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[Assistant] I hear ya. We're just talking about football-wise. You know Bill Belichick as well as anybody, when Cam comes back, do you think it's still, alright, nice to have you back, you're the guy? Or how much do you think he'll get dinged here for missing these few days?


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[Assistant] With the situation that we talked about in Chicago and San Francisco, it feels like, with the vets, you're thinking, okay, if they do get the start, it's a short leash, because we're going to one of these exciting, promising guys if you don't perform the way you should. Same in New England, even though it's firmly camped now, if it's one and one, and he's been a little shaky.


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[Assistant] Okay, let's move on to the one team that I think is truly a 50-50. I'm looking forward to hearing which one of these two guys. I'm not excited about either one in Denver. I think it's as...


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[Assistant] Questionable or weak of a starting quarterback situation as there is in the league of any of the 32 teams. Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Locke? Have you seen enough to name either one as the guy?


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[Assistant] It's a tough one. You just mentioned something. You said Vic Fangio, you referenced him as a defensive coach. I have written down here,


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[Assistant] I could get excited about Drew Lock's potential. I could also get really frustrated with how he plays with that a lot of the time. But with Bridgewater, I look at Fangio.


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[Assistant] Teddy Stock felt a lot different a year ago right now when he stepped in for Drew Brees and played so well in that system for that one month. Then after this year, like where we are now after he played a whole season in Carolina, he looked good with a small sample size. With most of an entire season it was like, uuuh.


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[Assistant] Yeah, I would go Drew. You're probably going to get more interceptions throughout the course of the year, maybe more bad plays, but you also have the potential to beat the LA Chargers 35-34, much better with Drew Locke than you do with Teddy Bridgewater because 17-13 probably isn't going to happen.


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[Assistant] I like the call. One last situation to get into, and this really isn't even a situation as much as it is, just to take your temperature, how you think he's doing. Zach Wilson's the guy. For the Jets, right? Yes. They have nobody else. It's 100%. So instead of, have you seen enough to say he's the starter, have you seen enough to know his game can translate to the NFL?


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[Assistant] It doesn't matter if it's against backups. Those are still the throws that had to be made. Exactly right. People want to throw that out there.


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[Assistant] You kind of felt like you know exactly, or you knew exactly how he was going to move, how the ball was going to come out. Cause we saw him so much. You watch him now in these two games and especially against Green Bay.


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[Assistant] He looks exactly the same, like his movements are the same. His pocket bounce and feel, I'm gonna shuffle a little here, I'm gonna slide a little there. Very nonchalant about it. It's just like he was playing against Coastal Carolina. And I know the heat's gonna get dialed up against him with the blitzes, it'll be harder, but he's moving and throwing the exact same way.


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[Assistant] He did against UTEP or UT San Antonio as he did at Lambeau Field. I really, I kind of applaud to myself at home like, that's really cool. You're the exact same dude right now in the pocket that you were.


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[Assistant] I think your enthusiasm is backed up by how well he's played. Yea, yea. You had him ranked number one, so of course it's nice to see, but I'll point out too, I mean, you didn't have


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[Assistant] You didn't have Justin Fields ranked as high as a lot of people. You pointed out a lot of positives you've seen there. Yes, I'm not going to be a hater here. Exactly. I'm not going to be a hater. As you say, you know, people are going to say, oh, he's your number one guy. You've been pretty fair to all these guys. Thank you. Thank you. From where I'm sitting right here.


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[Assistant] Yeaah. I think that's the final game of week two of the preseason. It is. It's the final game, yeaah. So week three. That's right. And we look forward to Wednesday. Definitely. We've got plenty of stuff.


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[Assistant] Well, I've been pointing to this day for a lot of the summer. Other things going on, but always excited to get the football rolling. So, good to see you man. Good to see you too. Good to be back in the city.


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[Assistant] I was talking to Peter King about it on his podcast, uh, I believe yesterday or the day before about the possibility of him going to Jacksonville. My mind went not just to Tim Teva, but to Urban Meyer where coming from college, you know, there are a lot of veterans in that locker room thinking, okay,


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[Assistant] Alright, so, worked in college. We'll just see, big guy. Yeaah. We'll just see how it goes here with Growing Men.


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[Assistant] And then to possibly bring in someone who hasn't played for years. Yes. Who has that much fanfare. I mean, I think about the coach and what the players think of his credibility. I think that's... If he can play, it goes away. I think that's a very, yeaah. But until then, guarantee you there are vets in that locker room going, you gotta be kidding me.


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[Assistant] Yeah, I think it's a nice way to start a pod in May. Yes. I'm sorry. I mean, how many other stories are you going to get that kind of emotion?


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[Assistant] Damn, some subjects just can't get me going on. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Before we move on to the schedule, I do want to point out a couple of things that have happened here in the last ten days. As we've both kind of crossed in, not kind of, we've both crossed in the new decades of our lives.


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[Assistant] I appreciate how you're doing some things to kind of bring us closer together. Last week he talked about falling asleep on the couch with food in your hand. So that was nice. Good. And now you have a soft tissue injury that should never happen. That happened because you're aging. So this is all good. I appreciate it.


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[Assistant] You gonna watch it come out? Yeaah. Oh, without a doubt. Yes. Amazing production that's being put on by my old colleagues at NFL Network. Like, have you read about this? No, tonight- They're going to the stadium in LA. Ooh, I did not know about that. A couple three hours at least. You know, a lot of their big players. I mean, this is, this is a big deal. Okay, I like that. You should watch it.


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[Assistant] We do know week one. Yeaah. We know the first game, Thursday night, NBC, Buccaneers, I mean that was obvious they were going to host and Peter King pointed out he thought it would either be the Bills or the Cowboys. It is the Cowboys. What do you think of that choice?


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[Assistant] Okay, then on Sunday, I'm sure we have some matchups we're both excited about. I'm going to start out with this little NFC West, AFC South thing that's happening week one. Seahawks at Colts.


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[Assistant] I don't know. I think the Steelers defense has the bigger worry, but I can say the same thing about Josh Allen, because that defense that was really good last year gets Bush back at linebacker, right? Yes. Yeaah. I know they lost Bud Dupree. It's not going to be a big drop, right? They're going to be fine. I think the one who's up most at night now, thinking about that with the oh shit week one thing, is Josh Allen.


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[Assistant] Interesting little nerdy nugget about the Dolphins. We all talk about Tua and what they did in the draft. There's a chance, it looks like over half of their offensive starters from the last two drafts.


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[Assistant] Six, six out of the eleven. Four on the offensive line. Jaylen Waddle, probably. Definitely. Probably two of them. Yeaah.


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[Assistant] Pete, uh, Pete just mentioned this. Who needs it more, Darnold or Jets fans?


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[Assistant] Anything they do well is kind of a bonus. Right. I mean, Darnold's gonna have a lot of eyeballs.


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[Assistant] I was gonna say, did I miss that at the one o'clock games? What? Definitely.


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[Assistant] That's the other late kick, along with the Dolphins Patriots on CBS. You've got the Browns.


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[Assistant] If I could complain about one thing. Usually with that 425, they have one showcased game, and then they've got some point to point games of 4 or 5 that are decent, but aren't rivaling the 425. I mean, what's the better game, Brown's Chiefs or Patriots Dolphins?


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[Assistant] Let's have a, let's start with a tie, and then I'm gonna, then I'm gonna go down to one. I'm gonna have a tie with the Seahawks and the Colts. Okay. And the Dolphins and the Patriots.


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[Assistant] Wanna see if it's Cam or Mac right away? Yeaah. And a lot of focus on the Dolphins. A whole lot of focus on the Dolphins for good reason. And it's, it's inter-division. Yeaah. I mean, a lot of these great matchups right away are AFC against NFC or just inter-conference.


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[Assistant] All AFC East there, if I can only watch one, I'm settling in to watch Dolphins pass. You?


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[Assistant] I just want to think about that one. Why wouldn't they go Justin Fields week one? And I bet you'll be in Tampa and then back here. I would think so. Back here on Sunday. Right. Alright, there's a week one schedule. We'll all look forward to watching the entire schedule release tonight. Or at least have it on throughout the house while you're doing other things. Yep. You're in preview. Is this year in preview or year in review with the defense, Chris?


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[Assistant] So we are looking at the, I would imagine we have a screen here, Pete, to show the, uh, we're starting with pass defense. We don't have it. So I'll just let you know, last year, pass defense, the best team was the Rams, followed by the Washington football team.


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[Assistant] Steelers were third, Niners were fourth, and the Saints were fifth. Let's begin the bidding here, Chris, with pass defense. Best bet to be number one in 2021.


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[Assistant] How about a team in the top five pass defense again? It's Rams, Washington, Steelers, Niners, Saints, most likely to fall out of the top five.


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[Assistant] And they had made it, they made a really big jump. They were 20th two years ago to get up to five. Yes. In past D. While you're looking, I should point out that I think past defense likely


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[Assistant] It's, it's, it's the least most important of all the barometers of defense. Right. Because you can get way up on a team and control a game and give up a lot of passing yards. Sure. So, I think of all the stats we're gonna look at, this is the, this is the least relevant. But go ahead.


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[Assistant] My guess for you was with the Rams because they lost Johnson in safety. Maybe they would drop down a little bit. I know they still have Ramsey and Donald.


