Climbing Mt. Lombardi with Geoff Schwartz

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Speaker 15 Hey, did you hear about

Speaker 15 A ring. And coaches are fond of saying no one can ever take away that ring.
But of course those rings can and have been taken, sold, or lost. Still, the spirit of the point stands.

Speaker 15 Time waits for no man, but our deeds are etched into history.

Speaker 15 How we stack up that particular moment in time versus all the other moments in time is where things get murky and therefore makes it enjoyable for a debate fodder with a beer in your hand.

Speaker 15 It's funny then, how some debates around goats and their positional derivations have a period at the end instead of an ellipses.

Speaker 15 Confirmation to the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment, as is apparently Mike Tomlinson's job with the Steelers.

Speaker 15 And since roughly 1983, we haven't attempted to improve mobile coffee cup technology, even though there can't be a single human being who's actually satisfied with drinking out of that little hole in the plastic lid, then in its free time spews the hot liquid all over the car's cup holder.

Speaker 15 Anywho, some things are eternal. Other things are worthy of an update.
It wasn't that long ago baseball was the national pastime.

Speaker 15 Boxing and horse racing were baseball's only competition for our affection, but that time's come and gone. The combined audience for all three is now dwarfed by a Giants Titans preseason game.

Speaker 15 Diamonds may be forever, but James Bond, or at least the actors who've played James Bond, are not. When Joe Montana retired, we all understood he was the greatest quarterback of all time.

Speaker 15 Then came Tom Brady. If the Chiefs had beaten Philly back in February, Mahomes' The GOAT Talk would be all the rage.
But Casey didn't win, and now that moment is lost, like tears in the rain.

Speaker 15 But since time is a circle, every new season brings with one ring to rule them all. And with that, a fresh chance for the debating to resume.

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But be forewarned, it's not like the cold hard fact.

Speaker 15 And more accurately here, the cold hard flesh is necessarily any better. That tattoo of the Steeler helmet has the logo on the wrong side.
The hypercycloids go in the right side, Deance.

Speaker 15 Personally, I think she's well within her rights to sue the tattoo artists. Yooy and double yoi.
Start the show.

Speaker 15 Hi and hello, my fellow football Americans. Today's episode of Football America is presented by DraftKings.
DraftKings, the crown is yours.

Speaker 15 And in honor of episode three, the player who wears the crown is the NFL's all-time best number three is, I guess, Russell Wilson.

Speaker 15 There really aren't very many other good options unless you want to go with Jan Stenrud. I do think Rich Carliss, the barefoot kicker,

Speaker 15 who's most remembered for missing the overtime kick in Cleveland that did send the Broncos to the Super Bowl. It would have hit the upright if those uprights extended a little bit further there.

Speaker 15 I'm certainly not going to go with Trent Richardson. Meantime, week three or week minus three of my weekly Super Bowl 60 pick.
I'm sticking with the Bills versus the Niners.

Speaker 15 There's no reason to change it just yet. Got you covered coast to coast as meaningful football draws ever closer.
Jeff Schwartz is coming at us in Carolina.

Speaker 15 10-day Tony's in Miami with the Fuentes Brothers, who, as usual, have the con. Dave Damashek here in L.A.
right now, though, to New York. It's Objective Bradley with the news.

Speaker 11 Thanks, Dave. We're minutes away from what NFL playoff seatings are as teams climb Mount Lombardi.
But first, the football week began with some big quarterback announcements.

Speaker 11 The Indianapolis Colts named Daniel Jones as their starter, while Cleveland Browns announced 40-year-old Joe Flacco as its top dog check.

Speaker 11 You think these decisions elevate them as Super Bowl contenders?

Speaker 15 No, no, I do not. And in fact, it may well hamstring them for upcoming Super Bowl appearances.
Yeah, certainly the Browns are out of it. You know, I have to keep my powder dry here, though.

Speaker 15 Like you said, we're about to, along with Jeff Schwartz, to announce the seeds one through seven in both the AFC and NFC, which would tip which teams I think are not going to go to the playoffs.

Speaker 15 Instead, 10-day Tony's here. Help us out, and then we'll hear from the Fuentes' too.
How are you, 10 Day Tony? Excited for football? Happy football season, pal.

Speaker 12 It's great to be here, Dave. I do have one question.
Does Bradley always dress like that? Obviously, this is my first time on Football America. Does he wear the vest with the.

Speaker 16 Okay. Yeah.

Speaker 15 Well, he's the pictures, man, man.

Speaker 17 Okay, no, no, just making sure.

Speaker 16 I had enough to vest with the family.

Speaker 15 Look, you're here to represent one region of fandom. Bradley has no team.
That's perfect.

Speaker 12 Gotcha. He's been acting like right down the middle.
So now that we have that settled,

Speaker 12 are we making jokes here?

Speaker 15 I would like you to crack wise at your convenience.

Speaker 12 I'm just saying like Super Bowl contenders for

Speaker 12 the Colts and for the Browns, bringing up two quarterbacks that were

Speaker 12 Joe Flacco kind of 40 years old last time I checked. He's a Super Bowl champion? Sure, yeah, in 2012, right? Last time I checked.

Speaker 12 And Daniel Dimes on his second team now that has already given up on him. Now getting another crack with a team that's kind of okay.

Speaker 10 Very, very professional. Daniel Dimes.

Speaker 12 Daniel Dimes.

Speaker 17 No, no, no. We're doing Indiana Jones, fellas.
I've done it.

Speaker 15 If you missed the update, that's a good one.

Speaker 17 Indiana Jones.

Speaker 5 Wow. Wow.

Speaker 16 Okay, I'm back in.

Speaker 12 Even though you guys know I have a little MVP flyer on Daniel Jones. Now the first step is complete.
We got Anthony Richardson out of the way.

Speaker 12 Daniel Jones, what is it?

Speaker 17 You called him Daniel Dimes.

Speaker 12 Did I? He's got to earn Danny.

Speaker 15 Indiana Jones, can he crack the whip and take the Colts to the playoffs? Listen, easy to be cynical about the Browns, but if you want to, 10 Day Tony, I want to start the annual exercise.

Speaker 15 I'm going to sit it out this year and defer to you guys. I want to cobble together.

