Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm, tuscaloosa.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Renew it for another season. So renew it.
[00:00:15] Speaker C: We had a great summer. We're excited to get back into the NFL season.
[00:00:18] Speaker A: Mm hmm.
[00:00:19] Speaker C: And, yeah, let's get it.
[00:00:20] Speaker A: Alex, welcome aboard. How are you feeling?
[00:00:22] Speaker D: I feel great. It's so good to be here.
[00:00:24] Speaker A: Good.
[00:00:24] Speaker D: You fellas, it's great to be talking NFL football again. We hear about all summer, just talking about now. We get to finally watch it this weekend.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: You just gotta sit and wait. And now we can actually see some freaking football happen on air.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm excited. I'm so tired of, like, having to go on Twitter, like, go on different news articles and be like, okay, what does this team, like, what does this team do in this joint practice and training camp or just, you know, if there's a preseason game, let's watch. Like, the, even if the starters do play a driver, you have to watch, you know, how to, how are the backups looking? How are the rookies looking? All that kind of stuff. So I'm excited to see real play calls, not the, like, the vanilla stuff we see in preseason.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: Right.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: I'm excited for that. I'm excited for real players and I'm excited for real football.
[00:01:06] Speaker C: I've been happy seeing the two of the Tyreek bombs all summer, but now.
[00:01:10] Speaker A: We'Ll see it, the throwing session bombs.
[00:01:13] Speaker C: Who are we playing first? Jaguars?
[00:01:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I think so.
[00:01:17] Speaker C: Yeah.
That's not a bad matchup for three Tyreek touchdowns.
[00:01:21] Speaker A: Three Tyreek touchdowns.
[00:01:22] Speaker B: I would hope so. If you're paying those two, probably like 30% of the cap.
[00:01:26] Speaker A: Yeah, something like that, yeah.
Oh, man. We have. I guess we'll probably talk about some newsworthy stuff before we get into in depth season outlook. Things first, obviously, we got a few contracts that we want to talk about first.
I think it was just a real solid one is Trent Williams. I think as the Niners, you had to bring it back. You did rework, you reworked the contract.
Hopefully it makes things easier for the Niners because they were paying a lot of dudes over 15, over 15 million a year. But Trem Williams, I think, is one of the more important guys to get a rework contract.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Oh, I totally agree. You know, for Trent Williams alone, he's probably the best. I don't know about offensive lineman, but left tackle in general in the league right now. So it's huge to get that piece back for the O line for the 49 ers. I mean, I do think the O line for the 49 ers in general without him would be very poor.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Right. They don't have it looks, I mean, a little bit rocky, and it was kind of last year, even with him.
[00:02:23] Speaker B: On the line, in the inside O line, like the guards in the centers, they're always, they haven't really been, like, the top tier talent you would want, and their right tackle is still. It's, it's still not like the best, but, yeah, you get a guy that can lock down that blind side.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: So a game changer, absolute game range, definitely huge.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: But I do think, I mean, even going back to the 49 ers area, Brandon iuk getting a new deal, I think it's huge.
I do think it was a little bit of an overpay. I think Brandon Iuke is really good, but I don't think he's 30 mils, 30 million good. Yeah, I think he's, you know, somewhere on the level of Devontae Smith, maybe a little bit better, just kind of on that line. But I do think it's really good that you were able to keep him and not have, like, the sealers come in and, you know, try to mess everything up. So I think it's good that they held onto him.
[00:03:11] Speaker C: As annoying as that saga was, I would have loved to see him pair up with Jaden Daniels over in Washington.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: I was.
[00:03:18] Speaker C: I was holding out hope for that for so long.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Oh, I was hoping that he would not return to the 49 ers because I think there was so many cooler options to see. I mean, I would love to see Brandon Ayuk with Mike Tomlin and, you know, either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields throwing him the ball, make that offense, like, kind of good, have more weapons. But also, I mean, I felt like the Washington outcome would have been really cool.
[00:03:39] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:03:40] Speaker D: Now, in Pittsburgh, we were told back in June we had reports that the deal was in place and there was a 99.9% chance Brandon Ayuk was going to be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is coming. I said June early. I misspoke. July. So we heard back in July this was going to happen. We went all the way through training camp with nothing happening. So people in Pittsburgh, we are holding onto that hope that we get Brandon IU because our second wide receiver this year is Van Jefferson.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:04:09] Speaker D: Maybe Roman Wilson, our rookie that we just got from Michigan.
[00:04:12] Speaker A: Wilson is wide receiver two, but he's a slot guy.
[00:04:14] Speaker D: I mean, but we need. We needed somebody else besides George Pickens because we traded Deontay Johnson in the offseason to the Carolina Panthers and we got back a corner. Dante Jackson.
[00:04:26] Speaker A: Dante Jackson. He can jump really high.
[00:04:27] Speaker D: He can jump. He can jump really high. But he wasn't even great when he was with the Panthers.
[00:04:31] Speaker A: Nope, wasn't really.
[00:04:32] Speaker D: There's a reason why the Panthers are willing to get rid of him. Why the Steelers are willing to get rid of Deontay Johnson. Because Deontay Johnson was not satisfied with the offensive play calling last year and he was not satisfied with Kenny Pickett. He liked Mason Rudolph last year when he was on the team. And then Mason Rudolph goes to the Titans. So we're left with two new guys this season, and it was easier to cut ties with Deontay Johnson and try to fulfill a position in need in corner. But we didn't really then we. I think Omar Connor, GM, thought that, I'm a Steelers fan, if you can't tell.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: I put it together in the past.
[00:05:05] Speaker D: Already from Pittsburgh, but we.
Omar Khan, they call him the con art.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: The con artist.
[00:05:12] Speaker D: Yeah, the con artist. And he left open the wide receiver room this year and he did not fill it in the draft. Besides Roman Wilson, he didn't get a top guy. And after that, trades nothing. Nothing except that iuke trade that was dangled like a carrot in front of our faces and we never got it done. But what are the 49 ers prove by going into September with these contract disputes with Iuk and Trent Williams? What do they prove? Because they gave their money eventually. Why would they let, why let it go all the way through training camp? I just don't see why John lynch would do that, especially when in the end he's going to give them a pretty good paycheck.
[00:05:55] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. I don't know. With those contract disputes, I mean, it's just so hard to know every detail that goes into that. I mean, it can, I feel like it can be even as minute as just, you know, negotiating a certain amount of targets in the year and things like that, certain demands from these guys and like, like you're talking about with Deontay Johnson, his situation with the Steelers. That was one of those situations where Deontay Johnson is pretty widely acknowledged as a pretty good player, but sometimes you just want to reset. And I get being in Pittsburgh and having those quarterback situations you've had over the past two years, it's not ideal. And I understand you want a full reset there. But yeah, outside of Williams Iuk, obviously another big one that was also a bit of a saga. CD Lamb, he sure got paid and he's also one of those guys that you are. I think you're pretty safe and agreeing with how much he's being paid. He's just a game changer.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:06:50] Speaker A: But I mean, you know, up the top three receiver, probably at this point in that area, he absolutely got paid. We still have a AFC north rival of the Steelers, Jamar Chase, one of their biggest pieces. He is still in a bit of a sight, two years out from the end of his contract, but he, he wants a reworked stat.
[00:07:12] Speaker B: He does. And I mean, listening to Ocho Cinco, who has, you know, of course, played at the Cincinnati Bengals and close to Jamar Chase, all that kind of stuff, he was on ESPN. Adam Schefter. Hey, do you think he'll suit up week one if there isn't a deal place? And Ocho Cinco said there's no shot, he will. So, I mean, I feel like the Bengals are in a really tough situation if they can't pay Jamar Chase what they, what he wants. And I mean, we've seen the past few years since any, Bengals are a very cheap rain organization, right? Everyone complains about how they're not the most forgiving when it comes to how they treat their players, all that kind of stuff. So, I mean, if they can't come to this contract, then I think there's a real shot Jamar Chase will be without the team.
