NFL 2025 Week 8 Preview + TNF Recap

Here's the issue, Mark.

You and I are aging, and

it's hard to stop that.

Nope.

It's problematic.

So we can't do the things like we used to do, which is like, you know, stay up late at the bar, then go get a burrito, and then wake up four hours later, and everything's fine.

We need something.

How about this, Mark?

How about what I've been using?

Terra Origin?

Because adulthood, it's hitting hard.

We're dealing with it.

Middle-aged guys,

my knees hurt.

I hurt my wrist the other day.

I punched a door.

Shouldn't have done that.

And now my wrist hurts.

This is stuff that wasn't happening when I was young.

So this is where Terra Origin comes in.

Are you curious why I punched the door?

Yeah, I was going to say that's

a different conversation.

But if you've got Terra Origin, I'm sure that you're going to be able to get your way out of that mess.

Aaron Judge grounded into a double play.

Anyway, Terra Origin makes science-backed, clean supplements designed to help men perform better, recover faster, and feel good every single day.

They make smart no BS supplements that actually help you feel human again.

And that's why

this is the product that you need.

The best part about Terra Origin, no fluff, no fads, just premium, transparent formulas you can trust.

It's like upgrading your daily routine from survive to thrive.

So whether you're lifting, leading, grinding, or parenting, Terra Origin helps you show up at your best.

Visit terraorigin.com and use the code PODCAST for 30% off your first order and free shipping.

That's T-E-R-R-A-O-R-I-G-I-N.com.

Terra Origin.

Feel better from the inside out.

Taking care of your eyes shouldn't be a hassle.

That's why Warby Parker is a one-stop shop for all your vision needs.

Our prescription glasses and sunglasses are expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable.

Stop by a nearby store or use our app to virtually try on frames and get personalized recommendations.

Did we mention we offer eye exams and take vision insurance too?

For everything you need to see, head to your nearest Warby Parker store or visit WarbyParker.com today.

That's WarbyParker.com.

Not much else to say besides I don't like them.

Dream out loud, brother.

I love it.

I love it.

More honesty.

Give me all the honesty you got, okay?

Right.

Hello, welcome to Heed the Call,

NFL podcast.

Dan Hans is here with Mark Sessler, Connor Orr, Justin Graver on the ones and twos.

It is your

week eight preview.

How about that, Ceci?

Well, we're here.

And like I, you know, in our old world, it's like, now you've got to say mid-season.

Like,

where are we at the mid-season?

Like, we don't even, we just keep rolling.

We don't need to write all the articles and the mid-season and stuff.

Unless, unless come next Wednesday, we can't think of anything to talk about.

And then that will be the theme of that episode.

Midseason.

It's not even mid-season.

We've been through this road a hundred times before.

Yeah.

The season's actually 23 weeks, right?

So

get comfortable, Seci.

We're just warming up, baby.

Yeah.

Yes, this is, as I said, week eight preview, but also

the recap of the first game of week eight.

So let's dig into it.

It was a fairly gnarly affair in SoFi Stadium.

Hit it, Justin.

All right, yes.

The Chargers.

It couldn't have started worse.

Justin Herbert rushed.

Pass rush in his face.

Flings one.

Picked off by Isaiah Rogers.

Run to the end zone.

pick six, and look, the Vikings are off and running.

Ah,

but no, no, no,

they overturn it, turns into a 14-point swing, and that was kind of the game.

From that point on, the Chargers were in total control.

They win 37 to 10, improving to 5-3.

And

as for the Vikings, they fall to 3-4.

And for the love of God, Connor Orr, can we please put Carson Wentz in a retirement home for quarterbacks who just don't want to feel pain anymore?

That was one of the hardest games to watch.

Like, watching Carson Wentz in general is difficult, but the level of pain that that man was in at the left side of his body, just the Vikings are not a fun watch right now.

No, he looked like, and not to reference this movie again, Dan, but Tony Danza throwing the final pitch in Angels in the Outfield when he was going to die about three months later.

Yeah.

So, yeah.

But you brought it up a week ago.

I thought it was a great point at the time.

Al Michaels actually echoed your sentiments on the broadcast.

It's the folly now of your over

the folly of your over expectations at the quarterback position and your own self-assessment.

So we have Daniel Jones on another roster, Sam Darnell on another roster, Aaron Rodgers isn't here.

And this is what we're left with to drive the Corvette.

And the offensive performance was pathetic.

I mean, they're leading Rusher at all of their rushing yards in the final like three minutes of the game.

This is not a cohesive unit at all.

It doesn't look like you're going to be able to do anything with it, and you're just going to throw J.J.

McCarthy back into this next week.

I don't know what to think about this.

Yeah, they feel like they've got, it's not a crisis, but I feel like Kevin O'Connell, for all his known skills,

has been through a pretty thorny trail of quarterbacks over the last couple of years where it's like one thing after another, and it's pretty bleak right now.

I don't know how Wentz was still in that game by the end.

Like, it's like when you get 14 images of him wincing and, you know, the body being crushed, like, I think it's time to move him out.

Um,

the story, the story for me was the

it was the Chargers.

I mean, they put up 400-plus yards after getting their butts kicked by the Colts a week ago.

Joe Ald comes back.

They run the ball the way that they wanted to.

Herbert looked awesome.

And are we back?

Are we back with the Chargers the way that we thought that we were?

Like, you know, three or four weeks ago?

Like, it seemed like it tonight, but you're right, Dan.

They were playing a compromised Vikings operation.

Yeah, and they, you know, I think Makai Bechton limped off a football field for the eighth consecutive week.

Injuries, Derwin James leaves this game in the first half, misses his first snaps of the year, and yet it didn't stop them.

The Chargers were a tank today.

And, you know, again, we've been hitting on this all season.

Matt Money Smith, the voice of the Chargers, he hit on it with us when we talked about it this team in the summer.

They have a really great coaching staff, and they're led by a proven winner in Jim Harbaugh.

And these type of coaching staffs, especially if they have a really, really high-end quarterback,

they can get through the stormy parts of a season.

I think that's what's happened here.

I think they've cleared out of the storm potentially.

Kamani Vidal has become a revelation now in this game.

He goes for 117 yards and a touchdown, and he looks really good.

So you're going to get Omari Hampton back in a few weeks, hopefully, and that will only help that side of the field.

Lad McConkey is starting to

reappear and be a part of this offense again.

He had a really bad drop early in this game, but then he made up for it, finished with six catches and a touchdown that kind of put the game away, I thought.

But yeah, I mean,

you mentioned 419

total yards and nine drives.

The Vikings, 164 total yards.

And

our boy Brosmer was in this game by the end.

I stand by it.

I feel like you, and I, by the way, conspiracy theorists out there, I'm with you.

If you saw the same thing I did in the first half, a completion to

Justin Jefferson, he spills out of bounds right into the feet of JJ McCarthy, who does this like athletic leap backwards and then very spry on his feet is signaling like first down in a really swaggy way.

It's like, wait, this guy can't play?

What?

He looks fine to me.

What's going on here?

What's the real story in Minnesota?

And here's the thing.

Here's where the center does not hold, Connor.

If you put JJ McCarthy back in the game next week and he re-aggravates a high ankle sprain as something that happens all the time in these in these situations, you are punting on the season then.

And even if McCarthy stays on the field, if he doesn't play well, you're punting on the season.

Was that the goal of the Vikings to punt on the season?

You can do something about this.

The trade deadline's coming up.

Doesn't have to be my suggestion of Geno Smith.

But is there anything you can do to give yourself a safety net because you do not have one right now?

Well, I mean, if Kirk Cousins plays this weekend, wouldn't that be an interesting

right and is already familiar with Kevin O'Connell is certainly familiar with Minnesota.

But I think that Kevin O'Connell knows that

once he goes back to J.J.

McCarthy, there is no pulling him back out because he's already done what he's done.

He's been able to kind of milk this high ankle sprain for as long as humanly possible.

And what's really kind of a bummer about the whole thing is that the Vikings' defense also doesn't look the same.

And, you know, stacked heads are kind of hanging on to, remember when they just beat the bejesus out of Jake Browning and the Bengals?

And that was one of the more outsized defensive performances statistically that we've ever had.

But that weights your average, right?

And it keeps the Vikings like in the top five

perennially.

But look at their performances otherwise, right?

Like you give up 28 to the Eagles, 24 to the Bears, 24 to the Steelers, 22 to the Falcons.

I mean, this isn't, and, you know, those aren't enormous point totals, but this isn't a dominant unit that could hold them down while J.J.

McCarthy can win games by scoring 14 or 15 points.

Yeah, it's the lack of a point-producing quarterback-driven offense.

Like, because we've, there's like a bunch of these teams around the league where it's like the defense is the thing that you can hang your hat on, and that's fine for two quarters or a first quarter, or if you somehow get into a lead, but

they can't save this.

This is unsavable.

To your point, Dan, this is unsavable right now.

Well, in this current, the way it's set up, unless McCarthy returns and the light goes on.

And I think you don't want to get too crazy about small sample sizes, but he did not look ready before he got hurt.

But it's the only thing most likely because it's unlikely they swing it for the reasons Connor points out.

Like you did invest a first-round pick.

You did decide to let all these guys like Darnold and Jones and Rogers.

You passed on all of them and you said, no, we believe in this kid.

You got to let him play.

And it might cost you a season, but at least you're going to invest this time in a player that you believe in.

By the way, Warren Sharp, good stat here.

Thank you, Gravy, for finding it at Sharp Football.

Our buddy, the Vikings have played the number one easiest schedule this year to this point.

They played the number one hardest schedule the rest of the season.

So, yeah, if this could, you know, they could be picking in the top five or top 10 if things really, the wheels can come off of this unit, especially if the defense doesn't play at the level they need it to play.

Yeah.

High picks you have are doing weird things too.

I mean, that shot to the head that their first round pick made was one of the most egregious helmet-to-helmet, like almost leapt off of his feet to create head-to-head contact.

And

it's just the players that you have that you've drafted high are not performing well, too.

This is a puzzle right now.

Not a great Thursday night game.

I've been kind of sniffing around this idea that there's a little something suspicious about how close these games all get.

I'll go a little deeper and put my tinfoil hat on.

On a day when professional sports was rocked by a gambling scandal in the NBA, and by the way, that shit's coming here too.

Like, this is not going to, the NBA is just going to be.

It's not the NFL.

Yeah, yes.

It is just a matter of time.

So why don't we just count our blessings before we're talking about this all the time on our show?

Pandora's box has been opened and everybody get ready to see the consequences.

But I wonder if the NFL is like, hey, guys.

Things are a little hot.

Let's just go back to the old Thursday night football tonight just to be safe.

It's always these hey guys like unnamed sources and rooms.

I'm 345 Park.

Chinese boxes of food.

Well that's the thing I design.

Yeah, I just want to

give it up for Al Michaels.

What a powerhouse performance by Al.

I mean he

is just like

I tweeted this.

This was like Otani clinching the pennant for the Dodgers last week, level dominance.

Does not care.

Says what he wants.

He's getting getting wrapped on the knuckles by the league in the middle of the game.

Here, listen to this.

This was great.

A 32-yard field goal attempt.

The league wants to take my lunch away because I've said before that Riker's only missed was hitting a wire in London.

The league says, no, no, it was an optical illusion.

Not what Riker thinks.

Anyway, there you have it.

He cleaned it up.

And then to top it off, again, Al doesn't care.

Al just like, he's hitting three home runs and striking out 10 over six scoreless.

