2024 NFL Awards, Playoffs & Super Bowl Picks + HTC Mailbag with Dave Dameshek

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The Heed the Call podcast.

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Dan Hansis, Mark Sessler, Heed the Call.

Week four.

And the biggest week of the show to date because the NFL season kicks off on Thursday night,

Mark, and I could not be more excited.

And

to do it with you, to chat with you about football is one of the great joys of my life.

So let's get to it, baby boy.

Yeah, it is an equal joy for me.

And like, it's like this suddenly just is upon us.

And like a rushing river,

you know, we just get carried along with it.

You, me, and the gravedigger.

All season long.

Yeah.

Justin, how are you, buddy?

Grave You feeling good about it?

I'm feeling great.

Week one is here, baby.

Let's go.

Football season.

What do we think?

Like factoring in, because we're going to do our predictions in just a moment.

What are we thinking now?

You've had yet another day, another weekend to ruminate on things.

Are we thinking 18 and one for the Titans?

Like, if they got picked off, is it something where it happens late in the season, you know, ahead of the playoffs and there may be resting guys?

Is it an early in the season thing that becomes like for their uh, for the DVD, the celebration DVDs?

Like, oh, and early in the season, there was a crisis point, and then they never lost again.

Like, how do you see the season playing out exactly?

Or maybe stick a pin in it for the predictions, but how do you feel?

Confidence one to ten?

I feel

like a six and a half confidence.

Like, I'm cautiously optimistic about the team, but I do think we'll come back to this when we get to our predictions.

Okay, I'm sure we will.

Okay,

Yes, I'm sure we will.

And

is Zuzzer's heart ready to be open again for his own hometown team?

Why don't we get into it?

Let's do it.

Let's do some predictions.

Coming up a little later, by the way, the great Dave Damashek joins us for a little mailbag fun.

But let's start by, this is the first week of the regular season.

So we are going to share our predictions for the season, which are almost always dead-on accurate, I find, Mark.

Oh, I mean, if you go back and look at this historically, now, I'm not sure that anything we've ever written or recorded verbally or in writing is still on NFL.com.

I haven't confirmed that.

I could see them having potentially dropped a nuclear bomb on our product.

But, you know, I know if you go back, if it were available, you'd see that

our predictions are accurate to a point that almost feels like we were able to go into the system and rewrite them after the Super Bowl.

It's that stunning, Dan, to see how close we were to reality.

It does feel like, you know, that scene in Back to the Future where Marty looks at the newspaper and the headline changes and history changes.

Yeah, it might be, that's how I feel sometimes looking back at our own deep archive of content that we created over 14 years at the old place.

But if we can find it, I would assume that everything would be 100% accurate.

So let's try to keep that streak intact moving forward.

So let's go through it.

And Gravy, I want want you in on this one too.

Let's go through our predictions.

Let's start with our division picks.

Okay.

And on the AFC side of things, we'll start in the AFC East division.

Where are you going with this unmarked?

I'm going Dolphins.

I think that Mike McDaniel and the crew finally get this done.

Oh, wow.

All right.

How about you, Gravy?

I also went Dolphins.

I just feel like maybe some regression from the Bills.

And I wanted to pick the Jets, but I knew you were going to pick the Jets.

And then

I'm just worried about the age and the injury factor.

Are you not picking the Jets?

So, like, you're worried about the Jets being old, but we're not worried about that the Dolphins regress to an arena football team in the second half of the season every year.

And it's like certainly as proof.

But this year, everything's going to be fine.

I'm still worried about that.

If the Miami organization's push for fossil fuel usage to go through the roof for global warming purposes gets through this year, I feel good about it.

But no, I'm not going to take the Jets.

Of course, I'm taking the the Jets.

Yes, the Jets.

I kind of love how relatively by Jets' standards, under the radar, they've been this summer.

By their standards.

Let them come under the radar.

Silence.

So much better.

So much better.

Thank you, Zamalt, than last year.

So I am picking the Jets to find a way.

Oh, Hansis, he only cares about the Jets.

He's not a real animal.

Shut up.

They're doing it.

They're talented.

And it's all coming together.

AFC North.

I have a big bounce back season for Joe Burrow and the Bengal.

And I know that it's not a perfect roster, but I think that's close to a perfect quarterback.

And I think he has revenge on his mind.

The Bengal.

How about you, Cesi?

Yeah, I don't think any of these, I think it's a very good division.

None of these rosters are perfect, though.

I'm with you.

I pick the Bengals.

I think if you get a healthy Joe Burrow, the Chase thing is going to get figured out at some point.

I love the intact coaching staff.

Cincinnati, I didn't really think that hard about it.

I went with Baltimore Ravens to repeat as the division champs.

I know they have a lot of turnover on the defensive side and the offensive line, but maybe it's the biased Derrick Henry in me, like Derrick Henry fan in me, but I'm sticking with the Ravens.

All right.

AFC South, I have the Houston Texans.

I talked about this last week.

I look at this offense, and not only do you have your two CJ Stroud and Stefan Diggs there, you have that the rest of the wide receiver room is back and it's healthy and Bobby Slovick returns as the offensive coordinator.

And then on the defensive side, you have D'Amico Ryans heading up the show.

So I think that side of the ball is going to be good as well.

I think this is a very dangerous team in AFC and I see them walking away with this division.

Yeah, despite Gravediggers, you know, 16-1 regular season mark for the Titans projection, I look at a Texans roster that really doesn't, that has grown so quickly and the way that they develop players, players um to me I think it's gonna go it's gonna be a lot more than just winning the division potentially uh it could be it for me like CJ Stroud easy one one pick at a time here I know but I just like I did these picks from 2 30 to 4 30 in the morning on my couch and this was the easiest portion of the exercise for me why aren't why aren't you sleeping again what are we going i mean we are in a good place in our career life is good you're in love like why are we not sleeping can we can well i do i sleep i sleep as you know at other times.

The day is 24 hours long.

There are other times that I'm not sure if you can.

Can I just gravy?

Can I just point out, Mark has now made it clear that in dead middle of the night, he was up working on this podcast.

And by the way, I like it.

I like the idea that you're grinding.

But I also, we got a text message at 6.02 this morning, the first text about the show.

So we're locked in now that you're awake and not only awake, you're firing off texts about the show.

I don't think you slept.

I just don't think.

And just be real about it.

Did you sleep tonight, this last night?

I did sleep.

No, because because I got so much work done in the middle of the night, there was a portion between, I would say, roughly 5.30 and 7.15 that that's where I caught up on that, on the sleep portion of my day.

All right, Dracula.

How about you and the AFC South, gravedigger?

Well, you know what I'm going to do here.

I did pick the Titans, and I almost picked the Texans, and it's not anything against the Texans.

I think the Texans are going to be a really good team.

I think this is going to be a more competitive division than we think.

I'm obviously extremely biased, but my main reasoning for picking the Titans is that every single year, somebody goes from worst to first.

And I'm just looking at all the last-place division finishers last year.

Like the Patriots, give me a break.

The Chargers, maybe, but not with the Chiefs in that division.

The Commanders, give me a break.

The Bears, maybe, but not with the Lions and the Packers in that division.

The Panthers, no way.

The Cardinals, not with the Niners, Rams, Seahawks.

The Bengals, definitely a great option.

You both picked the Bengals.

So there you go.

The Bengs could be the worst to first team.

But if if it's not the Bengals, give me the Titans.

I would just say, Justin, like a lot of people could tag, give me a break to the Titans, but I like you're sticking loyal to your interests here, your love interest.

The West, I got the Chiefs.

And tell me anybody disagrees.

No, I went Chiefs.

No, got to be smart about that.

However, the wild card picks, I never do this.

I never buy in on the Bolts.

And if you go back and check out the digital archive, Back to the Future style, if it has not been deleted from society, you'll see that I am not the one that's every summer picking the Chargers to do something.

But there's something about the Chargers this year.

That something obviously is Jim Harbaugh and what he's going to bring to that team.

I think with his coaching and leadership

and ability to close out football games that the Chargers are allergic to in their history, I think that's going to turn a lot of those crushing losses into some wins.

Joe Alt obviously is a major piece of that offensive line, and it's a very good offensive line potentially behind a great quarterback in Justin Herbert, who I like being in a really functional scheme as well.