[00:07:54] Speaker D: Yeah, there's reports that he wants one penny more than what?
One penny more. But, I mean, would you pay him Justin Jefferson type money?
[00:08:04] Speaker B: I don't know. I mean, I think, I think I would.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: I think I would.
[00:08:08] Speaker C: Not too long ago, he was considered the number one receiver in the NFL. And I know right now it's Justin Jefferson, but, yeah, Joe Burrow coming back. Justin. I mean, Jamar Chase, t Higgins is still there. They've got potential to make that one of the top three best offenses in the AFC again, and we knew this.
[00:08:25] Speaker D: Would be the last year. T Higgins is there, too, once he's.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: Agency, especially with this reworking with Jamar Chase. It's a, it's almost a part of, it's gotta be weird from t Higgins perspective of you have this guy that you've been playing alongside for years, and now he is negotiating a contract or demanding a contract that you have to know is gonna put you out of that wide receiver room. There's no way they keep you there. And he's acting, he's not, and he's saying he's not gonna play a snap until that's figured out.
[00:08:50] Speaker D: Now, we haven't heard. At least it hasn't been publicized. What fines have been assessed to Jamar Chase. We've heard about Hassan Reddick. He's racked up $2 million in fines for not showing up to camp so far for the jets. But Jamar Chase, he has to have been fined at this point. I'm not, I'm sure why they haven't publicized that yet. But if you let it go into the season, he's just going to keep on getting fined and fined. He's not making a lot right now as it is. At some point he's going to come in and when you're negotiating a deal two years out, I mean, does he really have a lot of leverage right now? Besides, even though he is probably the number two, number one, best wide receiver in the league, why do the Bengals feel like they have to pay him now when they can wait in two years and pay them that?
[00:09:32] Speaker A: I mean, the Bengals don't think they have to pay them now, that's for sure.
[00:09:35] Speaker B: That's clear right now.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: And I mean, it is, it's relatively unprecedented to be holding out with two years on your contract. I don't think it's happened before in my knowledge.
[00:09:45] Speaker C: I'm not sure about that. But I'm sure if I'm Jamar Chase and I see my peer Jalen Waddle, they got drafted the same year, correct?
[00:09:52] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:53] Speaker C: Jalen Waddle and Devontae Smith both getting contracts. Jalen Waddle is getting paid 28,000, 28 million a year. And as of right now, Jamar Chase is making 7 million. I would be very unhappy with that.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: Oh, no, I completely like, you know, as Jamar, if I'm looking at it through the Jamar Chase, I feel like I'm very undervalued right now. I mean, yes, you know, I still have two years left of my contract, but I've done so much for this organization. I mean, I touch down in Cincinnati and we immediately go to the Super bowl. So it's, I, I feel what he's saying, but at the same time, it's.
[00:10:24] Speaker A: Also in the context of the league, how much, how much those negotiations and relationships are changing. You have to. Then he's like, you know what? I think I can do this. Ten years ago, I don't think anyone would even considered, I mean, one, holding out was just less common and two, holding out to this extent. I mean, that was never, you did not hear of that at all ten years ago. And I, so I understand from his perspective that he's one of the most productive receivers and needed receivers in the league, and he wants his finances to reflect that, but nonetheless, it is unprecedented.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: But another big name. I mean, we just talked about it with the sealers, but getting Cam Hayward, who was also holding out of all of training camp, everything like that, they gave a Steelers and Hayward agreed on a deal that is three years, $45 million. It's definitely huge to get him back in the building. It's huge for that defense. Cause I mean, that defense with him, him and TJ watt just, I mean, and Highsmith, they wreck the offensive line, everything like that. And they also have guys like Joey Porter junior and Minka Fitzpatrick in that secondary. So I think that defense really now, now that everything's solidified and everybody's paid, I think it's a really good shot that they can return to the level or even upgrade to what they were last year and become you even better.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, surface level. Three years for Cam Hayward. I don't think if someone had asked me how long, I think Cam Hayward's going to play football more, I don't think I would have told you three years. I think I would have told you.
[00:11:54] Speaker D: 35 years old right now.
[00:11:55] Speaker A: 35 years old as a. I mean, he's essentially a nose tackle, right. Obviously an interior defensive lineman, but is his role generally in the one two tech?
[00:12:04] Speaker D: It is. He's, he's, he's a. He's right towards the middle of that line. He's working with the guards a lot. He's double teamed most of the time by the guard in the center, but he's 35 years old. I think it's an interesting contract from the Steelers perspective. They only guaranteed 16 million of that, 45 million just to account for injury risk. He only played eleven games last year, had two sacks in those eleven games. So his productivity is starting to decrease as he's aging, as you would expect. But his leadership speaks for itself in the room over the years time with the Steelers. So I think it's going to be a overall added. I think it's an overall positive transaction for the Steelers right. From their perspective. But I don't know what that's going to look like. We're coming down in two years. But the caveat is you have the $16 million that's only guaranteed. So I think it's a good extension made by Omar Khan.
[00:12:55] Speaker B: I think the, I think this kind of relates, I know talk about a lot with the Eagles, but this kind of relates like the Fletcher Cox situation where he was on the older side. He wasn't very productive, but he still had to garner the attention of a double team every play, which left a better, younger players who aren't as strong or as better as Fletcher Cox. But they had that one on one matchup where they could eat. That's what happened when we won the Super bowl. It's what happened when we went to the Super bowl the other year. We just had that one guy in the middle who could take on two, three guys and it let everybody else go. Still have guy like Cameron Hayward who can still take on that attention. I mean, I feel like that's just so much better for everybody else.
[00:13:35] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. A lot of defensive line play is just being big, just taking up space, blocking gaps. That's all you can do. But, but, yeah. So I mean, in terms of contracts, we've covered Trent Williams, Brandon Ayuk City Lamb, Jamar Chase, Cam Hayward. Anything else significant before we want to move on to our rookie topic?
[00:13:53] Speaker B: Howie Rosenb and Howie Rosen. I mean, just throughout all the offseason, you give contracts like DeVontae Smith, you give it to Landon Dickerson, you give it to a bunch of AJ Brown, just a bunch of different guys, and he still has the like the third most cap space in the league right now. So I just think the way he can manage his money and manage the contracts is a huge, like, plus for everybody else. But I just wanted to throw that out there because, I mean, I feel like everybody that needed a contract in Philadelphia got one as soon as they requested it. So I think it's really nice that they kept this, the elite young core together.
[00:14:27] Speaker A: Right? Good to see. Good to see someone get it done like that, I guess. But I guess we do want to move on to now our essentially our rookie impacts section of the show where obviously we're going into the first game of the season this Thursday and obviously, you know, there's rookies you want to talk about every single year, but maybe some particularly not polarizing ones. But a lot of people view this receiver draft as one of the best we've seen in recent history and a specific quarterback maybe, who people are pretty high on. But what we want to say is just our basic predictions on who we think will be the most impactful. And we are going to go ahead and take out quarterbacks because the quarterback position is always the most impactful. It's why they win MVP. It's just kind of how it goes. But non quarterback players, rookies who will make the biggest impact for their team?
[00:15:21] Speaker C: Evan, I do want to take two receivers.
One is that quarterback receiver pairing you were talking about up in Chicago. Romo Dunze across from Keenan Allen is going to be insane, especially with don't forget about DJ Moore and DJ Moore, come on now. He's going to be everywhere. So this offense is just going to take completely heavy, like three steps forward and Rome doesn't even have to do that much. But as long as he plays his role as the go getter, red zone, anything, he's going to make a difference on that team. And I'm not saying he's going to be the direct reason Chicago's offense is so much better, but I'll be up there.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: I mean, I really don't think Roma dudes as far away from being the obviously needs to prove at the NFL level, but he is not far from being the best receiver on that team, in my opinion.