Speaker 15 This time of the year, it is way easier to make a case for the teams that are going to make the playoffs than to identify the teams that absolutely positively are not.

Speaker 15 And you say, oh, obviously I know the Browns. Good luck getting to three or four.
Start us off here, 10 Day Tony. Name a team that you know is not going to make the playoffs this year.

Speaker 12 I know for a fact that the New Orleans Saints are not going to make the playoffs this year. Tyler Shuck,

Speaker 12 it's going to take a lot for them to overcome even a weak division. Tyler Shuck, we still don't know what he is.
Hasn't taken an NFL snap yet. I do like Kellen Moore as an offensive guru there.

Speaker 12 I just don't think that Tyler Shuck is going to be good enough or play early enough to actually make a difference.

Speaker 15 Okay, there we go. We're off and running.
I think that's a good, pretty safe bet that the New Orleans Saints aren't going to make their way into the postseason. Who's next? Let's go to Mike.

Speaker 15 Mike, can you add to that list?

Speaker 10 I'm going to go a not too obvious route, but still pretty obvious. I'm going to say the Las Vegas Raiders.

Speaker 10 And not because they're going to be a terrible team, but I think they're in a very strong division. You got the AFC Champions Chiefs, the Rising Chargers, and the tough out Denver Broncos.

Speaker 10 So I'm going to say the Las Vegas Raiders are already eliminated from the playoffs.

Speaker 15 I'm not weighing in because, again, if I say too much, then it will tip what I'm about to say when we get Jeff Schwartz on the line. So I want you guys to settle this amongst yourselves.

Speaker 15 Are we in agreement so far? Fuentes Brothers and Tenday Tony, are we right so far? Saints, Raiders, both watching the playoffs along with the rest of us from home.

Speaker 17 I'm good with it.

Speaker 18 I mean, have we excluded the Browns from this? Like, can I not pick the Browns?

Speaker 16 I'd say,

Speaker 5 yeah.

Speaker 18 If you got five quarterbacks, you don't got one.

Speaker 12 Amen.

Speaker 12 My issue with the the Raiders,

Speaker 12 I like what the Raiders are doing. It's just, like Mike said, they're in a really tough division.
But I like Geno Smith, Chip Kelly, Asting Genti, Pete Carroll. I like the things that Brock Bowers.

Speaker 12 I like what they're doing there. If they were in the AFC South, I think they would be for sure playoff team.
But the AFC West has studs.

Speaker 15 Who your neighbors are is everything in the NFL and whether or not you can win the division or overcome. I mean, those are six games out of 17, obviously significant what division you inhabit.

Speaker 15 Okay, up to three now. This is sort of like

Speaker 15 name that tune in reverse. Let's see how many teams we can name before we no longer are singing the right song here.
Tony, you're next.

Speaker 12 I'm going to take the New York Jets. I think they're in rebuilding mode.

Speaker 12 New coaches. I think quarterback is not ready yet.
I think Justin Fields is below average.

Speaker 12 Their personnel is kind of in flux. They're going to trade Brees Hall.
They're going to keep him. They want to play three running backs.

Speaker 12 Like, what is that going to do to the continuity of the offense? Garrett Wilson, I like, but who's going to be throwing the ball? Justin Fields.

Speaker 12 So I'm going to take the Jets as a team not to make the playoffs.

Speaker 15 They're super intriguing.

Speaker 15 I will spoiler alert it here and say I do not have the Jets making the playoffs.

Speaker 15 I feel comfy saying that no one anticipated me saying that in the first place. Mike, build on that.
I think the Jets are right.

Speaker 15 The Raiders out of the groups, out of the team's name so far, that's the one I feel like I'm most suspect.

Speaker 10 Yeah, well, I'm going to stay

Speaker 10 on the East Coast New York state of mind, the New York Giants.

Speaker 10 While we do like what Jackson Dart is doing in the preseason, you got the Super Bowl champions, the Washington Commanders, and the maybe good this year, hopefully Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 10 So New York Giants, just like the AFC West and the NFC East, they're the automatic.

Speaker 18 I will say one thing about the Giants, that defensive line is serious.

Speaker 18 Other than that, the rest of the team is awful, but that defensive line is going to make life hell for quarterbacks.

Speaker 15 I've said it a thousand times. I'll say it for the thousand and first.
They're just not going to be in a situation. The area of strength for them is going to be pass rush.

Speaker 15 How often in second halves are they going to be up on teams, though? That's when you really take advantage of having a difference-making pass rush. Gino, you're next now.

Speaker 15 Okay, so we're five through, and I feel fairly comfortable that you guys are right so far.

Speaker 18 Okay, I think Mike Ryan's going to hit me on this one, but I think it's way too early for the Titans. Cam Ward is going to change things, but I think they're going to lose a lot of games, 31 to 35.

Speaker 18 Wow. Defense is just not there yet.
They might have the quarterback fixed. That offense is probably going to throw a lot.

Speaker 17 I don't think they got the defense. Yeah, a ton of holes in Tennessee.

Speaker 15 Tony, that kind of feels like what we saw a year ago in

Speaker 15 Foxborough, kind of the perfect thing if you're a Titans fan.

Speaker 15 Are there Titans fans? I mean, are there real ones, like Nashville-based Titans?

Speaker 12 Dozens of them. Dozens of them for sure.

Speaker 15 That's the sense I get.

Speaker 15 Yeah, that I think you're about right on that number. But Tony,

Speaker 15 I think you have to have some level of amnesia to declare that the Titans have no chance at the postseason after watching what the commies just did. They were a punchline.
They got the answer at QB.

Speaker 15 And then we're in the title game. Voila, easy peasy.

Speaker 12 Skill position players basically stayed the same.

Speaker 12 They added Austin Eckler. They added Cliff Kingsbury, who his stint in Arizona.
We didn't really have any faith in him.

Speaker 12 Directing Kyler Murray's offense looked stagnant and looked completely cut off vertically.

Speaker 12 And then you just insert Jaden Daniels like, oh, wow, he's an MVP candidate and this team's going to be good for the next 15 years. How did that happen?

Speaker 12 So for me, it's like, even though I hesitate saying Tennessee's not going to make the playoffs,

Speaker 12 I'm going to go with Waggino there.