So I have the Chargers as the first wild card and giving the Chiefs all they can handle in that division.

I like the Baltimore Ravens to come out of the AFC North.

And then, you know, the third wild card, which I'm not a big fan of in general, this is a team I don't really believe in, but somebody's got to take that spot.

So even though I'm not high in the bills this year, I'll give them the third wild card.

How about you, Mark?

So I am with you on the Chargers because I think if you look at Jim Harbaugh,

that's one coach you can look at and say, win spike.

He did it with the Niners in year one.

It was a complete sea change.

I think this Chargers team was poorly coached for the last couple years, has a lot of talent on the roster.

And I just think they're going to find a way to be about twice as good as they were a year ago.

Now, here's where it gets.

I seem like I cannot critique and pick apart Gravedigger because I picked the Browns as a wildcard team, number two.

Now, part of that is I went and looked at at their roster on both sides of the ball, and it's like, if you even look at it from name or what they've done in real life, or if you look at the PFF scores, like on offense, it is kind of green, which is good in PFF, all over the place.

I think they're well coached.

I really just think that

if they can get quarterback play, they can squeeze a wildcard spot.

And then I'm going Jets because you know what?

For once, let's make something good happen.

Again, how about football gods?

Stop effing around with our emotions, our spirituality, our feelings.

Browns and Jets getting in there as wild cards gravedigger.

Browns and Jets both making the playoffs in the first year, heed the call, and potentially even the Titans, according to Gravy.

That'd be nice.

Justin, how about you?

Yeah, so I have the Texans getting in as a wildcard team because, again, I don't think the Texans are not good.

I just

got you, buddy.

Titans, Texans play week 18.

If the Titans are in position, that could be for the division, or the Titans will be 4-12 at that point.

It won't matter.

I also have the Bengals getting in as the AFC North runner-up and the Jets, which means I have the Bills

missing the playoffs.

I had the Bills, I had forgotten that there was a third wild card and I had the Bills missing the playoffs.

And I kind of felt good about that, but then I couldn't talk myself into another team.

Although the Browns,

the Browns, I could do that as well.

Steelers, Tomlin is going to get to 9-8, right?

Here, I mean, here's the only thing about the Browns, and we're going to keep moving, is the Flacco thing was so magical last year.

I am not a Jameis Winston fan.

I never have been.

And I'm obviously not sold on Watson

after the start of his Browns career.

So that scares me so much, the quarterback position.

But you're right, there's a lot of talent on that roster.

NFC,

I got the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East, and I'm going to guess I'm alone on that.

Well, I, yeah, I went Eagles,

you know, but I struggled with this division because I kind of have reasons to not believe in all four teams, and they're pretty deep.

But I think that the Eagles are the team.

It's like, wait a minute, if it went a little Fugesy at the end of last year and they kind of

turn into what they've been over the vast majority of the past two seasons, they can win a division over a Cowboys team that I think is trending down this season.

Same exact thought process.

I went with the Eagles too.

Yeah, I think with Dallas, I have concerns about their secondary.

I have concerns about their running game.

But I also think it's helped them a little bit that they're under the radar and not everyone's going nuts on them this year.

I think they have a potential, you know, 11-1 season, and I'm not sold on the Eagles.

In the NFC North, I have, this is obviously a very competitive division.

I got the Packers, and obviously the Lions, I think, are the favorite in this division.

But I have the Packers.

How about you guys?

It's funny because I think like, I was like, I want to be different because I think Dan's going to go Lions.

Probably Probably Gravedigger is going to go Lions.

Most of North America is.

So I went Packers too, and then we're just, you know, we're hand in hand.

Generic white bros.

I did do the rest of America thing here.

I went with the Lions.

I'm all in on the Lions.

When we get to our award predictions, I'm like, I'm too in on the Lions, but that's okay.

All right.

In the NFC South,

you know, all this panic stuff has overwhelmed the Falcons' discourse, but

I'm a Kirk Cousins fan.

I'm especially a fan of Kirk Cousins in the NFC South.

And if he is healthy, and I have no reason to think that he's not healthy after the Achilles surgery until I see him missing games or playing poorly, I think he is going to be the stabilizing force there that gets them double-digit wins.

I have them winning the South.

How about you guys?

Yeah, I went Falcons 2.

I think it's the best roster.

You've got solid quarterback play.

That's really what, I mean, they were win-wise.

They were on the edge of winning the division the last couple of years, hanging around with really shaky Desmond Ritter play.

I think they get it done this year.

I think Raheem Morris is a big booster coach as well.

So, Atlanta for me.

I went with Tampa Bay.

I think Atlanta, I think this is just like sometimes you got to pick something that's not chalky.

I just picked the Lions, which was major chalk.

So, I don't know.

Weird stuff happens in the NFL.

Tampa Bay has got a lot of continuity coming back.

I like Baker Mayfield reuniting with Liam Cohen as his offensive coordinator.

So I'm taking the Bucs.

One thing that we don't agree with, Mark, on the Falcons Falcons is I don't see Raheem Morse as a difference maker, but maybe second go around as a head coach, he will be.

Well, I'm really leaning that on, like Jordan Rodriguez talked about him in certain ways and how the players respond to him.

And I'm kind of ignoring what happened literally a decade ago when he was Tampa Bay's coach.

And I just kind of feel like he might be the right coach for today's type of NFL player.

Do I know that for sure?

I'm thinking so.

Perhaps.

And in the West, I got, I don't care if this is Chalk.

I think the Niners are the team there.

Same.

I went Rams.

We'll get to the Niners, but I went Rams here.

I think that it's,

I've, I've been pro-Niners as much as anyone around, but I kind of have this weird feeling that they take a little bit of a step down.

There's a little bit less of an ease in the regular season for Shanahan and friends.

So they lose the great Raheem, and yet they take out the Niners.

That is what continuity,

what a challenge against continuity, and just say the system, baby, the system.

Yeah, don't get me involved in logic traps like that.

Wild card.

I got Detroit

comfortably taking the wild card.

I see that NFC North coming down to the wire.

So Detroit with about 11 wins gets the first wild card.

I'm taking, yeah, baby, I got two, I got three teams coming out of the north, and it is Sam Darnold, and the Minnesota Vikings grab a wild card spot.

I am on the record that I think Darnold is going to really play well on that offense, and I love Kevin O'Connell, and I think that they're a tough team at home in general, and I think that's going to get them to nine or 10 wins in a playoff spot.

And yes, I like the Rams as well.

I'm not as high on them as you, Mark, but there's a lot to like on that roster, and McVay has done a really nice job rebuilding it post-Super Bowl season.

So I see them as another team that's going to hang around nine or ten wins, and that will get them into the dance.

How about you guys?

I went, I have Lions.

I think they're going to be right there with the Packers.

Niners are a wildcard team.

They're still a playoff-level team to me.

And then I just was like, I wanted to dial up the team no one's talking about, that no one's expecting.

And I went Cardinals.

I know that's in that in that division, that's

a tall order.

But I just feel like there's six.

Didn't you hear what Zumwalt said?

I know.

That is a direct, I mean,

how can you do that?

I'm defining his orders.

I know.

Well, I I have to, you know, I speak with Jay on the phone on a weekly basis, and I'll deal with whatever he has to say about that.

But it's my surprise team.

They were my pet team a year ago to some degree, and here they are again.

All right.

How about you, Gravy?

I got the Cowboys closely losing the East to the Eagles.

I got the Packers.

I think Josh Jacobs isn't being talked about enough as a massive upgrade in their offense for them.

And then I thought I was kind of making an off-the-wall pick with the Rams, but I guess I'm an idiot and everyone likes the Rams, so I also went with the Rams.

All right, let's hold on our playoff picks for the end of the show with Damashek, but let's skip to our MVP, our awards picks.

I'll go straight through them for myself.

Let's do this kind of quick.

I got Mahomes for MVP.

I think he has a big bounce back season after last year's frustrations.

I think some of the pieces on that roster have a chance to really sing.

Although, you know, Xavier Worthy, we had one of those, we were talking about we had those great

conversations with various figures at our underdog dinner.

And someone at that dinner, I'll just say, scared the hell out of me about his thoughts on Xavier Worthy being able to make an impact in our league.

But I'm going to say Rice, Worthy, Kelsey, the great Mahomes, they're going to get back to their 30 points a game way.