[00:16:14] Speaker C: My other receiver is Brock Bowers on the Raiders.
[00:16:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: Raiders haven't had a great offense recently. They still won't have a good quarterback, but they've got Zamir White, obviously a step down from Josh Jacobs. But Brock Bowers, along with Devontae Adams are going to be a great receiving duo. And I'm not saying they're going to be that much better on offense, but he's definitely gonna be a difference maker. And I think he could be the core of that offense for a couple years.
[00:16:43] Speaker A: Absolutely. Connor, what do you think?
[00:16:45] Speaker B: I have a few players and I kinda wanna stay away from the wide receiver because like, that's also like a huge kind of thing. Cause I mean, you could talk about guys like Marvin Harrison or like Malik Nabors, all that kind of stuff, but two players for me, I'm gonna stick it in the NSC east. And one, I mean, I'm just as the. I'm just going to say for the Eagles in that, that secondary last year who was one of the worst in the league and I mean, even with, even without injuries, outside was really rough with that, Darius lay, the inside was the slot, corner was rough because everybody was hurt. I think Quinone Mitchell will be huge kind of upgrade in general just because he can play outside and inside. He's, I mean, he's already quick enough, but he's very physical. I think he'll prove to have a really, I think will come onto the spot really fast when it comes to like, just a rookie rankings, stuff like that. And the second one that I think is going to be a really huge upgrade is Tyler Guyton for the Dallas Cowboys. I think with Tyron Smith leaving everything like that, they needed to shore up that blind side again. And I mean, everything I've been seeing in training camp and footage like that, Tyler Guyton has been that guy.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: He doesn't know how to turn guys and really good offensive lineman, it's, it's, it's crazy because when Tyler Smith came out and was like, oh, this guy's a foul machine. It's going to take him so long to be NFL ready. But he was a legit guard. Fast.
[00:18:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:06] Speaker A: So fast.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: So I think Tyler Guyton, I think he'll, he'll be one of the better offensive line throughout the season. I think. I think he'll be highly regarded as the years go on, but I think Tyler Guyton will be that guy.
[00:18:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Alex, what do you got?
[00:18:20] Speaker D: In the spirit of doing two? I'm going to start.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:18:22] Speaker D: By doing a defensive player from the first round, I'm going to go with Dallas Turner.
[00:18:26] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:18:26] Speaker D: From Alabama.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: I like it. Roll tide.
[00:18:28] Speaker D: Roll tide. That's right. And I think Dallas Turner is going to transform that Minnesota defense in a big way. And Minnesota, they really have a good track record of developing pass rushers. You have Everson Griffin, Daniel Hunter was pretty good when he was with the team last year. Now he's with Houston this year, and Houston needs him to be good besides him. Their run defense is terrible. But I think Dallas Turner is going to be huge in that division because if you look at the quarterbacks that they face now, boy, does that division look a lot better than it did a couple of years ago. You look down to Chicago, you have Caleb Williams down there. That's a high powered offense, especially in the wide receiver room.
[00:19:12] Speaker A: You're going to need that.
[00:19:13] Speaker D: He's a tough guy to sack, but you got big Dallas Turner, who I think can do it. And then Jordan love and the Packers. Packers, that's going to be another run heavy offense. Not so much as the Bears are going to be because they have DeAndre Swift there. DeAndre Swift, he's not going to run the ball 20 times a game most games, but I think the packers are going to do that with Josh Jacobs. They're going to run the ball right down the throats of their teams. They're going against. We'll see that in part against the Eagles this Friday. But in addition to that, you have the Detroit Lions, and I think that's who he fits against the best because the Detroit Lions, Jared Coff, preeminent pocket passer, and I think that he's going to have a tough time going against the pressure of Dallas Turner absolutely. He really could be a force, and I think he's going to be a great candidate for defensive player of the year. By the end of the year. We're going to look at and we're going to say Dallas Turner, he's going to be the defensive player of the year.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: Defensive player of the year or defensive.
[00:20:11] Speaker D: Rookie rookie of the year. Pardon me.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: Okay, there we go.
[00:20:13] Speaker D: Now we're talking defensive rookie of the year. Pardon me. But I think that's we're going to look back on and say that's the best defensive rookie in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball. I think we could look at a couple of guys, but I'm going to look at one guy in particular that I think is going to is a little bit under the radar for his impact.
[00:20:28] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:20:29] Speaker D: And that's going to be Malik neighbors.
[00:20:30] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:20:30] Speaker D: Of the Giants, Malik neighbors. They need somebody in New York that can catch the ball consistently. Their number two wide receiver this year might be Darius Slayton, number two, but they.
Daniel Jones needs someone to throw the ball to. It's this is a prove it year for Daniel Jones, if there hasn't been one already. And he needs this year to be great. And I think Brian Dable is going to be on the hot seat a little bit this year. And I think Malik neighbors is going to be a guy that can catch you 100, 110 passes a year. I think we're going to have to see that in his first year in the NFL. Absolutely how that turns out. But he's gonna be a big addition to that offense.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. Well, we're gonna go to break for just a little bit. I do want to get my rookie picks forced in here, so I'll start after break with that. But for now, see you guys in a few minutes.
Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa hey, everybody, welcome back to the student section. We're gonna continue our talk. Well, I guess round out our talk about rookie outlooks for this year.
Just as a quick recap, Evan, you had remind me real quick of who your rookies were.
[00:21:54] Speaker C: I had Brock Bowers and Romo doomsday.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: Romo dose.
[00:21:59] Speaker C: And I also want to shout out Adenine Mitchell. And on the Colts.
[00:22:05] Speaker A: So the goal was to have two.
[00:22:07] Speaker B: He had four.
[00:22:08] Speaker A: Evan ended up with four.
[00:22:10] Speaker D: Fifth one was Terry and Arnold.
[00:22:11] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:22:12] Speaker B: Oh, I should.
[00:22:14] Speaker A: Alex, quick reminder. What were yours?
[00:22:16] Speaker D: So mine was Dallas Turner on the Vikings and then my lake neighbors on the Giants.
[00:22:20] Speaker A: All right. And then mine was an eagle from.
[00:22:24] Speaker B: Connor Rolls, Tyler Guyton on the Cowboys and Quinon Mitchell on the Eagles.
[00:22:28] Speaker A: Shout out you for at least putting a cowboy on there. I can respect that.
[00:22:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:31] Speaker A: At least a little bit. But so for me, my first one, and this is definitely a layup, but Marvin Harrison junior with the Cardinals, I think is going to make an immediate and a serious impact.
Widely talked about as one of the best wide receiver recruits we've ever seen, if not the. And you know, I think I gotta stand by that. I think with Kyler Murray healthy, I think they're gonna figure out how to get him the ball. And so again, layup. I won't spend too much time.
Excuse me, on that one, but I was gonna say lauda Lottu. That was my favorite edge coming out of this draft.
[00:23:10] Speaker B: Evan had to pick four people.
[00:23:11] Speaker A: Yeah, Evan, that had to go literally three over on our prospect because you just not want to be wrong, just want to have enough to like, give yourself a buffer to.
[00:23:20] Speaker C: I'm very confident in all my picks.
[00:23:21] Speaker B: When we pick the Super bowl winner, he's going to pick all 32 teams.
[00:23:24] Speaker A: Yeah, he's just like, oh, it's probably this guy, but it could be this and this and this and this and this and this. That's funny. Excuse me, but yeah, I mean, instead of LA two, I think my personal favorite. I would like to go defense here.
I'd probably lean.
Is there a.
I don't know, man. I might just go with La Delatu. That was my original pick. I'm just gonna stick with it. It's not even taste. I'll giggle it. Yeah, I'm gonna roll with Laya Dilatu.