Speaker 10 I think they missed. Can I just say that conveniently, we're all cowards.
NFC North untouched, NFC West untouched.

Speaker 15 Well, listen, I'm going to go get into it. Last three, and then we move on to the next news story.
Bradley's all dressed up. I don't want to waste it on just one story.

Speaker 15 Quickly, Tony, let's do three more. Let's see if we can do nine total here, and then we'll check back as the season rolls along to see how accurate you guys are.

Speaker 10 Tony, you better be on a rocket because we're running out of time.

Speaker 12 This one's not going to be sexy. Carolina, even though everybody likes Bryce Young this year, they're done.
Atlanta, I love Michael Pennix. They're done.

Speaker 12 Let me go to...

Speaker 12 Let me go to the AFC North, and I'm very sorry, Dave. Pittsburgh, not making the playoffs there either.
So Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Carolina.

Speaker 15 Mike, cut off his mic, please. That's enough out of him.
I thought

Speaker 15 we gave him a nice introduction and we were being friendly with him and everything. And then he went and did that.
I don't understand the attack. Bradley, give us one more story.
Would you please?

Speaker 15 We have Jeff Schwartz waiting.

Speaker 11 The Dallas Cowboys still America's team?

Speaker 15 You know, if we can elect a new American idol every year, surely we can elect a new America's team every year. The Cowboys have treated it like

Speaker 15 some sort of PR thing rather than the truth. Or I think the rest of America regards it as some empty title that they've attached to themselves.
Very quickly, Tony,

Speaker 15 who are the true nominees, the true candidates for America's Team 2025?

Speaker 12 Let's go Detroit, Buffalo, San Francisco.

Speaker 15 Gino, you want to throw one into the mix there? I think we owe it to the Cowboys to at least include them in that.

Speaker 15 It would be overly cynical to just cut them out of this.

Speaker 18 It makes me feel icky, but the Chiefs, just because we are where we are.

Speaker 15 Let's move on. It's time to ascend Mount Lombardi.

Speaker 5 All right.

Speaker 15 I'm over the moon about this one. Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you.
Now available on the Football America YouTube page. We're better for it coast to coast.
He is my main man.

Speaker 15 That's why his jersey hangs for all of time on the digital wall of fame back in old studio 66. It's Jeff Jeff Schwartz.
What's happening, fella? How are you? And happy football season.

Speaker 7 Happy football season to you. I am excited to be here, excited to be on with you.
I was told beforehand by you and others that this is only 20 minutes.

Speaker 7 We're allowed to talk for 20 whole minutes because typically in the past, we have scheduled 20 minutes and it has been a little more than that.

Speaker 7 So I'm hoping that we can be concise today and not upset our new bosses here and make this a very concise podcast between

Speaker 7 the both of us.

Speaker 15 Yeah, Dan Lebetard dispatches when it's time to record. He dispatches a couple of his minions.
They're just off camera.

Speaker 15 They have a hook that they use to pull me off.

Speaker 15 Like I say, important work to do here, and it is this. The 17 games that are about to kick off in the NFL are all appetizer hors d'oeuvre to the main event, that is the playoffs.

Speaker 15 It's about climbing Mount Lombardi. So set in your brain, if you will, the idea that there is a mountain.
You ever watch Price is Wright way back in the day,

Speaker 15 the Alpine Climber,

Speaker 15 guy, and you'd see how high up he can get. Imagine football teams now inhabiting that personification of the mountain climber.
Let's see how high they can go. And we'll start it off in the NFC.

Speaker 15 This is really all that matters. All the noise, all the talk.
It's about if you get in and then where you're going to be seated.

Speaker 15 It is real important, even in the age now of only one team getting a buy and not having to play in the wildcard round. It still is 50% of the teams who get that one seed advancing to the Super Bowl.

Speaker 15 And over the course of this millennium, the percentage is much higher for the teams that have a buy. So, okay, critically important.

Speaker 15 Let's start it off in the NFC, and we'll do it with the reigning number one-seeded Lions. Some not small changes, much buzzed about.

Speaker 15 Both coordinators now have moved on to other areas in Football America. I think at least as important is that 40% of their offensive line has also moved on.
Where are they going to land this year?

Speaker 15 It's time to find out.

Speaker 15 Let's see.

Speaker 5 The five team.

Speaker 15 Intrigue right out of the gate. The NFC North will belong to one of the other three teams.

Speaker 7 How say you, Jimmy?

Speaker 15 Stunned?

Speaker 7 I don't think it's a crazy take. And let me tell you why.

Speaker 7 They are a team I'm eyeing as like an under team just because of their schedule. And schedule does matter a lot, right? So they play their division opponents, as we know, very tough division.

Speaker 7 But the rest of their non-division games, which again, don't matter for division, but it matters for win-loss record, obviously, right? They're at Baltimore. They're at Cincinnati.

Speaker 7 They're at Kansas City. They're also at Washington.
They're at Philly. They're at Los Angeles.
Maybe Stafford's back by then is better.

Speaker 7 And they end the season, by the way, at Minnesota and at Chicago.

Speaker 7 That's a formidable schedule.

Speaker 7 You're not going to win, you know, I would say 7% of those games. If you split those games, you're probably going to be in the five seed.
I'm intrigued to see

Speaker 7 who your NFC North champion is, but I don't think this is that crazy.

Speaker 7 I think people have to maybe understand that the Lions, despite, I think we all agree, very talented teams still, that their schedule might get them to a five seed.

Speaker 15 Yeah. And, you know, I think the rest of the neighborhood is playing a little bit of catch-up.
Specifically, I think the Chicago Bears are much better. And Robin Peter to pay Paul.

Speaker 15 You take Ben Johnson away from the Lions and he stays in the division against you. I don't think that's a small matter either.
Here's about as hot a football take as I have.

Speaker 15 By the end of this regular season, Hendon Hooker will take meaningful snaps for the Detroit Lions. That's a prediction, and not because of a carry-off injury.

Speaker 15 All right, let's move on here to answer your question. Bears with Ben Johnson, the Vikes with with J.J.
McCarthy, Jordan Love and Company with a perceived step back in 2024. How about this season?

Speaker 12 Here come the Packers.

Speaker 15 They are your North Champions, and they lock in as the NFC 3C. Jeff Schwartz, how say you?

