Speaker 1: M hmm.
Speaker 2: Good.
Speaker 1: Good evening everybody, and welcome to another episode of Fire Up.
Speaker 1: I hope you guys are fired up like I am. Tonight.
Speaker 2: Good evening everyone, Look at Borusky.
Speaker 1: What's going on? Well, I gotta welcome my awesome panel.
Speaker 1: I have mister Smear and mister Taylor. Welcome guys as
Speaker 1: you as always. So we're gonna start out with the
Speaker 1: title says it, all All Star Game Recap. Candy, my
Speaker 1: panel doesn't seem fired up. Uh oh, well, give it time,
Speaker 1: give it time, Give it time, Cyboriski. So All Star
Speaker 1: Game Recap for all of you that either didn't watch
Speaker 1: it or don't know. It actually kind of ended in
Speaker 1: a tie and it had the first swing off to
Speaker 1: determine the winner. It averaged seven million, one and eighty
Speaker 1: five thousand viewers Tuesday night on Fox. It was Fox's
Speaker 1: most watched telecast since the Super Bowl and the network's
Speaker 1: best audience for a Tuesday night since last year's Game
Speaker 1: four of the World Series. However, it was a three
Speaker 1: point five percent decrease from the twenty twenty four game
Speaker 1: and the second lowest for the Midsummer Classic. So your
Speaker 1: thoughts on the All Star Game? What you thought of it,
Speaker 1: what you thought of the swing off? Because I'll be
Speaker 1: honest with you, it's kind of an I have to say.
Speaker 1: I was actually part of history, because I am. I
Speaker 1: was in attendance for the only game that actually did
Speaker 1: completely end in a tie where they didn't have the
Speaker 1: swing off, and that was back in Milwaukee years ago
Speaker 1: when they actually ran out of pictures and that's why
Speaker 1: it actually ended in a tie. But so I'm here
Speaker 1: start with. I mean, it was in your backyard. Tell
Speaker 1: us about did you go to any of the events.
Speaker 1: What did you think of it?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I actually did. I was. I spent a lot
Speaker 2: of my day on Sunday in All Star Village. I
Speaker 2: thought it was pretty neat. Terry Pendleton was there signing autographs.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately I was not able to get a reservation in
Speaker 2: time to meet him. He's pretty popular within the Braves
Speaker 2: fan base, so as you would expect him, reservations for
Speaker 2: that filled up pretty quickly. I was at the home
Speaker 2: run derby on Monday night, which was pretty cool. I
Speaker 2: was really looking forward to seeing Ronald did it, but
Speaker 2: unfortunately he wasn't able to participate. But it was cool
Speaker 2: seeing Matt Olson there kind of got off to a
Speaker 2: slow start, went on a little here towards the end,
Speaker 2: but just a couple of home runs short of moving on.
Speaker 2: I thought, going in, I thought O'Neill Cruise is going
Speaker 2: to win it, but that didn't happen. Cal Raley won.
Speaker 2: It was still pretty cool though overall, but I mean,
Speaker 2: I wasn't able to go to the All Star Game,
Speaker 2: but I feel like the festivities involved were pretty cool.
Speaker 2: My favorite part about it was the tribute they did
Speaker 2: for Hank Aaron after the sixth inning, the Elijah they
Speaker 2: did on the field honoring his seven hundred and fifteenth
Speaker 2: home run, more specifically on the Day seven fifteen. Game
Speaker 2: itself was pretty good. I think Dave. I think Dave
Speaker 2: Roberts overall did a terrible job managing it. Look, we
Speaker 2: all loved Freddy Freeman, but I think it was a
Speaker 2: joke that he was able to come off the field
Speaker 2: to a standing ovation, but Ronald Acunya wasn't. He was
Speaker 2: subbed out for Fernando Tatis without getting on in his
Speaker 2: own ballpark. And then on top of that, you had
Speaker 2: Shohio Tani leading off. That's Ronald's spot, Like read the room, Dave. Okay,
Speaker 2: So I feel like with that. And then for the
Speaker 2: swing off, I thought it was different. I think it
Speaker 2: was the first time they did it. And then for
Speaker 2: the swing off, you had three players in the NL East,
Speaker 2: but you didn't have Akunya or Olson in it, which
Speaker 2: I thought was like kind of read the room thing.
Speaker 2: But overall I thought it was pretty cool. I wish
Speaker 2: you could have had it four years ago, but better
Speaker 2: late than ever, I guess, Taylor your thoughts well.
Speaker 3: First off, Showy o'tany was actually supposed to lead off
Speaker 3: because he was the number one star in Major League Baseball.
Speaker 3: Of Course, the the NLU jumped out off to a
Speaker 3: great start against Trek Scoobel. Of course, uh they they're there.