[00:23:56] Speaker B: You can give him Layatu Latu. You could take Tarion Arnold.
[00:23:59] Speaker A: Yeah, there you go.
[00:23:59] Speaker C: That's my fourth. Tarion Arnold.
[00:24:01] Speaker A: Your fourth? There you go.
[00:24:01] Speaker C: Roll tide.
[00:24:02] Speaker A: But yeah. All right, we'll keep that in mind. I'm not gonna necessarily write them down, but I'm sure we can all remember who our I favorite rookies are going to be. With that being said, I think this will be the real, the real thing we're trying to get to in the show. Obviously, we are two days out now from Thursday night Football to kick off the season and we've got to get some full season predictions before we see any real NFL football. And we can kind of do this a lot of different ways.
I'm probably going to list off, you know, my top few, maybe my wild card pick for each. For each conference. But. But yeah.
Who wants to want to start with their.
[00:24:39] Speaker C: I have a bold prediction just for speaking on your Marvin Harrison. Kyler Murray. I know Kyler Murray's been getting some flack and been getting compared to some middle of the tier, middle of the road quarterbacks, and I think he's gonna come fired up, come with a fire in his gut, as Jonathan Gannon would say.
I think him and Marvin Harrison are gonna put on a show against the Bills dilapidated secondary.
I'm picking them to win.
[00:25:06] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:25:07] Speaker C: Taylor rap, Demar Hamlin, Razul Douglas and Christian Benford. Taran Johnson.
Great player.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah.
[00:25:17] Speaker C: He's their only real.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: He's really a slot guy, too. Exactly. He's a great place.
[00:25:21] Speaker C: Pretty close to the bottom linebacker.
[00:25:23] Speaker A: I don't know if I'm not necessarily agreeing with you that the Cardinals are gonna beat the bills, but I see where you're coming from, from, from the matchup.
[00:25:28] Speaker C: I think that offense on the Cardinals has some potential to put on a show, especially with.
Did they get Kool Aid? No, no, no. Koolaid's on the Saints.
[00:25:38] Speaker B: Saints.
[00:25:39] Speaker C: I wanted the Cardinals to get Koolaid, but even still, the Bulls throwing offense is not gonna be as good this year. They lost, I think, a top five receiver in Stefan Diggs.
[00:25:49] Speaker A: Top five.
[00:25:50] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:25:51] Speaker C: Over the past five years he's been a top five or so.
[00:25:54] Speaker A: We're talking about five years in the past. We got. No, no, two years in the past he's been that. In the past two years he's been.
[00:26:01] Speaker C: Maybe I'm speaking as a biased Dolphins fan, but him against Xavier Chase.
[00:26:06] Speaker A: Justin Jefferson.
[00:26:07] Speaker B: AJ Brown.
[00:26:08] Speaker A: AJ Brown.
[00:26:10] Speaker B: CD Lamb.
[00:26:11] Speaker A: CD Lamb. I mean, he can't be top five.
[00:26:13] Speaker C: He's been top five in my opinion. I think he's been a great receiver.
[00:26:17] Speaker B: All right, now, I will agree with you. I do think the Cardinals will probably beat the bills.
I think they will. Just because, I mean, the Cardinals running game in general, it's usually pretty good, especially with James Connor in the backfield and. You mean you got Trey Benson? I didn't. Haven't been paying attention to see what he's looked like in preseason, but I.
[00:26:35] Speaker A: Really, I think he's probably looked good. I think he's one of those guys that he is an athletic freak. You kind of know at least a little bit what you're going to get out of him early on.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: But I do think that rushing attack, I mean, it was good last year, too. That's how they killed the Cowboys and that's how they beat the Eagles. So I think that rushing attack will be a huge like, staple to lean on. And I think Trey McBride is going to just keep feeding over into his second year and having another great tight end season. And then, I mean, yeah, Marvin Harrison, I still think he's going to be a great pass catcher, even for a rookie.
[00:27:03] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:27:04] Speaker B: So I do think that offense will be significantly, significantly better than what the Bills offense looks like right now.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:12] Speaker B: I mean, you have Josh Allen, you have James Cook. The O line is still iffy. I wouldn't say it's great, but like, you know, you have like, guys like Deon Dawkins and other people, people like that who could hold up, but I mean, their weapons, they have Dalton Kincaid. You have Dawson Knox. Yeah. Good, good past catching tight ends, but nothing crazy. I mean, you got Khalil Shakur, Shakir, you got Curtis Samuel, you got Keon Coleman. There's not a lot of great number one pass catchers on the bills right now, and I think Keon Coleman won't be that kind of guy.
[00:27:43] Speaker A: I think Khalil Shakir is probably gonna get the most targets.
[00:27:45] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:27:45] Speaker A: And also, we also can't forget about Dalton Kincaida. Dalton Kincaid is a pretty talented receiving tight end who is young.
[00:27:51] Speaker C: I'm going to be honest, I forgot they had envious. I know he's got some drop issues, but he's a playmaker when it comes down to it.
[00:27:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:58] Speaker B: I just think it's going to take time for Keon Coleman and development for him to become a solid receiver in the NFL just because, I mean, he's got the hands, he's got the frame, he's got everything. It's just his separation really needs work and I mean, the whole like, release and kind of that he does. He needs a route tree and so without that, I think you'll be a great red zone thread. But other than that, he won't be the number one guy that the Bills need.
[00:28:21] Speaker D: Yeah, I think the Bills will win that game. I think the Bills are going to have a good season if we start with the predictions here.
[00:28:25] Speaker A: I think the bills, yeah, let's get a little more. Let's go more with our predictions.
[00:28:31] Speaker D: Okay. But on the bills front, I think I would take that offense, at least that wide receiver room. I hate to compare them back to the Steelers, but I'm going to compare back to the Steelers. I would take their receiving room over the Steelers wide receiving room in a heartbeat. And I. Yeah, and I think that they, that receiving room is, they're going to have some guys emerge. Keon Coleman can emerge. We're going to have could be Shakir, depending on who gets more of those targets. But you have Josh Allen. Josh Allen, that's a top three quarterback.
[00:28:58] Speaker A: In the NFL that every single team in the league is looking for, is a good quarterback and a good defense. And I think the Bills are going to have access to both of those things. I think McDermott, they've never had a bad defense. Exactly. I know that the secondary personnel maybe isn't ideal, but I really believe in that guy's ability to put together a good defense. And it's pretty tough to argue with when you have Josh Allen on the other side of the ball.
[00:29:21] Speaker C: I think all these receivers that he has, they're all kind of middle of the tier guys. And Josh Allen is a great quarterback, but he's not the kind of great quarterback that gets all that production out of bad receivers. I think he's a guy who needs someone who can be open or I.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: Think, I disagree with you.
[00:29:40] Speaker B: I disagree with you.
[00:29:41] Speaker A: Finish.
[00:29:41] Speaker C: He's a home run kind of guy. He's going to get you those big plays. But if we've seen, if he needs to throw in a tight coverage, pick central, he's led the.
[00:29:51] Speaker B: I don't know that's bad Josh Allen.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: I mean, we've seen it throwing into tight coverage.
[00:30:02] Speaker B: From what we've seen. We've seen him throw two receivers in tight coverage and they dropped the ball. Yeah, we've seen that all the time. I mean, yes, he gets a little trigger happy and throws terrible interceptions, but he can put it where he wants it.
[00:30:13] Speaker A: It's a hero ball mode. When he feels that he needs to, and there's a good portion of the time where it is a situation that would dictate hero ball. But at the same time, I think that room is good enough. Your quarterback is phenomenal. He is a otherworldly talented, and at the end of the day, if you can, you know, that offensive line stays solid and you can still run the ball. That's going to be a huge part of it. And again, a good defense and a good quarterback, those are the two things. Those are the two tools on the ground.