Speaker 7 Yeah, I mean,

Speaker 7 the Packers last year lost a bunch of close games to playoff teams. They basically beat everyone else.

Speaker 7 If they're able to take the next step as a young roster that just gets better one more year, I still question a wide receiver. I think Golden obviously needs to be good almost immediately.

Speaker 7 But again, I want to make sure, guys, they won a lot of games last year and the games they lost, three points, five points. It wasn't, I think, you're blown up by playoff teams.

Speaker 7 It does feel like they're a sneaky division winner that no one's talking about when you talk about just who wins divisions in the NFL.

Speaker 7 I will say, though, the best quarterback typically wins every division. If you're previewing divisions, just check the best quarterback.
That's typically the one who's going to win the division.

Speaker 7 Is Jordan Love the best in this division? He might be at the moment. So

Speaker 7 he might end the season as the best.

Speaker 15 I think there is a weird thing that happens in our brains

Speaker 15 at this point in man's recorded history, which is if a team doesn't make massive changes in the offseason, we sort of sleep on them a little bit.

Speaker 15 They're nice and stable, Green Bay, as ever, as much as Aaron Rodgers tried to mess up that energy. I think they got through it clean on the other side.
So I like the Packers.

Speaker 15 Obviously, I have them as the three seed. Who'll come out of the NFC South, though? Bake and company have had a stranglehold on it.
Some are even picking that team to go to the Super Bowl.

Speaker 15 Let's take a gaze at this.

Speaker 15 Wait a minute. Michael Panix's music.
It's the Atlanta Falcons. I don't think a lot of people see this one coming.
I was a little premature in 2024. I took the bait.

Speaker 15 It wasn't necessarily even because of Kirk Cousins. It was because I think that team is building a nice roster

Speaker 15 sort of quietly. And I think they have a chance to keep up offensively with the Buccaneers this year.
And that's not,

Speaker 15 that is legitimately saying something because the Bucs should be mighty offensively. I think Tampa Bay is going to have a lousy defense.
And I think Atlanta's might be halfway decent.

Speaker 15 Ergo, division championship. How say you, Schwartz?

Speaker 7 Yeah, no

Speaker 7 um

Speaker 7 i uh i i actually think i thought you were gonna go with the panthers here as uh sneaky south champions um they're the team to me that i think they're a more rounded more well-rounded team than the falcons i think the falcons uh quarterback is better right as of right now the panthers guys did a ton of work this offseason to fix their issues they have uh especially defensively And I think the Panthers ascended last year at the right time to feel good about this season.

Speaker 7 If it's not the Bucs to me, it's the Panthers. I'm also, look, the Falcons too, Dave, are a team that I perpetually get wrong.
If I wager on them to cover a game,

Speaker 7 they don't cover it. If I wager on the team who they're playing to cover the game, the Falcons cover that game.
Like, I never get them right.

Speaker 7 So maybe it's just me, again, not getting the Falcons right.

Speaker 15 Boy, we're getting a lot of pro Carolina Panthers talk. Greg Olson last week, Jeff Schwartz this week.
All right. Listen, I hear your noise.

Speaker 15 I'm not that much of a cynic to turn my nose up at Bryce Young. The NFC West is going to be a fascinating division.
Kyler Murray's now the elder statesman in terms of time spent in that division.

Speaker 15 Is January in the cards for that team, though? Let's find out right now, shall we?

Speaker 19 The seventh game.

Speaker 15 Short life for the Cardinals, but they'll take it, and so will their fan base. They get into the playoffs.
How say you, Jeff Schwartz?

Speaker 7 I need to see the rest of the NFC West before I have a say on the Cardinals.

Speaker 7 Or really what the rest of

Speaker 7 your NFC looks like.

Speaker 7 Oh, boy.

Speaker 15 You want to put a pin in that one?

Speaker 7 Yeah.

Speaker 7 Yes.

Speaker 15 Yeah.

Speaker 7 Okay.

Speaker 15 Then next up, let's check in on the Super Bowl champions. How high will the Eagles fly in their repeat bid? They'd love that wild card round off this season.
Will they get it?

Speaker 7 So I think I know where you're going now with the one seed. And schedule wise, that makes a lot of sense

Speaker 7 for the one seed. I think I know where you're going here.
The Eagles are going to be good.

Speaker 7 It's hard to defend a championship, as we know.

Speaker 7 Offensive line, Dickerson, I believe, is going to play week one, but maybe not.

Speaker 7 They replaced the right guard. They have their pass rush, their defensive ends that they replace, replace the offensive coordinator.

Speaker 7 So there's a lot of new there. Division is tougher than with the Cowboys.
I think it'll be better this year. The Giants won't be an easy out because they're defense.

Speaker 7 So, yeah, they're the one or two seed in my mind in the NFC.

Speaker 15 I think from a fantasy perspective, if you're a buyer out there, I think the Dallas Cowboys have a lot of intriguing options there, too.

Speaker 15 I don't know that, especially with the the Micah Parsons situation, that they're going to be able to keep up on that side of the ball.

Speaker 15 I'm interested to know what Jeff Schwartz thinks is coming up here with the one seed. We only have two spots left in the NFC.

Speaker 15 I've already told you my Super Bowl pick over the first couple of weeks of the show. Let's cut to the chase here.
Do you know who it is, Jeff Schwartz? Go ahead.

Speaker 7 Am I guessing?

Speaker 15 Yeah, go ahead. Take a guess.

Speaker 7 I'm going to guess the 49ers.

Speaker 15 Let's take a look. The San Francisco 49ers.
Are they getting into the

Speaker 15 to the top of the mountains I feel like people think this is crazy to claim I feel like the entire 2024 season deserves a whole red shirt they were decimated by injury all the Debo Samuel stuff all the rest of it how say you

Speaker 7 They're going to be a favorite in 16 and 17 games.

Speaker 7 Their schedule is pretty easy, right? They get a fourth place schedule with essentially first place talent because of last season.

Speaker 7 And it comes down to health, right? Can they stay healthy again?

Speaker 7 They are a very top-heavy roster.

Speaker 7 I think Christian McCaffrey, like offensive player of the year, is certainly possible in bounce back year.

Speaker 7 Trenton Williams is back, right?