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[Assistant] How about a team that was not in the top 5 last year you think is gonna jump in? Patriots come to mind, they were in the top 10. They've lived in the top 5 in this category. How can you not think of them? With all the changes they made.


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[Assistant] One more spot to hit with the past defense, thinking about next year and tying in last year. Let's go to the bottom. 28 through 32, teams that really stunk in this category a year ago. Jets at 28, then the Titans, Lions, Seahawks, the Falcons, uh, dead last.


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[Assistant] Which one of those teams do you think is set up to make the biggest jump this year?


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[Assistant] My eyes go to the Seahawks at 31. You think about them being better defensively, but they were 27th year before. Can they be as bad as they were a year ago?


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[Assistant] Let's jump into what I think is a more important category defensively. Rushing yards allowed a game. Top of the league last year. Buccaneers at one, Colts two, Rams three, Saints four, Seahawks five. What's your pick to be the best this season? I think the number one is still


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[Assistant] That's almost a rhetorical question. How they played last year, what they have coming back. Who do you think is closest to them?


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[Assistant] Let's take the Buccaneers and the Saints then out of this next part of the question. Which of the top five teams from last year, so now it's Colts, Rams, Seahawks, do you think may fall out of that top five?


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[Assistant] Uh, bringing us to the team that will jump into the top five rush defense. I'm going to narrow this down. You can, you can keep it there or pump this one out. But my mind went to the AFC North when looking at it. Baltimore was at six last year. Cleveland was at nine. Pittsburgh at 13. You want to pick any one of those three?


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[Assistant] Let's go to the bottom part of this stat. Lions at 28, Rush defense, Bengals 29, Jaguars 30, Cowboys 31, Texans 32. They all struggled mightily last year. Which one is ready to jump it up?


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[Assistant] They used three defensive line picks in rounds three and four, so they clearly tried to fortify it.


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[Assistant] From uh, from past defense to run defense, now to the most important category. Points allowed, otherwise known as scoring defense last year.


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[Assistant] Scoring defense last year. Rams were 1, Ravens 2, Steelers 3, Washington 4, Dolphins at 5. Who do you think is going to top this category this season?


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[Assistant] One of those two teams. You know what's crazy about putting those two teams together? And this is not that they're playing in week one. But as we talked about, no surprise the Patriots


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[Assistant] The team you feel is gonna jump up there. Two years ago, number one. Right. Uh, it's not like they were bad last year. Miami, you mentioned them as well. The year that the Pats were number one, 2019. You know where they were? Scoring defense. Maybe the most important category in the league. They were dead last. Were they really? They were dead last in 2019. All the way up to five last year.


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[Assistant] Remember that game last year thinking about the big leap that they made from 19 to 20?


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[Assistant] We kind of knew the Rams offense was slipping a little bit. I think we knew the next week we were going to focus on the Dolphins against the Rams. And it wasn't even fair. It just destroyed the Rams offense.


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[Assistant] Any of these teams that were in the top five scoring defense last year? Rams, Ravens, Steelers, football team Dolphins you think might, might fall back a bit this year?


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[Assistant] We just mentioned the Dolphins going from 32 two years ago into the top five. Do you have a team picked out that is ready to make maybe not that massive of a jump but a team that wasn't in the top five scoring defense last year that's ready to be up that high?


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[Assistant] Let's look at the very bottom there. We've got two teams that average over 30 points per game giving up. Jaguars, Lions, also have the Cowboys, Vikings, Raiders down there at the bottom as well. Surprised that the Vikings gave up almost 30 points per game.


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[Assistant] Quarterback Jeopardy. It's been going for a little while. We had so much draft focus. Spending so much time on that. We kinda took a break. So, here we are.


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[Assistant] Redemption here. I'm sorry. Redemption comes in the form of quarterback jeopardy.


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[Assistant] Move on. We are on to quarterback Jeopardy. So if you missed the first part of the show, this is Tim Tebow related. Tebow Mania and the NFL really started 2011, okay? So this is all 2011 NFL quarterback based.


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[Assistant] One that's kind of draft-ish, but no, it's quarterbacks playing in the league in 2011. Cool, cool.


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[Assistant] I think I saw you at the airport in Indy going to the combine. I didn't know you were working. I'm like, what are you doing man?


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[Assistant] 71%. So those kind of numbers 10 seasons apart. That's incredible. I don't care what you say about how receivers are unimpeded. It's easier now. Those are phenomenal numbers 10 years apart. Phenomenal. Alright, 200. October 2011.


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[Assistant] The former first round pick, former first overall pick was traded from one AFC team to another. Name the quarterback and the teams. Hint, this has been mentioned a lot recently.


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[Assistant] Okay, okay, yeaah. It's funny, yeaah, I don't remember the details of all that stuff either. 300 points now, you're two for two by the way. The Bengals and the Texans played in the wild card game.


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[Assistant] Early that January, both started rookie quarterbacks. Can you give me their names?


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[Assistant] Okay, so the Bengals had Andy Dogg. There you go, round two. Kaepernick also went right after him a couple of picks. Ooh, man. Played well in those playoffs too. Uhm, so now we're left to the Texans.


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[Assistant] I know, and this is gonna be an obscure somebody. It is. It is. It's, it's, it's, it's... He had a hell of a go for someone who like wasn't crazy talented. Played pretty well.


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[Assistant] Kind of stuck around as a trusted backup for awhile. TJ Yates. There you are. Right.


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[Assistant] There you go, baby. I remember going, we went, we were packed to the draft line from Carolinas Pro Day.


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[Assistant] That year, the year before, because he had so many damn guys that were rated high. And TJ was just kind of like an afterthought. And then came out and did very well. TJ went to what? North Carolina? It was North Carolina? North Carolina, yeah. 400. Ryan Fitzpatrick led the league in interceptions that year with 23 while starting all 16 games for what team?


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[Assistant] It was the Bills! Damn it! Damn it! They were right there! Damn it! Once you narrowed it down, I thought, with your time in Tennessee, that I'm like, oh, he's got it.


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[Assistant] He's got it. Damn it! Yeah. I can't believe I blew it on that. That's understandable. Damn. I'm impressed you got it down to two. Thanks. Because there's like 19 teams it could have been. Yeah.


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[Assistant] It's like, I said the two teams, but damn. You cut it well off the club. Shit. Alright, 500. There was only one QB.


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[Assistant] Wow. Started 11 games. This is gonna- 7 and 4. Yeaah.


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[Assistant] Actually, through twice as many TDs as picks, but we came to just completion percentage.


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[Assistant] With Washington. With Washington. I was going to say because Kevin Cobb was starting, Kevin Cobb and Vic were starting in Philly. Right.


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[Assistant] I've got one bonus question. I'm only bringing up because his name has already come up on the show. Okay. You have said his name, not me. Okay. There was a quarterback that year. This is crazy. He started for two different teams. He started for two different teams. You've said his name. We've talked extensively about one of those teams. Recently and extensively. Former teammate of yours, fellow Iowan, fellow native Iowan, Cal Horton.


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[Assistant] He was, what, the, the Broncos and the Cowboys? Broncos and the Chiefs. The Chiefs.


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[Assistant] Had the Broncos at 6-0 a couple years before. I was there.


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[Assistant] Let's run through some questions. Alright, this one has to do with the Chiefs. At KingLevi07, where could you realistically, realistically see Kansas City's newly revamped O-line finish next year? If there was such a ranking as top 10, top 5.


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[Assistant] To the Colts at Nick Balfour says if he could stay healthy.


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[Assistant] What could Paris Campbell, your number two wide receiver in 2019, be for the Colts offense and Carson Wentz?


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[Assistant] Fun one here that has to do with the NFC West from at Ernest Vazquez. Great question here. What's the best quarterback coach combo in the NFC West? Stafford McVeigh, Wilson Carroll, Murray Kingsbury, or Lance Shanahan? He did not say Jimmy G. Shanahan.


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[Assistant] We're going to stay there and get with the Niners a little bit more here at Hernan Fevella.


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[Assistant] Who do you think has the greatest chance to take the Niners to the Super Bowl this year? Jimmy G. or Trey Lance?


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[Assistant] Or even if they're 7 and 5, or 8 and 4, it's hard to imagine them, because at that point they're in the playoff race, going to the rookie then.


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[Assistant] You talked a lot about how much you like the North Carolina Tar Heel offensive players coming out in the draft. You can only pick one of these groups now. It's titled UNC Weapons from Jerry Finsta.


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[Assistant] Which of the UNC guys ended up in the best spot for them? Javonte Williams, round two to Denver. De'Ami Brown, round three to the football team. Michael Carter, round four to the Jets.


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[Assistant] You're a really fun one to watch. Especially, I mean, that defense is still good in Washington, too. If the offense just comes up to the middle or decents. Right, exactly right. You're a really fun one to watch. Definitely. Carolina on the Mind, this one titled 2022 Draft at Seafield Baynes.


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[Assistant] I know you don't study any college players before the draft season, but based off your TV watching, do you have any thoughts on Sam Howell, North Carolina, Spencer Ratler, Oklahoma? They seem to be consensus top 5 or top 10 already.


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[Assistant] I think it's a hard eval because I heard you mention a couple of times.


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[Assistant] And it stands out to me because I think it really fits. Talking about some of these quarterbacks and receivers coming from a really collegey kind of offense. And Sam Howell gets the ball in shotgun. He rides one of those two NFL draft picks.