[00:30:44] Speaker D: This guy last year, 15 touchdowns. 15 touchdowns on the ground. He contributed for 44 throughout the year because he had 29 passing touchdowns.
[00:30:53] Speaker A: That's unreal.
[00:30:54] Speaker D: This guy is going to take the team on his back and I think, I'm going to say it right now, they win the division. That's my, that's my pick.
[00:31:03] Speaker A: You just made Evans blood boil. I think with that.
[00:31:06] Speaker C: So with that, I'll move to my AFC east pick, the Miami Dolphins. Twelve and five to non flat.
[00:31:13] Speaker A: Oh, good lord.
So actually let's what we should roll with that, though. You like the bills out of the AFC east? We're going to try to cover our.
[00:31:22] Speaker D: I like the Bills a lot. I like the Bills a lot. I think them getting rid of Stefan Diggs might be end up being the best thing that's happened to them going into the playoffs. Because as we saw at the end of last year, the phasing out of Stefan Diggs from their offense, they ended up getting into the playoffs after having a brutal first half of the year. They fired Ken Dorsey and then from there they've really been on a good trajectory. I think that will carry into this season. You have some new guys that you're adding to the mix. Dalton Kincaid's the top tight end and they're going to use them like it.
[00:31:49] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:31:49] Speaker D: This season. And if you look elsewhere in the division, there's a lot of question marks with the Jets. I don't love the jets this year. I think that they're going to be a playoff team. I'll say their playoff team, but I don't. I think there's too much uncertainty. Too much uncertainty offensively. What is Aaron Rodgers going to look like in this, this season? What's he going to look like? Is Garrett Wilson going to emerge as one of those once again, one of those top wide receivers in the NFL? What's breeze hall going to do? Because Breece hall could have a lot of potential to take over Patriots. I think we can all can agree the Patriots will probably be at the bottom of that division, maybe at the.
[00:32:24] Speaker A: Bottom of the league. If they're not.
[00:32:25] Speaker D: I think they. Yeah, I think they probably will be. And it's. I think it's a good thing they're not playing. Drake may he can learn from the veteran jacobi percent.
[00:32:31] Speaker A: You don't want to ruin that confidence.
[00:32:32] Speaker D: You don't ruin that confidence. That team is terrible.
[00:32:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:36] Speaker D: Especially they got rid of Judah and Judah. I probably wanted it out.
[00:32:39] Speaker A: You probably.
[00:32:39] Speaker D: Yeah, it was, it was for the best. So I'm gonna go patriots at the bottom.
[00:32:44] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:32:45] Speaker D: I'm gonna go jeth. Jets third. I'm going to go Dolphins second.
[00:32:48] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:32:49] Speaker D: And I'm going to go bills at the top.
[00:32:52] Speaker A: Bill's top.
[00:32:53] Speaker D: I was going to say Steelers, but bills.
[00:32:55] Speaker B: This division is always tough to predict because like the Dolphins, they usually have good talent, but they can never win big games. We see that years, I mean, from experience.
So, I mean, I would love to put the Dolphins up there because, I mean, it's hard to say, hey, you have Tyree kill. You have tuo, you got Jalen Waddle, you got re moster Devin to chain. You have all these guys. I mean, you even have on paper, a decent to good secondary. It's hard to say, hey, they're going to win. They're not going to win the division. But we also have Mike McDaniel, who again, has never really won anything big. I mean, same with the Dolphins. So I'm probably, I was saying the Bills are probably going to lose to the Cardinals, but I would. I kind of agree. Yeah, I think the Bills probably still going to come out on top.
[00:33:37] Speaker A: Do you have them out of the east?
[00:33:39] Speaker C: I'd like to make my case for the Dolphins now. I'm going to say jets are going to jet. Jets are going to be at the bottom.
[00:33:45] Speaker B: I've at the bottom.
[00:33:46] Speaker A: The Patriots are going to be a better football team.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Wilson, Mike, lock it in.
[00:33:52] Speaker C: Lock it in.
[00:33:54] Speaker D: You're a seven wins last year. Yes, it's seven wins last year with the worst quarterback play probably in the NFL.
[00:34:00] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:34:01] Speaker C: Lock it in.
[00:34:02] Speaker A: I mean, we're talking about a top three defense.
Any top three defense ever finished in the bottom of their division. How often has that happened?
It's gotta be rare.
[00:34:14] Speaker C: But I'm not confident in the jets. They've never shown much progression. I know Aaron Rodgers is coming back, but all reports coming out have said his coming back has been the most dysfunctional that the jets franchise has been in a long time.
[00:34:30] Speaker A: I have heard that the vibes and the jets organization have been pretty bad.
[00:34:33] Speaker B: And, but, I mean, the vibes in the Patriots might just be even worse just because nobody in there is good.
[00:34:39] Speaker A: I don't even think the vibes are. I would bet the vibes are fine. Well, this is a funny conversation to be having, but, you know, if you're the jets, you're in this. You're in this weird balance of we're supposed to be good, but we're not. There's a lot of pressure on certain people. A lot of pressure. Probably being implicated by Aaron Rodgers himself. I would be surprised if he was having no impact on that.
But then, that being said, the Patriots just don't have the roster to hang with the rest of those AFC east teams, in my opinion.
[00:35:08] Speaker C: I don't think the jet, I mean, Patriots have a great roster, but I'm confident in the new coaching coming in. I'm confident in the new culture I'm not saying that's going to make them a good team. I'm still saying maybe seven games. But I just don't think the jets are going to be that good if they're above. I think it's within two games and then Bills and Dolphins is going to be a tight race. I think Dolphins are going to come out on top just because Bills have gotten worse. I think Dolphins got better from last year and I agree they've had struggles to in the weather. McDaniel in big games. He needs to learn how to manage games better. But I think they've been making a lot of progress. And that coaching room has stayed together for a good almost three years now and no one's really left. They've all been getting better together. And the progression from McDaniel's first year to even preseason training camp, now you've seen the difference. And I'm very confident in the Dolphins.
[00:36:06] Speaker A: Alright, so we've got Bills Connor, Bills Alex, Dolphins Evan. Correct. Mm hmm. I, I mean, my thought is the bills, I'm gonna go ahead and roll that. I do think I have, this may be crazy. I do think I'm going to have the bills at one. I'm going to have the jets at two.
[00:36:24] Speaker B: I'm not upset at that.
[00:36:25] Speaker A: The Dolphins at three.
[00:36:27] Speaker B: I do think the jets could, I mean, they could easily win this division with the talent they have on this roster.
[00:36:32] Speaker A: That is largely me believing in a very productive season from Aaron Rodgers. That could obviously go both ways, but just with where I'm at, I think he's going to be productive, but yeah. So three, with bills on top, Jets a lot of different places.
Dolphins still a consensus? Largely consensus. Top two, I've got him at three. We'll see what happens. I could be wrong, but that being said, we've got to keep moving through these divisions.
[00:36:56] Speaker B: AFC south.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Let's go to the AFC south.
Who wants to start there?
[00:37:02] Speaker C: I know Alex has a take about the AFC south song.
[00:37:06] Speaker D: I think Houston's not going to win the AFC south this year. I think Houston's going to have a sophomore slump under CJ Stroud.
[00:37:13] Speaker A: So do you think the. Sorry, I'll let you make your prediction.
[00:37:15] Speaker D: So I'm gonna go with Indianapolis. Indianapolis to win the division, I think under Anthony Richardson, hopefully. Well, if they win the division, he's gonna have to be healthy this season. Right? Which my hope is that he is. And they still have Jonathan Taylor, they have Michael Pittman who's who. He's just gonna feed the ball to absolutely feed the ball to and Josh Downs I think will step up as a good secondary wide receiver.
[00:37:37] Speaker A: I think that that team is very talented.