Speaker 7 Their defensive line is going to be fine. They added in the first round.
Robert Sala being the D coordinator is a huge boost for them.

Speaker 7 Shanahan's running the offense, good coaching staff. But yeah, this doesn't surprise me at all.

Speaker 7 With their schedule and the players they have and presumed healthier season

Speaker 7 makes total sense.

Speaker 15 Yeah, and I think you mentioned it kind of in passing among all those reasons that you like them. But I think Bob Salas returned to San Francisco.
Okay, so it didn't work out in New York.

Speaker 15 It doesn't work out for just about anybody with the Jets, but

Speaker 15 to those cozy confines. I like their trajectory there.
All right, listen. All of a sudden, we're down to it.
We have one slot left, a wild card at that. Gather round.

Speaker 15 Rams and Hawks, Bears, Bucs, America's alleged team, commies. Who gets that six seed?

Speaker 5 The Minnesota Viking.

Speaker 15 This is a KOC pick for me. Jeff Schwartz, what do you think?

Speaker 7 Wow, I have so many questions. So, first of all, KOC was on the broadcast for a quarter this past weekend.

Speaker 7 Like, like on with Paul Allen. It was great.
He just, it was awesome. I love KOC.

Speaker 7 Okay, so

Speaker 7 we're, the Vikings are better than the Commanders. That's what we're going with here.

Speaker 15 By the end of 17 games, the record for this season will say that the Vikings were superior than the Comics.

Speaker 7 And the Cardinals, too?

Speaker 7 Yeah.

Speaker 15 Yeah, that's what I just forecasted.

Speaker 7 Oh, boy.

Speaker 7 So were the Commanders, eight and nine?

Speaker 15 I think that there are, I mean, you know, I think that the NFC, if you kind of just are making the same assumptions assumptions that you've made for the last season or two, it's like the NFC is soft.

Speaker 15 Not anymore. There are some legitimate teams out there, and the playoff spots are seven is not enough for how many good teams there are.

Speaker 15 There are some nine-win teams, maybe some 10-win teams that are left on the outside looking in this year.

Speaker 7 Last question for you on the NFC side.

Speaker 7 If Stafford was healthy, where would the Rams be?

Speaker 15 I, you know, I was all about the Rams. I think about Stafford and McVay and what they did on defense last year.
I was keen on them going into Phil and really taking a shot at them.

Speaker 15 They did almost get over the hump. It's just, it's too weird.
The Stafford thing has gone on just long enough.

Speaker 15 And even if he is out there and ready to go and looking good in week one, now you have to have it in the back of your head like, man, if he takes a bad shot, is he going to have to sit out for several weeks?

Speaker 15 Is he going to have to go under the knife? Too murky for me. So I'm staying away.
Do you like overall? Do you want to change your number one seed?

Speaker 15 I'd like to hear what Jeff Schwartz thinks is the number one seed in the AA. Look,

Speaker 7 I've said, whether on Josh Richards Morning, you have not got it to the NFC West yet,

Speaker 7 but the Niners to have the best record in the NFL is a very live thing because of their schedule. Guys, their schedule is a joke.
It just happens to work out this way this season.

Speaker 7 Fourth place schedule, right? So they get three crossover games that are fourth place teams. And they get the South, I believe, and they get both Souths, right, this season.

Speaker 7 It's a very manageable schedule, especially if the Rams and Stafford are going to be hurt. Like you just get, you just get, it's a good situation for them.

Speaker 7 So I think it's very, very live for them to be the one seed. It does not, it does not bother me.

Speaker 7 I feel like you're going to piss me off in the AFC just because, just because I just think you are, but the NFC,

Speaker 7 the wild card stuff, I mean, those are feels like for you, toss-ups, but I can live with those. But it feels like the one and two is about where they should be.

Speaker 15 Well, by the way, the Niners schedule isn't just the easiest this this year.

Speaker 15 It's sort of historically, or at least over the course of the last decade, one of it presents as one of the easiest schedules available for any pro football team in the last decade at least.

Speaker 7 So

Speaker 15 I think there's great value in the Niners.

Speaker 15 All right, let's do the Mount Lombardi AFC side of the mountain and see who's going to be able to scale that. Dealer's choice, and I'm the dealer, so let's start with the Steelers.

Speaker 7 Here we go. Let's just wait for them first.

Speaker 7 Just have the one seed and signed up for the one seed. Just put them in there.

Speaker 15 What is it? What is it that you've ever heard from me that makes you think that I just blindly put the... Do I pick the Steelers to go to the Super Bowl?

Speaker 7 No, you actually don't. You pick the Chargers.

Speaker 15 I tell you when the Steelers are going to stink. How dare you, sir? All right.
I'm going to continue now.

Speaker 15 You may have heard. They've treated this offseason quite differently than they've ever treated an offseason before.

Speaker 15 And I'm not just talking about the Mike Tomlin era did you hear about they got Aaron Rodgers now will they make the playoffs let's find out

Speaker 15 ayahuasca aided to the sixth seed how say you Jeff Schwartz

Speaker 7 I don't know. You win football games that's going off at the touchdowns.
The voodoo continues. I think I text you every time that happens.
I don't know how you guys do it. I don't know.

Speaker 7 Sure, sixth seed. It doesn't surprise me.

Speaker 7 Nothing surprising me with, but there's no reason they win half of their games. It's just like, you know, here's the reason, Dave.
I'll tell you the reason. It's actually

Speaker 7 an actual reason.

Speaker 15 That's overly skeptical. The defense is loaded up.

Speaker 15 What are the top three defenses in the conference this year?

Speaker 7 Here's why Pittsburgh wins a lot of games. It's actually a real thing.
I mean, it's why Kansas City wins a lot of games too.

Speaker 7 They don't make a ton of really bad mistakes in a game. Like, they don't have dumb penalties.
They obviously try not to turn the ball over, but they typically don't have a lot of turnovers.

Speaker 7 And they play a very clean game and they force other teams to make mistakes. And when you get to the fourth quarter,

Speaker 7 they're good on special teams, right? They can rush the passer really well. Like, those are things that win football games in the NFL in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 7 And they play the style of football where they just keep it close, keep it close, and then boom, you get strip sacked or you have a dumb play and they take advantage of that.