He gets

Kirk Herbstreet, who's already turned his attention to college football about midway through the first quarter.

He's thinking about Saturday

and a break in the action.

They're talking about the Chargers' lone Super Bowl appearance back in 1994, the blowout loss to Steve Young and the Niners.

And Herbstreet asks, so, you know, Al, what's your biggest memory of that game?

Because he called it for ABC.

And Al just leads with,

well the point spread was 19

and Herb Street like looks at him like Al today we're gonna be doing this and then he just keeps going and he's like oh yeah Stan Humphreys he dropped back to pass they were up 26 the spread was 19 and a lot of people were very nervous clearly Al was one of the people that was very nervous that that Hail Mary was going to be completed

Anything else on this game, boys, before we take a break and head to the previews?

Well, I'd mentioned one player, Aronde Gadston, like is becoming a star for the Chargers, and we've seen it two weeks in a row.

He's just like, he's part of the ride.

Big words.

Well, I mean, or a star inside of their universe, but like he has been dominant two weeks in a row, and he's a later round draft pick that's like

the central focal piece of their passing game along with their wide receivers.

So keep an eye on it.

I try to pick him up in fantasy, and like this one clown in my league that's like kicking everyone's ass picked him up like two weeks ago.

So good job, job, Mark.

You know, he went to college, right, Connor?

Here's a hint, your shirt.

Did you really?

I am so checked out on Syracuse Film.

He went to the cues?

Yeah.

Yeah.

There you go.

All right.

All right.

Go up.

Let's take a quick stop down here.

And when we get back, we dive into all of the week eight action to come.

Man, Mark, I used to think paying too much for wireless was just part of life.

You pick a provider, you sign a contract, and you cross your fingers every month hoping your bill isn't outrageous.

And then I found Mint Mobile.

If you're still overpaying for wireless, it's time to say yes to saying no.

Absolutely.

Mint says no to contracts, no to overages, no to hidden fees, no BS, and somehow I'm getting premium wireless for just $15 a month.

Mint plans include high-speed data and unlimited talk and texts on the nation's largest 5G networks.

I've been using it, Dan, and honestly, the coverage has been every bit as strong as my old provider, just without the sticker shock when the bill arrives.

And switching was easy.

I kept my phone, my number, and all my contacts.

You're telling me, Mark, in that concrete jungle of Hollywood with all the skyscrapers and the mountains and the earthquakes,

perfect reception.

Better.

Wow.

Ready to say yes to saying no?

Make the switch at mintmobile.com slash heed the call.

That's mintmobile.com slash heed the call.

Upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month.

Limited time, new customer offer for first three months only.

Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan.

Taxes and fees extra.

See Mint Mobile for details.

All right, we are back.

Thursday Night Football in the rear view.

And now we turn our attention to the rest of the week eight slate.

Can you believe it?

Week eight.

Unbelievable.

Baby, that's unbelievable.

What is that shirt you're wearing today, Connor?

This is a Netherlands World Cup jersey from.

It looks like unbelievable.

Maybe 2002, 2004, somewhere in there.

It does have the vague

semblance to a prison jumpsuit as well.

Yeah, with an emblem, but you sure are.

Yeah, it's I can see that.

This was like early college, and I ordered this from like Taiwan for $6, and it just held up tremendously well.

Beautiful.

Yeah.

Unbelievable.

Always connecting with an international audience, Connor Orr, a worldly man.

All right.

let's dig into the game.

So,

I don't know.

This feels like a recurring theme now because, as we know, you know,

I don't know what's going on with the early window in the NFL anymore.

It's tough.

It's tough sledding.

The late window, though, you could always count on some good games.

So, let's start there.

And let's start with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.

I

love

this game.

For two reasons.

They're two like of my pet teams this season, Cesi.

I've loved watching the Cowboys every week.

I've been on that since the beginning.

This is a fun team to watch, an imperfect but fun team that can score as well as anyone in football.

And Dak Prescott, if you're putting together an MVP ballot, which I'm sure that will be a popular podcast topic across the landscape in the next week or so as we reach midseason.

Dak is MVP.

Can't really, it's hard to argue against it.

I mean, that he is, he has been so valuable and so excellent for that team.

They're scoring at will.

Can't stop anybody.

And now here are the Denver Broncos, who I, for the life of me, cannot figure out, Sese.

I know that they have a good record.

I know they're coming off one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

But are the Broncos for real?

Are they for real or are they full of shit?

Where do you come down?

I think they're getting there.

I'm with you that like visually and just sort of taking in the entire Broncos experience, I'm a little lost on where they are in terms of why they get some of the praise they do.

I think one of the problems a little bit is that, unlike the Cowboys that come out with fireworks blazing and like, you know, just machetes, Denver has started really slow on offense, like almost like weirdly historically in certain ways.

Like it's taken late-game heroics, and so they don't look the part offensively.

We all know the defense,

you know, until they played the Giants last week, have been, it's been pretty good.

I think this is one of those crazy, wild tests that I think Denver needs to keep winning games that makes us remember them.

But this, like, best offense in the league versus arguably top three or four defense is one of those NFL games where it's like, which, who do you go with?

I'm going with Dak and the Cowboys.

I think there's something kind of weird and spicy about the Cowboys that you've latched onto, and I totally agree.

And I think you got, I think Dak is, I hope,

there's like sort of some sort of resistance or proof against him declining here.

He can't play any better.

For me, I view the Denver Broncos almost the same way that I view the Chicago Bears, which is the second that they're able to fix this running game and make it more efficient, it blooms and it makes all the explosives and everything else make sense.

And if you look like at the biomarkers of this offense, they're like 11th in the league in explosive play rate.

And that tells me that the bones of the offense are there.

It's just how do we get more consistent, whether it's a back rotation, can R.J.

Harvey finally be a hot hand guy and they don't have to take him off the field or is Dobbins, whoever it is.

And I think as soon as you iron out that consistency, just like the Bears, when they started running the ball well, I think this thing's going to turn into a monster because, again, I think the bones are there.

We saw Nicks make the throws last week and everything leads me to believe like this is headed into that like waterfall scenario where it all spills over.

Yeah, I'm a full-on believer in Nick's.

I know there's some inconsistency to his game at this point, but he made so many money plays in that comeback.

And to your point, I mean, there's never been a more cold, hot

performance by a team than here's score by quarter last week with the Broncos: 0-0-0-33.

So it's in them.

And, you know, partly that's maybe bad coaching by the Giants in the fourth quarter, personnel that was gassed a mile high in Denver.

There's a lot of factors that led to one of the strangest endings in the sports history, but it also showed the potential of this team.

But I don't like them in a shootout with the Cowboys.

It's a really coin flip game.

Where is it played?

Where is it at?

Denver.

I think that always matters.

We've talked about it.

Yeah.

I mean, for that reason alone,

I'll take Denver and a quasi-shootout here because Denver's defense is as great as it's been in certain spots and against certain types of opponents.

It's been good better than great this year, and that's from Patrick Sertan all the way down.

So I don't know if they're going to shut down the Cowboys, but I think they'll make enough plays.

I got 30 to 27.

This is such a good game.

When we pick this one, 30-27 Broncos win another narrow one.

Go ahead, Mark.

I'm like the person who's a girl.

You love Cowboys, right?

Mark, give us a score.

I'm going Cowboys

34

to 28.

Broncos 33-32 score, Gami.

You son of a bitch.

Dan, one little item

before we go.

Yes.

We did get some news.

Well, there's a lot of news coming from all these teams as we get to the trade deadline.

This is a little different.

Some news out of Dallas.

Justin, if you want to air this for the

for us, yeah.

The shot didn't come from that building behind you.

It came from back there behind the fence on the grassy knoll.

That's where the man was, not the book depository.

Remember that.

Just to put a bow on that controversy.

You and I have been at loggerheads on that one for forever.

And now there he is, Johnny Fitzgerald Kennedy himself in Dealey Plaza explaining it all.

Yeah, I don't think you need to triple source that one.

No, I'm not going to do any double checking on this one.

I'm just going to say you were right and I was wrong.

Good job, Mark.

Thank you.

All right, let's move on.

What's another game to dig into?

How about

How about the Buccaneers?

By the way, that's the number 15 Cowboys and the number 11 Broncos.

So, two teams, but if you look at our power rankings, and we'll get to a little power rankings convo, Connor, you got caught in the crossfire.

We'll get to that a little bit later.

Some power rankings.

He's never there to defend himself either.

Yeah, that is a thing, you know, whether it's Farbuck or

well, Farbuck was Mark.

Connor was on with Farbuck a couple times, but Farbik doesn't seem to understand that anyone else is on the line ever.

Farbuck, Farbuck.

Well,

Connor caught some strays.

Here's the tease: Connor caught like 800 words of strays.

And this wasn't Farbeck.

This was a respected member of the media, the national or New England media.

We'll sit on that until we get to the pats.

But you'll get your chance to answer to it, Connor.

Okay.

Now we have, so yeah, the 15 Cowboys, the 11 Broncos, two teams we're trying to kind of figure out.

And we're going to get some clarity, I think, this week.

Up next, the number eight Buccaneers coming off, obviously, disappointing loss to the Lions

at the number 28 Saints.

And,

you know, Connor,

it wasn't so much for me that the Bucs lost to the Lions in Detroit because a lot of teams lose to the Lions in Detroit in primetime.

It was at that, I didn't think the Lions played close to their best game, and the Bucs still weren't there to answer the bell.

And it does leave a sliver of doubt

that maybe they're not quite at the level of these top dogs.

What did you take out of that game?

I don't know that I'm ready to make that determination.

And it's hard to when you're an offense like this that's built the way that they are, when you lose someone like Evans mid-game and you don't know how that's impacting any of the available calls that you have.

And yes, I mean, everybody needs to be planned for injuries and to expect stuff like that to happen.

But that's one of those like pull the rip chord games.

Anything can happen.

And nothing that is in this team's DNA has shown me that they're not able to come back for something something like this.

I'm still very high on the bucks.

I really agree.

I get what your eyes saw, Den, but it's just like they're one of these teams that are going through it.

They're down to, you know, Amika is compromised by a hamstring.

That's your dude.

But then it's Sterling Shepard, who's 33, and Tez Johnson.

I think Tez Johnson, the former roommate of Baker, has looked really good, but you're still working with guys that change your game plan and what you can do and what you want to do.

And they're also down.

Bucky Irvin's not in there.

And don't tell me Rashad White's the same guy.

And their offensive line gave up like a season record 30 pressures last week to the Lions.

So kind of everything caved in, but they're not a healthy team.

Have we talked about that Tez Johnson and Bo Nix are brothers?

That's a pretty cool story.

Adoptive, but yes, like they adopted him, I believe.

All right, Mark, don't put labels on it.

Well, I think that's a wonderful thing.

I think they view themselves as brothers.

We're not coming from the angle where I am discouraged.

It's not real.

Mark Sussler, signing off.

Oh, geez.

I will sign off.

All right.

The cool, very cool story.

Read about it.

Tez Johnson was adopted by Bo Nix's family, and they grew up together, went to college together, and now here they are in the NFL.

Not on the same team, but thriving in their own ways.

Yeah, he actually,

I don't know if this is such a credit to the Bucs organizationally that he's flashed a little bit, Tez.

And I kind of assume that anyone who's asked to take a bigger role in that offense will step up.

And that is a credit, yes, to the play calling, to the quarterback, and to their ability to identify pass catchers who can make plays.