Offensive Player of the Year, C.D.

Lamb.

Defensive Player of the Year, TJ Watt entering his age 30 season.

I always, I love Watt, and I think he has another monster year ahead, and maybe because Sheikh's coming on the show.

Offensive rookie of the year,

I'm going to go Malik Neighbors of the Giants.

He really balled out in training camp and preseason action.

I just love the idea of Dayball going, f it.

Like, he's going to be the focal point of this offense, and we're going to feed that young man at wide receiver.

Defensive rookie of the year, I'll go with Leatu Latu of the Colts, but that's just a total guess.

Comeback player of the year, this is not being a homer.

I just think if Aaron Rodgers plays and stays healthy, I think he's going to throw 30 touchdowns, and he's one of the most famous players ever.

And he's coming off the devastating Achilles injury that wiped out last year.

He's the chalk pick.

And coach of the year, I got, oh, what the hell?

Bob Sala.

Oh, love it.

How about you, Mark?

So MVP, I went C.J.

Stroud.

Offensive player of the year, Jordan Love.

I just always,

it's QB one and two, two, typically.

That's how I feel about that.

Defensive Player of the Year, I almost went TJ Watt with you.

I'll explain why I didn't later.

Max Crosby for Defensive Player of the Year.

I went Malik Neighbors 2 for offensive rookie.

I really think it's going to be tough to...

Oh, you're so mad.

I bet you're big mad about that.

Well,

I think that's a logical pick because I think he's going to have the kind of highlight reel that blows people's minds.

But there's quarterback issues there.

I also just was like, to beat out some of these other rookie quarterbacks that they shine, that will be the challenge there.

I went Jared Verse Rams Edge for defensive rookie of the year.

I think he's going to be a big reason that they win that division.

Comeback Player of the Year, J.J.

Watt.

He returns to Houston, not unlike Joe Flacco out of the wilderness.

He returns to Houston mid-season and wreaks complete and total havoc.

And it's just like voters can't stay away from that.

So J.J.

Watt, he gets pulled out of what is it, a pregame he's.

He's done here, Mark.

This is serious.

Sorry, I should be.

Coach of the Year, because I think it aligns with my previous narrative that might be complete fiction, a fictional novel.

Jonathan Gannon from Arizona is my coach of the year.

Just beating out Raheem Morris.

Youngery's back, baby.

All right, Gravy, real quick.

What do you got?

All right.

I went

Lions Heavy.

Here we go.

MVP, Jared Goff.

They play 13 of their first 14 games in a dome.

Jared Goff's going to eat.

Offensive Player of the Year, C.D.

Lamb.

I am with you on that one.

Oh, look at that.

Defensive Player of the Year, Aiden Aiden Hutchinson.

Let's go, Lions, baby.

Offensive rookie of the year, Jaden Daniels.

I'll just say this really quick about Offensive Rookie of the Year.

I think you guys are crazy for not picking a quarterback.

The only time a quarterback doesn't win this award is when the entire QB class stinks.

Like, Kyler Murray beat A.J.

Brown.

Last year, Puka Nakua didn't win.

He set records, receiving rookie records, and lost to C.J.

Stroud because the quarterbacks just win offensively.

I think you're right.

In my defense,

you're right.

You are right about that.

Like, it's just,

I've already forgotten who I picked.

Okay.

Um, defensive rookie of the year.

Let's go, Lawrence, Tyrion Arnold.

I think if, like, their defense takes a step forward and he's viewed as a big part of it, he's going to get a lot of narrative credit.

Comeback Player of the Year went with the favorite, Aaron Rodgers.

And coach of the year, Lions win 13 games, secure the one seed, and Dan Campbell finally gets what he deserves.

Okay, I like that.

Narrative matters with that stuff.

In fairness, yeah, I was being a little cute with Malik Neighbors, even though I do believe in his potential.

Caleb Williams has passed the sniff test for me as well, and I think he's going to hit the ground running.

So he's got to be in the desert the overwhelming favorite.

He is the overwhelming favorite.

Jaden Daniels is second at five to one.

I went with Daniels because, like, if I'm actually going to bet on this, it's a better payout.

And second, I think he's going to run for a thousand yards, and that's going to be like a thing that voters like.

So, Gravedigger, you are correct, but have you seen our past predictions on NFL.com?

Have you seen what Dan and I produced in the past?

When we say something's going to happen, it unfurls in reality without any issues.

So, you're just looking at the stat boards out of Vegas, and Dan and I are issuing truth.

So, good luck to you.

Fair enough.

Nice.

I think that was important that you said it.

And, Mark, I appreciate you in every way.

Right back at you.

All right.

We're going to come back to this with our playoff predictions and our Super Bowl picks, but let's first take a break.

And when we return,

one of our all-time favorites, Dave Damaschuk.

Stay right there.

I'm Scott Hanson, host of NFL Red Zone.

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How about that?

Back to you, Dan.

Welcome back.

Our next guest is, in a lot of ways, he's the Big Bang

of

the debate club of around the NFL.

And now Heed the Call.

The man needs no introduction, and I just did it anyway.

Now, the host of the Minus 3 podcast, Dave Damashek, welcome to Heed the Call, baby.

Dan, Mark, what's going on?

Haven't caught up in a while.

Anything new with you guys?

Not much.

You had an amazing summer, Dave.

I feel like I heard something.

Now, listen, hardiest of muzzle tubs,

like I have said to you both separately, listen, you are now Andy Dufran

on the good side.

You made it through the 500

yards and came through clean on the other side.

Good for you.

Good for underdog.

Good to see Gravedigger along for the ride.

I mean, Tom Brady not being allowed to watch game film, the Kelsey brothers and you.

I think we've just done an off-season sports media catch-up here.

Let's kibbits.

I love it.

I love it.

So good to catch up with Shek, who, as he'll tell you, and this is why doing a mailbag with Sheck,

that's how you do it because this man exists anywhere but Mount Pious.

So he's going to shoot you straight and he's going to shoot you real.

So, Gravedigger,

let's start unfurling this mailbag and dig in.

And I know, thank you to everybody, by the way, that sent in questions.

And Dave, this just a credit to you, my man.

Internationally, you are a beloved figure.

So many questions, just very esoteric, Sheck-related questions.

People just want to hear from you and get your takes.

So now,

here we go.

Feels good.

First question

from Substantial Peach 326.

Which teams do you see as unexpected letdown candidates this year?

Okay, so just so you know, Dave, we started today's show with some predictions.

We stick a pin in our playoff picks, and we'll do that all together in just a bit.

But I had

two teams that kind of jumped out to me that I wasn't feeling as hot about, the Bills and the Eagles.

I think the Bills, we've had, it's come down a little bit, Sheck, in terms of the talent level, and I think that division is going to be better with the Jets back in the mix.

And on the NFC side, it's the Eagles who...

I just think there's dysfunction lurking there still despite the talent.

How about you?

Well,

I am reminded as you bring up the Eagles of something.

Daniel Jeremiah, you guys remember him, right?

Move the sticks?

No, that's a good semi-prominent show of his own.

Well, it doesn't really matter.

He said to me about six months ago on Minus 3, we were talking about Nick Siriani, and he said the premise of Siriani being the head coach of the Eagles is he's supposed to be the vibes guy.

He lets the coordinators handle the X's and O's, and he's there to perpetuate good times and all that.

And as you may recall, the last six or so weeks of the season were miserable vibes.

So what's he doing there?

And he's still there.

And it's also sort of funny at the same time that I know it's the what have you done for me lately league and all of that, but it feels like he got fairly close to getting canned in the first regular season after he took the team to the Super Bowl.

So that would have been wild.

But yeah, I hear you.

They are a team in transition, at least, in the sense that for the last decade, I think they've been playoff relevant in large part because they really consistently beef up on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

I think they're a little bit slighter there.

I think it is.

I mentioned the big sports media stories of this football offseason.

I think, in a sort of an ironic way, the most undercovered part of the NFC chase

is the absence of Jason Kelsey.

I think his large ass, he and his brother, who you may have heard is dating a big pop star, $100 million podcast and all that in the same neighborhood as the Heed the Callboys are these days.

I think because he has become such an outsized celebrity, he's still in the zeitgeist, so we aren't really considering where he just left.

And he's a Hall of Fame center.