Speaker 7 So there is a quality to that in the nfl um and so pits being a six seed wouldn't surprise me especially if i i think this is if you're doing that you probably have downgraded the bengals is my guess um and so we'll we'll we'll see as we go i just i'm excited for the chargers to win the nfc the afc west and your prediction so let's go what a creep all right fine seven years running you have to do it for eight years in a row now Okay, main event is the battle for the one seed.

Speaker 15 Obviously, that's going to land come January.

Speaker 15 Two seed. I thought they might go all the way to the top, but they come up just short.
Schwartz, how say you?

Speaker 7 I think they're the one seed this year. So I think

Speaker 7 we're in the same boat here.

Speaker 7 Very good football team. Just can't beat the Chiefs in the postseason.
That's that simple. I mean,

Speaker 7 them and the Ravens, according to DVOA, have had some of the best four-year stretches in NFL history to have never played a Super Bowl. They have Patrick Mahomes' problem.

Speaker 7 And so, yeah, the two seed makes a ton of sense. I think there's three options for this one seed.
There's two options left. We'll see if you have them up there.

Speaker 7 There's a fourth wild card, by the way, that you might throw at me. I'm kind of curious if the wild card happens.

Speaker 15 We'll get to that. In the meantime, though, when you know, I'm old enough to remember the Baltimore Colts, and the Baltimore Colts

Speaker 15 were in

Speaker 15 the AFC East.

Speaker 15 Back then, the Miami Dolphins, for all the songs being sung about Don Shulin, as great as he was, ground and pound with Zonka and Mercury Morris and Jim Kick and Bob Greasy

Speaker 15 providing as much to the team, maybe a tick more than Dave Damashek did,

Speaker 15 just a passenger along for the ride. Then the 80s arrived and Dan Marino exploded.
And I contend that

Speaker 15 Shula failed Marino.

Speaker 15 A number of terrible drafts. And it's largely because Shula's line of thinking was outmoded specifically around Marino.
He failed him to some degree.

Speaker 15 That's why Marino didn't get back to a Super Bowl after that second season. I think Sean McDermott limits Josh Allen.

Speaker 15 I get what you said about Mike Tomlin and risk aversion, and that's the way the Steelers have approached it, and it's worked, especially since Rothelsberger hurt his elbow.

Speaker 15 I don't think that's the same rule that McDermott should be applying when he has Josh Allen at QB.

Speaker 7 I agree with that. I actually think...
I think right now

Speaker 7 the Bengals are almost closer to what the Dolphins are doing, Dolphins did to mourno than the bills are the bengals right now are just there we'll get to them at some point in this in this in this little mountain here but the bengals i mean you know they made it to super bowl in burrows second third year third or third year right i think it was his third year yeah that might have been his second year okay second year but the point is they you know they made it early in his career like mourino and ever since then they've just sabotaged him the entire way i know i really want to get on board i really i even as a steelers fan i really can't help but like joe cool i do think joe's awesome Yeah, I mean, although he did get what he wanted, what he wanted, he needed to have his two guys, so he got him.

Speaker 15 Something is going to fall off on the other side, you would think. And here we are now with the mess that is going to be that defense.
Okay, the one seed is still in play.

Speaker 15 The Bengals are in play for it. A lot of buzz around Sean Payton's mile-high gang.
Can they scale to the top or at least get into the tourney? Let's find out.

Speaker 15 The mountain climbing boots aren't necessary. They just scaled a little foothill there to the seven seed.
How say you, Schwartz?

Speaker 7 I think they're going to be better than Pittsburgh.

Speaker 7 Okay, but

Speaker 7 they're a better team.

Speaker 15 I'm talking about the record, man. I'm talking about where they're going to be.

Speaker 7 Well, if I think they're going to have a better record, then they're going to be at the sixth seed or five seed.

Speaker 7 I think they're going to have a better record.

Speaker 7 Yeah, I think Denver is really good.

Speaker 7 It just comes down to the advancement of Bo Nix, right? Does Bo Nix take that next step into year two? Is there more offense given to him? Is there a little more variety in what he can do?

Speaker 7 Defense can be really good. Offensive line is good.
Running backs, wide receivers, it's all good. Sean Penny can coach.

Speaker 7 It's that cannot be, and I know preseason is what it is, but their defense has looked pretty good in the preseason, just like even the backups, like the whole thing has looked really good so far.

Speaker 7 So I think the Broncos are in the playoffs, but a five or a six seed.

Speaker 15 I mean, I can talk myself into the Broncos winning the West. I think the defense, like I already said, is going to be a top two or three unit in the conference.

Speaker 15 I think they are set up to really brutalize their foes and really, you know,

Speaker 15 put some attrition on them on them fancy pants from KC and from L.A.

Speaker 15 Is Bo Nix ready to roll? Is he ready to elevate a little bit? I'm going to put them, like I say, they're behind the Steelers. So have my cake and some pie there.

Speaker 15 AFC South, much like the NFC South is the red-headed stepkid of its conference, the NFL in the SEC, it just means less. I think we can agree about that.

Speaker 7 It does, yeah.

Speaker 15 The Jags and Colts are hoping to knock off the Texans. Can either do it.
It's time to find out. They're the Jags.
They're the Texans. I mean, they're the Colts.
Here we go.

Speaker 5 That's running.

Speaker 19 Danny Time does it.

Speaker 15 He got him to the division crown. How say you, Jeff Schwartz?

Speaker 15 That excited, huh?

Speaker 7 So

Speaker 7 I know you

Speaker 7 told me about this idea for the mountain a couple days ago, which means that you decided on this before they announced who the starting quarterback was.

Speaker 15 You think it wasn't going to be time?

Speaker 7 I don't know what it was going to be, but this is the one I've, out of what we've done now, this would be 11 teams, I think, in this exercise. This one is my least favorite.

Speaker 7 Daniel Jones is not good at football. We've been over this many times before.

Speaker 7 The winner of a division,

Speaker 7 seven out of eight of them, right? Mostly eight of eight are the best quarterback. I don't see CJ Stroud or Trevor Lawrence essentially being worse than Daniel Jones.

Speaker 7 And so. How about this?

Speaker 15 Cam Ward either?

Speaker 7 Probably, but he's got, but Tennessee has a lot of holes on the roster around Cam Ward.