It's kind of like how I used to feel about the Steelers when they would just churn out these guys in the draft year after year.

The Bucs are that way for me.

And the same goes for me, Dan, about...

Offensive linemen, complimentary players.

I mean, Jason Light, love him or hate him, has probably assembled one of the deeper rosters in the NFL, and we're looking at the bottom third of it, and they're still very competitive.

And so, to me, Mark put it the right way, going through it.

It's like when you have that flu in the middle of the season, and everybody goes through it.

And, you know, yeah, there's nothing about that that scares this team for me or scares me away from this team.

I just love it or hate it.

You get that?

What's up?

Mark put it right.

I just want to mention that that was.

That's good.

We try to pepper those into the program because we know it's important.

And I feel, I see you've lifted up a little bit.

Yeah.

You said love it or hate it.

Like, I think you're referring to the fact that the GM of the buck hates you, Connor, right?

So that makes it sometimes a little bit

tricky sometimes.

Yeah.

I mean,

I've caught some strays in the past, but

I feel like we're in a better place.

Good.

That's good.

That's good.

Somewhat.

The story, the last story you had about.

You know, him like pointing out that you said they would lose their first two games seems like he still carries a bit of a grudge.

A little little hot.

And that I had them number two instead of number one in the power rankings.

Right.

Exactly.

It seems like he's really picking a little bit.

Theme of the fing year is me just getting ramrodded for the power rankings, and I always end up right, but whatever.

Let's keep going.

I love it.

That's the attitude you need.

By the way, Baker's got an attitude.

He's got that red ass.

That's why we like him.

Here he is talking about the Saints.

It hasn't exactly been clean play from their part when we play them.

It's a physical game.

It is what it is.

You expect it.

Division rival.

Yeah,

not much else to say besides the fact that I don't like them.

Not much else to say besides, I don't like them.

Dream out loud, brother.

I love it.

Let me gas up it.

More honesty.

Give me all the honesty you got, okay?

Let me gas up the absolute worst team on our schedule to make the game that we should be walking away with slightly more.

But you know what?

He's a little bit,

I mean this in a positive way, a little bit of a psychopath.

Like he wants the Saints to like believe and really try to get after him because he thinks he will be better than them in the end.

It will make it hurt even more.

I think he's got some of that.

He does.

Also, like I think this is organizational because what was the one team when Tom Brady was there that used to get inside his head and really physically mess him up?

It was those better Saints teams.

Those defenses took it to Brady.

And I think inside the organization, from Bruce Arians to head coach to GM on down, it's like Baker's bathing in this dislike of this division rival.

And they must have done something to tweak his ass, too, a couple years back, according to his report.

Yeah, tweak his ass, Mark.

Nice.

His red ass.

All right.

Let's

one more late game.

Number 31.

Six teams on by this week, by the way.

Six teams, which is, and

shout out to everyone who's feeling it.

like I am with the

fantasy Armageddon of six buys.

And And what do you do?

For me, it's leaving multiple starting slots open because I have injuries in addition to buys.

And at a certain point, it's like,

do I drop a player who's a really good player or do I forfeit the week?

And when we're at that stage, maybe too many buys.

Maybe we got to adjust this.

And one little side note to that, because I delved back into it too.

And it's like, it's your high school friends like, oh, this guy worked for the NFL and like has an NFL podcast.

I have the work, I have a team that looks like it was built by a toddler with a mental problem.

Like, it is the biggest mess ever right now.

You know, like, this guy works in football.

It's like your credibility is just going to weird.

I'm not having a good year.

Usually, I'm very competitive in the league.

Don't always win, obviously.

Rarely win, but I'm always in the playoffs.

This year, I'm fighting it.

You know, it's been a tough one.

It's been a weird fantasy.

It's been a weird NFL season.

So don't beat yourself up, Mark.

You're a good person.

Sean

Connor shares a team with with

a friend, I believe.

Is that right?

I'm in seven leagues, which is far too many.

And I've gotten mixed up.

And

my issue, I feel like it's uniquely a sports writer problem, too, is I'm too rookie obsessed.

And so we have to watch the preseason and nobody else knows who any of these people are.

And then I'm foaming at the mouth to get like Kyle Menongai in the seventh round when everybody else is just picking like Calvin Ridley and doing way better because the

Trayvion Henderson is on five or was on five of the seven teams.

Oh, yeah.

So there's no doubt.

Yeah.

Anyway, yeah, R.I.P.

everyone in fantasy this week.

And if you're the one team in the league that actually somehow dodged the raindrops and has a pretty much a full, healthy roster for this week eight, go f yourself.

It's coming.

Let's go.

Let's move on.

The number 31 Titans at the number three Colts.

Listen, I'm not going to be negative about it.

I'm not going to be negative about it because the Colts have answered the bell every week.

Even the game they lost, they could have won that game easily.

Okay.

But does anyone have an easier schedule than the Indianapolis Colts?

Week after week after a week, tomato cans.

And there's nothing you can do.

You just take care of business.

But I guess I wish there were more fun Colts games on the schedule, but every week it feels like they're against our sisters of the perpetual misery.

It's like,

what am I going to learn from this game?

What am I to learn, Connor?

Can I venture that I think that this is going to be a very fun game?

And that might sound insane to everybody else.

Okay, do you know that a quad injury has sent Legeria Sneed on IR?

So the Titans now lose another key piece of their defense.

Okay, my point still stands.

And this is a compliment to Justin's Titans.

The one thing that they have

done well is when they throw the ball deep, they do do a nice job of completing those passes and making those explosive plays.

That's one area where Indianapolis's defense struggles a little bit.

And if you're Mike McCoy, you don't give a shit at this point, right?

Like, and so we're just going to dial it up.

This is going to be Russ versus the Cowboys.

Let's let Cam Ward just air the arm out and let's see if we can catch these guys sleeping in the deep third of the field.

That's how I think they're going to attack the Colts.

And I'm all here for it because I want to see Cam Ward just gas that arm man.

Let's see it.

What do you think, Gravy?

I'd love to see that.

My faith in the Titans doing anything competently has sunk to levels here for here before seen.

I don't know the phrase.

You got it.

No, we knew where you're going.

Here before unseen.

Is that okay?

You got it.

Yeah, I mean, last time these two teams played, it was like 17-3 at the end of the first quarter.

And that wasn't that long ago.

Different head coach.

If the Colts get off to a fast start, the Titans will have to do what you're saying, Connor.

But Cam Ward was at his best last week off play action, like most quarterbacks.

Eight for eight, 115 yards, perfect passer rating off play action.

Like, the more they can do that and not be in obvious drop back passing situations, the better.

But if the game gets away from them quickly, they're just going to have to be in like shotgun spread formations the whole game.

All right.

I've got some good news for you, Dan.

For me.

Because they've got the Steelers, the Falcons, the Chiefs, the Seahawks, and the Niners coming up in the next month plus.

There you go.

And good for them.

Like, they have taken advantage.

They are in the worst division in football, but they've also answered the bell against non-division opponents.

This one is going to put them, obviously, they're going to come out of this.

They're going to maybe, you know, maybe you're right, Connor.

Maybe they end up, it's a tougher game, but they're going to come out of this, what, six and one after Satan Care Business?

Seven and one, and they will be positioned very well

for when the schedule does tighten up, even if

some issues hit.

One question for you, Gravy.

We just did our trade

deadline primer, not a primer, but we just threw out some crazy trades with the reef on Wednesday.

Jeffrey Simmons, he is

age 28 season.

You know, you could argue he's a top 10 defensive player in the league, maybe top five, if you want to go along those lines.

You get a call from a team, you know, the Cowboys.

How about this?

The Cowboys call.

Cowboys have extra first-round picks.

The Cowboys would probably, they're going to be, probably finish around 500, you would assume.

So they'll have around the 15th to 17th pick in the draft.

They say, take a first rounder for Simmons.

Would you do it?

I don't.

think so.

There's some Titans fans that may disagree.

The reporting out there is that Cam Ward and Jeffrey Simmons are the only two players the Titans are unwilling to trade.

I just think, like, trade the veterans that you feel are more or less replaceable with draft picks or free agent signings.

Don't trade the literal only potential superstar.

And I get it, he's not a league-wide superstar, but he's a Nashville market superstar.

You trade that guy, and I know the timelines may not mesh up because, like you said, he's 28, but defensive tackles are playing high-level football into their early 30s now.

He could be productive for the next five years and be a good member of this team if and when they finally do get competitive again.

So I'm not in the trade Simmons camp, but trade everybody else.

Anybody else that they offer a conditional seventh for, move them.

I don't care.

Five years.

I mean, how old is Chris Jones?

He's been, he's playing good football still.

There's some, there's defensive tackles that have played Cameron Jordan, maybe?

I don't think there's a wrong answer because not a lot of interesting foundational player.

He's a superstar talent.

And

you can turn things around in the NFL quickly.

Now, will the team, oh, a team like the Titans with their struggles in recent years be one of those teams?

Maybe, maybe not.

But it happens.

It can happen.

So maybe this is, it's kind of a vote of confidence of your quarterback, too, right?

If you truly believe in his abilities, you say, okay, if we just can get some more players around and we get the right coach, maybe we're frisky next year and then good the year after that.

And Simmons will still be age 29, age 30.

And you have to be able to do that.

You're already in your rebuild.

You're not about to rebuild.

You're already in it.

So

keep a couple of those guys around.

Yeah, and Simmons is dealing with a hamstring injury that knocked him out in the first quarter last week.

Mike McCoy called him week to week, and I would be surprised if he plays in this game.

So

another reason the Colts are just going to.

Woof.

This is another 40 burger for the Colts waiting to happen.

All right, let's take a break.

And when we get back, we head to the early window in the quad box.

Stay right there.

Today's episode is brought to you by Fabletics.

If you live in activewear like I do, you know how fast it adds up.

One pair of leggings can cost as much as a whole outfit unless you shop at Fabletics.

Their stuff feels super high-end, performs like the expensive brands, but costs way less.

When I joined as a Fabletics VIP, that's right, VIP baby.

I got 80% off of everything, which felt wild.

And after that, it's about $60 a month unless I skip.

That fee gives me a credit I can use toward a full outfit or bundle worth up to $100.

Every month they send me an email.

I decide if I want to use my credit or skip.

I've even used mine to grab something for my wife.

The quality is next level.

The no-roll waistband leggings and hoodie are soft, breathable, and actually keep their shape.

And I love that Fabletics is carbon neutral and uses recycled fabrics for more than half of their materials.

Yeah, I think that's very nice that you gift your wife.

Honestly, once you try Fabletics, you're going to get it.

Okay.

The quality, the comfort, the value.

Treat yourself to gear that looks good, feels good, and doesn't break the bank with Fabletics.

Go to fabletics.com slash HTC and sign up as a VIP and get 80%

off everything.

That's fabletics.com slash HTC to sign up as a VIP and get 80%

off everything.

That's fabletics.com slash HTC.

You know, Dan, we had a softball team for years and I touted myself as the manager and it's because I couldn't see anything.

So it's like, who wants to put me at the plate?

So it's like time, it's like I'm an adult.

It's time to get glasses.

And I walked by Warby Parker here in L.A.

and like got a great pair of glasses.

And I look up at trees now.

I can see the leaves.

I couldn't see anything before.

Warby Parker changed all that.

Mark, I get it.

And we would have loved to bat you clean up and had you at center field for that softball team.

Maybe if we find a time machine.

Warby Parker uses nothing but premium materials in each frame.