And specifically, the tush push worked.

And

you know me.

I'm not pretentious enough to pretend I know what 300-pound man leans good on other sizable human beings.

But I have been told by O-line experts like Jeff Schwartz that Jason Kelsey, among his peers, was the only guy who really possessed that rare ability to get super low, drive the guy in front of him out of the way to clear room for Jalen Hurts and his giant thighs to make some hay.

That was a major advantage.

I know we realized how significant it was, but they were the only team out of the 32 that could consistently go to that in a time of need.

I don't know that they're going to have that.

All that said, the defense is what I like and keeps them playoff relevant in my book.

The two rookies on the back end, the two mooses up front from Georgia.

I think they're in decent enough shape to hang on and win the NFC East.

Ceci?

So, well, we did go through our playoff picks, and I did not include the Buffalo Bills.

I don't think that they're going to fall off some sort of drastic cliff into another world, but I just think that it's been about four or five years of just ticketing them for potentially the AFC title game.

They've lost a lot of players, lost a lot of veteran leadership.

I think, you know, from a coaching angle, McDermott, good coach, but there were some weird vibes last year that they had to dig their way out of.

So I think Buffalo is going to get usurped by some of the rise of powers of the other teams in the AFC.

In the NFC,

we talked about it before.

I'm going Cowboys.

I just think that it's been like, if you want to go through the exercise of creating one of the weirder offseasons for a team that is coming off three 12 wins.

seasons in a row and you want to go do and go create completely strange scenarios where you don't do anything we thought you should have done.

I would like to see in sports and in life that there's some come-up-ins for that.

And Jerry Jones can talk a blue streak about left and this and that guy and all.

We're, you know, our beautiful Super Bowl trophies and our quarterback that we're not signing.

It's going to come back to haunt you.

They don't make the playoffs this year.

Check you later, Dallas.

All right, next question.

I agree with that one.

All right, next, this is from old buddy Eric18, Utah.

All right, so this is almost the other side of the coin here.

Who are a few of your pet side teams going into the year?

Mark, we'll start with you on this one.

Well, obviously, I'm very high on the Texans.

And you know what it is?

Because as a Browns fan, even though they knocked off a weird Browns team in the playoffs a year ago, it's not like the old stink of the Broncos beating the Browns when I was a child.

It kind of just felt like, well, you got to give way to a team that's really fun.

They're young.

And I don't feel any real rivalry to them.

I think the Niners have always been a pet team, but this year, I already mentioned it, the Cardinals.

I just like the idea of the Cardinals being a a bit of a surprise team.

I will probably be wrong, but there's something about our Jason Zumwalt connection there, too, where he's so, he won't let his heart believe.

And I want to see him have something to believe in.

Damashek.

I think he does believe, Sassy.

I think his whole take was like he does believe in the team, but he doesn't want people to be talking about that they might actually be able to do that.

Well, there is some damaged psychology there, and

it's a team that's not given him much.

And I see a damaged mind, and I want to see him feel a hit.

Damaged mind.

Yes.

I agree with that.

Shek, how about you?

Well, I do like the Cardinals in a vacuum and on a piece of paper.

What I don't like is their neighborhood.

Think about that NFC West.

If the Seahawks are good, and I think we have convinced ourselves of what the Seahawks are because of the Pete Carroll era,

but again, you probably heard he's out.

Mike McDonald has moved across football.

America is there.

Geno Smith, a little undervalued last year.

I think the team is going to be halfway decent if I'm right about that.

Someone's got to fall aside, and I i think it's the cardinals um the two surprise teams i have specific in the uh in the nfc this is not intended to be a hot take i do think the 49ers are a really good team i like i like the los angeles rams to win that nfc west this year they've been they've been a quiet player relatively speaking second biggest market in in these united states the capital of entertainment for the big blue marble and nobody talks about them at all right now and there's pookin the Koo at the best name going in football alongside Cooper Cup, and Matthew Stafford still thriving.

That's one of the great

offseason stories, not just this past one, but I mean, in recent memory.

In the regular season, immediately following Kelly Stafford's news that she may or may not have made time with the Georgia backup while she and Stafford were matriculating many moons ago.

The first season after that,

Matthew Stafford's two backups are are Jimmy G, the most handsome man in the history of people, and Stetson Bennett, who spent the last 21 or so years of his life running through half of Georgia.

So

that tickles me.

I think it maybe initially drives a wedge, but ultimately they come together over the whole thing.

And I think they're going to be really good.

And the other one is, and this is not being seduced by hard knocks or anything I saw in preseason, I'm buying the Chicago Bears.

I do think that you drop that kid into that spot.

He's going to thrive, and I think the defense is nice.

I think that in a slightly softer conference versus the AFC, I think there's a chance that they sneak in the back door of the playoffs.

I'm glad you brought them up because I really, really like the Packers and the Lions as legit contenders,

and that's taking shine off the other two teams in the division who I'm just, I've always had a weird connection with the Vikings and the Bears.

Yeah,

you don't have to squint for them to be imagine them playing relevant December football this year.

So those are two pet teams for me.

By the way, while we're on the subject, Sheck,

we've had a saying for years on our show.

It's called a la ravile magnifico.

It's when someone says or does something that kind of is really revealing of their true character and they don't even realize that they've just revealed themselves to you.

The Kelly sounds like a...

I hope you're not explaining this for me.

I mean, you understand I have actually heard the show, but okay, but yeah, for the new listener.

Yeah, for the new listeners that he heed the call.

Where does that, in terms of you're a man that's been in intimate relationships, where would that, where would that connect on you as a potential deal breaker, the Kelly Stafford?

I don't like the way Matt is, you know, pursuing me, so I'm going to go and meet up with his backup quarterback.

Would that be something that'd be a deal breaker for a Damashek, you know, pouncing through college campus as a swordsman?

Well,

it's, I guess, akin to,

you know, my kids and their sports fandom.

We've had this conversation before, you know, obviously,

Hanzeus, you come from the other side of Sports America, as do I.

And it would be weird to just impose, you must root for my teams.

You know, Penguins, good, you know, a lot of history there.

You should root for them.

But if you want a vibe to the Kings, you do you.

Pirates, that would be emotional abuse to say you must root for them here in Los Angeles.

The one exception is root for the Steelers.

You don't want to root for the Steelers.

That's fine.

Just go root somewhere outside these four walls because you ain't welcome no more.

That would be my same message.

There you go.

Oh, you like the backup so much?

I'm sure

he has a nice

two-bedroom that shares the bathroom in his dorm.

Why don't you go hang out with him, Kelly?

To use a Shekism, we park our cars in the same garage on that one, Sheck.

The Jets, I would never think of putting the Jets on my kids, but they do know that I live and die and bleed green.

The Knicks, I've let that be organic because they become a more fun team to watch.

So they enjoy watching the Knicks come springtime.

But the Yankees, I draw the line.

You're not rooting for anybody in my home that plays Major League Baseball that is not the Bronx bombers.

And if you do choose to do that, get the hell out.

Tough but fair.

I think that, you know, you haven't, you know, you're not like a totalitarian leader.

You're just asking for one.

I like that.

Can I say one thing very quickly to you guys, too?

Just one thing because you talked to Josh Allen.

And,

you know, I get that there's a lot of momentum that this is the year they dip.

I'm not so sure about that.

I do think,

obviously, I'm a little bit higher on Tua and company.

I'm back for more with

that gang and what they have going in an enhanced division.

I think the big question is, I am

among the biggest perpetuator of QB wins matter, or else why would we be playing that tournament at the end of every football season that establishes who is the number one team?

I think we are working too hard to convince people, including ourselves, of something.

But I do think at this moment in history, year of the Lord 2024, I ask you this.

Do you think Josh Allen's ever going to win a Super Bowl?

Mark.

Well, I mean, you know, look at like Aaron Rodgers.

You know, he, without, with a team that was banged up and it it wasn't his greatest season of all time, they win a Super Bowl and you think, oh, he's going to win three or four more.

I just think it's so impossible.

And I think it comes down to what happens with this entire roster because I don't think he alone can take that Bills roster and win a Super Bowl by himself.

It just doesn't work that way.

And so it's an overall team situation.

He's going to play.

The thing is now, quarterbacks played over like 38, but his style of play, I don't know about that.

So I would always bet no.