[00:37:38] Speaker D: That team is exciting. They really are exciting. And I think that they will take the first game of the year, first game of the year. They have Houston coming to Indianapolis. I think Houston wins that game, but then they lose the division in the end to Indy. Because I think Indy over the course of the year they have a young team. I think they're really going to get going under Shane Steichen and they're going to end up coming and win the division.
[00:38:03] Speaker A: I think Shane Steichen is going to to be a big difference maker in Indianapolis with Anthony Richardson.
[00:38:08] Speaker D: Absolutely. And I think that it's just going to be one playoff team coming from the AFC South. I don't think Houston even makes the playoffs. You are crazy.
I feel that badly about Houston. I think they win nine games. I think they go nine and seven. They miss the playoffs. I think Jacksonville is right behind them, followed by the Titans.
[00:38:29] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:38:30] Speaker B: I'm not going to go that far. I do think. I do think the AFC south is very deep this year. And I think, I mean, the Colts, they get ar back. I think that team in general just looking a lot better. The Texans, I mean, they just did an insane work this offseason adding Stefan Diggs. I mean, who kind of known around.
[00:38:50] Speaker A: The league, top five receiver apparently.
[00:38:52] Speaker B: Apparently. But he's kind of a weird locker room guy. You don't know where he's going to be and I think that could really do, that could really lead to a part of the sophomore slump. But I don't think that's going to be the case. Still have the Texans, but I think one team that everybody is kind of sleeping on.
I really like the Titans.
I really like will Levis. I like the. I mean, I don't think the O line is great, but I still think it's there. You got Tony Paulo, you got Taj Spears, you got Calvin Ridley, Deandre Hopkins in the wide receiver room. The tight end room. Who's the tight? I forget who the tight end is for.
[00:39:24] Speaker A: Who?
[00:39:24] Speaker B: The Titans.
[00:39:25] Speaker A: For the Titans. It's, I believe is still Chigozy and McConquo, correct?
[00:39:29] Speaker B: I think so, yeah. So I think it's him. But then you also add a guy like legerious need to the secondary, right? I think you added a lot of good stuff in the onto that defense side of the ball. New coaching staff. I think the Titans will be sneaky and I think they'll be battling for the Colts for that second spot.
[00:39:44] Speaker A: So you have Texans coming out on top and then a battle between the Colts and the Titans for the two.
[00:39:48] Speaker B: Gotcha. I think the Jaguars are gonna have a rough season without any real. It's gonna be like, what, Gabe Davis and a bunch of wide receiver twos?
[00:39:54] Speaker A: I would bet Brian Thomas junior actually has a pretty good season.
[00:39:57] Speaker C: I know they've got Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, Brian Thomas, evan Abram, a bunch of in Duvernay.
[00:40:02] Speaker A: It's gonna be a very interesting division this year.
[00:40:03] Speaker B: It's a very sidekick kind of wide receiver room.
[00:40:08] Speaker A: I also think that the tight. Sorry, I don't mean interrupt you too much. I'll be quick. But I honestly think the Titans go for pretty confidently in the AFC south.
[00:40:14] Speaker B: Really?
[00:40:15] Speaker A: Yeah. I just like everyone else's situation so much better.
[00:40:18] Speaker B: I mean, I like the situation. I think one, I really do believe highly in Brian Thompson Thomas. That's why I drafted him. But I think. I do think the Titans will shock a lot of people just because, I mean, I feel like they've just gone so under the radar this offseason.
[00:40:33] Speaker A: Right.
[00:40:34] Speaker B: Especially adding guys like Calvin Ridley, Ligerius need.
[00:40:36] Speaker A: Right.
[00:40:37] Speaker B: And I mean everything else. I think Titans will be a very sneaky pick.
[00:40:41] Speaker A: 100%. Let's get our, before we go to break, let's get the AFC. Let's get an AFC south pick from you, Evan. Then I'll give mine. Then we'll go to break.
[00:40:49] Speaker C: Texans and Jags fighting for the top spot. Jags. They went eight and three last year before Trevor Lawrence got hurt. They've, he was saying sidekick, receiver room. I love Gabe Davis, Bryan Thomas junior. Evan Evan Ingram, Christian Kirk.
[00:41:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:41:04] Speaker C: Devin Duvernay. They still have Etienne Trevor Lawrence on that big contract. I'm really excited about that offense. And they have some good names on defense. They just got Eric Armstead, still have Devin Lloyd. I mean, still not a great defense, but yeah, I think that offense is going to definitely be up there in the AFC.
[00:41:23] Speaker B: That Divas is one of the reasons why they went. However many losses they had at the end of the year.
[00:41:28] Speaker C: Yeah, they had about like six to one. But Texans and Jags fighting for the top spot.
[00:41:33] Speaker A: I need one. You can't give me two for the top. I'm right in. Lee snacks.
[00:41:36] Speaker C: Texans.
[00:41:37] Speaker A: Texans. There we go.
[00:41:38] Speaker C: Texans.
[00:41:38] Speaker A: Jackson is a big fan of giving us multiple answers.
[00:41:42] Speaker C: I gotta be right. Colts in three. I don't.
I like Richardson, but what did he do with his arm last year? I think he had four passing touchdowns before he got here.
[00:41:52] Speaker B: He played like, he also played two games.
[00:41:54] Speaker C: Yeah, I like him, but I still need to see a little more. No, I don't.
[00:42:00] Speaker B: You're giving off every reason why you do not like him.
[00:42:02] Speaker C: Titans at four.
[00:42:03] Speaker A: All right, I can agree with Titans at four. I am. I won't give too much explanation cause everyone's done a pretty good job of showing why. Who's gonna be wherever. I honestly think there might be a slight sophomore slump from the Texans. I don't think it'll be quite as bad as Alex does, but I think it'll be just bad enough to have the Colts be the top of the ASC south. I'm just a big believer in Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen and a pretty solid defense on top of that. So that being said, we've got Colts from me and Alex and Texans from Connor and Evan, and we're going to do the rest of our picks when we come back from break.
Wvuafm Tuscaloosa, hey, everybody. Welcome back to the student section. We're going to continue with our general season outlooks for each division in the NFL. Leaving off, we had some pretty interesting ones. We had.
I believe we had, though I think the most interesting one by far was Alex saying that the Texans are going to miss the playoffs in this next year.
[00:43:24] Speaker D: We just talked about how good that division is. It's going to be tough.
[00:43:26] Speaker A: We did it is going to. It's such an interesting division. There are some question marks in there, but at the end of the day, there are some pretty good rosters there. And yeah, we ended up having Alex take the Colts. I took the Colts and we had Conor and Evan take the Texans.
Let's go ahead and finish up quick with the AFC. We've still got the north and the west to do. Let's go and do the AFC north for Alex.
Alex, who do you have coming out of the AFC north?
[00:43:50] Speaker D: As a Steeler fan, that pains me. I have two playoff teams. I'm going to go Ravens number one. I think Lamar's going to have another mvp caliber season. Bengals at two. Bengals will make the playoffs, I think, and then the Steelers at three, Browns at four. Because of the Browns.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: Because they're the Browns bold.
[00:44:07] Speaker C: I have that exact same lineup. I'm excited for you guys all have.
[00:44:10] Speaker A: The Browns being fourth. Wow.
[00:44:12] Speaker C: We have ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Browns. I'm excited for Joe Burrow to come back. He definitely had a down year. Also getting injured last year. I'm excited for that offense to make a revitalization.
[00:44:23] Speaker B: So I think there's going to be multiple teams out of the AFC south that make the play playoffs.
[00:44:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:44:28] Speaker B: And I think there will be one team out of the AFC north that make the playoffs and I think that team will be the Ravens. I mean, you, that team is just so much better that feel like everybody else. The Bengals, I mean, they don't have Jamar Chase and I mean, t Higgins is going to be there, but you already know he wants out, so he's not going to. I don't think he's going to be truly locked in. Locked in like he usually is, fighting for like a new contract all the time. So I honestly think it's probably going to go Ravens, Browns, Bengals, Steelers, ravens bound.