Warby Parker designs every frame in-house.

and our collection includes silhouettes, colors, and fits made to suit every face.

It's also, there's an ease to it.

Warby Parker offers everything you need for happier eyes.

Eyeglasses, sunglasses.

I got a pair of the sunglasses.

I have perfect vision 2020, Mark, but go in there.

You could also get sunglasses and bang, you're the coolest looking guy in the sector.

Well, that's an overstatement of how I looked in relative to everyone else, but I looked better with these sunglasses.

They also have contact lenses.

They also even have eye exams.

You could shop with them online, at home, and in stores.

Warby Parker has over 300 plus retail locations across the U.S.

and Canada where you can get styled by one of their friendly expert advisors.

Yeah,

we both use this.

And

you guys should too.

Warby Parker has over 300 plus locations to help you find your next pair of glasses.

You can also head over to warbyparker.com slash HTC right now and try to find any pair virtually.

It's very easy.

That's warbyparker.com slash HTC.

Warby Parker.com/slash HTC.

After Natalie and everything that happened in Catalina, I could have used someone to talk to.

Wish I had this then.

Anyway, visit betterhelp.com/slash walkin' today

to get 10% off your first month.

That's betterhelp h-e-l-p.com slash w-a-l-k-e-n.

Don't be too proud, baby.

What's going on, big blue?

All right, we're back.

We'll have Jordan Schultz at the bottom of the hour to talk trade deadline at the NFC East.

We'll hit some news next, but first, I wanted to touch on something we talked about on the Golden Watch Hour on Patreon.

Sign up if you haven't.

Up his ass.

This mock esla and his decision to bring bring his curse to East Rutherford and my beloved giants.

This Cessler guy, a real creep.

Who are you?

He walks around pointing at NFL teams that he wants to put into ruins.

Last year, he chose the woe-begotten Arizona Cardinals.

Like a snake in the desert,

he brought them to their knees.

This year, he decided he was going to put a hex

on the Green Bay Packers.

But as soon as they started to tank, no doubt thanks to him, he chose the Giants.

And look what happens

in the worst fourth quarter of New York history.

I don't know what to say about this guy other than

get behind me, Satan.

Get behind me, Sessler.

Point that juju somewhere else.

I don't need it.

I don't want it.

Even better help.

Couldn't help with that.

Anyway, wanted to just say my piece there.

Don't come after me on that cesspool, the walking with giant subreddit.

I will find you, and I will end you.

Okay, let's take a quick break.

Then we'll hit the news.

Sean Payton, you chatty little Kathy.

Stay right there.

I guess, you know,

parallel universe.

I guess maybe, Connor,

you feel like maybe you've been singled out by some in the media.

You're not alone.

Mark, obviously, the great, incredibly gifted and successful actor, Christopher Walken, from his

kind of under-the-radar

New York Giants fan podcast, Walking with Giants.

Obviously, got in the crosshairs as well.

Mark did.

So, you know,

a little bit worried about Walken, by the way.

Was he entangled with the Shaun C.

Billops thing there, or was that

the FBI?

I think he did.

No, I think that was a sound up.

I think he likes his drops.

I think that

tied into something he was saying.

Yeah, I don't think

it's Billips related or.

It sounded like a raid, but that's good to know that he's.

I mean, I'm taking it back, but I love Christopher Walken.

I'm annoyed that I agitated him and many Giants fans with whatever went down here.

I'll take my medicine.

I accept the critique on this one.

Yeah, it's one of those things where is it better to be targeted by Christopher Walken or not for Walking to know you exist?

And you fall in a category which I probably would probably lean towards.

I'd want to be acknowledged anyway by the great Academy Award-winning actor, Christopher Walken.

All right.

Without further ado, let's head to the early games.

And when we head to the early games, we head to the quad box.

jim god that is so tight

when i arrive

hey and fill fans kathy bates here or

an audio feast of the last couple minutes here

it's getting so long

What is it up to now, Justin?

How long is the quad box intro?

It's taking up a lot of real estate.

It is

12 seconds.

Okay.

We started the year at 8 seconds.

It just seems like a little bit.

It's creeping.

It's a creep.

It's a slow creep that eventually will take over the entirety of our Thursday show.

Yes, the Quad Box.

Kathy Bates, like every week for the rest of time in our lives.

I can't get enough of her.

All right, let's get into it.

She has no memory of recording that sound bite, but

that's not here nor there.

You know,

let us pick four games or a lot.

Let's see.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven games in the early window.

You know the drill by now.

We'll give you the four that are the most compelling to watch.

Mark, get us going.

What are we putting in the quad box this week?

Well, I will go with my heart, and we're going to talk to our great friend Baldy about this game so we can, and we've already heard about this game and the Giants a lot, but the Giants at Philadelphia.

There's a lot happening here.

They just played two weeks ago.

That's a weird little schedule tick.

And I just want to see how the Eagles, after what happened last week when they came back to life, handle a Giants team that did lose to the Denver Broncos, but after putting up 34 on the Eagles, put 32 on the Broncos, a good defense.

And I just am wondering what becomes of this team.

And I'll say one other thing and throw it to someone else because we talked about it before.

But A.J.

Brown has not practiced in full this week at all.

He's got a hamstring injury.

He was on the side on Thursday before we taped with a trainer.

That feels like a potentially not playing type of scenario for the Eagles offense.

With Brandon Graham back, I wonder how they're going to defend because Vic Fangio talked about it.

A lot of quarterback scrambles are gutting this team, and no one has been better at it over the last few weeks than Jackson Dart and just getting through backfields, crowded backfields, backfields, extending plays, and bringing a play new life.

What will his plan be to limit that?

I wonder if they just totally get after him in this game.

They're kind of telling on themselves as they get to the trade deadline that they need more pass rush help.

Why else would you ask Brandon Graham to come back?

And so I'm just kind of curious what kind of juice that defense gets now.

Jackson Dart has transformed the Giants and made them a compelling watchable team.

Not always a winning team.

I think they're, what, two and two now with him as a starter.

Is it two and two?

Either one and two or two and two at this point.

And,

but every they've been in Pointman television, which is saying a lot for the Giants when you know how terrible they've been in recent seasons.

Russell Wilson, obviously in the deep background, there was controversy this week around Sean Payton.

We talked about it on Wednesday.

But, you know, when Sean Payton's involved and also Russell Wilson's involved, I definitely want to hear Connor's thoughts on all this.

They are two and two, by the way.

Thank you, Justin.

First, here is after

Peyton made his comments to Mara that I'm glad, you know, I wish that you hadn't put in Dart by the time we saw them, and then Russ comes out and tweets that it was classless, Peyton tried to diffuse the situation on Wednesday.

Look, and

the euphoria, the way that game unfolded,

that was

strictly about Dart.

I mean,

and I,

that was in no way, shape, or form, anything that was

directed at the moment.

He's pointing at euphoria.

And I might be able to see how he might perceive that, but might be able to see that.

In his most euphoric moment, watch that.

That tells me that.

What a la ravile magnifico about.

Okay, that's enough.

I don't care.

What a la ravile magnifico about Sean Payton that he'll acknowledge when I'm at my most euphoric, that's when I really like to like, you know, punch down and

take down people that I've already defeated in my life's journey.

That's my take.

What you got, Connor?

So much to say, so little time.

I'll say that Sean is unique in that I think that there are some people on my side of the coin who have

really great relationships with him and some people who, you know, you can sit around a bar, a bar somewhere, and everyone can be like, Jesus, let me tell you my story.

And I certainly have one of those that

puts me on one camp.

But, you know,

he is like Ed O'Neill and Little Giants, just like the most intolerable alpha,

I don't even know, like sub monster that ever kind of crawled up.

But he's so good at his job that there's no satisfying way to kind of get back at him and be like, ah, look at this.

Like when the Broncos lost, when they got 70 put up on them by the Miami Dolphins, and I had been championing Mike McDaniel as a head coaching candidate for like three years, that was one of the maybe 30 best days of my life.

Like, think about that.

And like, that's how much I enjoyed that moment.

And I guess credit to him that you can never, they're never bad enough, long enough for me to tap dance on the grave.

And it's an ultimately frustrating thing for me.

That's fair.

That's fair.

All right, let's move on.

I'll go next.

This is annoying because we have an injured quarterback again.

The number four Buffalo Bills, led by Josh Allen, coming off the bye.

They travel to Charlotte, and they get a Panthers team that's won three in a row.

That's four and three.

That's really surprising people.

They're up to number 21 in our power rankings, which tells you that we're not really ready to give ourselves over to the Panthers, but you've got to give them credit, too, because this is a team that looked like they were about to clean house.

And this seems to be a recurring theme in the Bryce Young era, the David Tepper era, the last two years, where just when you're about to just like throw out the baby and the bathwater on the Carolina Panthers, they put something together like, okay, maybe there's something here.

Unfortunately, Young sprained his ankle, high ankle sprain, late in the win over the Jets last week.

So it's the glowing ginger man, Andy Dalton, that gets a start.

And I guess my perspective on this one, Ceci, is

the Bills have been an imperfect machine this year.

And I think they were humbled by these back-to-back losses going into their buy.

I expect a very focused,

obviously healthier,

potentially deadlier Bills to appear here.

And the Panthers in their state with a backup quarterback are the perfect spot for the Bills defense to start trending in the right direction because some of

both the raw stats and the pop the hood data suggest that the Buffalo defense could be an Achilles heel of this team.

But this feels like a good spot for them to get right.

It has been that heel.

I mean,

they are the league worst yards per carry defense against the run.

And here comes Andy Dalton, who are, you know, I think Andy Dalton can do anything Bryce Young can do to an extent.

Like, I don't think it's a major downgrade into a no-namer at all.

Even at his age, he's a solid backup.

I agree.

And I think that in recent years, when he's played, he's been a pretty good deep thrower.

But you've got Rico Dowdle, who's had 70 carries and nearly 500 yards over the last three weeks against a compromised Bills run D.

I wonder if Carolina just keeps doing what it's doing.

One little psychological note, because you are the Bills coming off of two losses.

You've allowed 781 yards on offense in the last two games.

They've got a serious concern in their own division about the New England Patriots and a pretty rough schedule coming up, including the Chiefs next week.

Like, mentally, they better focus on this right here and get this done because I can't look at them the same way if they can't handle this game.

I think

there's two advantages here for Carolina.

One, obviously, is is the running game.

I think this is where Dave Canalis needs to get in their bag.

They've been good in some like odd formations, like two-back formations that they still haven't used a lot, but they're really effective in.

They said this week that they meet with their analytics crew once a week.

I wonder if that's something that came up in the matchup.

But I'm not saying that Andy Dalton is analogous to Joe Flacco, but you can put a pretty good receiving core that has not been legitimized with Bryce Young yet and put Andy Dalton just back in the gun and do that run a little bit of that quick game too and challenge the Bills secondary.

Because if they give you a light box, you can run successfully, but they're going to try to stop that.

Let's see Andy Dalton take on that Joe Flacco role and just get rid of the ball, get the ball in Tep McMillan's hands, see what he can do.

My last thought on this game is, you know, Rico Doddle was obviously incredible those two weeks before Chuba Hubbard came back last week.

And then, you know, Canal is

put in a tough spot because Chuba, he's our starter.

He's our guy.

Now he's healthy and they want to split the backfield.

But I kind of, I don't know, like, I kind of want to see, I want to ride with the hot hand, and maybe Rico deserves to be the lead sled dog and see if he can give you another monster effort against the Buffalo defense that, as Mark points out, is susceptible to the run.