I'd always bet no because because

you have to overcome so much to win one.

That like three years ago, yes.

Right now, no.

That's where I go, Dan.

Well, I'll throw a couple of things.

Yeah, go ahead.

Because I would, because what I, my point being this, and interesting deep dive on Jess Allen's chances.

Before you even think about the NFC side, think about this.

Do you think Mahomes is going to, if he plays 10 more years, is he going to win any more?

Is he going to win two more, three more?

What about C.J.

Stroud?

Is he going to get his?

How about Jim Harbaugh now coaching up Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson and all the other guys?

And that's all on one side of things.

The one Lombardi per season conundrum makes it so that you cannot talk yourself in any world into over the next 10 years.

Everybody is very cavalier about saying like, well, his time will come.

Will it?

I don't think, I think a lot of these big name guys, the one example out there looming is Dan Marino.

I think 10 years, 12 years from now, he's going to have some company.

And I don't mean just one guy.

I think there are going to be like two or three guys.

Like, how did that guy make it all the way through his career?

Yeah, he's going to get a gold jacket, but he never got that Lombardi.

I think we sit at a fascinating time is my point.

And I think I was going to mention Mourino, Sheck, because I think Mourinho and Elway are the two examples historically.

Mourino, an all-time great, came out of the gate as an immediate superstar.

star and you knew he was going to be in the hall of fame by his third year in the league.

He was that special, but he was the proof that you can't, one quarterback does not get you rings.

And he got to the Super Bowl, I think, in year two and never went back.

Elway is like

what gives you hope

because he was a player that was maybe not at Marino's level, but he was right there in his 80s and early 90s.

And then in the back end of his career, when he wasn't near the same player, but still was proficient and could make plays and was the game manager and all that stuff, they finally figured out how to build the team around Elway, and he goes out with back-to-back titles.

So, yeah, I think when you have players that are special, as special as like a Josh Allen, that window is big.

And even if his skill level comes down from being, you know, a top five QB, you could still find a way.

But it gets, yeah, every year that people are going to be able to do it.

It's weird because if you then, if you do say, I am certain on some level that Josh Allen will eventually, his number will come up and he'll get his, well, that makes it less likely Lamar Jackson's ever going to get one, the two-time MVP.

And so it goes, the domino effect.

I am fascinated by, like I say, where we are, because on one hand, you can always say people say, it's not fair to all these other great QBs that Patrick Mahomes just happens to share that their careers are running concurrently.

It's like, well,

too bad for Fran Tarkinton, too, playing against Snake Stabler and Terry Bryant Ross.

We got to get through some more questions here, Sheck.

I know, I know.

I'm sorry.

Absolutely.

Now, to let you know, because we know and love you, Shek, to know you is to love you, Keith Hans this line,

that we had to allot time for this mailbag segment, but I don't want to not be able to get to a bunch of questions.

You know what I mean?

Because we have so much to learn from the great Shek.

Okay.

You know what I mean?

Properly chastened.

All right.

That's fine.

What's up next?

All right.

This from, ooh, nasty little name, a bunch of poop stuff.

What is your most listened to album in your life?

Okay.

This is a Sheck one.

Shek and I have different tastes in music.

They sometimes cross over, but not often.

Shek, what is the most listened-to-album in your life?

Probably Eat a Peach by the Allman Brothers.

Tons of Led Zeppelin.

That's pretty close to that full catalog.

Physical Graffiti and Three are the best there.

Okay Computer has recently overtaken all others as my all-time favorite album.

Interesting.

My Radio Hood, of course, perfect from now on.

The former placeholder is number one, built the Spill Seminole Record.

Johnny Cash at the prison, Ramon's debut.

I think

that's the short list for you.

Okay, I used to an old gag on the Good Morning Football set.

I used to have a different album behind me all the time.

So with the Oasis Reunion, What's the Story?

Obviously, is there for me?

Probably number one is Actong Baby by U2.

Joshua Tree is right there.

Automatic for the People.

REM.

Underrated in their catalog.

The first two strokes records, Is This It and Room on Fire.

Shaq, I I know you love The Counting Crows, both their first two albums, Recovering the Satellites in August and everything after.

Seminal records for Teen Dan.

Sleeper One, Pete Yorn, Music for the Morning After 2001.

I absolutely went through a huge Beatles phase, and I listened to Revolver constantly in college.

I love Radiohead as well.

Shaq, my choice is in Rainbows, their 2007 effort.

Tom Petty, Rest in Peace, I Love You, Man.

Wildflowers, and Joe Piscapo, New Jersey.

No, somebody gave me this comedy record as a joke once, and I can't throw it out.

So Joe Piscopo, New Jersey.

Man, he got Eddie Murphy to guest on this.

Talk about calling in favors.

I mean, hold on here.

Like, I did this exercise that said, what is the most listened to album?

You both just collectively list about 34 albums.

So I'm going to truncate it.

We talked about this, Sesse, that you, like, your love of literature and films like outpaces music.

So I thought me and Chuck could dive in and nerd out there.

No, I, you know, but I would love to hear from you.

No, I have some crossover because OK Computer, for me, is like the most listened to.

I mean, I'm more thinking like the most obsessive I was about albums.

Like, OK Computer was very much there for me.

Absolutely with the Counting Crows stuff.

For me, Abbey Road.

I had a lost year in Arizona where I had no car, but I had like a basically like a CD walkman and listened to Abbey Road walking around like a 175 degree highway up and down like Route 18.

Abbey Road over and over and over.

But for me, because I, here's how I count about it like lately.

Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, which I think he put together when he was about 20 years old, and it is surreal and from another world and does not remind me of anything that I thought Van Morrison was before.

You know, it was like every mixtape that you gave to a girl was had like brown-eyed girl, and I got so sick of that song.

Astral Weeks is completely different.

And there is a review by Lester Bangs out there that you can find on the internet that is just, it mirrors the insanity of the album.

And I chalk it up this way: like, when I go to a dive bar and I want to pick a couple, you know, jukebox songs, and you got to be smart because now it costs like $5 to play like two songs on the jukebox.

Totally ridiculous.

I don't know why that happened, but inflation, man.

Yeah, exactly.

But if you pick a couple from Astral Weeks, they've gone for about eight or nine minutes.

It's not annoying enough where anyone notices that it's on, but you can get taken away in a dream.

And Wes and I used to go to the Cozy Inn and play like

you know,

five of these songs from this album in a row and just disappear for like 45 minutes.

And I'm telling you, nothing touches it to me.

Even the Grateful Dead can't get close.

So that's my pick right there.

Just three albums I've played.

And out of curiosity.

I can think of you two, you and Wes, when I think of Van Morrison, you guys now are the two people that

come to mind for me.

Bingo.

I love that.

Justin, I'm just out of curiosity.

Like when you and Jessica curl up on the couch

with your endless pre-engagement,

What is the record that you guys

get comfortable with in front of the fire?

Oh, I wasn't ready for that question.

I don't know.

Probably like the most recent Glass Animals one.

Okay.

We don't like, we watch a lot of TV together, but we don't just like sit down and listen to music together.

All right, good to know.

I was just checking in on it.

All right, up next.

All right, this from

Vayaschlof

1769.

What are Damashek's thoughts on the slash his theory of QB saturation in the year of our Lord 2024.

Shek, you want to give people a Cliff's notes

background on that for those who don't know, and then your thoughts about the current landscape?

Maybe eight, ten years ago,

Prescient Dave said it's weird that in a world of 8 billion people, we couldn't find 32 human beings capable of successfully or capably playing quarterback in our league.

I think pro football, college football, the pipeline of quarterbacks heard that and they took it as a challenge and they've risen up

because

now we have achieved as close as we're ever going to get at least to full QB saturation.

There are more than 32 viable starters available.

The problem is contracts and where you are and in the hierarchy of the one team who controls you for the next couple of years.

I look at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They don't probably have the guy, but I can look at other teams and say they have two guys.

And if we could just have one of those, the Steelers would be looking a little bit better.

But I do think that there are 32 guys at least who can do a halfway decent job in pro football.

And I'll refer you back to a decade or so ago.

Look at some of the names that were starting games then versus the five or so worst starters you see going into 2024.

I think

you'll be stunned by what progress there has been made at the position.

Good answer.

All right, next.