Speaker 7 So this is the one I'm the other ones you had, I could believe it. Okay, sure.

Speaker 7 But no, I'm not on this one.

Speaker 15 You, I see, you're hard to pin down because I know it's a players league, but you also admire difference-making coaches. And I think Lou Anarumo is that.

Speaker 15 I think that what you saw Fangio do with the Eagles a year ago, this is a poor man's version of it. Don't get me wrong.

Speaker 15 It's not like I'm talking about the Colts going to a Super Bowl or anything, but I think Annarumo is going to tune that defense up behind that offensive line.

Speaker 15 And Jonathan Taylor, he is the X Factor because of health issues. When he's right, they are a different team.
And consider, look at the quarterbacks they were running out there last year.

Speaker 15 They got to eight games. I don't see a reason that they should drop off there.

Speaker 15 And for the people who say one score games and all of that, they were on the wrong side of some really tight games against good teams a year ago.

Speaker 7 I'm not back at Dan Jones to win a division. I'm sorry.
I don't care what spin you put on it.

Speaker 15 All right. We're running out of room.
Better claim a seat quick in the game of musical chairs. Chiefs, they're going to take their division for the 87th year in a row.
It's time to find out.

Speaker 15 They're going to have to sell for the five seed, Jeff Schwartz. What do you think?

Speaker 7 You did it again.

Speaker 7 Raiders in the carpet.

Speaker 15 We don't know yet.

Speaker 7 It's not the Raiders. I promise you that.

Speaker 7 One thing with the Chiefs is I'll just make the case quickly.

Speaker 7 The team is better this year on offense. Last year, they lost Rasheed Rice after four games, three and a half games.
Now, he will be suspended for some point this year.

Speaker 7 Hollywood Brown was hurt last season. He's back right now.

Speaker 7 Xavier Worthy, year two. We see with Rookie Whyout takes about 12, 16 games to feel really comfortable there, right? Pacheco's healthy.
Offensive line, there's some question marks.

Speaker 7 I'll give you a left guard for the most part right now with Kingsley. The defense is the defense.
It doesn't have to be great.

Speaker 7 And Kelsey looks great. He's lost 20 pounds.
He He admitted last year that he came in a little out of shape. A world tour with his growth went just fine.

Speaker 7 I mean, I think we all agree that we'd all live that life as well. There's no shame in that.

Speaker 7 But I think we're going to see a better version of Kansas City this season.

Speaker 15 A couple of things. First of all, I don't think you say it's one of those things that people just throw out.
Oh, who wouldn't want to

Speaker 15 live the Taylor Swift life? I think you would get bored with that. I think I would get bored.

Speaker 7 Well, I didn't marry Taylor Swift, so

Speaker 7 that's also why.

Speaker 15 You got to see the same show and it's like a, isn't it like a two or three hour extravaganza and you got to sit through that every single time?

Speaker 15 People complain about their significant other dragging them to football games. At least the results change.
They don't run the, it doesn't go the exact same.

Speaker 15 The Taylor Swift show is the same show, whether you're in Tokyo or in Altoona.

Speaker 7 Right? I hadn't thought about that.

Speaker 7 But yeah, I mean, I guess I don't want to date a pop star then. But I do the same show every night.

Speaker 7 I haven't thought about that.

Speaker 17 You're going to have to worry about it.

Speaker 7 I don't have to worry about it, thankfully.

Speaker 15 But all right, enough on the Chiefs. Jeff has made his predictions.
Let's find out what is the fate of the Raiders and or the Chargers.

Speaker 15 The Chargers have taken the AFC West. They did it, Jeff.
Are you happy for them?

Speaker 7 You'll be right after nine years of predicting the Chargers to win the division. You finally get it right um

Speaker 7 the the all the uh the slater injury is a problem um you know move it all to left tackle um you know you're talking about the chief's offensive line

Speaker 7 i thought you thought you said that no i i think alt's gonna be fine the problem is now you're worse at right tackle you already have question mark the center and left guard um lad mcconkey obviously we'll see his health i mean Trey Harris can't catch a pass.

Speaker 7 That's not a good thing.

Speaker 7 I love Harbaugh's mentality. I like the way that he builds his teams.
But again, I just, I got to see a little bit more from that team to win the division.

Speaker 15 Skepticism is fine. Obviously, we haven't seen this Chargers era really pay off the way so many of us keep expecting them to.
But I'm riding with Harbaugh here.

Speaker 15 I mean, it's the Harbaum season two magic. And so I'm rolling with that even in a rugged division.
Really should be as interesting a division as there is. I have them as the three seed.
We'll see.

Speaker 15 They're at the three seed. So no Raiders or Texans or Dolphins.
That means we only have the one seed left. It's feast or famine for the Ravens and the Bengals.

Speaker 15 Win the north or go home and watch the playoffs with Jefferson.

Speaker 15 Of course the Ravens get it. How say you?

Speaker 7 I mean, at this point for Baltimore and Buffalo, it's not about what you do in the regular season. It's about what you do in the postseason.

Speaker 7 And these teams are going to win a ton of regular season games.

Speaker 7 So can you beat Kansas City when it matters most in the postseason?

Speaker 7 In this scenario,

Speaker 7 Buffalo gets a chance first, right?

Speaker 7 No, it will be 4-5. So it'll be the Ravens potentially getting a chance first off of bye to host Kansas City.
So

Speaker 7 they have to do it at this point.

Speaker 7 We know what these teams are. We know Baltimore is going to be good.
We know Buffalo is going to be good. It's a can they beat Kansas City in the postseason?

Speaker 15 But also, and I hear you completely, but I kind of feel like they're in a weird spot, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and their teams in general but also the chiefs too have a weird sort of pressure after getting destroyed the way they did by the eagles and so that looms for them i'm sure um but it's weird because you're exactly right they their fan bases are going to be like whatever let's go let's get to the postseason it's all that matters but of course the one seed means a great deal if you can avoid having to play of course

Speaker 7 teams you're in a way better position if you're the raven for the bills right the one seed is so valuable.

Speaker 7 Um, I, I, this clip was floating around, but, uh, and I was watching a little bit of the kingdom, the new Chiefs miniseries, and you know Andy Reid, they won, they won, uh, well, Christmas, I think, right, to win, to win the one seed, and you signed your,

Speaker 7 yeah, oh, yeah, that was that game, yeah. Um, and, uh, and then Andy Reid came in like in a Santa costume, like the happiness and joy for getting that one seed, man, it's so valuable.

