes I mean it's been arriving systematically so

it might have just been part of that influx but it's it's truly very it's great coffee so

excellent look at this yes thanks for the plug

I make five percent of off everything with all sales too so that's that by law you had to say that as well so that's important

All right, thanks everybody.

On Thursday, we will be back with Mike and Jordan to tackle the NFC.

So make sure you are there for that.

And thank you to everybody.

Thank you to Brandon.

Until next time, do what you must.

Heed the call.

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