All right, from Forgotten Astronauts.

If you could be a background character in one scene from a Tarantino movie, what would it be?

Okay, See and I, speaking of parking your cars in the same garage, we both love Quentin Tarantino, his complete works.

I have a real soft spot in my heart for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his most recent film.

But if I could pick a character to be See,

I would go with

because I'm not a good actor, okay?

I'm not someone, I don't want to ruin a scene, but if you could make me the guy that was on the, on the couch in the apartment when, uh, when Jules rolls in and

Travolta roll in and they, uh, and they wreak havoc, the guy that just never moves off the couch and and Jules is in total control of the room and is menacing.

Maybe the scary, I mean, you want to talk about horror films, you could pick the scariest scenes in cinema.

That scene of Jules terrorizing these people before, you know, offing everyone in the room but one,

that guy on the couch who eventually gets just shot in the stomach.

I want to be that guy.

Not a heavy lift.

I won't ruin the scene.

You, Flock of Seagulls.

Here we go.

Know why we're here.

Go ahead.

Well, you feel like

you could pull off that acting role, too.

I think that's important that you said that.

You don't just dream that you're going to suddenly become like DiCaprio for two and a half hours on screen.

For me, because he's not.

He does have a line.

He lets him know that the briefcase is in the cupboard.

He's like, no, the one by your knees.

So I do have to get out some dialogue, but I should be able to handle that.

Well, TBD, if you could pull that off, then we don't know.

We would judge that when the time came.

I live

like a four-minute walk from Musso and Frank's up the street.

And the three of us have talked about having

drinks there many times, but you can go and sit.

They didn't change the room when they filmed the Brad, Leo, and Pacino scene there.

You You can go sit right where Brad and Leo sat.

And, you know,

Pacino asked if Pitt was his son.

So in that scene, there's actually an actual Musso and Frank

bartender.

Those guys, some of them are like, they've been around for 30, 40 years serving drinks there.

And they put the real employee in there.

And I would just like to be in the background of that because it's a place that when you go there, it kind of feels like one of the last real

old school Hollywood joints where you can just feel the energy, you can feel the past.

And it felt like something that Tarantino truly loved and desired for that movie.

And you can walk out back and go right to where they, you know, they got the valet brought the car up to him, too.

So I'd like to be in the background of that barroom scene.

And I could probably be there in about a half an hour, depending when the show ends.

He's waiting for you in the bar.

Wow.

A lot of great comedic moments in that film.

Rick Dalton explaining that he's a has-been to his buddy and his driver

in the parking lot

is all time.

How about you, Shaq?

Well, I hope I'm not going to Italy for the next handful of months to try and keep myself afloat.

But either way, yes.

I mean,

Sessler, you and I have gone back and forth on this on this picture a million times and our affection for it.

I think so many people missed the boat with this versus other Tarantino pictures.

It's about the fact that Hollywood, the industry, is populated, and I think you can extend that into sports media too.

That it is about your core competency at your job.

It's all people who are head cases and

loony and maybe murderers, even something somewhere buried deep in their past, and all of that sort of thing.

But when it's time to do the gig, even if you've had a couple of belts in you, it could be an 11-year-old girl

and

whoever is gathered for that industry does the job when you show when it's time to do the job.

That's the point of the picture, and it's wonderful.

And the actual villains of that movie are the hippies, the people who move to LA.

Like, I'm a dreamer.

I can't sit in a cubicle all day.

Like, yeah, that doesn't mean that you're in a position to be creative.

You just don't want to do a real job.

There's a distinction to be made between that and people who can actually get it done.

The hippies are getting in the way.

It's, you know, Hollywood is filled with lots of geniuses and idiosyncratic, but ultimately brilliant people.

I think that's the spirit of Tarantino's.

I mean, right?

Who among us doesn't have a harpoon homicide on their ledger if you really start digging?

Sessler's theory is the best.

I really love his theory about who Rick Dalton is.

Oh, right.

He's

Lieutenant Rain from Inglorious Bastards.

And if you look at the age that he would have been in Inglorious Bastards, it really lines up.

And like, there's just the backstory fits in every possible way.

And also, Tarantino loves to link, you know, characters, personalities, family lines through all these stories.

So to me, it's almost surprising that that is not just out there as like we're accepting that.

And if you listen to the audiobook, which is a completely different story than the movie, it digs in deeper who Cliff is.

And

it adds more evidence to that concept.

I'm sorry, I called him Rick Dalton.

But yes, the correct answer for me to your original question or the listener's original question is the tavern scene in Inglorious Bastards.

I'd love to be one of those guys sitting around the back table.

Well, if this is it, old boy,

I hope you don't mind if I go out speaking to kings.

By all means, Captain.

I would meet my demise with my chums ultimately by the end of the scene, but that or the trailer scene with the black mamba and the

Hanzo samurai sword fight

ending with the eyeball being removed.

I think those are your two best scenes of the millennium.

Bold statement, but I stand by it.

You should be the Hanzo.

We need Hanzus and Hanzo.

Has anybody made that connection?

Not yet.

Not yet, but I like it.

Atori Hanzus.

By the way, isn't it nice to have Dave on the show right now?

Look at it.

We're having fun.

We're chopping it up.

Football is almost upon us.

Next question.

All right, from PD was here.

Mark, you are captured by a foreign government, and the only chance to get released from captivity is to become a Steelers or Ravens fan.

Which one do you choose?

Okay, while you answer this, Mark, I'm going to ponder what I think you're going to say.

Okay, go ahead.

Well, it's easy for me.

I mean, I didn't even have to think about it.

I was going to say, too.

You know, when the Browns, when the move was announced in 1995, I went to the last ever Browns Steelers encounter when they were the real Browns.

And it was a Monday night game in Pittsburgh.

I took a train with friends from Washington, D.C.

to Pittsburgh to stay at a friend's house in Moon Township.

We went to the game.

Eric Zaire was the Browns quarterback.

They got completely waxed.

It was, I think Eric Zaire threw for about 65 yards in that game.

But beforehand and after, there were Steelers fans outside the stadium with long sticks with dolls of Art Model being hung off them, burning Art Model images because they were taking away from Pittsburgh, their true rival.

And that rivalry has been replaced at this point, largely.

But don't tell me that the Ravens, who were pulled out of the womb of the Cleveland Browns in inglorious fashion, would never be my choice.

That's the first team I'd remove from the league if I could.

I can't understand how I was an adult and watched other team, other adults, switch teams to become Ravens fans.

And then 20 years later, you're watching the Ravens in a sports bar, and some clown in a Ravens jersey doesn't even know that they were attached to the Cleveland Browns.

That's never sat well for me.

The Steelers are classy in every possible way compared to the Ravens.

I don't have to to think for one second about it.

I'd be a Steelers fan in two minutes.

All right.

Good answer.

Speaking of the Steelers, let's

check up on some Steelers talk.

No one a bigger fan.

Those Lombardies belong to you and the Browns fans from long ago.

They stole them.

They moved them to Baltimore, but that doesn't change reality.

Bingo.

Baltimore Purples is what they should be called.

As Marcus said many times, because this was an easy one to answer.

That team,

that Cleveland team that won a Super Bowl was ripped from the belly of Cleveland and their people.

All right.

Speaking of the Steelers, how about this one from TMR Troopers?

What's the oldest version of Big Ben that you would take over Russ and Fields as the starter on this upcoming Steelers team?

Shaq, in the past, you've been very good

and sometimes spot on in guessing a Steelers season success.

Where are you coming down on the Steelers?

And I feel like you're going to answer that within the answer of this question.

I think that I haven't been off with their season record by more than a game.

I think it's now 13 years in a row.

So obviously people call me a homer a lot, but I'm not blind to the reality of the team.

I love that question because I was legitimately thinking just last night.

Would the Steelers be better off with Tyrod Taylor?

And I think the answer might be yes.

So that should show you how severe I think the situation is there.

The entire premise of what they intend to do is hide the quarterback in Arthur Smith's offense, whether it's Russ or Justin Fields, or limit him, much like the Jaguars did, whatever that was now,

you know, six, eight years or so ago with Blake Bordles.

Yeah, I think they have a couple B minuses, C pluses there, and they're going to effort to try and

marginalize the quarterback in the quarterback league and lean on the defense in the run game and hopefully an improving offensive line as the season wears on.