Speaker 7 And, um, you know, Ravens or Bills, if they get it, I I think it's Buffalo.

Speaker 7 That, you know, one less game, right? You get to rest. Like, all those things are so important to win a championship.

Speaker 15 I just think

Speaker 15 to round out the AFC and in general, the Chiefs vibe right now, and you know better than I do, you're closer to them. I feel like it has to matter to them that there really wasn't since the

Speaker 15 Brady overtime game and D Ford and all of that. Between then and the Super Bowl against the Eagles, there wasn't a ton that would creep into anybody on that team's mind.

Speaker 15 That's like, when push comes to shove, we're going to come through in the end. The Buccaneers lost.
They didn't have their whole offensive line.

Speaker 15 And now they know they, it's not, it's important that the other teams know it, but I think the Chiefs now know they bleed. That's not good.

Speaker 7 Or that motivates them to not bleed again.

Speaker 15 I hear you, but I just think that there's a little bit of, there's got to be some doubt doubt that didn't exist prior to what the

Speaker 7 I think so when you get physically beat like that, because again, you're right. Their team was whole in that game.

Speaker 7 And we're going to talk a lot about a lot, but their passwords also did not hit Jalen Hurts at all. Like, they just didn't really play well on either side of the ball.
So,

Speaker 7 or motivates them. We'll see how it happens.

Speaker 15 Yeah, a 47-year-old man who dates Taylor Swift losing some weight. I don't think that that is as big a factor as people seem to be making it out to be.
He's at the tail end.

Speaker 15 I have always agreed with you. He is the X factor of that offense.

Speaker 7 Yes.

Speaker 15 Or anybody else, but he's old now.

Speaker 7 So he is old. I want to make that on the record that I was probably the first person to say that.
Tyree Kill, Terry Killer. No, it's always been Travis Kelsey.

Speaker 15 That's true.

Speaker 15 To be fair, I think that's right. Hey, listen, all sorts of gems like that coming out of Jeff Schwartz.
Make sure you're tracking down. Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you.

Speaker 15 The easiest way to do that, if you want to support Football America, is go to the Football America YouTube page. It's also available wherever you find your audio podcasts.
Matt Ford is a great fellow.

Speaker 15 Everybody over there, Blue Duck is as well. It's worth the listen every week to make sure you're up to speed.

Speaker 15 All right, there goes Jeff Schwartz. Make sure, like we already said, check out on YouTube Football America page as the subscribers add in there.
Surely Jeff Schwartz's inclusion will increase that.

Speaker 15 Appreciate Schwartz making some time for us here, despite the disagreements.

Speaker 15 Tony's still with us. What jumped out to you from who I had making it up onto the side of Mount Lombardi there?

Speaker 12 Dave, I'm just really surprised you're high on the Arizona Cardinals.

Speaker 15 I'm not high on them, but okay.

Speaker 12 High, you had them in the playoffs. I mean, that's calling them high.
They're one of the best seven teams in the NFC.

Speaker 15 I mean, okay, they're only 16. It's not like I'm putting them into the college football playoff or anything.
Sure. But yeah, okay, I listen.
I hear you because

Speaker 15 no jive. Tony, we don't know each other very well.

Speaker 15 And I have to establish here and now, if I I haven't already, the cardinal rule of this program, as with all my programs, a no-jive policy must be checked. And I'm not going to jive you.

Speaker 15 And I'm not saying that Dave of five minutes ago was wrong, but he might be wrong. And if the five minutes ago, Dave was wrong, it was with that pick.

Speaker 15 I think if I had it to do over again, I might put the Chicago Bears in there over the Arizona Cardinals. But I do think Kyler's going to have a big year.

Speaker 15 And I really like what that offense is capable of doing. And I at least like the pieces they have on defense.

Speaker 12 The pieces, I think their defense is going to be better than it was last year. I like the pieces.
I like McBride. I think if Marvin Harrison Jr.

Speaker 12 can start to really come out of his shell and start earning some high-value targets down the field, my issues with Kyler, I just don't think, A, he's, I think, one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL in the last couple of years, targeting guys deep, targeting guys to the boundary.

Speaker 12 Like, there's a lot of things that Kyler does really well, getting out of the pocket, making things when there's nothing there, but throwing the ball deep and throwing the ball to the boundary is things you need as a quarterback, and he just simply doesn't have them.

Speaker 12 I just don't trust him late in the season.

Speaker 15 My eye still, after all these years of watching Kyler, has not adjusted to watching him out there at quarterback. He looks tiny running around out there.

Speaker 15 Either way, maybe we should have included the Cardinals as an option for America's team, or maybe the Bears, but we've made our list there. We'll have that out there as a poll for you.

Speaker 15 Weigh in on that. Who should be America's team?

Speaker 15 2025, I do think we will have have captured the right answer in there i'm not gonna try and oh you know what i'll simon call it it's the buffalo bills all right i'm just gonna say it they wear white red white and blue we feel sad for them they've never won a super bowl we have a certain amount of pity for them so get in there and vote on that as soon as you can.

Speaker 15 Remember, you need to, you have some skin in the game, and so you want to attach yourself to one of these teams, at least if you don't have a previous rooting interest. Tony, great stuff from you.

Speaker 15 We'll be checking you out on the

Speaker 15 Lebatard show proper. Looking forward to that.
Fuentes Brothers dynamite stuff as always. Bradley with the news.
Good stuff there. Pal, we need you smoking a nail.

Speaker 15 I think that'll really complete the look for you if we can get you doing that to really be a mid-century newsman. And most of all, Football Americans, we appreciate you.

Speaker 15 Keep on downloading the show however you prefer. You can find it wherever you find your audio podcasts and check it out on YouTube.
Football America with an exclamation point is how you do that.

Speaker 15 We'll be back with more hooi and applesauce for you next week. We really need to expand to two shows.
Great news. We're going to be expanding to two shows as soon as we get to week one there.

Speaker 15 We'll make do with the time we have here. We appreciate you checking it all out.
So until next week, thanks so much, Football Americans. It's been a thin slice of heaven.

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