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[Assistant] And he pulls out, throws a nice ball, but you look at what's going to translate what he's doing in Chapel Hill to the NFL. It's hard to get too much of a read.


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[Assistant] Go back to college again. And then once the season gets here, Saturdays, it's hard to sit down and really study a game when your mind's so much on Sunday.


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[Assistant] It is fun to hit that time of the season, you know, February-ish where you just dive all in. I don't know these kids yet. I'm going to get to know them and it works pretty well for those eight to ten weeks.


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[Assistant] Hi, I'm Mike Tirico and thanks for watching. Make sure to hit subscribe for the latest news and highlights from NBC Sports.


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[Assistant] Yeah, you had a great week. I'm like disappointed in myself. I don't even know what else to say. I really am.


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[Assistant] This, I fight through this every year where I go through a point where I just get a little too in the weeds about some of these matchups and I overthink them. And I've done that. I'm on a, like a two, three week run here of being pretty average. And, um, I changed up my routine, of course, because of that. I did.


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[Assistant] I went a different way about how I picked the games and broke them down a little bit and I'm hoping it's gonna work out. So we'll see. But I'm, I'm really disappointed. I'm not far behind in any area, so I'm not worried about catching you yet. Uhm, but damn, I gotta be better. That's for sure.


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[Assistant] I don't, I'm not. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I need to be- Maybe you should be. Maybe, exactly. I mean that is one of the things that does do for me at times, you know. I always tell people this, Mike, that when I smoke weed, I am the smartest I can possibly be for about 50 minutes. As far as you think.


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[Assistant] I don't know. Even when I'm with people, they're always like, damn, you're, you're, you're high. Like, whoa, that's a, that's a thought. That's interesting. But then I progressively get stupid, stupider and stupider after that first 45 to 15 minutes. And then I become


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[Assistant] Yeah, like the dumb stoner you see on TV. So, uh, maybe I should try that. If it doesn't go good this week, next week.


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[Assistant] I'm back and forth on this game. I really am. I mean, this is one where I'd go. It's too close to call to a degree.


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[Assistant] You know, but I think ultimately what I'm coming down to is I'm going to pick the Broncos because I am scared about some of those injuries with the Browns football team. Yeah. I mean, you get two great running backs, not playing. And of course we don't know where the tackles are at in this situation. And honestly, as we sit here right now, I'm not expecting them to play. I'm not.


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[Assistant] We'll see where that goes, but I think with the run, and even if they do play, they're not going to be 100%. It's a very good Broncos defense. Uh, I'm not going to say it's great, but it's very good. And I just look at it to the point of Vic Fangio being smart.


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[Assistant] You know, with the Browns being less than 100%


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[Assistant] I don't know if I could sit here and say, Oh, I think they're going to run the ball consistently on the Broncos defense. I don't. And then off of that, yeah.


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[Assistant] Pass protection issues if the tackles aren't in there, right? I mean, Von Miller's gonna murder one of these guys that's, that's, uh, that's playing this weekend, or tonight. And then, I just don't know if the Browns passing offense is diverse enough to just live on its own without the running game.


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[Assistant] And that's where I get down to that. And then, Hey, just to flip it over real quick, the Broncos offense.


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[Assistant] Teddy Bridgewater, it's a big game. Listen, he has not played all that well the last few weeks, certainly. But the Browns defense seems to...


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[Assistant] Give you a number of plays every week and they're talented, but I just don't trust them. I'm going to go with the Broncos pulling off the upset here. I'm going to go 20 to 17 Broncos. Mild upset it would be.


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[Assistant] And here, one other aspect that I just, I think we need to bring up. I mean, the Broncos had issues protecting last week. You know, and it's the first time all year they had real issues along those lines. Uh, as far as sacks are concerned, but something to watch out for, of course, with Miles Garrett and company coming off the edge.


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[Assistant] Yeah, listen, you know what I say. I mean, the bangles are real. They are. They're not going anywhere. Are they real enough to go into Baltimore and pull off an upset? I'm not sure about that. I think I gotta see that first. That would be the first thing I'm gonna say. I mean, again,


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[Assistant] You know, uh, Ravens, I think what's different about their offense, we know they can run the ball. There's no doubt about that. I'm not sure how good the Bengals run defense really is. I'm not.


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[Assistant] You know, so it's like one of those things where yeah, they've had some games where they've been real good and they've had some other games where you go, wow, I didn't think they would get run on to that capacity. So I'm a little unsure there. I know their pass defense is good.


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[Assistant] Uh, you know, what's different about the Ravens offense this year is yes, they can run the ball, but if you overplay the run in any way, Lamar in the passing game will beat you, period.


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[Assistant] End of story. There's no doubt about it. He's throwing the ball great. He's making really good decisions. He's accurate as hell right now. So I think that's the one I look at a little bit. And then as much as I look, love Jamar chase and burrow and Joe Mixon.


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[Assistant] They're very reliant on big plays in Cincinnati. And I just have a hard time. It's, it's a lot of short passes, short passes, short passes, short passes. Okay. We got you in the man to man. We'll take a shot to Jamar chase or like last week, it's a fourth down and we snuck the back out of the backfield and Joe Mixon got a ball wide open and he ran for a 40 yard touchdown.


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[Assistant] I don't see the Ravens defense giving up big plays like that. I don't. So along the way they're playing with the creativity of Mink Martindale and the scheme. Uh, they have played pretty good upfront. I have a hard time thinking the Bengals are going to be able to run the ball on them successfully. I got to go with the Ravens here. I'm going Ravens 24 17.


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[Assistant] Yeah, I'm with you there. You know, I think what holds me back a little bit with the Bengals and I think they got some of the toughness and physicality certainly.


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[Assistant] But yeah, maybe they're Oli. I wish they were a hair more creative in their past game. I do. I think it's a little too basic for Baltimore and I think they'll be able to break it down and drop people all in the right areas.


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[Assistant] And of course, they got a guy where, and Marlon Humphrey.


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[Assistant] He's on a short list of guys where I do think he can run with Jamar Chase and you can match him up in a few man to man situations and feel okay. It's dangerous, we know that. Uh, but yeah, it's Baltimore's riding high. They got that confidence going. I think it's going to be a fun, fun game to watch, but I just can't pick the bangles on this one quite yet.


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[Assistant] Packers win. I, I mean, listen, I, I gotta, I'm gonna have a similar score. I'm going 31-20, uh, with the Packers here. I am, but I mean, let me, let me, let's just keep it simple. The, the Packers are better in every way possible. You know, they should be able to run the ball.


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[Assistant] Uh, should be able to throw the ball at will. You know, I think they're going to put the Washington football team in a bind on the defensive side. I mean, again, we've talked about it a lot. The, the Packers just don't waste plays. They run the right play into the right look almost every play the whole game.


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[Assistant] So they're very efficient that way, and their defense is a different animal this year. And, you know, with Washington on offense, it's just a little all over the place there.


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[Assistant] You know, I mean, Heineken did not play well last week. They had issues protecting him a little bit. It wasn't a lot of separation and, you know, for the receivers in the pass game. Yeah, I, I do. Uh, well, the only thing that scares me with making, like, Green Bay a best bet is, you know, they, they, they are not like a,


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[Assistant] They let teams hang around a little bit. I guess that's what scares me. You know, last week it's 17-14, then they gotta go on a drive on the fourth quarter. And that's what would scare me from the best bet. But, uh, either way, I think we both see it the same way, that they're clearly in a different class than the Washington football team.


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[Assistant] You know, again, the Falcons defense, not great, but I just look at it and go, I don't know if the, the, the dolphins offense can truly take advantage of that or do anything special there.


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[Assistant] And, you know, on the other side of the ball, even though, you know, Dolphins defense has some talent,


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[Assistant] It hasn't played as good as you would expect. I mean, I think it's better, like I've said every week, better than it is statistically.


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[Assistant] But it's still not dominant or anything of that nature. And, you know, when you just boil it down and like you get into it and go, ooh, this is a close game kind of, I'm going to take Matt Ryan and, and Kyle Pitts, and I'm going to trust him more than I am to the Dolphins offense. Period. It's just, it's as simple as that.


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[Assistant] I know I'll be mad at myself if I'm sitting there on Sunday going,


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[Assistant] Man, why did I think the Dolphins and Tua were gonna pull this off? So I, I'm going with you. I'm going Falcons 2820 in this one.


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[Assistant] I don't know that the Jets can move the ball consistently enough on what I look at as still a good Patriots defense. And you know, I told you this morning on PFT, the one thing I don't like about the Jets is just there's not enough diversity in the offense.


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[Assistant] You know, there's not, it's pretty simple. And they ask their quarterback who's a rookie to make.


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[Assistant] High level Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes type throws consistently through the game. And I think at times it's just too much right now.


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[Assistant] As awesome as I think Zach Wilson is, like I told you, on the degree of difficulty scale as far as throws he's expected to make on the regular, it's way greater than any of the other rookie quarterbacks.


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[Assistant] And that's, that scares me a little bit. I do think the Jets defense can slow down Mac Jones and company. I certainly do. I like the way they play their scheme. They play hard. They do a lot of good things, but of course I'm not picking the Jets. I'm going pats 20 to 13 here.