All right, next question.

Kyle Allen, how about that?

How about 38-year-old Rothesberger or current-day third-string Steelers quarterback, Kyle Allen?

Very good.

Up next, I'm Jacob Tokar.

Heroes, help me solve my conundrum.

I'll be in Hawaii next week, and I'm a huge Packers fan and may have to miss the the Friday night game in Brazil.

My wife said no to the idea of watching it at a beachside bar because, quote, we can watch football when we get home.

What do I do?

I mean, Shek, going right back to the conversation earlier about La Ravile Magnificos, there's got to be a certain level of understanding.

This is a historic game.

This is a season opener.

My wife, who's a wonderful woman, would understand and say, go ahead, carve out those three hours and enjoy yourself if you could watch it because I know that's what makes you happy.

So I'm just saying, maybe we have to have bigger questions based on this line in the sand that's been drawn by this woman.

Yeah, absolutely.

And it has nothing to do with gender.

It's weird.

Right.

It's a weird maneuver for your beloved to try and take it away as some sort of a gauge of their commitment to you.

What game are we playing here?

Is that called passive aggressive or is that just straight up aggressive?

I don't care because I'd be out the door if anybody attempted to impose nonsense on me like that.

Well, I would say, you know, you, well, you're in a situation that unless you make drastic life changes, this is probably a drumbeat that addresses like a lot of different things that as a man you'd want to go do or a woman.

It could be a woman or a man.

I'm with you.

That's not a gender thing.

Yes, but

you know,

so

if you want to just put a patch over this, maybe you do the kind of thing where like you like during the day you announce that you, you know, you can do the thing for a girl where you like buy a star and name it after her, like a real star up in the universe.

Wait a second.

Like, we're not in high school here, Sestar.

Well, I'm just saying you could do something that's like.

That star move works when you're 16.

Well, no, I think it works on someone's heart, depending.

But if you want to just, like, you're in this situation, you've got larger questions to address later, but you do something that's like highly romantic.

I know other things I could do.

I wouldn't talk about them here, but like you could, you could really get that person into the right place where you going and watching the Brazil game would feel like less of an offense.

I don't know who paid for the vacation.

I don't know where that came from.

There could be some give and take there.

But

from a more global angle, I think you've got large pressing question marks

kind of closing in on your freedom as a human being inside this relationship.

And I think that's bigger than the result of Eagles Packers.

Grave diggers, I know that you're involved in one of these situations.

What's going on with you?

No, I'm not.

Jessica would let me watch the game.

No, I like that your advice is to, what, get divorced or something?

I would say, like, maybe book her a really nice two or three hour massage.

Hawaii, you know, it's still your time zone, so it's like, it's not

doing it yet.

This is why, Graver, you need to end this Fakakta pre-engagement and just get married already.

Because the way to play it is, as someone that's been in a relationship with my wife for 15 years now,

you give her something.

And that, if you're staying at a nice resort in Hawaii, they have beautiful packages for the massage and the treatments, the spa treatments.

It's going to be expensive, but it's going to be worth watching that game.

So you say, honey, I'm going to take three hours tonight, but how about this?

I'm going to give you three hours earlier in the day.

And if you're traveling with kids, like, don't worry about the kids.

I'll take care of the kids.

I want you to enjoy yourself.

And then

so much about being married, I feel like, guys, is even Steven, like, and making sure, like, if you're asking for things, you're going and you're giving things the other way as well.

Wait a minute.

Hold on.

Hold on.

Back the truck up a second.

I literally said buy her a star.

Right.

Like that's unserious.

Like solar, like that solar into when you're a sophomore in high school.

Yeah, but it would make it.

Go buy a star.

It's that romantic.

It's that romantic.

It's like child love, like love between.

We're grown men.

Yeah, but I'm sort of saying this.

I'm sorry.

The amateur hour, just throw money at it is, you know, unnecessary.

Let me let you in on a little something here, fellas.

You know what works great is giving gifts when they're not required.

All the ham and agers are getting flowers on Valentine's Day.

Fat.

I'm not here to dance for what the man has decided is a day of romance.

By the way, I'm not fully honoring Valentine's Day until it is an all-gender holiday.

Who decided that only the women get gifts?

Where are my flowers?

Where are my chocolates?

I love dark chocolate, if you please.

Here's what you do.

Today.

Do this today.

This idea didn't come from, Dave.

This came from your heart, as far as your respective ladies know.

Some nice flowers.

They'll flip for it, you know?

Some flowers on a day when they don't expect it.

That's the end.

Booking trips to a different time zone with massages involved in it.

That'd be great.

But I mean, listen, what are we doing?

How many games do you want to watch that you need to make a trade-off with a flight involved to get them to allow you to do it?

That's a fair answer.

That's a man of experience okay

and justin i hope you're taking notes yeah i'm taking big notes from from damashek um i do want to just like while we're on the topic of my pre-engagement since you mentioned it dismiss it um

just a just a full circle moment here the night that it was announced to our listeners that that was a thing was the draft live show when damashek came on and talked directly to jessica and that was a fun night that i'll always remember oh that's right that's right you know what is another nice nice thing to do?

I know if you have to like feel like, ah, we're doing something special.

This is always my advice, really, my pal Dave Feeney.

What?

Buy a star for $17.99 on buyastar.com.

No, not

my style.

From Daves of Thunder, David Feeney talked about this, and it's really the best thing you can do.

Don't go.

If you're going on a first date or if you're going for something special, it doesn't have to be the five-star restaurant that's going to be a $400

tab for the two of you.

It doesn't have to go like that.

What you do is, but you want to wow the woman.

It's not getting dressed up and feeling stuffy and then not yourself as you try to show off how cool and smooth you are to this

new paramour.

What you do is, when it's going to get an appetizer?

Yeah, we're going to get them all.

The wheel, if you please, waiter.

What?

The wheel?

Yeah.

All the appetizers.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, she'll say, like, I'm not that hungry.

I don't even know if I want them.

You take a bite.

If you don't want a bite, you don't even take a bite.

what it says to her is when you're with me the world's your oyster i love it and this i've heard check you've you've shared this many years and many many times and it's the one that has really stuck with me uh above all all else uh when you when you when you run the wheel that shows that you she's special and it doesn't 99 success rate with that and talk about things that you maybe admired about me i see you like your black and gold color scheme by the way i forgot to mention that oh that hit.

I like it very much.

Not our choice.

That's company branding, the color scheme.

I didn't have an issue with it, but it did bump up against the old Sess Dog.

Well, we're working on that.

It's a branding that's in process on many fronts.

All right, there you go.

Let's close up the mailbag.

Thank you to everybody that submitted questions.

We didn't get to them all because that's impossible, but we see you and we thank you.

Let's now circle back before we say goodbye.

And again, unbelievable having Sheck with us.

It feels like old times.

And that's been the goal of this show, Dave, to carry on everything from ATN and,

you know, the touch of mirth, as you famously coined that phrase years ago, but also familiar but new.

And having Sheck with us is so awesome.

You guys are succeeding in what you're attempting to do.

It's gangbuster stuff, fellas.

Happy, and dare I say, I know that we're peers, and so I hope it's not inappropriate or doesn't hit you wrong, but I'm proud of you, fellas.

Oh, thank you, Sheck.

That really does mean a lot to us.

So, let's, before we get too sappy, let's get to our predictions.

AFC title game, an NFC title game.

How do you see that going, Sestock?

So, I've got the AFC title game.

I kind of just went with what I wanted.

Texans,

Chargers.

Jim Harbaugh does a complete transformation job, and the Texans grow up a lot quicker than we expected a year at this time.

All right, and in the NFC.

In the NFC, I've got the Lions and the Packers.

This is not a matchup that would have excited me a number of years ago or, you know, for a long period of time, but I think it's a good old.

I see it happening in Green Bay.

It's going to be a rough and tumble, cold weather, ice falling from the sky on two teams that have hated each other since the beginning of Earth.

All right, and now

let's dramatic NFL films.

Ask.

Ask music.

Cecil are your Super Bowl pick.

With blurb.

All right, with the blurb, it is the Texans versus the Lions.

It is the Texans beating the Lions 27 to 21.

In overtime, a war-torn America puts down its sword and shield for one bright Sunday afternoon to witness the coronation of CJ Stroud, who, two years after failing his S2 cognitive test, beguiles the lovable Lions with 373 yards through the air.