[00:44:56] Speaker A: Browns, Bengals, Steelers.
[00:44:58] Speaker C: Yeah, I like the Browns team. It's just their quarterback situation. I'm not too sure about that. Deshaun Watson has not been.
[00:45:03] Speaker B: Oh, I completely agree about Deshaun Watson, but I mean.
[00:45:08] Speaker A: I am much more inclined to have the Steelers at four than the Browns. Personally. The Browns have such a good defense. And don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of things to be figured out offensively. But at the end of the day, you've got a Mario Cooper, you've got Jerry Judy.
[00:45:22] Speaker C: Now Kareem Hunt coming back week four.
[00:45:24] Speaker A: Kareem Hunt.
I just like him a little bit better.
[00:45:28] Speaker C: Not Kareem Hunt, Steelers. I mean, coming back four or five.
[00:45:30] Speaker A: Oh, duh. Yeah.
So, yeah, so I think everyone's gonna take Ravens here. The Ravens are just, I mean, the Ravens are. You're asking about them for a Super bowl contender, you know what I mean?
[00:45:41] Speaker B: If they hand the ball off this time.
[00:45:43] Speaker A: That's true. And you would think they would when Derek Henry is on the roster, you would hope so. So all or nothing on the Ravens. If we're wrong about that, it's a bad look for everybody, but let's finish out the AFC with the west.
[00:45:56] Speaker B: Shocker, guys. I'm going Chiefs.
[00:45:59] Speaker A: I think I'm gonna go Chiefs as well.
[00:46:02] Speaker D: I have to go Chiefs as well. And I think Chiefs are the only team. Chiefs are the only team that make the playoffs from the west. So I only have one playoff team from the north and the west.
[00:46:11] Speaker A: Yeah. No, it's fair. From north.
North and the south.
[00:46:15] Speaker C: I thought he was about to shake it up. I'm not going to either.
[00:46:18] Speaker A: Chiefs. Yeah.
[00:46:19] Speaker C: Raiders, Broncos, Chargers. I don't think the Raiders are going to be good, but I'm excited for their future. I think they come out maybe like eight, nine wins and be set up for the future.
[00:46:29] Speaker B: I think the Raiders will be a sneaky team that nobody wants to face later on in the year, but I don't think they're gonna be like anything.
[00:46:35] Speaker A: Serious playoff wise, especially with the, when they used the puppet or the Kermit the frog puppet imitating Patrick Holmes. Yeah, I guarantee I can't wait for that to cycle back around when that first game comes up. It's going to be exciting.
[00:46:46] Speaker C: But what's up, Broncos, too? I don't think it'll be a great team, but I'm very excited to see Bo Nix put in that situation. I think that's a great situation.
[00:46:57] Speaker A: Yeah, I would kind of agree.
That's the AFC covered. And again, just for the listeners, we're writing all this down. I'm excited to keep track of this and, you know, see where everyone's standing with all their picks towards the end. But with that, let's go to the NFC and go ahead and start the north pretty again, we've talked about a little bit earlier, pretty interesting division over there. You've got the Bears having just had Caleb Williams and seemingly stacked offense in a very talented defense. The Packers Jordan love off a breakout year, Jared Goff and the Lions being a just missing the Super bowl and then you have the Vikings.
[00:47:34] Speaker B: It's tough because I want to go the Lions. I think the Lions just have the best, the best roster in this division. Yeah, significantly. But I think there is a really good shot. The Bears could also do that if Caleb Williams really I, because I think that defense is the best defense, at least in the NFC north. And so I I will stay with that.
[00:47:55] Speaker A: So you can go bears.
[00:47:56] Speaker B: I'm going to go lines, but I'm saying I think there's a really good shot that it's like last game of the season, they're fighting for the number one spot. And I just think, I think Caleb Williams will start off kind of slow. I mean, that's how all, usually all.
[00:48:08] Speaker A: Rookie squarebacks, rookie qbs don't have good first seasons. That's just CJ Stroud. But I mean, that's the point. He's the exception and also he has a very different game than Caleb Williams.
[00:48:17] Speaker B: No, I know. I completely agree. But you just look at, you're throwing a Keenan Allen, you're throwing a roman doomsday. You're throwing to Cole Comet, you're throwing to DJ Moore. You have DeAndre Swift who can catch and run out of the backfield. The O line looks really good. So it. I mean, I feel like everything is set up in place for him to have. I mean, even if he plays okay, I mean, he's going to be better quarterback than Sam Darnold. He's going to be better than.
[00:48:41] Speaker A: I think everyone's confidently having the Vikings at the bottom of this division.
[00:48:44] Speaker B: Yeah. So I'm going to go Lions, Bears, Packers, Vikings. And I think the packers could also be in that mix for the top as well.
[00:48:53] Speaker D: I couldn't agree more. Same. I have the same four and I think the Lions are going to have a great season. It's tough for them. I think they could actually go ten and o. I think they'll be the last team that's left undefeated this year.
[00:49:04] Speaker A: I actually don't mind that. Yeah. There's their style of football. It's so sustainable. If they can really keep that up, it's, they're looking for a.
[00:49:12] Speaker D: That style is nostalgic. That's the love of the game. And Dan Campbell instills it in those guys. A top coach in the league and that team is going to got better going.
[00:49:23] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. That's a team that had everybody who they wanted to return and then added a few more on top of that. So we got everyone's Lions so far. Are we going to be all lions here, Evan?
[00:49:32] Speaker C: All Lions. Same exact picks. Lion. Bears back. Lions. Bears. Packers. Vikings. I think those top three teams all make the playoffs.
[00:49:40] Speaker A: Interesting. So, yeah, you got the Bears being over the packers for this season.
[00:49:44] Speaker C: Bears over the Packers. I see them as the Texans of this year. I think they make at least one. I think they win at least one play.
[00:49:51] Speaker B: I think two teams from the NSC north come out of this division and it's going to be the Bears.
[00:49:56] Speaker A: Lions.
[00:49:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Bears. Lions.
[00:49:58] Speaker A: I like the packers too much. I think the packers can outplay the Bears. But, but again, we're talking about actually.
[00:50:04] Speaker B: Seven spots now, right?
[00:50:06] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:50:06] Speaker B: Oh, so then actually I agree with you. Three spots.
[00:50:08] Speaker A: Okay. Fair enough.
So that covers the north. And again, also very similar to the AFC north. Everyone has the exact same north predictions being Ravens and Lions. Let's go ahead and go to the east.
Oh, boy.
[00:50:21] Speaker B: Oh boy.
[00:50:22] Speaker A: This is an interesting one.
I think.
I don't know. I think we'll all relatively be on the same page about this one for the NFC specifically.
[00:50:30] Speaker B: I think one team makes the playoffs in this division and I think that team is Eagles. I agree. Like I know everybody was saying there's a lot of question marks, but I think there's also, I mean, we know what the Cowboys have and a lot of the time it's not like anything world shattering.
[00:50:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:50:48] Speaker B: Yes, they have one of the best receivers in the league. Cd lamb Dak Prescott, who has been known to put up numbers within regular season games when it doesn't matter. The defense looks a little shaky in my opinion. They just lost their own bland for almost half the year and I just think Eagles with the offense of the offensive line they have. And I know you're not replacing guys like Jason Kelsey, but Cam, I mean Jason Kelsey recruited Cam Juergens. He land he learned under Jason Kelsey. He also has one of the best o line coaches in the league with Jeff Stoutland. I think that aligned with Saquon Barkley in the backfield. Jalen hurts who everybody has been raving about this entire training camp. Just seeing how locked in, how locked in he's been. I mean, you also have AJ Brown, Devontae Smith and Jahan Dotson that nobody will be able to line up against. And I think that defense, who was also one of the worst pass even in the league last year, made huge upgrades getting CJ Gardner Johnson back.