Speaker 3: The NL's offense was very, very powerful, just too much
Speaker 3: for Terrek Scooble to overcome. Of course he made a
Speaker 3: couple of mistakes or a few, but whatever. But the
Speaker 3: NL jumped out to US six nothing lead. But the
Speaker 3: a L actually came back to tie it up in
Speaker 3: the ninth inning, Stephen Kwan h producing the final run
Speaker 3: in the for the a L. On the top of
Speaker 3: the night. It's against Mets closing pitcher Edwin Diaz. Even
Speaker 3: as a Tigers fan. I respect Steven Kuan. He can
Speaker 3: run fast, he can leg out balls on the ground
Speaker 3: and get on base, and he's a machine. And as
Speaker 3: far as the swing off goes, it's kind of I
Speaker 3: picture it just like the NHL shootout. It's actually fun.
Speaker 3: And by the way, the the All Star Game is
Speaker 3: just exhibition. But what I was amazed about the swing
Speaker 3: off Kyle Schwarber hitting three home runs out of three swings.
Speaker 3: That is incredible. Kyle Schwarber is a home run machine.
Speaker 3: That's all I have.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you gotta respect him. I just still
Speaker 2: kind of wish we could have had either Ronald or
Speaker 2: Matt in that swing off. But it is what it is.
Speaker 2: The National League gotta win, which is always good for
Speaker 2: while they're the American League that dominated the All Star Game,
Speaker 2: and it seems like the National League has won I
Speaker 2: believe two of the last three they won in twenty three,
Speaker 2: they won this year? Did they win last year? Who
Speaker 2: won last year? The American League?
Speaker 1: I think the American League.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I couldn't quite remember one hundred percent,
Speaker 3: but I think it, but I think they all did.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: But question for you, samer are you are you saying
Speaker 3: that RONALDA Junior should have let off, or are you
Speaker 3: just favoring him just because you're an Atlanta sports fan.
Speaker 3: I'm just just want to second one.
Speaker 2: It's more of the second one, and he was in
Speaker 2: his own ballpark.
Speaker 3: Would have been right that that's true, but still show
Speaker 3: you gotta everyone has to know is the number one
Speaker 3: player in Major League Baseball. It's the hot commodity, not
Speaker 3: just in Atlanta, but but in Major League Baseball all
Speaker 3: the entire league.
Speaker 1: Wasn't he the highest vote getter? Too? And I think,
Speaker 1: I mean, of course he was.
Speaker 2: Yeah he was.
Speaker 3: There's no shadow of a doubt.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean again, I'm not denying that, but I'm
Speaker 2: seeing it from a prospect, from a point of view
Speaker 2: as a Braves fan. Where the All Star Game was
Speaker 2: in our ballpark, I.
Speaker 1: Know, but it wasn't your manager managing it either though,
Speaker 1: which is.
Speaker 3: Like he manages the Dodgers, Dave Roberts Right.
Speaker 1: So one the one thing I thought was really cool
Speaker 1: was the winner of the home run derby. He had
Speaker 1: his dad pitching to him and his brother was catching
Speaker 1: for him.
Speaker 2: He was one.
Speaker 3: He was one of those Seattle manners that can they
Speaker 3: could they could produce a lot of offense. Don't forget
Speaker 3: Randy or Rose Arena, Julio Rodriguez. There are a few
Speaker 3: of those guys in the lineup that can never be
Speaker 3: underestimated for the Seattle Mariners and some Tigers fan But
Speaker 3: I don't want to go down the list of names.
Speaker 3: But they they just take the Mariners lineup for granted,
Speaker 3: they just kicked them to the curb. That's I mean,
Speaker 3: I mean, come on, the mirrors. The Mirror's offense is
Speaker 3: better than some people that most people may think.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've studied them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And the Tigers coaching staff just failed to scout
Speaker 3: the Mariners lineup well.
Speaker 1: And this was the first that I thought was cool too.
Speaker 1: It was the first time I catcher won.
Speaker 3: The home run exactly. Yo, cal Role, he's a catcher,
Speaker 3: that's a fact.
Speaker 2: Jack m hm hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, Samira, I'm that that's exciting that you got to
Speaker 1: go to that. That was cool because I remember back
Speaker 1: in the day I got to go to the events
Speaker 1: when it was in Milwaukee, and you don't get that
Speaker 1: opportunity very often, so it's cool when you do to
Speaker 1: take advantage of it.
Speaker 2: Mm hmm. Definitely, that's cool.
Speaker 1: Any other last comments on the All Star Game or
Speaker 1: the festivities. No, we got it. Good. Okay, guys. So
Speaker 1: what I what? We're starting a series that's gonna be
Speaker 1: a four week series, and what it's gonna be is
Speaker 1: we're gonna preview two of the divisions I NFL. So
Speaker 1: we're gonna start with the AFC South and the NFC
Speaker 1: South and those are gonna be the ones that we're
Speaker 1: gonna hit this week, and we're gonna talk about what's
Speaker 1: changed in the division and what we think, prediction wise,
Speaker 1: how the teams are gonna do. So we're gonna start
Speaker 1: with the AFC South. Uh So, mister Samir the South
Speaker 1: as the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and
Speaker 1: the Tennessee Titans. There's been some changes within those teams
Speaker 1: this year. Tell us some of the changes on what
Speaker 1: you how you see that division playing out this year?
