Stick A Fork In 'Em + TNF Preview

Chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more, can make me feel like a spectator in my own life.

Botox, onobotulinum toxin A, prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine.

It's not for those with 14 or fewer headache days a month.

It's the number one prescribed branded chronic migraine preventive treatment.

Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor.

Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms.

Alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition.

Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk.

Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck, and injection, side pain, fatigue, and headache.

Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms, and dizziness.

Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection.

Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, including ALS Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert Eaton syndrome, and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

Why wait?

Ask your doctor, visit BotoxchronicMigraine.com, or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more.

This podcast is supported by Progressive, a leader in RV insurance.

RVs are for sharing adventures with family, friends, and even your pets.

So if you bring your cats and dogs along for the ride, you'll want Progressive RV Insurance.

They protect your cats and dogs like family by offering up to $1,000 in optional coverage for vet bills in case of an RV accident, making it a great companion for the responsible pet owner who loves to travel.

See Progressive's other benefits and more when you quote RV Insurance at Progressive.com today.

Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, Pet Injuries, and Additional Coverage and subject to to policy terms.

The Heed the Call podcast.

Just wants to please the old man.

Proud of me now, Dad.

Hey, oh, welcome to Heed the Call with Dan Hansas and Mark Sessler.

And yes, coincidentally, I'm in the basement of my father's home in New Jersey.

So this is, I really do want to make dad proud.

And I'm not the only one in New Jersey.

Joining me also is Connor Orr from a different area of the Garden State.

And of course, yes, the Cess Dog.

What's up, guys?

I mean,

I can feel your presence here.

This is great.

We should have just done this together.

I was going to say, like, you guys could have done the thing where you go to your,

you know, remote shared studio and put me up on screen or something to chime in.

I love New Jersey.

I love it.

I'm here on the East Coast, and thank you to Josh Norris and Mark and Justin for handling Monday night.

We got into the Yankee Dodgers World Series game last night, my brother and my buddies Mark and Mike and Howie.

And the game did not go how we wanted, but God, it's so nice to be in the crisp fall air and the leaves changing.

I drove from Brooklyn this morning to the Jersey Shore and just, I just love it here, man.

I'm wearing a sweater.

I got a sweater on.

It's sweater season now, SZN.

I just feel good.

I'm excited for today's show.

I got a text from Dan.

It must, I don't know when the, I don't know what you were up to, but it was very late on the West Coast.

And I got a text from you.

And I'll just, I'll frame it in the most positive way that you talked to four or five people just on the streets of New York and that you found them incredibly intriguing.

There was a counterpoint to that that slashed another city's existence, but I took the positive from it that you're a tri-state area, at least a duo-state area loyalist.

I'm definitely homesick, and it's nice to be here for a couple days.

But the show doesn't stop.

The show goes on.

And this is an important show

because coming up later, and this is backed by popular demand.

Because let's pull back the curtain, Sess Dog.

When we launched Heed the Call, we very deliberately had a mindset where

this is a new show.

It's the spirit of the old show, but it's a new show.

So we don't want to just do a carbon copy.

So some things we carry on, some things we don't.

And I was a little on the fence about this segment that we're going to do today, but we got enough feedback.

And then quite frankly, Mark, you pushed it over the finish line by essentially sponsoring the return of the stick a fork in them segment where we say goodbye to teams we believe have no chance to make the postseason.

So it's back, Ceci.

Yeah, like I believe in it.

You know, I think it's important to remember that about 95% of the things that people demand that we bring back, we didn't.

Like we're start, we've created new episodes, new shows.

We've got Connor with us all the time.

I mean, it's a completely different aura to it.

But this, I think this is a football segment, too, that really is kind of measuring stick at this point in the season on where we are.

And it kind of puts us into a new country.

It's like crossing from east to west Germany.

In the old days, now you can just walk there, but you had to like, back then you'd have to like put a ladder up, climb the wall, not get shot.

But we're in West Germany now, where we can say goodbye to some of the evil, which is the junk, the teams.

You know, not that we'll never speak about them again, but let's not act like they're in the same country as the rest of the teams.

Interesting.

Sometimes I follow a Sessler analogy and then I lose it, and then I get it back right at the end.

And that's what happened that time.

I got back.

I didn't know if you're talking about our old place of work or you're talking about the actual landscape of the league, but then I'm like, okay, I'm right with you.

Multilayered.

Multi-layered.

Multi-di-layered, for that matter.

All right.

And of course, we're going to hit the TNF preview as we look ahead to week nine

and the Stefan Diggs-Less Houston Texans, who learned on Tuesday that it is a torn ACL for the great veteran wide receiver.

So, Texans in a tough spot.

We'll get into that later.

But before we get into the

fork seg, a little bit of breaking news that came by on Tuesday afternoon.

And this is something I know you guys talked about it extensively on the Monday night show.

But Anthony Richardson has been benched by the Indianapolis Indianapolis Colts in favor of Joe Flacco.

And

listen, Mark, like we talked about it on Sunday, too.

The Colts were in a tough spot, and Shane Steichen was in a tough spot because what is this season about?

Is this season about trying to make the playoffs or is this season about developing your very green passer?

And ultimately, this makes sense.

And you heard the statement that Seiken said yesterday where he opened the door and that always leads to the benching typically that the Colts want to win games and they want to go to the playoffs playoffs and Richardson wasn't doing enough.

Yeah, they're four and four.

Last night, one thing we mentioned was you've got this young quarterback who is not processing and like he's, it's not just like, wow, he's doing enough where his athletic magic is coming through consistently.

It comes through in little spurts, but it's not enough over the course of a full game.

And you're going to play the Vikings, one of the nastier defenses around, than the Bills.

So your season hangs in the balance.

And I think, you know, if you're today's head coach, it's not just you unilaterally make a decision and kind of ride with it.

You've got to think about your organization, like all the players in your locker room, all your assistant coaches.

And they're all seeing on tape to a deeper level what we're seeing on Sundays.

So, Connor, I don't know about you, but I feel like, you know, this is not Deshaun Watson also where like you're never going to see that quarterback again.

There is time and place and a future to develop Anthony Richards.

And I kind of think sitting is maybe the most helpful thing for him to do right now.

I saw a lot of pie in the sky takes immediately after it happened about, well, your job is to develop this guy.

Your job is to develop this guy.

Coaches are not dumb and they can see the landscape.

They saw what happened in New York.

Shane Steichen is working for a guy who, what, last year, two years ago, fired his head coach and promoted Jeff Saturday in the middle of a season?

Like, do you think that he's sitting around and saying, oh, cool, let me take like three or four more L's with this guy for the sake of a future that I'm not even going to be here for unless I win some games?

And so Shane Steichen wants to go to the playoffs.

I don't blame him.

Joe Flacco gets you there.

And this is year two of Richardson, of course.

So I think when Bryce Young, and looking back at that draft class, it's interesting because you had Bryce Young go first to the Panthers.

He just recently got his job back after a benching.

C.J.

Stroud went second to the Texans, and that was a home run.

And then after the Will Anderson pick by the Texans, the Colts took Richardson fourth overall.

It's a massive investment.

And it's interesting to me because the initial reaction to everyone is like, yeah, this guy's either got to play through this and figure out how to make the layups and get some of this green off him.

Putting him on the bench, how does that necessarily help that?

But I don't hear any, but I also understand it, like the idea to mentally reset and sit behind Flacco.

Like, you could make a case either way.

And I get it.

I don't hear a lot of speculation about whether the Colts might be.

looking to bail on this experiment, whereas you heard that immediately when Bryce Young got benched out, like, okay, it's time to trade him.

And

is it possible that Richardson is someone that the organization might look to move,

or do we really see this as a temporary thing and they're still 100% in on the kid?

I'm curious where this is all going to go.

I just think with Richardson, it's he, they knew that they were taking a quarterback with so little experience.

And so that's baked into where he is now.

Bryce Young was a little bit different on that, on that front.

I think anything can happen with quarterbacks right now, but I don't think that's the plan because then you suddenly have nothing.

Like, you've got Joe Flacco and nothing else.

It's like this is someone that just needs to develop.

And I agree with Conrad.

Like, Shane Steichen,

you have got to tell everyone around you, like, we've got a chance to make the playoffs.