I'm curious to see how they split that up because the Jets did a pretty good, pretty decent job shutting down their offense, their running game, at least comparatively to the previous two weeks.

Let's see what happens there.

All right.

Oh, Josh Allen has advice from a grandma.

Let's see.

Well, this is, if you remember at the end of that disappointing Falcons loss before they head into their buy, like there was just,

we, I feel like you always see a just like sad Josh Allen sitting there.

And so his grandma called him up and said this.

Oh,

leading from the front, but also having energy and juice and, you know, not putting my head in the sand.

And, you know, my grandma called me.

He was like, I just want to see you smile, you know?

So get back to some of that.

Well, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Good to have a grandma.

Shout out to all the grandmas out there.

I miss mine.

Connor's shit.

What's up, Connor?

Well, it's just, you know, it's like, thanks, grandma, but like, you were born in the 20s, and there's someone on Instagram who just doxed my address and said he was going to knife my fiancé because I didn't win his fantasy matchup.

So smiling is a little bit less effective of a solution than it was during the Great Depression.

So what percentage of your inner world did your grandmother ever actually know?

I'd put it at like 2% to 3%.

You'd roll in there, you act real nice, and you put on a colored shirt, you know, just like for you know

to be a little more accurate, his grandmother was probably born in 1960.

That's pretty fair.

How old is she?

Okay, hold on.

You said 20s.

I mean, certainly she's not 100 years old.

So, Josh Allen is seven years younger than me, and my uh, my Grammy is 94.

So, I mean, so that would put her at what?

1958 by my math.

She's about 59.

Yeah, 1960.

The summer of love, 1969.

It's like an early 30s.

I rest my case.

Wrong.

All right.

No, maybe you're right.

Okay.

Well, good advice.

It's a brutal sport.

Smiling is a dangerous thing to do, but maybe you will.

And I suspect that he will.

Next up in the quad box, Connor, what do you got?

All right.

I'm going to take the number 10.

While I Google, how old is Josh Allen's grandmother?

Okay, go ahead.

We're going to take the number 10 49ers of San Francisco at the number 25 Texans.

We got Koogler and the Moose.

That's a tough one.

But I think in this one, it's all about what the Houston Texans see themselves as.

I think that Seattle put a lot on tape that's going to be really effective against that Texans offensive line, the left left side of which is just kind of inoperable.

And the Seattle was doing that cool thing where they were overloading one side of the line and creating chaos.

It worked really well against Houston and it made CJ Stroud look even less comfortable and

just capable of running an offense than ever before.

That's all on tape and Sala's defense brings the heat just like that.

So I don't know, man.

That's a.

That's, this is a tough one.

It's kind of like a car crash game for me.

You just want to, you kind of want to see what's going to happen, look at the wreckage a little bit, But it's weird, too.

I'm just going to, I'm done after this.

The Texans are like the best defense in the NFL right now.

So it's such a Jekyll and Hyde team.

I hate,

I've lived this life many times with past Jets teams.

When you have a defense that is playing its ass off and an offense that is just not giving you anything, it is such, it's frustrating to watch.

And I can't imagine what it's like on the sideline and in the locker room.

And that's just something to keep an eye on and another challenge for D'Amico Ryans to navigate.

And, you know, that was, we talked about it, Mark.

We were honest with the audience about the Monday night podcast and how frustrating it was to be watching a Texans game that late at night and a game that refused to die

because the Seahawks wouldn't take the air out of the football in the fourth quarter.

And during that fourth quarter, which was already a lost cause for Houston, despite them technically getting within one score, Nico Collins bangs his head on the turf and he suffers a concussion.

So he's on a short week, which means you're probably taking Nico Collins out of this lineup.

Who is C.J.

Stroud going to throw to?

Who's going to make plays that are going to keep this team in the game unless they get massive

touchdown-level contributions from defense and special teams?

It's such a big ask week after week.

Yeah, you're counting on an unusual type of touchdown, and you're counting on your defense to keep a Mac Jones-led Niners team.

It seems like it's going to be Mac Jones,

from making plays.

Because this team can't play from behind, minus Nico Collins.

They don't have a ground game to speak of.

And they seem like for the second year in a row, we can all see the overt problems.

And so could the Niners, and so could the Niners' pass rush, which doesn't have Bryce Huff.

It's not a loaded pass rush, but you like the scheme and the offensive line you're going up against with the Texans is in tatters.

And watching CJ Stroud, I think one thing that was so frustrating was like,

it's not all on him, but he seems to be like

going in the wrong direction.

Like I watched that game extremely frustrated.

Him doing things that he wasn't doing as a rookie, did a little bit last year, but it's a studying like if everything around you is evaporating, you will evaporate too to the eye.

And credit to Mac Jones,

who has absolutely done what you want any backup quarterback to do.

Like when the QB1 goes out, can the backup quarterback keep things stable?

Or does the season go down the tubes?

And that happens all the time in our league.

And Mac Jones, who I will be the first to say, I've never thought much of him as a player.

I know he had a very nice rookie year.

I thought he was just hanging on.

But what he's shown during this time, and again,

hey, kids out there, hey, young quarterbacks out there, even if the money's not the same, if you have a chance to sign and play under a guy like Kyle Shanahan,

do it.

Do it.

Get on that team because not only is he reinvigorated his career, maybe not as a guy that can get signed as a starter, but maybe somebody who can compete for a starting job if he hits free agency again.

He has changed the feelings of a lot of people, including myself, as what he can be.

And he's fun to watch, and he's got a silly laugh.

So, shout out to the Steve Grogan of 2025, Connor Orr.

Your boy.

It seems like by the end of these last two games, you've not been moving wonderfully.

Do you want to race?

I know that guy.

He's enjoying

so much.

He's kind of like Shane Gillis.

He's got a little bit of a Gillis vibe to him and a look.

To your point, Dan, and we'll get to this closer to the trade deadline, but if I'm Anthony Richardson or Justin Fields, that's exactly what I'm saying to my agent right now.

And I'm saying, get my ass on a plane to Santa Clara.

Absolutely.

A little career rehab.

All right, we have one more game to add to the quad box.

And by the way, this could be, let's savor it.

You know, let's savor the Mac Jones start because I think Purdy's close.

He's practicing now.

And again, to Mac Jones' credit, the reason I think Brock Purdy is not going to play this week is they're like, okay, we're okay at quarterback.

So we're going to, even though Purdy

is practicing, we want to make sure when he comes back, he stays healthy this time.

And that's a direct correlation to getting really good play or solid play, steady play from QB2.

All right, Connor, Justin, fill out the quad box.

All right, I am going for our final game.

I'm taking a chance on some injury and some health situations here.

The number 14 Bears at the number 24 Ravens Bears on a four-game win streak at 4-2.

Ravens trying to get their season back on track at 1-5.

And that's the question.

Can they do it?

Is this Bears' magical run going to hit a speed bump as they play what could have been a very good Baltimore team, but has turned into a one and five squad.

Does Lamar sort of bandaid over all their defensive problems?

Okay.

Here's a

perfect segue because Lamar is not healthy.

He's still not healthy.

He didn't practice on Monday, okay?

And then he practiced in limited form on Wednesday.

And I imagine if they had their version of a Mac Jones in the building for the Ravens and they weren't in this predicament that they're now in, that they might have been like, you know, maybe let's give Lamar one more week because he's that important.

I got a feeling they're going to put him out there on Sunday and just hope for the best because we are, we have Mark reached, I think, very close now to must-win territory for the Baltimore Ravens and against a Bears team at home.

You can't just keep dropping these games, especially in your building.

They need this win, and that's why I expect Lamar to be there.

Now, what version of Lamar?

We're going to see.

Yeah, and like the now Vegas believes in the Ravens almost eternally from what we've seen week after week, but

I don't if they lose this game.

And there is a part of me that I'll start to lose faith in the general matrix if they pull one of these like six straight win scenarios.

The good news for them, though, because they've been so battered, it looks like Ronnie Stanley could come back.

He practiced.

Roquan Smith is coming back.

Patrick Ricard, he's your fullback, but he's a big part of some of their offense and what they do.

Like, they're getting healthier.

And if Lamar can almost, like, to your point, can you get through this game without Lamar having to

go 100% with what he can do can you get him through this game and he gets another week to heal and like bang we start getting there but it's like this team also gave up 37 plus point points four times in six games like this is not like Lamar and nothing else like that's the thing I think is a little mystical to watch people react to because we've seen them in the past this is a bad defense

I wonder if it can transform though.

They got Aloha Gilman from the the Chargers, and Kyle Hamilton's one of those guys that I think was doing too much.

And now you can just be like, let's put this guy right up against the line of scrimmage and let him try to drive Caleb Williams nuts and be in his face and just be jumping around trying to bat down passes.

Like maybe freeing him up more to be a little bit more of a, I don't know, just a general berserker back in the secondary might help.

I mean, just thinking of anything at this point, and minus the Lamar Jackson issue, which is obviously clearing.

And, Connor, you were talking about the Bears' run game getting on track last week and how that really opened things up for the whole team.

This Ravens run defense has been putrid pre-buy.

Were they able to fix those issues with this week off?

Because if not, it won't matter how healthy Lamar Jackson is if the offense can't get on the field because the Bears are able to control time of possession with their newfound run game.

Zach Orr, no relation in a big spot.

And Bears, go ahead.

Like drive a stake through the heart of the Ravens and continue to build some momentum.

Their running game has really gotten on track in recent weeks.

I think the Ben Johnson vision is starting to come into focus.

You're still getting Baltimore.

Not maybe the past few teams that got Baltimore got them at the best time, but you're still getting Baltimore before they can potentially recover.

If they recover, it's kind of now or never for the Ravens, and it makes it a compelling game.

All right, there you go.

There's the quad box.

Let's take a break.

And when we get back, it's Baldy time, baby.

Stay right there.

nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company they're one of america's largest financial services companies like how i'm more than just peyton manning i'm also motivating manning when i say insurance you say financial services insurance financial services insurance financial services now when i say nationwide you say is both nationwide is both nationwide is both for your insurance and financial needs nationwide is on your side nationwide investment services corporation ember Ember Finrick, Columbus, Ohio.

All right.

You know what time it is.

We're joined now by Odyssey NFL insider Brian Baldinger, host of the Best Football Show podcast.

Insider Calls are brought to you by Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs.

Nationwide is on your side.

How you doing, Baldy?

I see you got a little bit of a wet hair straight out of the shower.

Where are you coming from?

The ocean.

Oh.

Swaying from the buoys to get here on time.

So I lost track of it out there.

I was just kind of in my little undersea world out there.

That's an extra effort.

I mean, swim to the ocean to do our job.

And I like I really had a good fourth-quarter comeback right there to swim to get in.

You know, Baldy, not to get sidetracked, but like Mark and I are both in the thick of it.

We both got young kids and going through all the challenges and marriage and career and balancing it all.

And sometimes we'll just openly daydream about escaping to a different type of life.

That's your life.

That's the Baldy life.

Yeah.

So, well, how would you describe that?

Is just like the escape right there?

Yeah, I think like Baldi is like,

I'm a tape dog of the highest level.

I'm an NFL veteran.

I'm fully vested.

I got women in every city.

And when it's time to hit the surf, I hit the surf.

And then I come in and I talk some ball.

And then I have like a delicious but healthy meal because my bod is a temple.

Like, you got the whole thing going on, buddy.

Yeah, a little renaissance angle there, a little adventurous angle.

And it's, you know, desirable.