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[Assistant] And I know that's now I got the Jets covering the spread, but I don't know. I just can't pick the Pats to blow anybody out. I can't. I mean, damn, they almost, they were this close to getting their ass blown out against the Texans a few, two weeks ago. So that's where I just don't trust them.


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[Assistant] I mean, this one's, it's a close one. Like here, this is where I come down. Like the Giants schematically have a chance to match up here with Carolina and, and, and beat them or make life hard on them. I do. Schematically.


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[Assistant] That's where that ends. You know, a little like we saw last week, I just don't think they have as, they're not on the same playing field as far as talent.


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[Assistant] As the Carolina Panthers, especially with no Saquon and no Kadarius Tony. Those, and then Kenny Golliday not being healthy.


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[Assistant] You know, they need those guys for a team that doesn't have a superstar on defense. They need those one or two superstars on offense to play and make some plays for their offense to help their own line, help their defense, help the whole football team. And you don't have them. There's just, there's no way I can pick them. They can't.


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[Assistant] You know, the pallet, the, the, the Giants D, I like the way they're coaching their scheme.


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[Assistant] But, uh, the Panthers just, I think, have a few too many weapons, and they do concern me. I mean, Sam Darnold has not played well, you know, we talked about that. I do think, just like we saw last week, I mean, you, you just, all you gotta do is watch the highlights of the game, and go, man, Minnesota was all over.


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[Assistant] And, uh, I'm going to go, I just can't pick the giants to win it, even though I do think there's some matchups that I like. 2320 Panthers.


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[Assistant] I'll go, I'll join it. Let's go Twinsies. I'm gonna go 2420. I'll go, I'll go with you there.


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[Assistant] That was my point with like scheme wise, I think they can match up and do some tough things. There's no doubt. But yeah, you said it right. Carolina's more talented. And hey, again, what we saw, listen, we see this every week. We see it every week.


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[Assistant] The weeks we haven't talked about it, it just, as the game went on, teams got tired of rushing the quarterback, they die out, and, and they're not getting after Daniel Jones. But like, the start of the game last week with the Rams and the Giants, I mean,


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[Assistant] Daniel Jones, Jason Garrett, they had no chance, no chance. I mean, what are you supposed to do when guys are getting beat in like 1.5 seconds and just crushing your quarterback?


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[Assistant] That's hard to do, and I would think that's gonna be a little issue here with the Carolina team coming into town who has enough pass rushers to certainly give the Giants issues, and that's where I just can't trust the Giants.


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[Assistant] I mean, the Titans are hard to figure out a little bit. You know, we know the run games got going. The pass game certainly in the second half looked like it got going, but I don't know if the pass game can stand alone by itself.


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[Assistant] As far as just like, if Derek Henry is not absolutely killing it, can they depend on Ryan Tannehill? I don't know what the status of Julio Jones is. You know, I know he got hurt again. So that, that plays into this a little bit, but you know, I guess the Chiefs last week against Washington.


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[Assistant] They played a different style of football. They played in your face. Forget all the disguises. We're going to have people with the line of scrimmage and we're going to overwhelm you with numbers in the run game. We're going to overwhelm you with blitz in the pass game.


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[Assistant] And we're going to force the issue a little bit. Yeah, you might make a play, but so what? At least, you know, our, our offense gets back on the field. They kind of got back to that. I would expect to see that again this week. I would. And I think that gives them a fighting chance. They have shown the ability to, when they need to stop a team from running, they can do that.


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[Assistant] You know, that they have over the last two or three years. And then I think the Chief's defense, I mean Chief's offense is really like,


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[Assistant] Mahomes was phenomenal last week. I know he had the stupid interception, but other than that, man, he played absolutely great.


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[Assistant] Back to like, best player in football type play. And I think their offense is close to really getting this and getting it going. So, I'm gonna go Chiefs 40 to 31 in this. And I think it's gonna be a really fun game to watch.


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[Assistant] I think the real question is by how many. Yea, right. I mean, it is the Rams. I, I, you know, hey, game against the Seahawks last week against the Giants.


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[Assistant] I think they've gotten their defense figured out. It's playing at a little higher level than it was early in the football season for sure. You know, Lyons offense, Jared Goff and company. Listen, there's nothing you can really talk about to go.


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[Assistant] Oh, that, they're good in that area. Oh, that, okay, that, that, so there's nothing to look at there. I just don't know where they have any advantage at all.


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[Assistant] Maybe other than just trying to slow the game down and run the ball. But, you know, they're not good enough at running the ball even to do that. Lions defense, hey, it's a pain in the ass. There's no doubt that. There's no doubt. I mean, last week again, even though they got blown out.


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[Assistant] You know, the game was close in the first half. I think when we went in, it was what? 10-0, 10-3. I mean, the lot, the defense did all it could to kind of.


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[Assistant] Keep them in the game, but just like we always talk about, there's only so long a defense can do that when you're out there every fourth play before the damn breaks. So that's where they're just overmatched. And I just, you know, I think at some point, of course, the defense does break. I went, I went Rams 31 16.


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[Assistant] Ooh, you could have gone 31-17. Live dangerously. Nah, I'll go, I'll go with the Rams covering the spread. I'll go with the Rams covering the spread. I will do that.


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[Assistant] Man, as you can tell, it's gonna be one of my best bets. Okay, so we know two out of your three right now. Packers and Rams are best bets for sure. I hear you there. I mean, man.


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[Assistant] I don't know. I mean, I could see it going your way. I could see the Lions, you know, kind of covering late, being a pain in the butt a little. I don't know what to say. But man, 15 points is a lot in the NFL, even when it's the Lions. So, I'm interested


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[Assistant] You know, I can see this game playing out a little bit like the Bears versus the Raiders a little bit a few weeks ago. You know, first thing is, you know, as we saw last week, I mean, yea, the Eagles, they had some issues early on with the Bucs in the passing game, but they settled in there. The Eagles defense is good. It is really good.


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[Assistant] I think they'll be able to slow down the passing attack of the Raiders. I do. And I'm not sure the Raiders I can sit here and say are a really good run team yet.


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[Assistant] Where like, hey, the Eagles, they're going to err on playing past the events and not letting you make the plays that way. They kind of like go, well let me see you run the ball and do it consistently before we start calling run defenses. I like that about them. I think that matches up well against the Raiders offense that way. And then I think the other thing too is,


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[Assistant] You know, the, the, uh, let me see where I went. The Raiders defense I think is going to have issues with the Eagles offense. I do. You know, I, the one thing about the Raiders is I think you can kind of overpower their front to a degree, and the Eagles are the kind of front that can overpower you.


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[Assistant] You know, I look at that, if they can get a few Jalen Hurts run game plays involved in that, and, you know, then just a few one-on-one matchups where Eagles receivers can win them against these, these Raiders, uh, corners.


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[Assistant] I'm gonna go with the upset here. I am. I'm gonna go Eagles 2320 on the road. Wow. Yeah. Wow. Yeah


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[Assistant] It's just one of those games where I look at the matchup itself and go, hey, the Raiders are a better team in totality. It doesn't necessarily mean they match up the best this week versus this team. And that's why, you know, ultimately I'm going to make this one of my, my upsets this week and go with the Eagles.


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[Assistant] You know, I mean, again, I was surprised to see it was that high. I guess I was expecting 13, 14, but I understand it being 17 and a half. I'm going Cardinals 34, 14 in this one. You know, yeah, how can you trust?


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[Assistant] I don't trust a Texans offense in any capacity. I mean, you know, you got a rookie quarterback who's shown he will turn the ball over. They don't have a great run game.


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[Assistant] And you know, other than Brandon Cooks, there's no other guy to really look at to go, Ooh, he can make a play here and there. So I don't trust that. And the Cardinals defense is very diverse. They do a lot of different stuff. They got talent to go along with it. I think that makes it harder than a rookie quarterback. And you know, a little like.


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[Assistant] I've said I've got a few teams here. The Texans defense, when I watch it on film, it's not horrible. Again, they did their best, uh, to let the Texans hang in there last week. At halftime, the game was still in the balance because of the Texans defense.


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[Assistant] You know, ultimately, they're a little too predictable on that side of the ball. It's too much cover too from Lovey Smith.


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[Assistant] And there isn't just enough talent on that side for me to go, Oh, they're going to make a play or help the offense out and get a strip sack fumble or an interception. And we know this Cardinals offense is the real deal and every capacity in every way it really is. So that's why I go 34 14 Cardinals.


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[Assistant] Yeah, I got them doing that. I'm going bucks 31 17. I mean, hey, the Bears defense, we know it's good. It might, it might give the bucks some issues and, you know, cause a three and out here and there. But I mean, the bucks offense is just, it's too damn good in every way. It really is. And I just think like, I just can't imagine.


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[Assistant] Chicago making many stops on Tampa, unless their pass rush just took over to some capacity.


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[Assistant] But I don't, you know, their pass rush is good. I'm not gonna, I, I know they got, they're one of the tops in the league in sacks, but I don't think it's great. I don't go like, oh man, it's an unstoppable force and not against this Bucks offensive line.


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[Assistant] So as good as I like this Bears, or as much as I like this Bears defense, I just, you know, I don't think they're gonna be able to hang in there forever, and then, you know, the Bears...


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[Assistant] Last week it was, they had two drives. That's all they, the first drive of the game and they had a drive in the fourth quarter. Everything in between was blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And if they can't run the ball, you know, they really don't have a chance as an offense. And guess what? There's no.