You've got the Jets and Patriots over the next month.

You've also got a really tough schedule, so you've got to go with the best quarterback.

Like, I think this is a pretty good football team.

And the one thing that I think you see happen with these veteran quarterbacks, like, when Flacco is in there, like, a guy like Alex Pierce comes alive, like, all these parts around the offense start to become activated, not unlike we saw with Jameis on Sunday with a bunch of guys who were like ghosts.

And so you're hoping that happens and Shane Steichen can show ownership and everyone else.

This is my offense.

I don't think I can show anyone what his offense is with Anthony Richardson in the same way.

The only two quarterbacks who weren't.

completely foolish looking against this Vikings defense this year were Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford.

So let's put that into perspective.

I think Daniel Jones had like a negative 25 expected

points added.

And Anthony Richardson is not nearly the quarterback that Daniel Jones is right now.

Like, I think if you're Shane Steichen, we can also remove the long-term, like, the big 30,000-foot view thoughts.

He may just not want him in this game because this is an absolute confidence ruiner where Andrew Van Ginkle could get four pick sixes in the first 15 minutes of this game.

Although that's a little tricky because if Joe Flacco does what Joe Flacco now does regularly, which is ball out, you're not going to take him out of the Jaguars.

Yeah, that's true.

That's true.

But Flacco really, obviously, obviously, has been playing very well since the Browns gave him a chance last season.

So it'll be interesting to see if that...

My last thought on this, Connor, I'll pose this to you.

Do you think that tap out

had a direct correlation to this happening?

Do you think that Steichen

asking to come out of the game because he was out of breath was a red flag that Steichen couldn't look past?

I think it was the rare, like, yes, like when he was watching the press conference where he probably wanted to do it.

He's probably wanted to do it for a long time, right?

Because, again, he's a head coach who needs to win games to stay in the place that he wants to stay.

That's that's it, right?

And so, you can't abandon the process unless you're given a reason.

It's like having a legal precedent, right?

And then all of a sudden, the quarterback goes, I came out because, you know,

I was tired.

And he's just like, Yes, okay, I can use the locker room as an excuse to move on.

And then we can just get back to sound footing.

So I think it was a convenient flub.

But God bless him is the media.

We ask for transparency all the time.

And every single time these players tell the truth, they get absolutely shithammered for it.

I know.

That's why Derek Jeter started his own newspaper so everyone could actually share how they feel without the journalists getting in the way.

What a paper it is, by the way.

Derek just put it in like 18 hours a week, you know,

a day in that newsroom, just like grinding it out.

You know, I don't know if he's still involved with that.

You know, I was in the same building with Derek Jeter last night.

And like,

it's been a tough, as a sports fan, it's been a tough few days because, you know, the Jets are an embarrassment, obviously, and the Yankees always were

the bastion of safety in the Hansas house.

And things don't really go in many cases like the Yankees way anymore, which everyone's fine with.

And I get that.

You sign up for that as a Yankee fan, knowing that

if you don't love the Yankees, you hate them, right?

But it is weird, I have to be honest, when they don't win anymore, when you expect them to win, like when Derek Jeter comes out and throws out the first pitch in front of 52,000, you don't expect Freddie Freeman to put the building to sleep 10 minutes later, which is exactly what happened.

So between these last three games of the World Series and a truly historic Jets loss, that data point about the first team ever, it was like 750-0 teams that, you know, whatever the data points were in terms of holding the team to yardage and not having a turnover and having more scoring scoring more than 20 points.

The teams were 748 and zero.

Like that happened Sunday as like the meat portion and then the Yankee losses.

I'm processing it, but it's been tough.

Yeah, like

I recall being a young child,

you know, in elementary school when they'd have those like double rooms and they'd open up the folding thing so the whole two classes could sit together and watch like the space shuttle launch and then like five minutes later it's crashed to earth.

Like that's not on that's not that's not unlike what you've experienced with these two teams.

It's been a little bit of a challenger scenario.

We're challenging if we don't want to make light of that space tragedy, Mark.

I'm not making light of it.

I just think I see a parallel.

All right.

Hit it, Justin.

Ah, yes.

Hear ye, hear ye.

Court is now in session.

Thank you.

Stick a fork in them.

2024 edition.

And I don't know, Mark, is it really a courtroom situation?

I don't know.

It just feels like it.

I feel like we want to add a little bit of structure.

So we're going to be observing the Roberts rules of order here in terms of the motions and the votes for

stick a fork in them.

And what is stick a fork with them?

In them, for people that don't know, this is the time of year where some teams are on the bubble in terms of their ability to survive a season or

they are at a crossroads.

And what we're trying to do, Mark, right, is nothing, it's nothing more complicated than kind of getting ahead of it and saying outright, you're already done.

Whether you know it or not, your season is over.

So we're going to kind of get rid of some teams and essentially say,

see you next September.

But we do it as part of a democratic process.

Yeah, like it's not, it's not spring cleaning, it's more autumn cleaning because we're at that point where like, let's kind of, you know, get, let's get our house in order.

And let's also, as a group, as a family, the football fans and journalists as a family, like, let's be of like mind here.

Let's, let's understand where we are and not live in fiction or mythologies about certain teams.

Now, there are always going to be these fans that like, you're never going to wake them from their pantomimes, but we are, but we don't, we are clear, we're clear-minded.

We're in a courtroom type setting, and we deal with justice and order, law and order.

Not that show, but the concept of it.

So, yeah, there's some type of court tie-in.

We're just going to

hang with it.

And, Connor, there's also

we do not do this willy-nilly.

Like, the idea of saying a team season is over before Halloween, to do that definitively, first of all, that really for the fan base, it's a tough thing to hear.

So we put in some stakes.

And what we do is, if we fork a team and that team goes on to qualify for the postseason, we're going to put our money where our mouth is and we will donate to a charity of our choice.

And before we get into it, let's share those charities that we will be individually donating to.

And by the way, we probably will get at least one team wrong.

And I want that to also be a part of, as you listen to this, as your team gets brought up here and maybe even voted to get forked, that almost every year there's at least one team that rises off the mat and ends up making the playoffs.

So it will be one of the teams we bring up today.

My

donation will be to, if I make one, which I'd like to.

Love Leo Rescue, which is a non-profit rescue located in Los Angeles.

Their focus, and this is where I got my dog, the captain, is to focus.

Their focus is on rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome sick, injured, abandoned, and forgotten dogs.

My puppy, when we got Captain two years ago, was found in a cardboard box with his three two brothers and a sister on the side of the road.

And Emily and I went to this house in the valley where

an older couple had been keeping them and we went and looked at all the puppies and we picked Captain and and then three months later we learned that they were all adopted and we met them at a dog part and we got the brothers and the sister together.

This is the type of organization we're dealing with.

Love it.

So Love Leo Rescue is mine.

How about you, Mark?

First of all, anyone that disagrees with that choice can have a bow and arrow shot into their chest like you have to be dead inside.

So I like that.

I'm going with

I looked around because I almost went animal and I care about animals, but I went siva.org.

And here's what these guys do.

Like Like they restore.

You can die, by the way.

Okay, Justin, that was the right time for that.

Thank you.

Justin, again, on our product that we are a sponsor for, the Edibles.

So Siva.org, what they do is they restore sight and they prevent blindness.

And it's in like 20 countries around the world where people that can't afford,

there's glasses, but then there's also like, you know, medical operations stuff where they, if you're the head of the household and you can't see and you're in a third world country, they restore sight and like suddenly that brings all this organization back to the family and everything else so you know i'm i'm still reading about it but it um it touched me and i thought well this is what we'll do i like the idea you know you see those um those like things on instagram where like they they a child suddenly can hear or see again and like their mind is blown like i think this is what kind of pulled me into that Justin, look up to make sure that's a real charity.

It is Siva.org.

You can go pass it into your little Google.

I like it.

How about you, Conman?

You guys have been awesome over the years and have allowed me to come on and talk about the Greater Newark Holiday Fund.

And so, once again, I will say that I'm playing for the Greater Newark Holiday Fund.

This is a New Jersey-based charity that raises money specifically to distribute to our social service partners during the holidays.