All right, let's get into it.

You are going to be at Eagles Giants.

Yep.

Let's start here just because

as a former player,

there are losses and then there are losses.

And that's a historic stomach punch loss for the New York Giants against the Broncos last week.

I don't know if you've ever been involved with something at that level of meltdown, but like, how concerned are you

as a player, as a coach, how a team reacts to that?

Like, is there a panic that envelops?

Is there a sense of like a downtrodden nature the week after a loss that's truly wretched like that one?

Like, and how do you think the Giants will bounce back against the Eagles?

I haven't been a part of something like that.

You know, a 33-point, you know, fourth-quarter comeback.

I went back and watched, you know, Bo Nicks had like 13 unbelievable plays.

A little bit of luck on some of them.

But for the most part, I mean, it was incredible football on their part.

But I haven't been a part of it.

Maybe the worst part of that, honestly, is a four-hour trip home on a plane.

And, you know, sometimes you start hungry up in different groups about what happened.

And sometimes that can splinter offense against defense, defense against coordinator, decisions that were made by Brian Dable.

Like, you know, everybody talked about it all week long.

You know, TD was, you know, he had his opinions in New York.

So everybody's hearing about it.

I feel bad for John Barrow because, you know, he's in the greatest, you know, health right now.

He's got to watch that.

That's tough.

I don't know how they're going to bounce back.

Honestly, it's just the number one storyline of this game.

I mean, obviously, the Giants played their best game in years.

You know, two weeks ago on Thursday night, it put up five touchdowns and physically beat the Eagles up.

And now they get the rematch, you know, two weeks later here.

And that's the number one storyline.

How do they respond?

You know, is it just as easy as Jackson Dart and Scatterboo and some of these young kids, they don't know any better and they just flush it?

Because it doesn't look like it's a game that you can just flush.

Not when you have total command of a good team on the road and then you just lose it in 15 minutes.

And just from the Eagles' angle, because it is one of these schedule anomalies where you are seeing the same team two weeks later.

And that was a pretty shocking defeat by the Eagles in prime time on an island game.

So you've got, you know, we're here 14 days later, whatever.

What's different?

What's changed?

The Eagles looked different last week, but

how did they attack this when it's so, there's such a tight window between the two contests?

Well, you know, from that Thursday night game, they will have Jalen quarterback.

He didn't play that game.

Quinyon Mitchell went out of the game, their best corner,

I don't know, halfway through, and then they were really susceptible in the corners.

They don't have enough good corners as it is.

So, I mean, they're going to get those guys back healthy.

That will help.

Offensively, last week, the Eagles went to some play action passes, which they have been reticent to do in the first six weeks, and that produced some big results.

The touchdown throw in the second half to Devontae Smith, 79 yards, kind of broke the game open right there.

They made a couple of good plays to keep the Vikings from scoring, where they had opportunities to really go sport for sport with them, but they couldn't do it.

Carson was off a little bit.

I thought the Eagles scored a touchdown in the opening drive.

Had kind of a loose play to AJ for the opening touchdown.

It really took a 25-minute nap.

Then they kind of woke up at halftime.

That's kind of how they have been throughout the year.

So we'll say, like, they're still waiting to get, you know, I unfortunately, you know, I had to come back to Philadelphia with all Eagle fans, you know, on the road from Minnesota.

So that means I'm just getting bombarded by Eagle fans on a plane with no Wi-Fi.

Like, I'm out just trying to take a nap, you know, and follow the Sunday night game.

And all I'm doing is, why can't Saquon get a yard?

Why can't Petulo call play?

And I'm like, the quarterback had a historic day, and the receivers got to be happy for at least once in their life.

And all I'm getting is Eagle fans, you know, bombarding me.

So, you know, I feel like that should give them

a bunch of confidence that, you know, they can throw the football against, I think, an average giant secondary right now.

Insider calls are brought to you by Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs.

Nationwide is on your side.

I'm glad you brought that up, Baldy, because we didn't touch on it when we recapped the game last Sunday night, that even in that big jump for the passing game in Philadelphia, there was this like desert in the middle of the game where they just went cold after that first drive.

So I don't know.

They're still a weird team to get a handle on.

And speaking of weird teams to get a handle on, let's talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers, the primetime game, Sunday night football, Packers at Steelers.

As Aaron Rodgers continues to thrive in this offense, staying upright, staying healthy, showing he's still got the juice

even at this stage of his career.

I become more comfortable, Baldy, with the offense of Pittsburgh.

I think the offense, as long as he stays healthy, they're going to score points to win games.

The defense obviously takes another big step back against Cincinnati.

What are you seeing on that side of the ball?

Is there room for hope or is it time to flip the panic switch?

Well, I mean, Joe Flacco had, you know, with 10 days to get ready for a game and two games, like what he did in that game was amazing.

You know, everybody lined up on Jamar Chase.

You know, it was Jalen Ramsey or Slay or, you know, Porter.

And I mean, they all took shots of none of them could cover them.

And at some point, you go, why are we going man-to-man against these guys?

Like, why aren't we sitting here in some sort of, you know, dome, you know, dome defense where we're just not going to let these guys roam free and win one-on-one battles?

It was just shocking, actually, the way that they played and how they didn't adjust.

And they stayed in this man-to-man scheme.

And as soon as Joe Felgin doubling, you know, one time that they doubled both Jamar and T.

Higgins, they hit Yosevash down the middle of the field, you know, for one of the biggest plays of the game.

And so Joe saw the game really, really good.

And, you know, if you, if TJ or Herbake or Highsmith aren't affecting the quarterback, like they're picking them apart right now, it is a concern because they've had trouble stopping the rung this year.

And now, you know, they've had trouble against the past.

And so they've had 10 days to kind of correct things and maybe fix things.

And we'll see if they can do that against Green Bay's offense.

And if you're Aaron Rodgers, back in the summer, you looked at this schedule and it was like, oh, it's the Packers.

Like, this matters a lot.

I don't care what Aaron Rodgers says.

It matters.

It's emotional, right?

But he wasn't predicting back then that he'd have to look across at Micah Parsons.

And Micah Parsons right now, I know it's like that everyone wants him to have 12 sacks, but all the unnumbers show that he's operating at an increasingly dominant level.

Do you feel like he's just hitting his stride and like comfortable in this defense?

And is that threat level midnight at this point?

look, he ruined Arizona's comeback champions last week.

You know, I mean, just ruined.

I don't know what Arizona was thinking, how they just left the right tackle out there one-on-one on him.

Like, he's going to, if you give him one-on-ones, he's going to win.

I don't care who he's lined up against.

And I don't care if it's Flatano this week or, you know, if it's Robert Jones or Darnell Washington, anybody that's out there one-on-one, he's going to beat him.

And the guy is unstoppable.

I mean, he is a pass rush.

You just have to go for defense around him because nobody's going going to affect a quarterback more.

And if Aaron Rodgers has to move, then like Parsons are going to chase him down.

He's going to suck him up.

So you've got to have a game plan for every play or he's going to ruin your offense.

Let's check in on Monday night football, Baldy.

And it's frustrating as a football fan because you're geared up for Jaden Daniels v.

Patrick Mahomes.

But Daniels suffers another lower body injury.

This time it's a hamstring.

He won't be playing.

So now it's Marcus Mariota versus Patrick Mahomes.

So the Washington Commanders, at least from my standpoint, ball to them, just like in a hold, I'm obviously not counting them out.

Maybe they round into shape and they stay healthy and they have another run in January, but it's like they're just trying to survive.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, they're thriving.

And here they are in prime time at Arrowhead with Patrick Mahomes.

Now has Rashi Rice and Rice immediately makes an impact.

They take everybody out of the game by the third quarter because they're boat racing the Raiders.

But what does Rice add back to this offense that we saw immediately in that game?

Well, as soon as Xavier Warney got got healthy and got back in the line, everything changed because now you had Worthy, you had Hollywood Brown, and you had Taekwondo Thornton.

And their speed is it's a four by 100 meter relay.

And, you know, and you open up things for Travis and in the line game, everything got better immediately.

Now you add a guy like Rashi and you add him to the offense and you let Andy Reed tinker the way he's...

builds 10 new plays every week like nobody else in his business.

Maybe Bill Walsh back in the day could do it, but nobody creates more new plays and opportunities like Andy.

And Mahomes loves it.

He lives for it.

Can't wait for Wednesday to see what he's cooked up.

And so now you give him all these options.

You've got tape threats to open up windows.

You've got the whole, the whole package right now.

And then you add a rookie in Braden Smith and his speed and the screen game.

Like they've got the whole playmate.

And in Washington, honestly, I mean, I love Marshawn Lattimore coming into this league, but he can't run like he used to.

And

he's getting abused pretty good.

Dallas

took him to task last week.

And so, I mean, I know, and he's looking at Lattimore out there.

I know these guys are looking, they've got targets on their back that I think Washington is going to have a hard time.

If they don't have the type of pass rush where you can heat the quarterback up, and even if you do, Mahomes' ability to extend plays and keep plays alive is second to none of his business.

This is a tall task.

The only hope I feel Washington can get is if their one game can really take off with all the different things that Cliff Kingsbury could do and the quarterback that can run, and they can just play keep away and keep the game close and limit the possessions of Kansas City right now.

That seems like the way out.

I mean, you mentioned it because I feel like in the last couple of weeks, Kansas City's ground game, and it's not just the amount of yardage, but just the way they're running feels like there's just balance here.

And it's because the people are getting back.

You know, you've got Trey Smith right now.

He did not practice on Thursday with back spasms.

The situation with Josh Simmons is still going on.

Does that, what's your concern level when all of that starts to pile up in front of Patrick Mahomes?

Well, has Trey Sevent ever missed a game?

You know, like, the guy's not missing.

I don't know.

Like, I don't, I mean, I understand the back, but the guy doesn't miss games.

Like, he just loves it too much.

Now, Jalen Lawrence played well out there at left tackle.

It was a, it was a kind of a weird signing because they gave him a lot of money for a guy that hadn't really produced that well, but he's been very good out there.

And I don't know what's going on with Josh Simmons.

I don't know if anybody knows,

but I think they're going to be just fine.

They've got, I mean, if Trey has to come out of the game, they've got, you know, I think they've got enough in there right now to protect Mahalj.

All right, Baldy.

By the way, you know, we talked about it last week,

the memoir, and just part of the process of book publishing.

We have cover art that we need to clear with you, obviously,

the subject of the memoir.

All my Angie's, a memoir forward by Dan Hansis, Mark Sessler, Connor Orr, Justin Graver, the world of NFL legend Brian Baldinger.

Yay or nay?

Yay, let's do it.

Okay.

Yeah, I mean,

I'd sign off on it right now.

Any angie, any Angie on the sea, by the way?

On the surf?

Any Angie on the surf where you were just out there on your board and you met an Angie out there?

No, I did not.

Not today.

There's no mirror maids out there today.

There's no rough for that.

Oh, there's always another day.

There's always another day.

Another day on the surf.

All right.

Thank you very much, Baldy.

Have a great weekend.

Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you guys week.

You bet.

All right.

That was Odyssey FL Insider Brian Baldinger, host of the best football show podcast.

Insider calls are brought to you by Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs.

Nationwide is on your side.

All right.

Welcome back.

Welcome back, Connor.

You know, the people are still looking for the sandwich video over on the Patreon, Connor.

What's going on?

Some technical difficulties over at Orr Manor?