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[Assistant] Wait, they're going to run the ball against the Bucks. How you like them apples? So, uh, yeah, because of that, you know, I think they hang around for a little bit, but 31 17 bucks.


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[Assistant] Well, we are supported by Under Armour. Just like us, Under Armour wants to give you an edge. They are focused on performing better, like Florio and I, and taking their game to the next level, like Florio and I. Everything from running shoes that propel you forward to hoop shoes that give you insane grip. They even make hoodies that reflect energy. Man, I need to get one of those to reflect


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[Assistant] I mean, listen, I look at this as being another game where it could be an upset. I do. I do think the Colts match up well with the 49ers football team. I think, you know, when, really one of the big things comes down to me is just, can the Colts protect against the 49ers front?


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[Assistant] And, and, you know, stop the bleeding that way. Offense has definitely been better. Running the ball well, big plays in the pass game. You know, I'd always honestly like to see them run the ball a little bit more.


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[Assistant] Hey, this is a good front for the 49ers. There's no doubt about that. You said it. It's kind of a desperation type football game for them. NSC West is tough. You know, and then flipping around, I do like the Colts defense. There's no doubt. Uhm.


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[Assistant] I-I-I just don't, uh, wait, I lost my thought here because I'm reading my notes. Oh, oh, okay. But, the-the thing I wanna, is like, I think the cults can...


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[Assistant] Slow down the 49ers run game attack. It has not been as special. They're missing.


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[Assistant] You know, Raheem Mostert and some of the explosive elements at the running back position that make a 10 yard gain, a 40 yard gain, that hurts them, okay? And I'm not sure the 49ers pass game can do enough to take advantage of what I look as the weakness of the Colts is their pass defense.


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[Assistant] You know, I mean, there's a reason, again, that, you know, uh, um, Lamar Jackson threw for over 400 yards a few weeks ago against this defense. Now, I don't think the 49ers are good enough to really take advantage of that, like I said.


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[Assistant] I think that lays out a scenario where, man, a play here, or they get the run game going, they could upset the 49ers. I just can't pick them yet. I just can't. I gotta see them win one of these games. You know?


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[Assistant] First, before I pick him, saw him lost a similar game like this against the Rams. Saw him lost a similar game like this against the Seahawks. Saw him lost a similar game like this against the Ravens, even though they outplayed the Ravens. So I, I, I'm going to go 49ers 24-21, but I don't feel terribly confident about it.


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[Assistant] And, and, I mean, I'm with you, man. I went back and forth with this one, too. It's just, Quentin Nelson might play, right? And to your point,


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[Assistant] I do, if they can protect Carson Wentz a little bit, they will win the game. I just, I don't know if I, I trust it yet. I don't know. And that's, that's where, you know, I gotta see Colts, like I said, win one of these games first before I can pick them.


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[Assistant] I do like the Saints, like hands down. And I think this is going to be one of my best bets. I do. I don't think it's a great matchup for the Seattle team. I don't. You know, first off, hey, as long as the Saints don't play over aggressive on defense.


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[Assistant] They should, they should be able to stop the Seahawks offense. They got a ton of big people up front. They're one of the best, they're the best run stopping defense in football, not name the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


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[Assistant] They don't need to overcommit and let DK Metcalf retire the locket, you know, on an island too often. Cause that's the, to me, the only way they lose this game. There's no doubt. And you know, I don't know the Seahawks.


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[Assistant] You know, will they open it up a little bit more? I think they were a little way too conservative last week with Vigino Smith. I do. So I do wonder what their offense is gonna look like.


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[Assistant] Then the, this is, the other side I think is what's troubling too. I mean.


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[Assistant] I would be shocked if the Saints can't run the ball all over Seattle. And if they can't, it means Seattle is going to way overplay the run and you're going to see Jameis Winston, Sean Payton specials play action passes, gashing them. So that's where I look at that. And, um, I I'm going to go Saints 2018.


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[Assistant] I'm going to go with the New Orleans Saints, uh, you know, up in Seattle. I am. That's the first one I'm going to go to. I just think it's a bad matchup for Seattle, a week off for Sean Payton and company. I think they'll fix some of their issues. They're going to stop that Seahawks run game. And of course I think they'll be able to move the ball in the Seahawks defense.


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[Assistant] Man, I wanna, I wanna pick the Eagles as a best bet, but I just can't do it. I just can't.


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[Assistant] You know what? The hell with that. I am. I'm gonna pick it. That's what I originally thought. I'm gonna do it. I am. I am. Cause I'm gonna be mad at myself if it works out and I'm gonna go mad. That was just one of my original thoughts. I'm going with the Eagles. I think they match up really well with the Raiders.


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[Assistant] You know, and I guess what I'm a little scared of is I was shocked to see this point spread was three. I thought it was going to be a little bit more than that, and I was like, well, a field goal, I think they'll definitely keep it within that. If it was three and a half or four, I would be with the Eagles all day long. I'm still going to ride them because I think they're going to win the football game.


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[Assistant] Alright, I'll go with the Bucks as my third one. That's where I'm going to go. It was between the Bucks and the Cardinals. I don't know. I'm just going to trust the Bucks here in this one. I just think they're going to give the Bears defense a hard time. And I just, again, as much as I like the Bears defense, this Bucks offense is a different animal and they're just too good.


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[Assistant] Hi, I'm Mike Tirico and thanks for watching. Make sure to hit subscribe for the latest news and highlights from NBC Sports.


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[Assistant] On Peacock and wherever else you find your podcast presented by Under Armour. Yes. Chris has the Under Armour money. I don't. Hey Under Armour, I'm here too. Hey sales, I'm here too. Alright, let's get on it, baby.


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[Assistant] In most categories, straight up, nine and seven, I win.


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[Assistant] Straight up, Chris was 7 and 9, he was also 7 and 9 against spread, I was a pathetic and miserable, do the opposite, Costanza style, 6 and 10, but-


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[Assistant] In the most important category, especially since I went 66.6 infinity percent, 2-1, best bets, oh yeaah, and screw the Vikings for keeping me from going 3-0.


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[Assistant] Well, the, the ultimate backdoor cover, the nine point spread, I think it was nine and a half by the time it closed and the


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[Assistant] At FedEx field, the Giants at the Washington football team, Washington a three and a half point favorite with an over under of 40.5. That's probably the lowest of the week. If not, it's one of the lowest.


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[Assistant] Who do you like? Do you like dad's old team or do you like the team that we both think will win the division?


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[Assistant] I just wanted to make sure, I wanted to make sure the combination of New Jersey and Texas may have impaired the math skills. I just wanted to make sure you understand.


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[Assistant] I'm leaning Washington, and I'm gonna stick with Washington. But I keep thinking, Daniel Jones is 4-0 all time against Washington. Well, okay, Washington's due to finally beat him then. Short week.


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[Assistant] Quick turnaround, Ron Rivera, veteran coach, plugging in Taylor Heinecke, who played well last year in the playoffs and should be.


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[Assistant] Ready to go this year. If he was a new backup quarterback to the system or something like that, I'd be less confident. I think that at home, and these are high stakes for the Washington football team, they can't afford to fall out. No one can, but two home games, five days apart.


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[Assistant] That's the one thing that I hate about short week, because if your team is playing on a Thursday night, going into that Sunday,


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[Assistant] There's a chance you're gonna lose two games four days apart. And two home games for Washington. They need this one. They have to hold serve against the Giants if they want to be what they're supposed to be this year. I know the defense was a disappointment last week. I'm concerned about the extent to which the COVID controversy within the locker room.


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[Assistant] And we've, Ron Rivera's been outspoken. We talked about it on PFT Live. I'm still gonna stick with Washington. I can't give up on the division champion that I predicted this early. 21-16. I'll take Washington to win and to cover West Virginia math skills by one and a half point.


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[Assistant] One o'clock Eastern on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints take on the Carolina Panthers. There's a COVID situation with the Saints. A lot of assistant coaches are out. So far only one player tested positive, Michael Thomas. He wouldn't have played anyway. Saints are three point favorites on the road at Charlotte.


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[Assistant] Wow, uh, so you, you have the Saints covering the spread by a point. Yeah. Uhm, and uh, you have it closer than I do. I, I agree with you, the Panthers are gonna be pretty good. I'm disappointed they didn't beat the Jets by more than five, and speaking of two-point conversions, the Lions get one


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[Assistant] To kill your best bet, the Jets fail to get one that would have killed one of my best bets. It just shows you how hard it is.


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[Assistant] I've got the Saints in this one, 30-21. I believe in the Saints defensively and offensively. I think we are going to see a little more from James Winston this week. He only threw 20 passes last week. Alvin Kamara, he was a big


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[Assistant] Situation does complicate things with so many offensive coaches out.


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[Assistant] If it was defensive coaches, I'd be more concerned. It's offensive coaches. Sean Payton can step in and take care of the problem. And James Winston said this week, he relishes the fact that he's been able to work so closely with Payton all week with those offensive coaches out. So I've got 30 to 21. I think we're going to see a little more from James Winston. And I also think that the Panthers


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[Assistant] Could have had Winston or at least could have pursued him in 2020 and didn't. They went with Teddy Bridgewater. Could have pursued him this year and didn't. They traded for Sam Darnold. This is an opportunity. And you know how Peyton is. Peyton's got that Bill Parcells


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[Assistant] I suspect Peyton has probably pointed out to Jameis a few times this week that the Panthers turned up their nose at him twice.