So, a lot of charities run out of money at the end of the year.

And when their budgets are tapped, we come in and we funnel

extra funding, additional funding, and a lot of the things that we cover:

crisis counseling, temporary shelter and homelessness, family rehabilitation, domestic violence, sheltering, counseling, all that kind of stuff.

And so

I'm a proud board member of the Greater Newark Holiday Fund.

We go on agency visits every year to see the people behind the scenes here.

And just like the workers on the front lines that are combating, you know, homelessness, mental health,

people who can't afford their prescription medication, all that stuff, they deserve this.

So I'm honored to be playing playing for GNHF today.

I love it.

So we should donate to all those charities.

Well, regardless.

And if those sound like causes that you would like to be involved with,

please follow the social media and the websites for those particular groups.

And we will hopefully, I hope we're wrong.

I hope we do donate.

And I hope the fan bases that are about to be

downtrodden end up having the last laugh.

So let's get into it.

I want to first open order in the court, by the way

cool

very cool

i want to um file a motion here um

for teams that are probably pretty straightforward so i'm going to put these i'm going to make this a four pack um and if anyone uh

disagrees we can break that team out of the group um also one change from past years we used to do a unanimous vote we are going to do a majority vote with Justin involved as well.

Majority vote carries a motion, and each of us are armed with one veto.

So if you are in the minority on a team, but you feel very strongly, you could save them from the fork, and you get one team you could do that with.

So let's get to it with, I'm going to make it a three-pack, actually, everybody.

Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans.

Does anyone have

an issue with those teams being grouped together as teams we could kind of move from?

Not I.

All right.

All in favor of the forks, say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All in favor of saving these teams from the forks, say nay.

Okay, it's unanimous.

Carriot, give me a little.

Yeah, there you go.

Panthers, Patriots, Titans, all forks.

Stick a fork in them.

Yes, Shaq.

Yes, yes, yes.

All right, now,

let's start now, Mark.

You get us going

with your first motion.

All right.

I would like to, with this motion, raise up the concept because there's a couple easy ones out.

There's some layups I want to.

Wait, someone has to second the motion, by the way.

Oh, sure.

According to the Roberts rules.

I second the motion.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Proceed with your.

I shall.

I'll proceed.

I have had enough of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and here's what I think about this.

You could argue that these are one of the spiciest fork candidates because when they're good, you see what they can do.

But I think that actually proves a point because they do the least amount with all of that.

They've done the least amount.

They're sitting at two and six.

Christian Kirk is gone for the season.

Okay, Brian Thomas is banged up right now, but I don't even like the situation for Brian Thomas with Christian Kirk out of the mix.

I thought the two of them together were nice dueling banjos.

You've got the second worst defense in the league in terms of EPA per play.

They are giving up points all over the place, and then you're asking the offense to do a lot.

And yes, look at this schedule up on screen here on YouTube, and I'll just read it out for you.

You've got Philadelphia coming up,

you've got Minnesota coming up.

You've got to go to Detroit.

Then on your bye, someone's probably going to get arrested.

Let's start there.

Then you've got Houston, and then Tennessee.

And so by the time you get to a cupcake in Tennessee, who knows what the record is?

Because you essentially probably need to win, I'd say, at the least, seven games to get to nine wins.

but probably eight.

So you're asking someone to go

eight and a little down the stretch.

I think

that is a disaster.

This team is not built that way.

There's no DNA.

There's no nucleus that suggests that they're going to do.

If you look at their record from the middle of last season to now,

it is a fireable offense.

And all they've done is slide.

All right, before we call it to vote, can I just say, looking, they had, this has been a tough schedule for the Jags

because I'm looking at the earlier portion of the schedule, and they're, when we're going to, we're going to get to teams where they made their bed by losing games they shouldn't have lost earlier in the season.

Uh, and now with a tough schedule ahead, it's like, oh, see, that's how you seasons get blown.

But I look at their schedule, they started at Miami, home Cleveland, at Buffalo, at Houston, 0-4 start.

They hold off the Colts by three points, then they lose to the Bears, who are obviously a team on the rise, beat the Patriots, and then lose to the Packers.

And then, like you said, at Eagles, Vikings, at Lions, Texans, it's like, listen, we could pin it on Doug Peterson and fire him or whatever, but

that's a brutal schedule, and they just weren't good enough to beat many of the best teams in the league.

So I feel pretty good about this one.

All in favor of the fork say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Okay.

They carry the motion.

So the Jaguars are forked.

I feel like I move some legislation.

Stick a fork in them.

Ow.

That's how.

See, I think we're coming up on a very important week.

I just showed you how you move legislation.

It helps everyone can agree.

That's how you do it.

Very well done.

All right.

Let's take a break.

And when we get back, Connor will bring another team to motion.

Is that right?

I don't know.

We'll be right back.

Hey, Mark, it's that time in the show where I tell you about Mando's 4-in-1 acidified cleansing bar.

Ah, yes, the 5-ounce bar that does the work of a shampoo, face wash, body wash, and deodorant.

Yes, five ounces.

That's the one.

Formulated with a gentle alpha hydroxyacid that stops odor at the source.

It's clinically proven to control odor for 24 hours.

I am not even going to ask you what you mean by pH and alpha hydroxy acids, because at this point, I just know that Mando's 4-in-1 acidified cleansing bar works.

Absolutely, bro.

It works.

And it simplifies your hygiene routine, especially if you're traveling.

It's the only thing you need to pack, and you can get it in three cologne-quality scents.

Mount Fuji is fresh and woodsy.

Bourbon leather is sweet and sophisticated, while ProSport is clean and citrusy.

Well, there's also Mando's starter pack.

It's perfect for new customers.

It comes with a solid stick deodorant, a cream tube deodorant, two free products of your choice, likely mini body wash or deodorant wipes, and free shipping wipe stand.

That's right.

Luckily, I have a discount code to help our listeners get hooked on our favorite smelling whole body deodorant on the market.

New customers can get $5 off a starter pack with our exclusive code HTC.

That equates to over 40% off your starter pack.

Use code HTC at shopmondo.com.

That's 40% off with the code HTC at S-H-O-P-M-A-N-D-O.com.

Now there is one very clear way to elevate your daily life this fall, and that's with Vaya's Premium Federally Legal Cannabis Products.

Vaya is well known for their premium THCA flour grown indoors in state-of-the-art facilities and free from harsh pesticides or nasty chemicals, farmed and crafted with care in the U.S.

and trusted by over a half a million customers.

Vaya just launched their high THCA flour in 7 gram and 28 gram bags and brand new flavors for the THCA vapes line.

So you have more options than ever before to blaze your own trail.

I will say because they sent us some of this stuff that I have taken the one, it's labeled dreams and it's got a mixture of all sorts of stuff and it helped me sleep and I appreciate that and the best part VIA legally ships to nearly all states in the US in discrete packaging directly to your door with a worry-free guarantee no medical card required so if you're 21 or older check out the link to Vaya's website in our description and use the code htc that's us to receive 15% off if you want to support our show and this is important please tell them heed the call sent you again use the via link in the pod description and code code HTC for 15% off.

This fall, enhance your everyday with VIA.

If you're a fan of Heed the Call, I'm guessing you're a football fan.

But the NBA season is here too.

Yes, we all know they're two different sports.

Football is completely different than basketball.

But Underdog has tons of fun ways to get in on the action.

Unlimited profit boost tokens on all NBA pick'em entries.

Plus, you can play against other users with daily tournaments and private drafts where Underdog is giving out hundreds of thousands of dollars every single day just download the underdog app sign up with the code htc that's us and receive up to 1 000 in bonus cash for our u.s audience only

we're back all right

Yes, we're back.

Welcome back to Heed the Call as we are currently going through the stick of fork.

And one thing, before we get back into it, Gravedigger, I saw right as we were coming back from break,

took a big old rip on his,

what do you call that?

The pen?

What is that?

That's like a little nicotine vape pen thing.

Justin is

attempting to quit smoking, and we're all rooting for him.

How's it going with that?

It's going very well.

I have not had a cigarette since last Sunday.

So that's what, nine days, ten days?

It's pretty good.

That's great, dude.

Can I ask you, like, what, like, what else are you smoking

in place of

a cigarette?