The robust Cherry on top is a 14-play, 98-yard march in overtime, bedazzled by his 14-yard touchdown scamper to seal Super Bowl glory for the Houston Texans.

The following April, as three American states secede from the Union, he marries Hoctua Girl in a quiet ceremony in Puerto Rico.

You know, that I love that.

I love everything about it.

And Haktua girl.

She seems to be a nice woman.

Yeah, simple.

Check.

AFC title game and NFC title game prediction.

Wow, the Texans all the way.

Well, I don't know if I fully understood the exercise, but the AFC, if not every team in our league, has largely been blocked from glory by the pigskin Thanos named Mahomes.

But much like another super-powered soul, there does exist his kryptonite.

Yes, even if amnesia made you forget him last year, Joe Burrow is back.

And by February 25th, his Bengals will be playing in the Super Bowl.

All right.

Okay.

And the NFC side?

Well, they will be getting their third shot on the biggest stage in sports against those San Francisco 49ers is pretty actually great.

Moot question because the true star in San Francisco is Kyle Shanahan.

And just like he did back in 2021, his 49ers are going going to get over in SoFi against the arch rival Rams to go to the Super Bowl.

And now hit that NFL-esque music.

Super Bowl.

Ran out of gas here, but I'll say just this to you.

Mikhail Shanahan finally hoists his first Lombardi trophy.

We will finally and rightly call him the best head coach in pro football.

Saucy.

I like that.

All right.

I'll close it out.

I'm all in also on the Bengals.

Hotua.

Hot Tua too.

She gets involved somehow too.

I like that.

Super Bowl MVP.

I'm stealing that.

I'm all in on the Bengals too this season, as we said earlier in the show, and I love Joe Burrow being back on that playoff stage.

And what a showdown to the two great young

passers of their respective generations because it will be Joe Burrow against, yes, Aaron Rodgers.

How triumphant that the Jets, all of a sudden, after 13 years out of the playoffs, they're in the AFC title game for the third time, fourth time in my lifetime, but this time, for the first time,

they get over the hump, maybe.

NFC side,

the Niners, I see them getting there again.

I see them getting turned away again by the Green Bay Packers, which takes us to the Super Bowl.

NFL Films-esque

music.

Yes, it is the New York Jets.

You know, the last time the Jets were in the Super Bowl, they didn't even have AFC championship games.

So the Jets are 0-4 all-time in the AFC title game.

They get over the hump,

and then, remember, in 1969, Joe Namath said this.

Wait a minute, I got news for you, buddy.

We're going to win the game, I guarantee you.

And if this is all familiar, yeah, this was my prediction last year.

But I get a mulligan, just like Bob Salah gets a mulligan.

Aaron Rodgers in 2025, same bitches.

I guarantee it.

The Jets

are the champions of professional football.

And like Joe at the Orange Bull with the finger up in the air,

it will be Aaron Rodgers

vanquishing

ghosts and the NFL.

and I retire from this podcast.

Wait, what?

Is that a promise?

Look at that shot.

It's just Sessler, like the next season.

It's Mark, like when

Wayne Campbell.

I was going to say when Wayne Campbell ditched Garth Algar, and he just was staring at the camera, terrified, on television.

It's just going to be

Mark.

But no, yeah, Hoctua will replace me, and the fans will be very excited about it.

What is the opposite of a rating spike?

That will be what that turns out to be for myself.

That's good.

I like the idea of us restarting our career a year later, and based on the success of other men in a football game, you quit entirely and leave me on an island.

Beautiful.

The guarantee stuff and everything else.

He is, I know there have been a lot of years, and we weren't around to see him, you know, get to wagging his finger live.

Obviously, we weren't on the big blue marble yet.

But I think he still stands as the the coolest figure in pro football history.

And Hanzus, you and I have talked a lot about the best clip ever in NFL films history is when he's shooting sticks somewhere in New York, talking to NFL films.

And he's like, well, I like to have a drink with a young lady now and again.

Why that becomes an evil in me?

I don't understand.

Then he shoots it, and you can tell it went in the corner pocket.

He's like, look at that shot.

He's the coolest.

My point is,

by hook or by crook, you must get Broadway Joe on this show.

You've got to do it.

I mean,

it would be the pinnacle, right?

Make it happen.

Do it, Graveding.

We have tried.

We have tried.

It hasn't happened yet, but it doesn't mean it can't happen.

And I know Rodgers, by the way, has become a divisive figure in a lot of ways, and I understand that.

And I've had issues with Rodgers

and certain things in his past.

But the man does possess, I think, charisma and

adds an element of

fun to following this team.

And while I've said that the events of 9-11-23 stick with me, how that Achilles blew and it really, I thought in some ways, sucked out the last of my fan optimism as a Jets fan.

It's just something about this time of year,

guys, that it's just you start reading the articles and you just the reason I think, Mark, that we're still doing this and

enjoying that we're doing this is that we love the game.

We're not like cynical old beat reporters that hate their job or that type of stuff that can creep in.

And so

my heart is open once more.

And I know we talked about it with the Browns and the complicated elements of that relationship for you, but that it's a team you grew up with and a team that has your heart through good and bad.

And we're about to dive into a new season.

And Sheck's been blessed with the Steelers throughout his life.

But I know it's been a few years of

mediocrity now.

And I know you want the Steelers to get back in the mix.

And then there's, of course, Gravedigger, who sees, what, 18-1 maybe for the Titans this year.

It's optimism season, and it's going to be fun.

Football coming up in four days.

Go get them, Hanzeus.

And you know what?

I preach this all the time.

You are under no obligation to emotionally, spiritually support the decisions of the ownership group for the team that you root for.

That's not your responsibility to push back at the other 31 fan bases.

And we talk about Tarantino movies.

Maybe one of the most iconic things is the final shot or the final scene of Reservoir Dogs with the three guys pointing the guns at each other, and they all wind up dead shooting each other.

If you want to play that game, 32 fan bases, no one survives that one.

If you want to take down the moral fiber of your locker room,

so you know, sincerely, I can take my shots at this guy or that guy, even if they don't take shots, if you know what I mean.

But

that's not your responsibility to justify Aaron Roddy.

My concern with him is, in football terms, 45-year-old Tom Brady wins the Super Bowl.

Brett Favre has that great season with the Vikings, almost gets to the Super Bowl.

Warren Moon has a good season at 41 in Seattle.

And that's it.

That's the evidence of 40-plus QBs thriving in pro football.

Everybody else is a passenger, even if the team succeeds.

That's my concern with Aaron Ryder.

Does he seem singularly committed, like Tom Brady, to the game of football?

Doesn't strike me that way.

He seems singularly committed to multiple other human adventures.

But you know what, Dan?

It is the dawn of September arrives.

Our country overcame

9-11 in itself on some level.

You overcame your own a year ago on the date.

That's why you're brave.

I'm seeing NFL films music as he finishes this monologue.

No, I'm just going to say, I think I see bravery in you for you to come back the way that you have to.

Pick up from the 9-11 part.

Go ahead.

Yes, our country, you know, we 9-11, bit of a surprise, came out of nowhere.

We overcame it.

There were some ramifications.

But then literally a year ago,

our host, Dan Hansis, encountered a 9-11 that was more personal.

And yet here he is a year later, fresh as a daisy, ready to support his team again.

It speaks to his bravery and to his resilience.

And that's really what America and what an American is about.

These colors don't run.

You're right about that.

Shaq.

You've said it all.

Check out Shaq

on the Minus 3 podcast.

Of course, follow him on social media.

And

this is such a treat, Dave.

Thank you for joining us.

It was very nice to get the text from you, Hans Eus,

to join you on this mailbag session.

Great fun.

Like I say, enjoying watching you guys from a little bit of distance as you get up off the ground here.

And good for you, fellas.

Keep it rolling.

That's all I can tell you.

Enjoy football season.

I mean, you know,

for once, once, I'm rooting for QB that's at least worse than yours.

I mean, I think so.

That's about right.

Russ Bills.

You're going to see both of them, I think.

All right, there we go.

Big week coming up.

A bunch of shows, including at the end of the week, the return of the flagship program.

So make sure you're there for all of it.

Until then, do what you must.

Heed the call.