I mean you still have Reed blankenship and I hope Sidney Brown comes back really closer or like halfway through the season. And I mean, I think the corner room is a lot better. Keely Ringo developed over a huge amount of time and I have the Eagles.
[00:51:55] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:51:55] Speaker B: Sorry I took a minute.
[00:51:56] Speaker A: I have the Eagles. All right. Who saw that coming? Who would have thought? Congress going to take the Eagles?
Alex, let's go to you next. I want to see what your NFC east pick is.
[00:52:06] Speaker D: I like the Cowboys this year. I think the Cowboys are actually going to be the best they've been in a while and they could. Let me say this right now, they could win the Super bowl now. Any team could win the Super bowl, obviously. But I'm saying that the Cowboys this year, this is their best shot at winning a Super bowl that they have right now. Everything is on the line for them this year. They have Dak Prescott not having another year on his contract. So they also have their coach that's on the last year of his deal and on the hot seat. On the hot seat. So this is everyone is competing for their jobs. If this doesn't work this year, everything is blown up except cd lamb. Who stan?
[00:52:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:52:45] Speaker D: So I think this is the Cowboys year. I think the Eagles will be two in the division. I think they'll make the playoffs.
[00:52:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:52:52] Speaker D: I think I just have question marks as to what their offense is going to look like under Kellen Moore. We've saw how bad it was last year under Brian. Not bad, but inconsistent as it was.
[00:53:03] Speaker A: Very Brian and a very questionable defense.
[00:53:05] Speaker D: On the other side.
It's a young defense that is a lot of old players mixed in on it. Yes, a lot of old players mixed in on it. And we talked before the game about Vic Fangio's defense, what that's going to look like. We'll see what happens. We'll see what happens because they might have the guys to pull it off, but Giants three, commanders, four.
[00:53:24] Speaker A: Right.
[00:53:25] Speaker B: I'm taking commanders over Giants, by the way.
[00:53:27] Speaker D: The Giants last year almost had nine wins. They lost, I think three, one.
[00:53:31] Speaker A: I like Giants over the commanders personally as well. Yeah, let's see. Evan, him.
[00:53:37] Speaker C: I agree with what Alex was saying about this has to be the year. I think it has to be, but it won't be. I don't have them making the playoffs. Eagles Cowboys commanders, big Jaden Daniels fan? I'm, I'm very excited to see what he can do. And then Giants in the bottom.
[00:53:52] Speaker B: I think Dak Prescott will be traded halfway through the season because I don't think the Dallas Cowboys will get on that heart.
[00:53:57] Speaker A: Why would they trade Dak Prescott halfway through the season?
[00:53:59] Speaker B: Because if he's, they already know they're not going to sign with him. There's no reason to keep them when you're not going to get anything back. And if they start off the way they do, what, the way that they might, which is very slow, very not great. I think the best thing within the office or whatever, get something while you can for Dak Prescott or just let him walk.
[00:54:21] Speaker A: I would be incredibly surprised if they trade Dak Prescott halfway through the season.
[00:54:25] Speaker D: By their bye week by week is week seven.
[00:54:28] Speaker A: That is week seven.
[00:54:29] Speaker D: So they have six games. I think they're going to come out for at least four and two from those six.
[00:54:33] Speaker A: Yeah. What are those games, if you don't mind?
[00:54:35] Speaker D: Browns, Saints, Ravens, Giants, Steelers, Bears. Not bears, but Lions.
[00:54:40] Speaker B: All great defenses.
[00:54:41] Speaker A: You can get four?
[00:54:43] Speaker D: Yeah, I think so. I think they'll beat the Cleveland. I think they'll beat the Saints.
[00:54:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:54:47] Speaker D: I mean, Baltimore and Detroit. Maybe you take one of those two.
[00:54:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I think, I think you could argue that you take, you could, you could lose both of those games. I think it's very possible, but I.
[00:54:56] Speaker B: Still think, I think they're three and three after that.
[00:54:58] Speaker D: And they're two toughest games. Lions and ravens. Those are at home.
[00:55:01] Speaker A: Both at home. That's actually, that's good to know. But real quick, I'm just gonna get my pick and we can keep talking about this, but I am gonna get my pick in. Mine is also going to be the Cowboys.
I've expressed before about my uncertainties with the Eagles and the concerns that I have for them. And again, I've generally been pretty anti Nick Sirianni over the course of this, but yeah, my pick is going to be the Cowboys. Do we have any else we want to talk about for the NFC east before we move on?
All right, let's go hit the NFC south.
Who wants to start this one off?
[00:55:33] Speaker B: I don't think it'll be very fun. I mean, I think it will go entertaining. One Falcons, Bucks. I think pandas and states will be battling for last place.
[00:55:42] Speaker A: Yeah. So Falcons, your pick?
[00:55:44] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm very excited for that Falcons offense. I'm big, I like Kirk a lot and hopefully they can finally unlock Kyle Pitts. It's been five years incoming. Yeah, this is gonna be their year. At least ten wins and then I agree. Buckshe Panthers and then Saints.
[00:56:02] Speaker A: All righty, Alex.
[00:56:05] Speaker D: I like the exact same. The exact same. I think Falcons, buccaneers, Panthers and Saints. I think the Saints, they're going to blow everything up. I think you'll see Dennis Allen will be gone out the door by the end of before the end of the season and they're going to have to shift some things up in the front office.
[00:56:20] Speaker A: I would agree. I am mostly going to take the falcon to the top as much as it hurts.
That being said, I will have, I'm going to confidently have the Panthers at three. I would very much consider them at two. Obviously, maybe a little bit of bias.
[00:56:35] Speaker B: There, but I think Spencer Rattler finishes off the season for the Saints.
[00:56:40] Speaker D: I agree.
[00:56:41] Speaker A: Do we think he'll finish it off?
[00:56:42] Speaker B: Well, I think he'll finish off the season.
[00:56:45] Speaker A: Fair enough.
[00:56:45] Speaker B: Don't know if it'll be good or not.
[00:56:47] Speaker A: I can be okay with that. I am. I've been staunch about this. I think we're going to see a huge recovery from the Panthers. I do think that the Falcons have built a very good team, the NFC south and I. That's why I'm giving them the division. But I think we are going to see a massive difference between that two and 15 season last season from the Panthers. But now we got the AFC west and who wants to lead that one.
[00:57:09] Speaker B: Off two playoff teams? Pretty simple. 49 ers, Rams and then Seahawks, Cardinals.
[00:57:14] Speaker A: Yep. I'm definitely going 49 ers as well.
[00:57:18] Speaker D: I'm going to go. 49 ers, Rams, Cardinals, Seattle at the bottom.
[00:57:22] Speaker A: Seattle at the bottom. There you go.
[00:57:23] Speaker C: Exact same niners and Rams, playoffs, cards, hawks miss it.
[00:57:28] Speaker A: Alrighty. Wow. Hawks miss it.
[00:57:30] Speaker D: Same. I like the same two. Same two. I like that. Those two making the playoffs as well.
[00:57:34] Speaker A: I personally like the Seahawks there, but not, not to lead the division, obviously, but yeah, that's all of our predictions for the year. We did not get to our picks for this week, but we'll give ourselves the first week to learn a little bit more about all these, test the waters, yeah, and then get a little bit better.
[00:57:50] Speaker D: Next year, Baltimore will be Kansas City.
[00:57:52] Speaker A: That is, that's also where I agree.
[00:57:53] Speaker D: I would agree with Baltimore's won eight of their last nine opening games to start the year.
[00:57:57] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's just something about Kansas City and I think it's just, I think they'll still be good, but it's just how it's going to start out. That being said, though, thank you, everybody so much for listening. We'll be back at the same time next week and we'll see how all these predictions look after week one. But for now, everyone have a great week.
Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