Well, like daily, like throughout the day, just this vape.

Anytime.

At night time,

I partake in other substances before bed.

During primetime tapings, you know, those

windows.

Never on the job.

All right, let's get back into it.

Connor, the courtroom is yours.

The floor is yours, as it were.

Yeah, I'm excited about this.

I would say to Justin, just don't, you know, like I'm getting excited to get back into it.

You know, I like when I'm like 70.

I told my wife that I'm going back and 70.

Smoking?

Yeah.

I've been quit for

I've been like 11 years now, but like the more I think about it.

Put those lungs back to work at age 70?

There's this,

you know, John Prine, the singer-songwriter, he has this song, When I Get to Heaven, and he said he's going to smoke a cigarette that's nine miles long.

I was like, that's, that's, uh,

that's kind of what I'm, you know,

I miss it.

I miss it every day.

So I'm just saying, don't give up on it, you know, if you don't want to.

Oh, no, don't listen to Connor.

Keep on doing what you're doing.

You're doing great.

Very bad for you.

We should make Connor donate to the American Cancer Society after that statement.

All right, Conman, it's time for you to file a motion.

Okay, I'm filing a motion for Mark.

Go ahead.

Give it to him.

Yes, I second that motion from the con man.

I think that's not really how this, like, you got to let the person say the motion, and then somebody

second it.

No, they have to be recognized.

As I understand it, the Roberts rules of law.

He requests to make a motion.

It's granted, then he states it.

Also, these are like, these are Tugboats' rules of order.

Robert, he's in the rearview mirror.

Wait, the formal steps in handling a motion are the making of a motion, having a second, which is what Mark just did,

stating the motion, having debate on the motion, putting the motion to a vote, and announcing the results of the vote.

Okay.

So stick that in your little pipe in.

All right, Conman.

This is an ideal format for someone who was removed from mock trial after 35 minutes for lack of maturity.

So can I just try this again one second?

All right, just so I make sure I have it.

All right.

Request to file a motion.

I would second that motion from the con man.

Fantastic.

I motion that we we fork the shit out of the Dallas Cowboys.

Let's go.

Come on.

Order in the court.

Order in the court.

Easy with the salty language, Mr.

Orr.

Don't hold me in contempt.

This whole courtroom is in contempt.

Look at the schedule coming up.

At Atlanta versus Philly.

Verse Houston, at Washington.

Man, I'm just telling you, even if they get Micah Parsons back, I don't think they could beat any of these teams.

Coaching staff is all in one-year contracts.

Everybody's deciding where they want to live this offseason.

Everybody's parked the cars.

And I'll say this, too.

Watching that game on Sunday night, we talked about this on the show about there being this

air of inevitability of them just kind of just kind of mehing the rest of the comeback and falling up short.

There's no quarterback in the NFL over the last six or seven weeks, I think it is, with more turnover-worthy plays than Dak Prescott.

It's not just turnover plays.

There were a couple picks that were dropped in that game that were the dividing line between a game that like looks close enough where you could be like, yeah, or an absolute slaughter at the hands of the 49ers.

And I think it's 28th in EPA per play allowed in defense, 26th on offense, 22nd in rushing.

This team is just not effective in any way, shape, or form.

And again, I think this is what happens when you're Jerry Jones and you try to put everybody's feet to the fire instead of doing what good owners do, which is you provide some modicum of stability, you extend people's contracts, you let them operate with some form of being valued.

Everybody in that building is on a one-year contract, and everybody is behaving that way because they know there's no chance of making the playoffs.

All right.

I hear where you're coming from, and you watch them.

They're actually worse when you watch them closely.

And I thought the Sunday night game was a perfect snapshot of what's wrong with them, that they can't stop the run.

They can't run the football.

They don't have enough weapons other than CeeDee Lamb.

So I believe he had something like 40%

or

over 40% target share in that game.

And that's leading.

That's a big reason.

How many times with these Dak Prescott interceptions have they been balls that have been targeted to CeeDee Lamb?

Because he's just forcing it.

And I know Dak deserves some criticism for the offensive struggles as well, but he's been put, Mark, in a terrible position this season.

And that's why I think that's the bigger reason behind these mistakes is that he's being asked to do everything with Lamb, and the defenses know that too.

Yeah, and I think

I'm not sure what to do with Justin at this point, but I accept it.

Here's the problem.

Zaddy's got a butt.

You play the Eagles twice, and the Eagles are, they're what the Cowboys want to be.

they're flawed, but they're coming around.

You play the Commanders twice.

You know, people just assumed the Commanders were going to go win like five games and be one of the teams we're talking about right now.

So you're not even the, you're, you're the, at best, you're the third best team in your division.

I could see you getting picked off by the Giants team if they've got their act together.

So I don't like you getting out of your Giants stuff.

Well, no, look, I'm just saying, like, the Cowboys, though, the way that the roster is constructed, well, what's the advantage they have in almost any of these games?

And I'm with Connor.

Like, like i i think it's a it's a spicy one and i'm with you to mark's point right the giants have something to play for

justin go take a smoke break i've never been interrupted by a drop before and if i i now understand how it feels it's wild yeah

I love it.

Go ahead, Connor.

The Giants have something to play for.

The owner came out, and I actually respect John Mayer a lot for this.

I'm not one of those, like, oh, we're the Giants.

We do everything right.

We're a Tiffany franchise.

I know that bothers you.

But I do think that, you know, juxtaposing it with the other franchise in the area, like an owner coming out and taking the lightning and saying, no, I'm holding on to this guy for another year is a very underrated thing.

And Brian Dable is playing for that faith and will have all of his cards on the table.

By November 14th or whatever it is, the next time that they play the Giants, if Mike McCarthy's two and eight, I mean, you know, they're just going to punt on second down.

Like, there's no point in being there.

You know you're gone.

All right, let's put this motion to a vote.

All guys.

All in favor of forking the Cowboys say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Yay.

Yes.

All who oppose?

All who, wait, how do you, all

who do not want to fork the Cowboys say nay.

Nay.

And you know what?

I'm going to veto it.

Don't.

Oh, what?

I'm using my veto on the Dallas Cowboys.

It's absolutely ridiculous.

And I'll tell you why.

Is this a mistrial?

I'll tell you why.

I like where you're coming from, Connor, but I also, and it makes a lot of sense logically, but I'm just looking at their schedule.

The next four games at Atlanta, home Philly, home Houston.

Now, you know, a team, the Texans is not as good as their record indicates to me right now, and they just lost

another wide receiver at Commanders.

If they can

keep their head above, if they can go 2-2 in that stretch, after that, they get Giants, Bengals, at Panthers.

And then I think this team is going to be...

He beat the Bengals.

Let me ask you a question, Dan.

Like I said, you've got four games against the Eagles and Commanders.

What do you predict or

what do you predict they do in those four games?

This version of the Dallas Cowboys, especially to Connor's point, if you start losing the locker room, people start thinking about the offseason.

And these other two

absolutely a path to this team going six and 11.

I agree with that.

But I also think it's also possible that they are eight and seven in December or even seven and eight, and they can win out and make it.

I think there is enough talent still, although it's a top-heavy flawed roster, and Micah Parsons on the way back as Lawrence and Deron Bland.

Like there is a path here to this team getting on a run.

And I know it doesn't seem that way,

I apologize, but that's in this courtroom, in this country, which is a free country governed by man.

I deserve the right to do what I've done here.

And I will, honestly,

if we want to add another element to this, if you use your veto power and you're wrong, maybe that's another reason you have to donate to your charity.

Well, I like to donate to mine, too.

Yes.

Yes, there you go.

So that's how we'll do it.

And if I'm wrong about the Cowboys, I can live with that because I'll be helping out a great organization that Connor Orr has put up on a pedestal.

So he kind of nailed this.

So in a way, I'm actually kind of a good guy in all this.

You really are.

The other thing is, forking is like a definitive, they are not making the playoffs, and we're calling it now.

But not forking doesn't necessarily, Dan, mean that you think they are going to make the playoffs for sure.

I feel like.

Yes.

The reason the whole idea here is these are teams we believe have no chance to make the playoffs.

and I'm just not there with the Cowboys yet.