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[Assistant] Alright, next game, and this is one of the more fascinating games of the day. Andy Dalton, the former long time Bengals quarterback, taking on the Bengals for the second straight year. I got to see him last year with the Cowboys. He sees them this year with the Bears. Home opener at Soldier Field. Fans gonna be a little salty, a little vocal, a little


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[Assistant] You know what? You've changed my mind. And I'm glad you've changed my mind because if the Bears win, I will blame you all week long, like you blamed me all week long about changing your mind to go with the Jaguars over the Texans. I was ready to take the Bears. I had it typed in tentatively 2317, uh,


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[Assistant] Bears and as you were saying 2320, I was like, we spend way too much fricking time together. I was locking in 2320 in my brain. I adjusted it to 2017 because we can't have the same score prediction, but it is the same margin. And the fact that the Bears are only favored to win by one, that tells me neutral site.


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[Assistant] Exactly. The Bengals would be viewed as the better team. Right. And based on what we saw last week, yeah.


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[Assistant] Maybe they are the better team, and maybe they are a team that we should be taking seriously. Also, by picking the Bengals, I will have the Bengals fans off my ass, at least for a day or two. So there is value in that, even if I'm wrong.


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[Assistant] Bears, Bengals, Battlestar Galactica. Next game at Cleveland, the Texans at the Browns. 12.5 points spread, tied for the largest of the week with the Falcons Bucks. We'll talk about that game later. For now, Tyrod Taylor back in Cleveland, Baker Mayfield saying yesterday that


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[Assistant] Tyrod Taylor was taken for grand. Remember, he was the starter until he got injured. Week 3, 2018 against the Jets. It opened the door for Mayfield to take over. Tyrod gone. Goes to the Chargers. Dr. Needle last year. Tyrod gone. Now he's with the Texans. Looked great last weekend against the Jaguars. Who do you like in this one?


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[Assistant] Same score I had, 34-24, same margin, almost exactly the same score. I feel the same way. 12.5 is too much. I think the Texans are going to have a little more.


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[Assistant] The Texans looked better than a 12 and a half point underdog. I think what it is


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[Assistant] That offseason of dysfunction, the Jackie's to be stuffed, the Deshaun Watson, it's causing people to bet.


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[Assistant] The other team, and that's driving the number farther than it should be. So I think there's value in taking the Texans this week. I agree with you. The Browns by 10, but the Texans to cover. Next up, the LA Rams taking on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts. Once upon a time,


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[Assistant] Robert Ursay owned the Rams. Carol Rosenblum owned the Colts. They actually swapped franchises. That's the connection between the Rams and the Colts. I forgot that. Yeah. Uh, Rams are three and a half point favorites. Over under 48. Seems a little low to me. Who do you got, Chris?


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[Assistant] Yeah, that's got the Rams covering then. I've got it not as close. I think the Rams are the real deal this year. I said before the season they have to prove it to me. I saw enough on Sunday night that


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[Assistant] I'm buying it at least for now. Maybe they'll catch up to the Matthew Stafford Sean McVeigh pairing after there's five, six, seven games of film. We've seen that from time to time. Maybe Matthew Stafford gets injured at some point. We've seen that many times over the past 12 years. For now though, he's healthy. The Colts just feel overmatched and they're one of these four teams.


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[Assistant] Washington, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Minnesota, that have that internal COVID angst, and you can't, you can't


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[Assistant] Draw a line from point A to point B, but you can rest assured it's affecting the team in some way. I got the Rams big in this one, 34.


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[Assistant] to 20 over the cults, and there's a chance


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[Assistant] I just got a weird feeling that it's going to be worse than that. That it's going to be one of those when we see the score after, we're going to say, holy crap. Sounds like a best bet for Michael Florian. Well, maybe. Well, we'll see. Maybe the over is going to be a best bet because maybe the Rams will score 48 on their own in this one by the time it's all said and done.


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[Assistant] Broncos at Jaguars over under 45 and a half. The Broncos 6 point favorites against the Jaguars team that maybe would lose to USC if they played right now. Who do you have in this one?


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[Assistant] Yeah, look, I, uh, I feel like this is one where we could end up being surprised. Maybe Urban Meyer can push some buttons and pull some levers and get the Jaguars to do better than they did last week. That game got away from them early.


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[Assistant] I'm gonna have to see it from the Jaguars before I believe it. I got Broncos 31.


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[Assistant] Jaguars 20. The Broncos, I think, were very impressive last week. Now, they're stuck in a division with the Chargers and the Chiefs. That's not good. And in a conference with great teams. But they got off to a good start. Every team in that division is 1-0. Broncos move to 2-0 when they go to Jacksonville and win 31-20. Next up,


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[Assistant] Buffalo at Miami. Miami 1 and 0. Buffalo 0 and 1. They got a wake up call against Pittsburgh. The Bills a 3 point favorite on the road. They got together week 2 last year and that was the week where you first noticed that the Bills were going to run the offense through Josh Allen. Josh Allen has done very well against Miami.


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[Assistant] Will he do well enough to avoid an 0-2 start this week over under, by the way, 47 and a half for this game.


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[Assistant] I've got 27-20 Buffalo. Same reasoning. Bills need this one. Sometimes you just need a game. Sometimes you just show up and you let your best players play. On paper, the Bills are better than Miami. And, uh, look, I know, hey, the Dolphins are 1-0. You gotta give them credit for going into New England and winning.


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[Assistant] You mentioned the struggles of the offensive line. They don't have McKay-Beckton. He's got a knee injury. That makes it even worse. That makes it even harder for Zach Wilson in the second game of his season getting thrown to the Wolves against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Zach Wilson is still going to be very good. It's just going to take a while.


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[Assistant] They shouldn't have high expectations this year. This is about showing enough progress


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[Assistant] This year, so that come next year, you can be a contending team. I got the Patriots by 10, you got the Patriots by 13. Either way, we both like the Patriots to win and to cover. Next up,


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[Assistant] You're 49ers going to Philadelphia. They're in West Virginia actually down the road from me this week because there's a sandwich between Detroit and Philly. Yea, like Kyle wants to see me. I can write some annoying headlines. Annoying headlines. I don't want to say anything because that's Florida.


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[Assistant] Alright, uh, 49ers, uh, are three point favorites. Will they be annoyed by the outcome in this one over under 50? Who do you like and by how many?


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[Assistant] The Raiders at the Steelers. Steelers five and a half point favorites in their home opener. The over-under 47. First game with fans.


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[Assistant] That counts in Pittsburgh since 2019, although they had a smattering for a couple of games last year. Who do you like and why?


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[Assistant] So you've got the Raiders covering, the Steelers winning. I've got Pittsburgh 24-17. My big concern is, and we've said this on PFT Live,


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[Assistant] A game that went into overtime, a physical game, a short week, a long trip that has to impact the Las Vegas Raiders. It has to impact them and I think it allows the Steelers to win and to cover. The Raiders are 5-2 in their last 7 games against Pittsburgh and generally the Raiders have not been good.


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[Assistant] Over the years that they've played the Steelers seven times. I think it goes back to maybe 2009. The Steelers have always been good. So there's a weird little quirk there, but I don't think it matters this Sunday. I think the Steelers get their victory and they're on their way. They move to 2-0 and they're a team to be taken much more seriously than I did before the season. Go ahead.


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[Assistant] Quick break, four o'clock Eastern games for week two are next on this joint collaboration, PFTPM and Chris Sims on Button presented by Under Armour. Under Armour, baby!


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[Assistant] PFTPM, Chris Sims on button, presented by Under Armour. Let's get to the late afternoon games for week two. The MegaPix podcast, all picks straight up and against the spread. Still to come, primetime games and best bets. For now though, four o'clock Eastern, Vikings at the Cardinals, the Arizona Cardinals.


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[Assistant] Making their home opener, the Vikings lost on the road to the Bengals. Cardinals are 3.5 point favorites over under of 51. Can the Vikings compete, Chris, with Kyler Murray, Chandler Jones in company come Sunday?


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[Assistant] Now, Mike Zimmer has a very good track record when it comes to containing Russell Wilson. They do a very good job of keeping him in the pocket. They do a very good job of relatively speaking keeping the games close.


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[Assistant] Kyler Murray isn't Russell Wilson from the standpoint of speed, agility, burst, elusiveness. No one is Kyler Murray right now. And the Vikings are going to find that out. If Kyler Murray plays on Sunday like he played last Sunday,


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[Assistant] The Vikings are not going to be able to slow him down. The defensive backs are not good enough to cover those receivers. And it's going to be a shootout. And I don't think the Vikings have the offense to make it a shootout. The only way they're going to win is if they outscore Kyler Murray. I've got 27-20, Cardinals winning and thus covering.


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[Assistant] The Vikings, another one of these teams with that in-house COVID controversy. And you know, Arizona had a little bit of it, but not to the same extent as Minnesota, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Washington. I think that could be another factor as well. And the Vikings staring at Owen too with the Seahawks coming to town.


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[Assistant] For their home opener now, we'll talk about that obviously next week, but the Vikings could be looking at 0-3. They got off to a bad start last year. They could get off to a bad start again this year. Falcons and Buccaneers. The Bucs managed to eke out the victory on Thursday night against the Cowboys. The Falcons looked horrible at home against the Eagles. They get together in Tampa Bay.