I just think three kids, multiple jobs, and

illnesses and everything like that.

i have been eating a lot of it though i just haven't made the effort to film it i guess i had we had heard mark internally through sources that part of the challenge is that connor's uh lovely wife doesn't really want to do it and help him which i i found that a little bit surprising because i thought it was kind of like a fun little irreverent reverent silly thing uh that she would think was cute even but apparently not it's one of the like my wife doesn't listen to our show like and i can understand why connor's wife doesn't, she wants to keep some distance as well.

Yeah, there's been on

there's been a pattern of significant others not being interested in the show itself and the circus act

that is involved with it.

But that's not the

problems, Connor.

If she doesn't want to film it, that's the only problem you have because it ain't getting done.

I think one of your kids?

I think that would be even worse.

The phone would end up in the sink.

But

I think I've figured out a way to do it on

selfie mode.

It's kind of sad, though.

It's very sad.

Can we put Gravy on a plane?

Gravy, can you clear like 48 hours to do a sandwich shoot over at Or Manor in Jersey?

Yeah, I mean, maybe Jessica's got work up in New York sometimes.

Maybe we can go together and get her company to pay for our travel.

I think that the only thing that would make her more mad is like, can you film me making a sandwich?

Is I'm having a stranger that you don't know come to our house to stay here for two days while he films me making a sandwich.

Will it come up in conversation, Connor, at dinner tonight, for instance, that, oh, yeah, they're talking about on the show how you don't want to shoot the sandwich segment?

No, because, no.

Well, I don't know.

You could use that.

You could weaponize that if you need it.

It could back pocket that.

You know what, though?

I have to say that I'm picking my spots too as a husband.

And I guess that in a marriage, things will surprise you.

And I have a great partner.

But it's also not wanting to push that look that I got when, for example, it's like, hey, can we do a photo shoot on top of the minivan?

Cause people want to see that.

And then, you know, just the look.

that I got on that one.

And so it's like, how, how deep do I want to go?

There's a very easy solution here.

Like YouTube right now is aflame with like people making and eating food and ordering food.

And they just simply have a camera in front of them.

Like you could make it almost your desk and it would look just as good.

I feel good about the way that I've planned this out mentally.

And I feel like I will be able to get a representative sandwich creation video.

I keep turning the heat up, though.

I promise you that if I keep getting dialed in there, there's no question.

Here's a little treat for the

reverse peacemaker.

Here's a little treat for the YouTube audience.

Here is a somewhat recent photo shoot that, yes, as Connor's alluding to, he did a top of his Chrysler Town and Country for a project to be named later and revealed soon that will have a direct impact on our audience.

But yes, here is a wonderful.

And this was, yeah, Connor's wife was the photographer there.

I'm sure she was thrilled to do it.

So thank you to your,

send your wife our thanks and a gift card is in the mail.

Okay.

By the way, with Baldy, we talked, we mentioned Aaron Rodgers.

We didn't get a chance to talk about this.

I absolutely loved,

I loved it.

I mean, and this is not like anti-Rodgers stuff.

I just, you know, it's all a little bit of an act, we know, with Rodgers.

And right now he's like, hey, man, I'm just like enjoying life and going with the flow.

And football is life and life is football.

But the mask slipped after the busted coverage touchdown pass to Friar Muth last Thursday night.

The mask slipped.

Here is tackle Broderick Jones getting a little overzealous, tackling him.

Rogers jumps up.

F go for me.

This is a fk oo for me.

It's like John Boy lip reading.

F goal for me.

A little bit of a mask slip there, Connor.

Let's be fair, you know?

A little bit.

Okay, you could put it that way.

I would go back to the remember the

interrupted hug in his

comeback in with Robert Sala.

I just think it might be a man-on-man intimacy thing.

I don't know.

I think that's diagnosed very well.

But that was a sneak attack, and

his body is getting thrown to the ground, and he's, you know, 700 days removed from an Achilles.

I think he's a massive egotist.

I don't think he views himself.

I don't think he views his fellow teammates on his level, on any level, either as athletes athletes or as humans.

And it comes out in little things.

And his coaching staff, with Bob Sala, with Roderick Jones.

He's like, don't, hey, guys, I'll wear the same uniform and compete with you, but don't even

think of getting close to me on any level.

I will defend Rogers to the death on this one.

Have you ever been taken to the ground?

Have you ever been taken to the ground by someone

your age or side and size for no good reason.

It is

one of the most infuriating things that has ever happened to me.

Well, your inner world electrifies.

And I did it.

He's been getting hit on the blind side for 30 years.

I never had someone get more mad at me than during a flag of some sort of flag football game in college.

Like I took someone down when it was unnecessary, like as he was running, and we had to all take the same bus home.

And he was like, I'm going to kill you, and my friends are going to kill you.

And I was like, shit.

They didn't.

Go for me.

Yes, Justin.

Did you guys see this?

I think it was today, maybe yesterday.

Keyshawn Nixon of the Packers was talking about when he first got to Green Bay, how Aaron Rodgers was, you know, still there, and how he was.

Nixon said he was kind of shy when he first got to Green Bay and he didn't really like being there.

He didn't know anybody.

He was trying to get to know people.

And Rodgers was the one who came over to him and like opened him up.

And he said that Rodgers made Nixon give Rogers a hug and that it became a thing that they used to just like hug all the time.

And that doesn't sound like the same guy who's yelling at Broderick Jones here.

I don't know.

Yep, yep, yep.

Go ask his family what they think of it.

I don't know.

Ask about all his other teammates along the way.

I know.

I know everybody on the Jets loves him, Connor, according to you, but like, what does that say?

Consider the source there.

All right, here we go.

The other ones, it's not our fault they're here.

Put 90 seconds on the clock.

We'll start with the number 32 Jets.

0-7 travel to Cincinnati to get the number 22 Bengals.

The Bengals coming off, obviously, in that emotional, exciting win over Rodgers.

And they catch the Jets in

impossibly, Mark, in quarterback flux that they benched Justin Fields.

And what a moment now.

Right after

they planned to bench Fields, Tyrod Taylor is missing practices with a bum knee.

I don't know if you can go back to Fields if that happens.

You might have to go to the kid

on the back of the depth chart.

what a mess and the bengals are set up to continue rolling now it's it's a terrible mess because i would just say from a field angle as an 0-7 team they aren't the worst team i've watched that are 0-7.

You could argue against that.

It's everything else they're doing and how they're messaging all this.

Like, this was just another case in point of like, let's botch this as hard as we can.

And they excel at that, but that's not what we thought we were getting with Aaron Glenn and friends.

So I kind of feel bad for like the two quarterbacks in general.

Disaster.

Is it Brady Cook, by the way?

I believe so.

Yeah.

I think that's who he is.

God.

Is that what we're doing?

Jesus.

I don't know.

I just don't know.

And credit to Justin Fields after Woody Johnson took a cheap shot at him at the fall meetings.

He kind of brushed it off.

And what else are you supposed to do?

You're in a really tough spot there.

That's your boss shitting on you publicly.

You can't really fire back at him.

And just messy.

I'd love to.

Joe Flacco is the story here.

He's the fun guy to watch here.

Can he continue it against a bad Jets secondary?

I think he can.

I don't even know if Sauce is playing.

All right, number 30, Miami Dolphins, one and six at the number 18, Atlanta Falcons, 3-3, coming off that disappointing primetime performance, but they have a good setup here to get back on the horse there, Connor.

If I'm Mike McDaniel, and it seems like some of the reporting is leaning toward him being able to get the chance to salvage this thing and to get it right, If I'm him, I'm going to Jalen Phillips and Pradley Chubb.

And I'm like, if you guys can take this guy down, Kirk Cousins,

if it's a bone bruise situation, if you guys can get into the backfield and take down one of the more statuesque quarterbacks in the league, you're probably going to get traded to the Lions, which is going to be so awesome for you.

So I would say get off the schneide and have a great defensive game, you know?

They're both on the block.

Darren Waller's on IR.

Like a lot's, this team, things change quickly on this team.

And I feel like one thing with Tua, it's like, stop talking.

Like, every one of these press conferences seems to go totally south.

He's saying he can't find his wide receivers because he's not tall enough.

Like, we didn't need to know that.

We don't need that to be a talking point on all the morning shows, but you allow it to be.

Yeah, I don't, I'm really surprised Mike McDaniels survived, honestly.

But if he's going to last to the end of the season, we'll see.

But yeah, and if Kirk Cousins is the quarterback, this game does get a little more interesting because there's a chance that Cousins shows up out of mothballs and can't do anything.

And then maybe the Falcons are in a more this could be a tighter game than we're thinking it could be because I just don't trust the Falcons yet.

Just don't can't get there yet for them.

All right.

Next up, the number 27 Cleveland Browns, 2-5 at the number 12 New England Patriots, 5-2.

Connor.

Thoughts?

I mean, every single indication and every single week, we're getting more information about how incredible Drake May is and how he's the best player to have ever done it, the best player to have ever existed.

I mean, and now you're getting a chance to see the full Vrabel experience, which is a punishing run defense to take Cleveland apart offensively and to play that complimentary football and let Josh McDaniels continue to get in that bag of tricks.

Like, I think he's so much more interesting of a coordinator than I thought he would plan out to be.

So, Patriots are must-watch, man, every week now, which is great.

I didn't think I'd be saying that.

I think they could win this division.

I mean, I truly do.

And I think they're like the kind of team that

might find a way to peak at the right time.

I think that they're candidates to trade for more help all over the place.

And the Verebral thing is working out.

And you got to face a really tough Miles Garrett-led defense, which is not the same defense on the road.

And the Browns offense is putting up like 13 points a game and refusing to throw the ball beyond eight yards.

So I think this is a, if the Patriots don't look past them, they're not in that spot, like this could be a hammering.

They've had a couple games.

I know the Pats have played really well

of late, but earlier in the season, you know, they got beat by the Raiders at home in week one.

They had that penalty fest against the Steelers and turnover fest that they got beat.

But overall, you know, it's been a great start.

And I don't expect the Browns to slow down Drake May.

He's,

you know, I don't think,

you know, anybody in the AFC East wants to see a young gun rising like this, certainly out of New England after all those years of dominance, but they seem to be really well set up right now.

All right.

By the way, while we're here,

Connor,

you,

as we said, your power rankings, we talked about it on Monday.

I didn't hear from Farbuck, which was good, but you had the Patriots all the way down at 14 in your power rankings.

We discussed it briefly on Monday

that it stood out as a little unusual.

I had him at 10.

Mark had him at 11.

Justin, I think you had him at 12 or 13, something like that.

But you caught

12, you caught, you caught the ear of Tom Curran, who's a, you know, we've had Tom on the show.

He's a good guy who works for NBC Sports and covers all things New England.

Curran got after you.

Curran wrote an entire column about you.

What is it about you, Connor, that seems to just

get people fired up?

Patriots' rise through NFL ranks is awakening a long-dormant feeling.

And Kern used his platform to basically point out...

a person, a national writer like Connor, having the Patriots too low in the power rankings and saying it's making him like, I guess, I don't know, be fired up again about like people, you know, underestimating the Patriots after a few years down, downtrodden.

But like this downtrodden years, like this column, you're or Connor or misspelled, by the way, clean it up.

Clean it up, NBC Sports Boston.

If you're going to write a whole column about our Connor, get his name right, okay?

Like, let's start there.

I think it's a little bit of a slap back for him feeling slapped by the power rankings.

I just think it's fair game.

Connor's a national figure, like, for a columnist to do this, but you got to have your P's and Q's button up.