I know what we've seen has been terrible, but I think they can improve still.

We'll see.

I quickly googled courtroom terms while you guys were saying this, Dan, and I believe what you're doing right now is malfeasance.

I hold you in contempt, sir.

Burden of proof.

All right, so Cowboys not forked.

And I know Connor's pissed off, but that's just how I feel.

All right, request to file a motion.

I'll second that motion.

Okay.

All right.

I'll bring them up.

The New York Jets.

We're going to talk about it a little bit later on the preview.

This is the most disappointing team in football.

Absolutely matteding this season.

And they're an example.

Here's the thing with this Jets team, when you look at their upcoming schedule.

They actually have by...

Last time I checked, these things can change based on results, but as of last week, they have the easiest remaining schedule in the league.

So what makes them so

annoying, quite frankly, is all they had to do was not completely shit their pants in these first eight games.

And they would have had a chance to at least be playing as a fan, as a Jet fan, you at least had a chance for your team to be playing relevant football in December.

The only thing you couldn't do is lose six of eight and go on a five-game losing streak.

That is what they've done.

So, this is what they have ahead: they have the Thursday night game against the Texans at home, a banged-up Texas team, Texans team that has some issues going on at Arizona, home Colts, then they're bye, home Seahawks at Miami.

So a two and six, guys, they have to, if they lost five in a row, they pretty much have to win five in a row at some point now.

And what have we seen from this team to think that that is going to happen?

I look at that schedule, and I think there's a road to go one and four there.

with the way they're playing.

I mean, honestly, like, they could lose to the Cardinals.

They could lose to a version of the Seattle Seahawks.

They could lose to Miami the way that their offense looked.

Like, I don't know where the win is there that we're saying, where did they, how do they get back in this race?

And their own, they're like, to me, Connor, their issues, it's Jets versus Jets.

And I don't, those teams, I just can't believe it.

And it's, it is, Jets versus Jets is different than

even, you know, Giants versus Giants or another bad team versus itself.

The Jets find a way to make it like a

personal collision with complete catastrophe.

And they, and they specialize in that, and that's not a playoff team to me.

I completely disagree.

I think, and not because

Dan forked my forking.

I legitimately think that they're going to beat the Texans on Halloween and Thursday night football.

I've always kind of considered myself a little bit like the guy in the big short that read all the mortgages and saw this coming.

And so I will say.

So the Christian Bale character?

Yeah, the super genius.

And

what I see in the Jets is a team with a bunch of strangely healthy biomarkers, and they're just losing games.

And you talked about the, whatever, the 750 to zero odds that they lost to the Patriots in that condition.

Aaron Rodgers has one of the cleanest pockets in the NFL.

The Jets have one of the 10 best offensive lines in the NFL.

And that's not just due to name value.

That's due to actual performance.

I think they're like the eighth or ninth best offense in the NFL.

And the defense can't get a lot worse than it is right now.

And I do feel like if there is some sort of improvement of coming together, you have a chance of getting hot.

And specifically against Texans, they're absolutely obliterated in the interior of their offensive line, which is one spot that we know that the Jets can play well with some regularity.

And my two other points on this very quickly, Aaron Rodgers and Hassan Reddick are two guys that need to desperately clean up their legacy before they get out of this season.

And the only way to do that is to win games.

And for Hassan Reddick, that's to load up on sacks and to actually play hard against the run, which are two things that he desperately needs to do in order to earn another big contract.

Can we do one thing here, Justin?

Can we, speaking of Hassan Reddick, this is this is sort of what I'm talking about.

And those are good points, Connor, but like,

look at what he's doing with his time after, and he's got a banged-up neck already, and he's not done a thing for the Jets.

And he's spending his time tweeting this: I, someone call Bill Belichick and give him a job.

Seems like he's homebored and can't keep me out of his mouth.

Come up for air, why don't you, no Diddy?

I mean,

no Diddy.

Like,

why is Hassan Reddick doing anything but focusing on helping the Jets get any better?

Like, why are you, what are you doing with your time?

Mark, in fairness, you're talking about a guy that wanted a raise, so he said the best way to do that is to light $10 million on fire.

So, like, some of the decision-making and thought processes are perhaps flawed.

I just, I don't see a team where, show me one game.

Like in the last, you know,

recent time where you have good players.

And you are right, Connor.

Like, there is a reason that we projected them to make the playoffs, but they're not showing up in the same game.

They're not showing up at one time.

So I just don't have a lot of faith that they're going to win seven games down the stretch.

I'm putting a lot on this Houston game, I know, but remember last year that the Jets demolished the Texans who are in a much better place as an organization.

But in like a, in like a,

that's the same organization, but this is a totally different Jets team.

The defense has cratered, especially due to injuries, injuries, and now you've taken the DC and made him the head coach, and that has directly impacted, I think, the defense.

This is a rudderless ship.

I mean, Robert Sala was not my version of a great coach, but you could tell it's chaos that's reigning behind the scenes and all those illegal procedures and timeouts on the offense.

Aaron Rodgers clearly doesn't have a handle on this offense either.

I just don't see how you could correlate last season to this season because there's so many things wrong.

The things that they had on lockdown last year are all gone.

So that's part of the reason why they've been so historically inept this season.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

It's just us.

Justin?

All those, oh, all those who oppose say nay.

Nay.

Nay.

Nay.

May the court reflect where's the stenographer?

You know, the lady with her little black.

It does not have to be a lady.

It could be, it could be

a lady.

Does anyone hear him?

Let's go.

Have you ever, this is amazing.

Have you ever seen a male stenographer?

That's all I'm going to say.

Mark, you get back to the second sexist-ish comment you made earlier when you said the world is run by man.

Well, I meant mankind.

Nice try.

Anyway,

have the man or the woman or whatever stenographer reflect that I tried to fork the Jets and it was two other people on the show that said not to.

I just want to let people know that.

You know, all right.

Crazy.

That was pretty.

That is wild.

All right.

Okay, Mark, file a motion.

Yes.

I am filing a motion to,

I've got a couple motions here.

No, motion is granted, by the way.

Oh, thank you.

All right.

I want to

go with my gut here.

And I think this is going to...

Sometimes, you know, you've got to be like...

Kevin Costner at the end of JFK, not to reference that every show, but like you've got to fight the world.

And that's what I'm trying to do here because I simply, if we're going going to keep all these other teams, we're going to keep the Jets and fill in the blank other team, then you've got someone that we are on board with to some degree is going to have to take a football version of a dirt nap.

And I am filing a motion to

get rid of the Cincinnati Bengals and let me make my case for you.

Okay, because if anything, up until now, I have in our power rankings and other places, thought of the Bengals as a team that's going to get it done.

I don't believe coaching will save this team.

I think I've got a problem with a team that against the Eagles less than a week ago gave up 397 yards and 20 unanswered points in the final 18 minutes of the game.

The defense, which, you know, we always have loved Lou

Anarumo, but like it's beyond him at this point.

They are 30th in defensive success rate, 27th in the league in defensive EPA.

I think they're the kind of construct roster-wise right now that one injury to an offensive star and this thing is over.

You've got the Raiders.

You will win that game, and you'll be four and five, and I'll look dumb.

But then you've got the Ravens, you've got the Chargers, you've got the Pittsburgh Steelers twice down the stretch, you've got Cleveland, you've got Denver.

And I'm not putting Cleveland out there as a heavyweight, but the Bengals and the Browns always play unexpected games.

So you have got to go win.

I'd say you're three and five.

In the AFC,

seven games.

Maybe six if we get in there with nine, but that would say that the rest of the AFC tumbles a bit.

And

I've got to see how you're going to do that because

I don't know what you're clinging to other than shootouts.

You're going to have to win shootouts.

Your defense is leaving you stranded.

I get that this is a bit of a reach compared to other teams I could have picked, but I really believe it.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those who oppose say nay.

Nay.

I mean,

listen,

I understand, Mark, that you have a little bit of a...

You're not a big Bengals guy.

But I will tell you this.

I don't dislike them.

I just don't see this year's team getting there.

I am not ⁇ 3-5 is a bad place to be, but they're really 4-5 because they got the Raiders coming up.