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[Assistant] 12.5 points is the spread tied for the largest spread of the week. We talked earlier about Houston, Cleveland. Chris and I both think the Texans will cover that big spread. Do we think the Falcons will cover this big spread over under also 52? Chris, what do you got?


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[Assistant] So sometimes when we do this, we are allowed to have a little bit of fun. And I'm gonna have a little bit of fun. If Tom Brady can have a little bit of fun when he has a clock behind him that shows that it's 328, I can have a little fun and I can say that


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[Assistant] The Buccaneers are going to win this game 28-3 over the Atlanta Falcons. I like it, yeaah. For whatever reason.


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[Assistant] That chip that Tom Brady got on his shoulder with the interception in the first half of Super Bowl 51 and there's the photo of him sitting there on the ground and


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[Assistant] That hasn't gone away. He relishes beating the crap out of the Falcons whenever and wherever he can. He's never lost to Matt Ryan either with the Patriots or with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Swept them last year.


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[Assistant] The run of success continues with 28-3. Wouldn't that be fitting if it's the final score of the Falcons visiting the Buccaneers? Alright, Cowboys Chargers. Sneaky great game.


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[Assistant] Because the Cowboys showed us they're better than what we thought. The Chargers I think are going to be one of the best teams in the league. Three and a half point favorites are the Chargers in their first game at SoFi Stadium with fans present. There probably will be plenty of Cowboys fans there because they're everywhere over under 55 and a half. This is the highest over under of the week. Who do you like and why?


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[Assistant] So you have the cowboys covering by one half point. You're living dangerously with some of these.


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[Assistant] That's the same margin. 27-23. I should have kept my damn mouth shut. In the future, I will do what many advise me to do on a regular basis. I will keep my damn mouth shut. Please do us a favor. 27-23. Chargers. Look, Brandon Staley I think should be the favorite for Coach of the Year. If you're looking


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[Assistant] One year, but, uh, this guy knows what he's doing. He's got talented players and they're still healthy. They may not stay healthy, they're healthy for now. And the Cowboys have all these issues. We talked about it on PFT Live. Right. And they don't have DeMarcus Lawrence.


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[Assistant] Or Randy Gregory, who's on the COVID list. Their top two pass rushers aren't available. That just plays right into Justin Herbert's hands. And oh, by the way, Joey Bosa.


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[Assistant] We'll be coming after Dak Prescott this week if they try to pass it 58 times. Maybe they'll run it a little bit more. Either way.


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[Assistant] I like the Chargers, you like the Chargers. I think the over-under number is a little high. Maybe that's going to be one of my best bets. I don't like messing with over-under for best bet, but 55.5 seems a little high to me. Now you've got them at 58, I've got them at 50, but 55.5 seems high. Alright, the last late afternoon game, Tennessee Titans.


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[Assistant] In Seattle, home opener for the Seahawks. The 12s are back in full force. Five and a half point favorites are the Seahawks. The over under of 54. Chris, who do you have?


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[Assistant] You spelling that word reminds me of one of my favorite jokes from when I was a kid. Do you want to hear it? Yes.


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[Assistant] The alphabet. There are certain friendships and cliques that form among the letters of the alphabet. And as it turns out, the letters K and F are very good friends. Do you know why? No.


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[Assistant] Over the Bears. I was gonna go Bears, but you talked me out of it. Oh, we're spending too much time together. We have yet to disagree. Although we do disagree on some of the spreads, that's where the difference may be this week. Alright, Primetime Games, when this joint collaboration of the PFTPM Podcast and Chris Sims on Button continues right after this.


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[Assistant] The weekly in-season joint collaboration of PFTPM and Chris Sims on Button presented by Under Armour, the MegaPix podcast. We go through every single game. We give you our picks straight up and against the spread. We are up to the primetime games, Sunday night, Monday night, and let's start with Sunday Night Football, a great matchup for week two.


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[Assistant] Kansas City Chiefs at the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs are the Ravens Kryptonite. The Ravens had a tough loss on Monday night and that same mindset we talked about earlier with the Raiders. Physical game.


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[Assistant] Tough game, 65 minutes, short week, fly home, lick your wounds and put everything back together again and try to get ready for a Chiefs team that they just have not been able to beat in recent years. The Chiefs are favored on the road by 3.5 points with an over-under of 55. Chris, who do you like?


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[Assistant] I have, uh, same thoughts, same reasoning, same everything. Not the same score for a change, although the margin is similar. I've got 31-23 Chiefs. We both like the Chiefs to win and to cover. It could get uglier than that. I'm assuming that the Ravens are going to be able to muster some offense, but...


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[Assistant] I just, I worry about that team. I worry about them getting away from the things they're trying to do. They're trying to diversify the offense. I think there's a ton of pressure on Greg Roman.


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[Assistant] As strong as the Ravens have been to start the regular season in recent years, losing that game after they were up 14-0, that has to hurt, that has to sting and it's going to be hard to turn the page on a short week with the Chiefs coming to town. I just think it's going to be very, very difficult and the Chiefs...


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[Assistant] Are the Chiefs, and the Chiefs are the Kryptonite for the Ravens, and the Chiefs got their wake-up call, but still won.


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[Assistant] The Ravens got a wake up call and lost. The Chiefs got a wake up call and won. I think they go in and win this one. Yea, good point. Fairly easily. And, uh, I hope it's close. I hope it's exciting. I hope it goes down to the wire, but, uh, I have a feeling that, uh, it's not going to. Alright, Monday Night Football.


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[Assistant] Like what the Lions did last week. The Lions are never gonna quit. They're never gonna give up. Because Dan Campbell will run your ass out of town if he sees you loafing, if he sees you lollygagging, if he sees you doing anything other than trying to bite someone's kneecap off.


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[Assistant] I could see the Packers run up a lead and I could see the Lions scratch and claw their way back into it and cover that 11 point spread. Hey, hey.


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[Assistant] That the Packers are going to stumble against an overmatched team from a talent standpoint. I think the Packers will win. Don't think they'll cover.


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[Assistant] Another thing to keep in mind, to the extent that his absence from the team, his total disengagement from any on-field work, either official or unofficial,


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[Assistant] Yeah, that sets you back, but now that you're in the season, you're getting there, you're working, you're in practice, you have games. Even though it didn't go well last week, some of the things that didn't go well could help them springboard toward what they need to do, and they get the extra day to get ready for it. I think they'll be fine for now, but then...


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[Assistant] It's a California trip next Sunday night on NBC when the Packers go to San Francisco. That may be a different story altogether. Let's take a break. We have just a little time to finalize our best bets and our weekly Folsom Prison Blues pick the one game.


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[Assistant] The one game that we would wager our lives on this week. Fortunately we were both right last week, so we're still alive. We'll be back with more. No guarantee we'll be alive on Sunday.


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[Assistant] MegaPix Podcast, presented by Under Armour. Best bets time, Chris, where I am ahead.


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[Assistant] Two to one versus one to two and just I got lucky and you didn't or it would be the other way around. But this is where we call our shots the three games or over under whatever it is against the spread or over under.


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[Assistant] The bets we would make this week if we were inclined to do so, you go first. What's your first selection for this week's best bet?


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[Assistant] Well, you know what, I'll match you there. And we've done that from time to time where it's that slot machine effect.


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[Assistant] So, we're both locked in with the Buccaneers logo when they make the graphic. We're gonna have the pirate flag, cause I've got 28 to 3.


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[Assistant] And I firmly believe the Bucs will cover that spread, win the game easily because the Falcons aren't very good, and because it was so close last week, I think that's even more reason for the Buccaneers to blow the doors off the Falcons. Alright, what do you got next?


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[Assistant] And here's where the slot machine falls apart. I'll go Rams giving three and a half on the road to the Colts as my next best bet. I feel good about that one. Last one from you.


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[Assistant] I'm nervous about the Jags covering in what becomes a test of pride type game for them after what happened last week. I got the Chiefs giving three and a half to the Ravens. I think the Chiefs win by at least four if not more so that's my third one. Alright Folsom Prison Blues, the one game that you would take straight up, the winner you guarantee and you'd put your life


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[Assistant] I would prefer that if we didn't have the same game again, like last week, but I also prefer to be right. I'll take the Buccaneers as well. So, that's it. Chris, great work as always.


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[Assistant] Check us out at profootballtalk.com and enjoy the games. See you soon.


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[Assistant] I think it's super deep or special. So we'll get through all the linebacker rankings. We'll take a look at how you did last year. Like you mentioned, we'll get through the Ask Me Anything because this has become a, uh,


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[Assistant] Every podcast thing now. It's just like, normally we talk about the quarterbacks and it's like, alright, we move on. But this group of quarterbacks is so interesting. And I find myself on Twitter.


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[Assistant] Defending your view on Mac Jones. Everyday now. I've become obsessed. I have become obsessed. And there are some people that say, Ahmed, you should be more of like a adversary on the podcast. Like Battle Chris. And I go, you know what? No.


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[Assistant] I did. Yeaah. Look at you. Take it low. It got a little, well I got the Kentucky Derby coming up here in three weeks and so I like to get kind of that haircut now.