Connor, your thoughts on being the subject of

a current hit piece?

I'm happy for Tom.

It sounds like he really wanted to put his cheerleading uniform on again, and he got his chance to get the pom-poms and pick them up and wave them around,

his little red and blue pom-poms.

But I'm handling the situation like...

I'm handling the situation like I always do, which is like everyone's like, oh, did you see that?

And I'm like, yeah, isn't that funny?

and then in the back of your head you're like i'm gonna find a way to get his house and take his house and his family away from him you know and like you just get crazy um in your head and so i'm i'm i'm you know striking that balance i think okay well yeah super bowl yeah i feel like the next time you see each other it'll be interesting i mean did should we flag it to nbc sports like how to spell connor's name like if we're gonna anchor a column you know that scene in step brothers where he's like

the scene in step brothers where he's like now the suits seem kind of fed up.

Now, like, after they fart and in the interview, it's like, okay, like, because he reached out and he was like, I'm going to do this.

And I was like, okay, cool.

Like, it'll be funny.

And then I saw it and I read it.

And I was like, hey, my name's spelled wrong.

And it was like, okay.

And it's still spelled wrong.

And so I'm like, okay, now the DM seems a little fed up.

You know, that's it.

So what do we,

what's really happening here?

That's what I want to know.

They ain't right.

You know, we got your back.

Let's go.

14 was a little high, though.

It was a little bit low.

See, this is like

not that far from where we had them, them, but

I'm so close to, like, there was the

story like when Crosby stills Nash and Young were going to do the reunion, and then Neil Young, like the day the concert came, he just never showed up and he left them a note that said, sometimes things that start spontaneously need to end that way.

And I feel that way about the power rankings, where there's been so much fing aggravation for shit that I've been right about 99% of the time that one day Justin's just going to be like, hey, Connor, can I have your power rankings?

And

I'm just not going to respond to anyone for three weeks and just completely leave this responsibility behind.

I'm so close to it, honestly.

Don't do it, Connor.

We need you, buddy.

We need you.

Connor told me he woke up at one in the morning, and I think we're getting the runoff from that at this point.

Yeah.

And speaking of like aggravating things in life, yes, to the 7 million people

that sent this to me,

yes, I saw it.

Okay.

I saw it.

I saw the boy at the Meadowlands on Sunday.

Let's play that clip.

See if I can get your thoughts on the game.

I hate this team.

I was born into this, and I'm not going to ever...

I'm always a Jets fan, but like,

I just, I hate this team.

Oh, man.

Tough life that Kibb seems to have with a $300 replica jersey and his dad shit.

I mean, or he's a government plant.

Like, I mean, there's, he's not even a real, like, he's a.

I feel so bad for him.

But I will say, Dan.

What is wrong with you two?

By the way, what is wrong with you two?

I will say something, Dan.

Over the last like 48 hours, I've seen like five major Jets fans in the media telling people not to send them this.

And it's like, we get it.

This happens, right?

Like,

how many times have I gotten the Starbucks cup that's spelled K-A-R-C?

Or C.R.K.

What are we talking about?

People send, like Mark with a C, they send it to me.

Oh, C-A-R-K.

I've gotten this sent to me 790 times a month.

It's like, I've seen the joke.

It happens.

You're out there, but it's like, of course, you're going to get the Jets videos, right?

Yeah.

I just want to be like, why are you attacking this kid?

I don't know.

Because if this is the, may this be the darkest moment in his life, truly.

Like, I'm sure his dad is.

Oh, you're such a cynical sports reporter, Connor.

You don't remember what it was like.

You've done it too long.

You don't remember.

You don't remember.

That's so false.

It's so false.

It is.

That look in his eyes, that boy, that is,

that's why you're doing what you're doing now.

That's that love.

I remember showing up at one of my best friend's house for, he invited me over to watch Notre Dame and Alabama in the national championship game.

I came, I brought my own Subway sandwich to not impose on them and ate it by myself on his couch.

And I watched them get the absolute shit beaten out of them for four hours.

And I said, I'm really happy that they were in the national championship.

I didn't stay there and be like, oh, my life as a Notre Dame fan has been so terrible.

Oh,

are you being serious?

You're talking about Notre Dame football?

You're comparing that to Jets fandom?

They have not won a national championship.

What privilege?

You want to talk about privilege?

You want to talk about expensive jerseys?

Privilege.

I have a simple.

They haven't even been good since he's a family.

A Notre Dame fan since 1988, which I was born after they won their last national championship.

I'm an Orioles fan.

To say that I don't know disappointment and pain is bullshit.

You don't, for you not to see,

there's something there.

I'm surprised.

I'm surprised.

I'm a little disappointed.

Like for you not to see, he's in your home state.

He probably lives and don't get on him if he, if his family does well and he has an expensive jersey.

He's still a passionate fan.

He might not even, and by the way, just because he has a jersey doesn't mean he's wealthy.

That's silly, too.

Like he might just love the team so much that that's the one gift he got for Christmas.

That's seriously possible too.

Just as possible as what you're saying.

And by the way, that boy, I feel him in my heart and I know where he's been because I was that boy in the mid-90s during the wreckage of the Ko-Tide era.

We know.

And I wish, yeah, but I know.

You guys are cold-hearted and cynical.

No, we're not, but we are.

And you're just like

all these other vipers, all these other vipers

that if it's about the Jets, let's all make fun of them.

And you can't even

ridiculous.

You can't

ignore other franchises and then taken down all the time.

You can't let a kid vent without dunking on him.

And I can't stand for that.

I hope that kid experiences happiness as a Jets fan, just like

maybe he doesn't get a championship, but he gets something like a winning season.

It's been a very, very hard run.

Eight when they went to back-to-back AFC title title games.

Connor, how old do you think that kid is?

I don't, I don't.

15.

Connor,

how old do you think he is?

Do you think he was eight years old in 2010?

That boy, like my sons, knows nothing but the Jets' misery.

And not just misery, embarrassment.

He looks like he's like six feet tall.

And by the way, that is not a replica jersey.

That is the lower, that's the $60 jersey.

I know, because I bought my sons those jerseys as well, hoping that Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson and Sam Darnold would pan out.

He went with Quinnen Williams.

I got respect for that kid.

Well, we'll probably find out he's AI in about a week, so enjoy it for now.

So don't listen to all these jackals that are all around you in this world, like the ones on my podcast.

There's the boy.

I was that boy once upon a time.

And I love what you said at the end.

You said, I'm bored into this.

I'm not going to ever, I'm always going to be a Jets fan.

And I love that.

He's not gonna quit.

I never quit.

You don't quit on something you believe in, even if it breaks your heart.

And it's gonna, it will help you.

This, this, what's happening to this boy now and all through his life will help him.

This, this, all this disappointment, this hopelessness, it leads to all these ugly things like jealousy and envy and heartache.

But I think you'll channel that into something positive.

You know, when you grow up, maybe as a priest or a policeman or a politician, or a podcaster.

Maybe even a podcaster.

Maybe even a podcaster.

So

there's a lot of ugliness in this world.

Shut that out and keep the hope alive, young man.

Dan is like the Sarah McLaughlin for Jets fanboys.

He's just like, I'm going to protect you all from the cold in the arms of the angels.

I am.

If that's my role, if I'm not going to get to enjoy my team, I'm going to protect the young boys there and the young women that

just want to have something to watch on Sunday.

I'm going to do some digging on this and we're going to go fax.

We're going to get the facts.

Go.

Why don't you go doxx that kid?

Why don't you ruin him, Connor?

You monster.

All right, blind locks.

Let's do it.

First off, let's see.

Let's check in on the standings.

Oh, go yourself.

Connor Connor moves into first place at five and two.

Zuzzer, four and three.

Justin Graver, three and four.

Mark Sessler, also three and four.

And

checking on YouTube for a graphic of great interest, I would say.

What was it, Mark?

You had a comment there?

I missed that.

I think you heard it.

This is you and your little Azrielle the cat coming up with little gags.

I mean, it's just like 45 minutes of gags.

Last, I had the same record as Justin.

And we all the cat.

All right, those are the standards.

Even God is annoyed at this point.

All right, time to make our locks.

This one will be traditional, Connor.

Traditional locks.

The rule, of course, is it has to be within five points.

If you take a favorite, that's five or above, it doubles.

It doubles.

This week seems rough.

All right, I'll go first.

There's no spread for this particular

Jets team that is going to work out for them, especially with all the injuries.

So give me the Bengals.

Give me the Bangles, and I hope that boy has something else going on on Sunday.

I know I'm going to lean into it.

I'll have to double whatever it is.

I'll take it.

The Jets are going to win.

I think they could.

I am looking around this grid.

I'm going to go.

I could get flamed on this one.

Packers over Steelers.

You should be good there.

It's in Pittsburgh.

Yeah.

Yeah, that one.

I would guess that one's probably going to to be in the one and a half range.

Maybe even Packard's favorite.

Be close.

I'm going to lock off Ceci here.

And

lock off, baby.

I like it.

The best type.

The reason why, like you said, there is still that deeply maniacal streak in Aaron, as we saw when he was tackled to the ground and

his teammate.

And I just think that completing the double header here of beating the Jets Jets and then beating the Packers is truly a ride-off into the sunset moment for him.

Like, he may retire after week eight if he beats the Packers.

I think you might be right.

All right, Justin.

I am going to lock the San Francisco 49ers against the Houston Texans in what might be our last Mac Jones game of the season.

I hope not because I love the guy.

All right.

D'Amico Ryans is like, I don't, I don't fear Mac coming into my building here.

I think that's a risky one, bud.

I think it's a risky one, but man, Houston's offense is so bad.

All right, there you go.

Those are our locks.

Now let's make sure we're all in the safety zone on this one.

All right, Green Bay minus three.

Houston minus, wow, Houston's favored in that game.

Yeah,

that was a good pick.

That's wild to me.

Yeah.

Since he by six, so they got to win by 12.

Okay, I'm okay with that.

Interesting.

What else?

What else we got here?

Philly by seven and a half.

Wow.

Cowboys, Broncos by three and a half.

Interesting.

Okay.

I think that there's.

There's only four spreads out of the 12 games here that would be within our safe zone.

Eight.

We almost went home to 14.

That would have not worked.

Yeah.

Eight of them would have made you double up, which is that's a crazy number of spreads over five points.

That's what happens when you have busted up QB1s.

Yeah, you know, that's a that's a part of this.

Okay, good stuff.

All right, thank you to everybody.

Uh, make sure you check out the companion piece to this uh, this their podcast, which is over on patreon.com/slash heed the call.

It is the draft where we decide who watches what and then talks about what on Sunday night.

So be there for that.

And thank you for watching us all week.

Uh, have a great and safe weekend.

Until next time, do what you must.

Heed the call.

Heather is a nurse practitioner from United Healthcare.

We meet patients wherever they live.

During a house call, she found Jack had an issue.

Jack's blood pressure was dangerously high.

It was 217 over 110.

So they got Jack to the hospital and got him the help he needed.

He had had a stamp placed in his heart, preventing a massive heart attack.

If it wasn't for my guardian angels, I wouldn't be here.

Hear more stories like Jack's at unitedhealthcare.com.

Benefits, features, and/or devices vary by plan area, limitation, and exclusions apply.

Start the season with Etsy and make your holiday traditions extra special.

On Etsy, you'll discover original pieces pieces from small shops that will help you celebrate your way.

Shop Etsy for holiday decor that makes you feel seen.

Special starts on Etsy.

Tap the banner to shop now.