And if the team has Joe Burrow and Joe Burrow's playing at an elite level, there is no way in hell I am forking Joe Burrow's team.

Like, leave Zach Taylor out of that, the fact that this team melts down when they don't have T.

Higgins on the field with Jamar Chase or the inadequate running game post-Joe Mixon and the defense regression.

I get all that, but I ain't quitting on Joe Burrow before Hollywood.

Here's the craziest thing.

Like, so Justin sent our power rankings.

This tells you, you know, when I'm putting some of this stuff together, like, early in the morning,

Dan has them at 21.

Connor has them at 20.

Justin has them at 20.

Mark has them at 14.

So

corporations.

You're the one that forked them.

I mean, you are a mystery wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a conundrum, Mark Zessler.

Why would you fork it?

Why would you nominate a team

for fork that's 14th in your power rankings?

Like, you must have a vision of upside for them to have them that high.

I'm peering into the future at where they will be in my power rankings.

But

to be more logical,

these were two things that happened independent of each other.

Damn, we need to have a Power Rankings

seminar with him.

I know we gotta sit him down.

I know.

We gotta sit him down and have some hard conversations and lessons.

Hopefully helpful.

All right.

That now brings it.

Sorry, Mark, about that.

That brings it back to Connor.

Okay.

We might have time for one more each, by the way.

Okay.

I thought it was only right for me to do this since I stood on the table for this team and they pissed me off a week ago.

I'm forking the Raiders.

Oh, wait, can I make a motion?

Yes, motion granted, but just remember, this is a debate.

This is a conversation.

So you're nominating them.

You're not forking them out right.

I'm making a motion to nominate the Raiders for forking.

And I want to do this because I was the team that lifted them up

mere a week ago.

I got everything that I thought I was going to get.

And then Gardner Minshew fumbled against the Chiefs when they were down a touchdown, and he was driving.

And let me just illustrate.

Mostly I just want to do this to clear the air because sometimes people are like, oh, Connor just says crazy stuff.

But like,

I propped up the Chiefs to not or I don't know.

That's a good impression of a Connor critic right there.

That's how I would imagine the mad internet person to be sounding like.

I know he sounds like my dad.

And

so

what I meant by that was I was propping up the Raiders because, you know, this team is kind of like sine waves, right?

And Cardinal Minshew had a game the week prior against the Rams, negative 21.2 EPA, and you knew that there was going to be another side to this.

And there was.

He had a 17.1 completion percentage over expectation above the Chiefs, the second best defense in the NFL.

We got the game we thought we were going to get.

And I just, this is like a beloved

family pet in the 60s.

Like, I just want to be the one that takes it back behind the barn and says goodbye.

You know, I want to do it.

I like the way you presented that, and quite frankly, I wanted to include them in the opening pack of forked teams,

but I removed them out of respect for

you and your feelings.

And I wanted you to do that.

So I'm glad that this has kind of happened the way I think it should have.

All in favor of forking the Las Vegas Raiders, say aye.

Aye.

All

those who oppose, say nay.

Okay, it is unanimous.

That's it for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Stick a fork in them.

Mark, I think that brings it back to you, or is it me?

I think it's you, right?

Is it me?

Yeah.

All right, let's see.

Who else do we got here?

All right, who's forked so far, Justin?

So far, we have forked the three-pack Panthers, Patriots, Titans.

We forked the Jags.

We

were going to fork the Cowboys, but it got vetoed.

Vetoed.

We're going to fork the Jets, but it got vetoed.

No, that just didn't pass.

That just didn't pass.

No, that just didn't pass.

We tried to fork the Bengals, and no one voted to pass.

Nice job, Mark.

And now we have forked the Raiders.

Okay.

So, let's see, let's see, let's see.

Then let me.

God, we got to talk about the Giants.

The Giants are not good enough.

The Giants show us that every week.

Even, I mean, and I know they have this like try-hard blue-collar, like Springsteen off-Nebraska energy that Mark connects with, but like,

I mean, yeah, you know, meet me down in Atlantic City because,

you know, you blew up

a chicken man in Philly last night, but the chicken man is the Giants in their hopes for the playoffs.

There's no chance here.

The upcoming schedule, two and six, Commanders, Panthers, Bay, Tampa, Cowboys, New Orleans.

Maybe those five games, Sess Dog, as I refer to you directly right now,

maybe best case scenario, they're three and two, which would put them at, what, five and eight, and still in need of a miracle at that point.

So

I will nominate the New York Giants.

All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All those who oppose, say nay.

It's unanimous.

Okay, the Giants are forked.

Mark, so you voted for it, but are you at all?

Well, so I watched last night's game, and for me,

they absolutely needed to win that game.

And I do believe in, like, I mentioned Tyrone Tracy the other night.

I think this is like he was a dominant running back last evening, but he had a concussion.

I think Brian Dable is a good coach.

Andrew Thomas being out is a death knell.

Like, I just, I don't see them.

They're 31st in scoring.

It's not going to happen.

But I do see the pieces for tomorrow.

I do.

I do, but it's just not this year.

All right.

Can I make a motion?

Yeah.

I forgot to make a motion for my motion.

So motion to be, you know, that one.

Do I have that granted in retrospect?

Yes.

Okay.

Connor, your turn.

Can I make a motion to have it added into the record that out of all the teams that we've forked

that the Giants have tried the hardest and have the most upside?

Like they are at the top of, they are the least forkable team that we forked.

I wrote in my notes, this is the best forkable team, and so I would second that motion.

All right, sounds good.

Connor, you're up.

You want to do one more?

Because I feel like we have a couple more.

Does anybody have one?

Because I do have a couple more on my list.

We could whip through some if we got a.

Okay.

Do you, as does someone else have one they want to motion?

All right.

I'll file another motion.

Second that motion.

Second it.

Oh, yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I was like, I thought it was a pregnant pause.

We've seen very prominent people fall asleep in courtrooms, and that's what happened right there.

Okay.

I'm afraid to do this because I know the timing might not be great.

But, you know, the Cleveland Browns,

I understand

where we're at,

and we're in a happy place

after the big win over the Ravens, but they are two and six, and they're okay.

Can you capture Lightning in the bottle twice?

Last year with Joe Flacco signed off the couch,

and now Jameis Winston.

Yeah, you can, but like, I don't think Winston is going to be a week-to-week solution for them.

I think there's a reason he's bounced around the league.

There's a reason he set the NFL record for being the first guy to go 30-30, 30 touchdowns, 30 interceptions.

Jameis loves to throw the football.

They traded away Amari Cooper.

I know he made a lot of those guys that had disappeared in the offense like reappear, and I respect that.

And it was a great moment in Baltimore.

But looking at their schedule, home Chargers by at Saints, home Pittsburgh, at Denver, at Pittsburgh.

I see maybe best case scenario there, three wins, and that would put them at, again, five and eight.

And then you got to basically win at the back half of your schedule.

So, for that reason, I think that when you lose five in a row like they did, that's too big a hole, and you're going to get some Winston stinkers, and those you're going to lose a couple games that you probably should have win because that's been his career M.O.

Now, is there something magic going on here?

I guess if you want to do the Cleveland magic stuff, like that's fine, but like I don't see it.

So, all those in favor of forking the Cleveland Browns say aye.

Aye.

All those who oppose say nay.

Nay.

Nay.

All right.

Let's hear.

Let's hear why they shouldn't be forked.

Connor.

So I go back to there's the interim coach fired principle, right, where you get that bump and you get that freedom from the locker room.

And I would guess that

the Bersace bump, correct.

And we've seen this with the Browns with Craig Williams, of all people, when Hugh Jackson was fired.

But removing Deshaun Watson from the equation, I don't know if we can calculate the lift that this gives everybody and everything.

And it's one of those things where we're dealing with a like a, I wish I could do a Jeff Goldblum impression here, but we're dealing with something that we don't know how to quantify.

Like

it's like a chemical or something that we have not yet measured via the depths of our scientific abilities.

And so

I just don't know.

And they have two games against the Steelers.

And here's what's interesting about Pittsburgh.

They almost gave that game back against the Giants.

And a better team would have come back and tied that game against Pittsburgh.

They are way up in turnover margin.

A lot of that stuff, even though it's TJY, I know, but a lot of that stuff tends to come back to the mean.