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[Assistant] That's one I gotta go against you on. See, it puts me in a weird spot though, because you never, I never want to get the haircut right before the show, because then it looks like Johnny Poindexter.


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[Assistant] Okay, so let's get into the, uh, the linebacker, uh, rankings. Also, we will talk about, um, your interviews with Kellen Mond and Diami Brown, which I watched really good. And I got some thoughts on those. Uh, so let's get right into it. Our Prospect Rundown presented by Applebee's The Chris Sims 2021 Draft Linebacker.


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[Assistant] Do you prefer linebackers who are better in coverage or better in tackling? So basically, what are you looking for when you scout these linebackers?


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[Assistant] So in your top five that we're about to see, are they players who can do both or do you see some that are, that are more one or the other?


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[Assistant] You this past year have said those big dudes up front that can clog everything up and free. Those guys have become very important in the NFL. And so this one comes from Michael Heim.


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[Assistant] With how good some defenses like the Rams have become, has the importance of the linebacker position declined? Ooh.


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[Assistant] We gotta look back, always, we gotta go to school, see how we did, assess it, so we go back to your


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[Assistant] 2020 NFL linebacker draft rankings here. You had Isaiah Simmons, number one, who had a weird year. Yes. He had a lot of hype coming out. Hybrid player. Right. Only played, I think, 30 something percent of the snaps. Uhm, so that was, uh, unfortunate for Simmons. I want to get your take on him. Patrick Queen, on the other hand, and Kenneth Murray played a ton.


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[Assistant] Yeah, Patrick Queen specifically had 22 missed tackles that tied Zach Cunningham for most in the NFL last year for Pro Football Focus. Still, I mean, that's rookie year, a lot of experience for those guys. Uhm, some guys later in the draft, who was it?


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[Assistant] Yep, yep, yep. Exactly. Context always matters. Context matters. Pro football focus had Michael Walker from Fresno State played for the Falcons as their top rated rookie linebacker last year. Didn't play a ton of snacks. Barely got the minimum, so who knows what they're saying there.


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[Assistant] Alright, so we'll get to the top three in a second, but we start at number five. Number five in the Chris Sims 2021 draft linebacker rankings from Missouri, Nick Bolton. Nick Bolton, that's right.


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[Assistant] For a lot of years in a row now, and I hope that continues in the NFL. So that is number five for you, Nick Bolton out of Missouri. Number four, another LSU linebacker, like a factory there. Number four, Jabril Cox.


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[Assistant] Uhm, transferred to LSU last season after graduating from North Dakota State. Yeaah. So that was interesting.


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[Assistant] His body looked the part, but you always had the concern like, will he play the part at a big school? And he did.


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[Assistant] Scored 31 touchdowns his senior year. He was a four-year starter on the basketball team and so he was super athletic but had no big-time offers coming out of high school. That's amazing. That's why I went to North Dakota State and he's gotta fight that from, you know, right? It's like you gotta fight where you start. If you're a five-star recruit, you don't need to convince people as much.


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[Assistant] Uhm, LSU has had a lot of really good linebackers. You've mentioned a couple already. I think, Nicole, we have a graphic of some of them here. Does he remind you of any of these LSU guys recently?


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[Assistant] Alright, I like him a lot. Yeah. Hearing you talk about him. Yeah, there's big time potential with this guy. It's gonna be hard to convince me that he might not be better than three, two, or one. Yeah. That's why you talk about cocks. A lot to like about cocks. It's more of a little bit of a potential.


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[Assistant] So we have a comp from regular contributor to the show, CJ Easterday.


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[Assistant] If he could be Anthony Barr, who was drafted in 2014, uhm, that would be, that would be a good career for Zaven Collins.


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[Assistant] Who is another one, just like Jabril Cox, who in high school was a three-star recruit, had zero power five offers for a guy that big, which is crazy. So then he goes to Tulsa, he wins the Bronco Nagurski award, he wins the Chuck Bennerick award for the nation's best defender, first team Associated Press All-American, so he's got all these awards, but you still have the question of, okay, he did it at Tulsa.


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[Assistant] And that's always going to be a question for guys that play in a school like Tulsa. No, you're right.


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[Assistant] Makes up for that too. Super smart guy. I was reading somewhere where he got a 1310 on the SAT coming out of Bethel High School in Virginia. So not only athletic.


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[Assistant] And can play multiple positions, but a super smart guy, which you have to be to be able to do that. Yes. And I guess that the concern for any scout or any NFL team is that you mentioned the small size, is that what could ruin this pick? Injury, right?


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[Assistant] And it's tough because everyone gets injured. And so trying to project injuries is almost a folly because you're like anyone can get injured. Right, right. Is it more likely in the case of this player though?


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[Assistant] Perhaps your favorite player that you have scouted this season. So, uh, head scratcher.


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[Assistant] How did you put Michael Parsons from Penn State over him? Well, Michael Parsons is special.


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[Assistant] He did not play last year. He opted out of 2020. And Pro Football Focus noted that, uh, not many linebackers in college football history can rest on their true sophomore tape and still be a top 10 pick. But it was that good for you. And he wasn't that old, like they mentioned there. Uhm, so he had an elite sophomore year.


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[Assistant] There is a question about him off the field though. He was named as an assailant in a hazing lawsuit at Penn State. So there was an incident off the field at Penn State with a former teammate, Hughes0020 says, Hey Chris, your biggest fan from Canada here. How much would you be concerned about the off-field issues for Micah Parsons?


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[Assistant] Could he go here? Cause I've even seen Michael Parsons to Detroit at 7.


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[Assistant] Linebacker in this draft class. So let's recap your top five here. You had Micah Parsons, number one. J-O-K, number two out of Notre Dame. Zaven Collins, three. Jabril Cox, four. Nick Bolton, five. And you like this crew. And it seems like, I'm gonna guess, you think that there are three, maybe four first round linebackers.


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[Assistant] That is the final word. That is the prospect rundown presented by Applebee's.


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[Assistant] But here's the thing, it's not the final word. Because we have honorable mentions too. Let's go, let's go quick hitter through these guys. Kentucky's Jamin Davis. What would you think of him?


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[Assistant] You go get him and be like, oh, he almost made that tackle. That was good. He was almost there. Uh, so that is Jamin Davis out of Kentucky. How about Chas Surratt out of North Carolina, who was a dual threat quarterback in high school and played quarterback his first two years.


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[Assistant] Interesting prospect here. Okay, that's never great. Like I wouldn't want to be called an interesting prospect.


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[Assistant] Playing both ways. Uh, two more players. Yeaah. Real quick mentions. Baron Browning, Ohio State.


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[Assistant] Uhm, Kellen Mond. Okay. Your thoughts on your talk with him. Did I listen to it? Uh huh. 40 minutes. It was really good. He was really open about a lot of things. He was. You can tell that


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[Assistant] Yeah, it wasn't a great look. I understood what he was doing. Right. And I, and, and, and like I say, and it gave him a chip on his shoulder. And that's a positive. Uhm, but you're right. Let you do that talking. He doesn't need to do that.


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[Assistant] Do you think if Mon goes to Washington, should he sit a year under Fitzpatrick? So I mean, you've said he's a first round quarterback. I don't know that he will be. It doesn't seem like it's trending that way. Uhm, but if he is, I mean, do you think he should sit for a year? Would that be a good situation for him?


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[Assistant] Quote-unquote, elite traits. D.L. Book says, I get you are saying that Kyle Shanahan would take Mack Jones, but if you had that third pick, is that who you would choose? You've always been a draft elite traits guy, and there isn't anything elite with Mack.


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[Assistant] But, you would have waited if you were Kyle, and you would have been directing his every move. Yea. You would have said, wait for him. See if he's there at 12.


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[Assistant] I guess the issue comes if, if the cost of moving up, if they, with all their negotiations with other teams, right? If the cost of moving up to say 8, and then the cost of moving up to 3 isn't, the difference isn't that great? No. To move up to 8, they were like, yea, we want your two future first round picks, and you're like, well, might as well move up all the way.


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[Assistant] You gotta go to YouTube. Uh, yeaah, it just seems a little more finessing. Little more, right?


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[Assistant] So it's pro day and they're talking, it's over. And Kyle was wearing his white hat and whenever he does that means he's in a good mood and so he's gonna take him. But another knock on field has been the decision making, right? And it's slow to release the ball. Rabineau JJ says if Justin Fields' knock is that he goes through the reads too slowly, isn't decisive enough, isn't that coachable?


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[Assistant] So Zach Wilson checks a lot more boxes for you. He's your number one quarterback. And this one comes from Andre Brown Jr. I think this is a good question. Cool, cool. If guys like Wilson, Rogers, and Mahomes weren't so good at detaching their upper body from their legs, would it simply be considered bad mechanics?


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[Assistant] How do you differentiate? So sometimes, you know, you say you got to get your feet in the same spot and you got to be accurate. That's how you're accurate. Well, it's like Wilson, Rogers, Mahomes, sometimes their upper body is going one way, lower body is going the other way.


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[Assistant] It's like a video game, you have to unlock levels, right? You can't unlock the legs going one way, arm going the other way until you get to the certain point.


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[Assistant] Okay, all these quarterbacks really haven't talked a ton about Trevor Lawrence. It's boring, right? He's gonna go number one. It's just like a generational talent we don't talk about anymore. Uhm, but Chris has got him as the number two quarterback.