And so, you know,

this conference isn't a murderer's row like we thought it was.

Like, I think this whole thing could become like a jumbled nine-and-eight mess by the end of the year.

Are you the other Browns fan on the show?

Go ahead, Mark.

I think, like, it's, it almost will, it will require to be a more

improbable and I guess sports magical story than even last year's Browns, which was one of the more improbable journeys of that franchise's history.

So yet,

and you can put the schedule up though, that's fine, but like I, part of that has nothing to do with it.

You're going to have to go do the, you're going to have to probably steal a game from Kansas City.

You're going to have to go into Denver.

That historically has not been good for Cleveland.

You're going to have to do a lot that no one's going to expect you to do.

But I do think it's almost like this deep, dark, unsolvable evil has been taken out of the organization.

So I'm with Connor in the sense that it is just mystery ahead.

So

when I root for sports stories, and it's not even a Cleveland thing, it's like this would be one of the more justice-filled, and we're in a courtroom, sports stories around for them to do what they did the day that Nick Chubb comes back, out goes Deshaun Watson, and Cleveland somehow squeaks into the wild card second time in a row.

I think Connor mentioned it, like that would make Stefanski Coach of the Year for the third time in like like five years.

So it's like, I'm not, it is, it is, we are talking about against all odds, but I root for against all odds in this situation.

Can I push back a little bit on that?

Especially the Stefansky take?

Because Stefanski is the one who continued to say over and over again, week after week, we're not going to look at the quarterback situation.

Watson gives us the best decision.

Do you think that was unilateral?

Do you think that was a unilateral decision?

I don't.

I think the narrative in the media who votes for coach of the year will hold it against him for sure.

I think you are right about

it.

Especially if Winston plays well down the stretch and it's like, why didn't you go to this guy when you didn't have to before Watson tore his ACL?

And also that game against the Ravens.

The Ravens are having issues in their past defense.

Like they're giving up the most explosive pass plays of any team in the league.

So did the Browns have like a renaissance with Winston or were they just matched up against a team that is going to allow those kinds of displays?

One thing I know, I know about the, they were missing two cornerbacks, and so that's right.

That is their weakness.

But has anyone watched what the Browns' offense was literally up until the minute that kickoff occurred?

They have been the most unwatchable, the second most unwatchable offense in the league.

So it's not that suddenly they played a banged up secondary and look like, come on here.

I mean, this is not the whole Eric Coriel comes out of nowhere.

It's like they are a different team.

Where would we be in the forking right now if Kyle Hamilton had not dropped that interception?

And they would be gone.

They sealed the game for ballots.

Which, by the way, is my point exactly, which is like, I like this.

I think we all,

I mean, I do personally.

Like, I like the idea of Cleveland going on a nice run, even though I don't like the idea of like Jimmy Haslam and Andrew Berry being rewarded for this.

Right.

Like, but for the fans and for you guys, like, that would be very cool.

But I just think Winston is the wrong guy to like hit your wagon to for this dream, right?

I know everybody loves Winston.

He's kind of this figure.

And I think he's hilarious.

He's the greatest living comedian.

But like, and he might be Jesus.

There's a whole bunch of shit going on with him that's interesting to me, but I don't think he's he's a good quarterback.

I think he's a reckless quarterback, and I think that's what's going to get you got.

Because you have, here's the thing: you have such a slim margin of error right now at two and six.

Now, if they were three and five, I think I'd be with you guys, or even obviously four and four, but two and six is

why I nominated the Jets.

That's what I'm saying.

Like, come on here.

Like, all these guys have

two and six and you have some either flaws on the roster or a major red flag, and Winston to me is one,

You just have no margin of error, and I think that's what's going to get him.

So, maybe they have a nice, fun second half, but I don't know if it's one that gets you back to January.

We'll see.

We'll see.

How do the Dolphins get out of this whole situation?

Well,

that's the last one.

I asked you guys if you had any to add.

I had two, and the other one is file a motion.

Yes, the Miami Dolphins, who obviously very, very tough situation here.

And

to lose in the last second the way they did to the Cardinals to fall to two and five.

I had a week ago said I saw them still going on a run.

I think they still can.

So the fact that I'm following this motion is just because I was expecting someone else to, but they never did.

At Buffalo, at Rams.

So two tough road games.

Home Raiders, home Patriots.

Literally the two best games you can get both in your building

at Green Bay, home Jets, week 14.

So that's their next five weeks.

That's pretty tough.

So,

what are your thoughts about this, Mark?

Maybe you piggyback this motion with me.

It comes down to one thing: psychologically, because this has been their problem all along.

Like, you've got to beat Buffalo this weekend.

If you do, I think everything starts to change because we saw that offense look like it should.

If you fall to Buffalo, you're gone.

So, I'm willing to give it.

Personally, I wanted to give it one more week.

Okay, all those in favor of forking the Dolphins say aye.

Aye.

Okay, all those who oppose say nay.

Nay.

Nay, we're going to sit on the Dolphins.

We'll sit on them.

Justin, you want to share your feelings on that?

Well, if it really does come down to the Bills game this weekend, last time they played the Bills, and I know things changed, but it was at home and or no, sorry, it was it?

Yeah, it was at home, and they lost 31 to 10, and that was the game that Tua got knocked out of, but it was over well before Tua got over.

Yep, you're right.

Yeah, you're right.

And now they have to go to Buffalo where it's been cold, the weather's changing, and we've seen the Dolphins in the cold struggle many times.

And just looking at that schedule, also, even if they beat the Bills, I feel like the best case scenario for these next six games is like four and two.

If you can win the winnable games and then pull off a win against the Bills, Rams, or Packers, and then you're still looking for a game.

But if you're four and two, if you go four and two at Buffalo, at Rams, home Raiders, home Patriots, at Packers, home Jets.

If you go four and two,

that's six and

seven.

And that's a pulse.

And like, I don't want to,

and that's not, I think that's not overly generous.

Like, like four and two feels like the more likely scenario, potentially, three and three, four and two.

If you can get to December 6th and 7, you have a pulse.

Now it is the Dolphins, and that's 6-7 with some cold weather games ahead.

So I hear you, Justin.

This one I'm right on the fence on because the Cardinals, that loss really, really hurt them.

That was a savage loss

with all the good vibes with Tua's return being at home to stack a win there.

They've really put themselves in a corner.

So that's fair.

That's fair.

Okay.

But they don't get forked.

So

the final tally, who has been forked this season?

Panthers, Patriots, Titans, Jaguars, Jets were not forked.

Giants.

The Raiders.

That's it.

We didn't fork the Browns or the Dolphins.

So, yeah.

And the Cowboys were vetoed.

No one else used their veto.

I think, I have to be honest, I think you guys play this a little safe in some spots.

You kept some teams alive that I disagree with, but

you believe the Cowboys should be dead.

I brought up teams that were vetoed, so that would suggest I was hanging on the edge there, right on the edge of life and death.

Unbelievable.

Are we going to be, is it going to be said, Connor, that

we weren't bold enough here?

Is there a team that we should have been been more out on a ledge about that

should be forked?

I think I'm just kind of personally stunned by everyone else's lack of childlike wonder.

Like, I am hinging on two incredible miracles in the Jets and the Browns turning things around.

But like, but, you know, like, we see something like this happen in sports, in every sport, every year, right?

Like, one of those things has got to happen, you know?

And every year we do this, Mark, someone from that group makes the playoffs or puts a serious scare in us.

So let's see what that team is this year.

All right, let's take a break and we'll do a quick TNF preview and then get out.

Who likes touchdowns?

I know I do.

On Underdog, playing touchdowns just got even better.

Introducing Red Zone Rush, a new way to play touchdowns all October long.

Just head to the Underdog app, tap play now on Red Zone Rush in your Pick'em lobby, and swipe right to add touchdowns.

Swipe left to skip.

It's like a dating app, but for touchdowns.

Plus, every Red red zone rush automatically receives a profit boost.

So sign up with the code HTC and receive up to $1,000 in bonus cash when you deposit in the underdog app for our U.S.

audience only.

At blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments.

It's about you, your style, your space, your way.

Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right.

From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows.

Because at blinds.com, the only thing we treat better than windows is you.

Visit blinds.com now for up to 50% off with minimum purchase plus a professional measure at no cost.

Rules and restrictions apply.

Attention, all small biz owners.

At the UPS store, you can count on us to handle your packages with care.

With our certified packing experts, your packages are properly packed and protected.

And with our pack and ship guarantee when we pack it and ship it we guarantee it because your items arrive safe or you'll be reimbursed visit the ups store.com slash guarantee for full detail most locations are independently owned product services pricing and hours of operation may vary see center for details the ups store be unstoppable come into your local store today

All right, we are back.

All right, so we've kind of hit the Texans and Jets in different ways in this show.

So we won't spend too much time on this game, but this is a Halloween night game at the Meadowlands.

I believe it's the last Jets primetime game.

It's either the last or the second to last, but the last in this long run that they've been on, where it's been, with the exception of one New England win on TNF, just a lot of ugly, ugly performances by an underachieving Jets team.

So if you believe that they still have a pulse,

and shockingly,

half this

Deus does, because the Jets somehow escaped the fork.

They have to win this game, Connor.

So it's the must-win of all must-wins.

I thought the Patriots game was the must-win that ended their season.

I feel very strongly about that.

But if you do believe there's hope, you absolutely have to find a way against C.J.

Stroud and company.

I don't think this is,

I mean, I think they're going to win this game.

I'm almost incredibly confident that they're going to win this game.

And maybe that sounds like silly, but

what?

Why?

What are you seeing when you watch the Jets Jets right now?

What are you seeing that would give you the idea that they're going to play a good game on Thursday?

I'm removing, Dan, this narrative of pain and all these other

metaphysical things that we're putting onto the situation that don't need to be played.

All right, remove all that.

Now, just the way they're playing, as it is.

Remove it all.

Okay, so I'm a guy, for example, who picked at the beginning of the year, the Rams,

to beat the Vikings on

whatever that was, Thursday Night Football, or whenever they played.

And part of the reason is if you're intimately familiar with an offense that's run by another team and you're steeped in defending Kyle Shanahan every day, and Kyle Shanahan's obsessed with you because you know how to make him better, you can take out one of his henchmen in Bobby Sloick.

And this offense now, this Texans offense, minus Stefan Diggs, minus all this talent, minus your interior offensive line play, is going to have to play a very pared-down version of this offense that I think even an elementary Jets defense can compete with.

And the way that you do that, the way that you destroy this offense is upfield penetration in the interior.

The Jets can do that.

They can do that with regularity.

And I'm not just saying the Jets, any team can beat the Texans in this setting right now.

I believe that.

I have a vision in my head of like

basically Daniel Hunter like blowing up the physical body of Aaron Rodgers.

I just feel like this feels like a disaster snare to me.

But you are right that the Texans right now, if you're going to catch the Texans at any point,

it's at this moment.

You've lost your two most foundational, I like Tank Dale, but you've lost Stefan Diggs.

You've lost Nico Collins.

I mean, their offense has not been the same post-Nico Collins.

And they're 18th, I believe, in EPA on offense, but you have to factor in the fact that they have been missing their top receiver.

They were missing Joe Mixon for a big chunk of this season.

I think this is a Joe Mixon type game, obviously.

You're right.

right, they're simplified.

For me, I really dig the Texans' coaching staff, and I think they find a way to overcome weakness.

This is a test, but it's not the kind of test it would be if you're playing 25 other teams in the league.

So maybe I'm oversimplifying it, but I think that we get

there.

People are down on C.J.

Stroud right now.

He's taken and absorbed a ton of pressure.

He also has some.

He's still down on CJ Stroud?

I don't know about that.

I think not down.

I think that's, it's more like,

I I think we thought he'd be like the MVP

top two or three frontrunner right now.

Statistically, he's underwhelmed in comparison to what maybe we expected entering the year.

But that has been really on what's happened around him rather than.

Yeah, I think so too.

I think it's environment.

But he has faced, like last year, I thought Sloick and company found a way to mix and match that offensive line to prevent a lot of pressure.

He's faced incredible pressure this year.

He's also produced against pressure and thrown the most yards to get it.

So I think that's an opportunity for the Jets to try to get in Stroud's face.

But in reverse, like

the Texans' pass rush itself could cause major problems for an old quarterback who cannot move.

And he's got to get the ball.

He's going to have to get the ball out quick, Aaron Rodgers, as he's done.

But I just, I want to see the Jets play a complete game.

That's my only argument against Connor is that like

one piece steps up and then someone else disappears.

It's like, can we put it all together here?

Is there urgency?

Does the team want to do this?

Everything's going to be.

I hope they have a new kicker.

I mean, Connor, I don't doubt your sincerity, but you're also the same person that on Sunday made a very good point about

why is Greg Zerline struggling?

And it was like, maybe it's like the vibes on that sideline.

The energy is so awful around this jet team.

And

Zach Rosenblatt of the Athletic, who covers that team, did a nice job tying together

Rodgers' infamous post-game quote on Sunday.

Yeah, I've been in the darkness.

You've got to go in there, make peace with it.

And it's like, uh, Rosenblatt pointed out what Rogers is missing, he merely adopted the darkness.

The Jets and its fans were born into it, molded by it.

It's all they've ever known.

And I think Rodgers,

you know, has been swallowed up by this.

I think the entire team has been swallowed up by this dysfunction and pain and disappointment of the Jets.

And I think what you're going to end up seeing, it's much more likely, Connor, to me, and this is, yes, coming from someone that has a different connection with the team for me way more likely this is a three and 14 or four and uh four and twelve you know four and 13 type team than they have some spirited comeback that puts them back in the playoff race i've just seen so much to tell us that but i mean the worst part of it is honestly if you're right connor it's going to suck the fans back in

um but you know I guess Jet fans, it would be nice for them to have something to cheer for and a positive outcome on Thursday night.

So I hope you're right.

I just would be stunned.

Just put it that way.

I respect

your sample size, and I know that you've felt a lot of these feelings over the years and your body,

much like a cow before it's raining and they kneel down, you know, into the grass.

Like, I know that, you know, the aches in your knees and your shoulders are telling you that this is going to be, you know, a disaster scenario season, but I'm just asking you to just consider the fact that it might not happen.

Okay.

You've actually done, you've restored some semblance of like, why would I even want to watch this game when I could be trick-or-treating with my kids?

Like, okay.

Yes.

Now I'm not going to kill you.

Now it's because of you, Connor.

I'm not going to be trick-or-treating.

Yeah.

Smart.

You're like Tom Brady.

It's like, yeah, I could have been taking my kids to Disney World, but instead I was grinding in Bucks film for you.

Yeah.

All right.

Good stuff.

So that game coming up, and of course, we'll have the post-game recap of it.

All right.

Connor, once again, you've come with ferocity.

Your appearances are always

just a breath of fresh air and it always shakes up the establishment.

So thank you.

Absolutely.

You're saying it like

the ways that during parent-teacher conferences when the teachers have tried to tell my parents it's okay that he has like a D-min average.

Like he's still like, there's still something there, you know?

But

I appreciate it nonetheless.

All right.

Okay, guys.

We'll see you again on Thursday with the week nine preview in bulk.

Till then, do what you must.

Heat the call.

Stick it up.

I can't do it somehow.

This is it.

I've hit my head on the ceiling.

This is a bridge too far.

Stick a fork in him.

Stick a fork in him.

Ow.

Stick a fork in them.

Ooh.

Any of those are

popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze.

Talk about refreshing.

You know what else is refreshing this summer?

A brand new phone with Verizon.

Yep, get a new phone on any plan with Select Phone Trade In and MyPlan.

And lock down a low price for three years on any plan with MyPlan.

This is a deal for everyone, whether you're a new or existing customer.

Swing by Verizon today for our best phone deals.

Three-year price guarantee applies to then-current base monthly rate only.

Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

You want your master's degree, you know you can earn it, but life gets busy.

The packed schedule, the late nights, and then there's the unexpected.

American Public University was built for all of it.

With monthly starts and no set login times, APU's 40-plus flexible online master's programs are designed to move at the speed of life.

Start your master's journey today at apu.apus.edu.

You want it?

Come get it at APU.