Speaker 2: Uh? Yeah. So with the Tennessee Titans, it feels like
Speaker 2: they're officially really in year two their rebuild mode. They
Speaker 2: do have a new general manager, Mike Berganzi Bottom over
Speaker 2: from Kansas City based again the receiving core. They they've
Speaker 2: got Calvin Ridley coming off of solid season last couple
Speaker 2: of years. They did draft Xavier Estrepo, and of course
Speaker 2: they got cam Moore first. Overall, defense does have some pieces.
Speaker 2: I like the detackle they got a couple of years
Speaker 2: ago out of Texas Sweat, and then they got the
Speaker 2: corner from the Chiefs a couple of years ago, So
Speaker 2: there are some pieces there. But ultimately I think they
Speaker 2: are a year or two away from really making that
Speaker 2: next step if they build around cam Moore correctly. I
Speaker 2: did write an article recently about some coaches that could
Speaker 2: potentially be on the hot seat, and on that list
Speaker 2: I mentioned Brian Callahan as a possible maybe surprise, maybe
Speaker 2: wild card, and that really depends on a factor of things.
Speaker 2: It depends on cam Ord's development. Like I think I've mentioned,
Speaker 2: the Titans are going to be that good this year,
Speaker 2: but if cam Ord is developing as a quarterback as
Speaker 2: the season goes on, I think he'll be safe. But
Speaker 2: let's say cam Mooard struggles and they have another four, three, four,
Speaker 2: maybe five win season. There there is a scenario in
Speaker 2: which Mike Bragonzi may want to bring in a head coach,
Speaker 2: in which he had to say in hiring, so that
Speaker 2: could be a scenario to look out for Jacksonville. I
Speaker 2: really liked the Liam Cohen hier. I did like that
Speaker 2: they made the switch from Trent Balke to a Gladstone
Speaker 2: Bottom over from the Rams, one of the more well
Speaker 2: run front offices in the NFL. The trade up for
Speaker 2: Travis Hunter, even though I don't necessarily like them giving
Speaker 2: up a future first for next season, Travis Hunter is
Speaker 2: a generational talent and that's just another weapon for Trevor
Speaker 2: Lawres to go alongside Brian Thomas. And they have a
Speaker 2: really good backfield with the Tank Bigs B and Travis ETN.
Speaker 2: It'll be interesting to see how they set that backfield up.
Speaker 2: Who is a starter and who like who's starting in
Speaker 2: that backfield. The defense does have some pieces, especially up front,
Speaker 2: especially with Eric Armstead, Josh Heinz Allen, Trayvon Walker from
Speaker 2: a couple of years ago. They've got Andre Cisco in
Speaker 2: that of red safety as well, so they've got some
Speaker 2: pieces there and I'm assuming the coaching staff is going
Speaker 2: to be an upgrade as well. So I think their
Speaker 2: team that can improve and definitely a team to look
Speaker 2: out for. I think if Trevor Lawrence is healthy. Having
Speaker 2: a guy like Liam Cohen there you look at the
Speaker 2: job he did in Tampa last year, will be beneficial
Speaker 2: to him. The team I'm most intrigued by in that
Speaker 2: division is Indianapolis because they're an interesting team. They've got
Speaker 2: some pieces there on both sides of the ball. You know,
Speaker 2: Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs, Mike Pittman. I've got Quentin Nelson,
Speaker 2: who's one of the top offensive interior offensive linemen in
Speaker 2: the NFL. But I think the wild card for them
Speaker 2: is going to be whether Anthony Richardson develops as a passer.
Speaker 2: When Shane Stike and Chris Valley regime took a chance
Speaker 2: on him for it overall in twenty twenty three, he
Speaker 2: was always considered a raw prospect, but it was really
Speaker 2: the arm, the athleticism, and really the physical traits that
Speaker 2: stuck out. And he has shown flashes throughout his first
Speaker 2: two years so far, but he just hasn't been able
Speaker 2: to put it together. He's had some injuries, including a
Speaker 2: season ending one in twenty three. He's had some struggles
Speaker 2: with accuracy. There was the incident against it was Houston,
Speaker 2: I think where he took himself out of the game
Speaker 2: for a little bit, say he was tired then got
Speaker 2: benched afterwards. For Joe Flacco, it's kind of a kind
Speaker 2: of been a roller coaster ride, and he is in
Speaker 2: a competition for his job with Daniel Jones. But I
Speaker 2: also mentioned this in the article. You have a coach
Speaker 2: and a general manager who basically need to win this
Speaker 2: year to keep their jobs in un likelihood, and I
Speaker 2: just don't see them going into a must win year
Speaker 2: with Daniel Jones as a starter. I think their jobs
Speaker 2: are going to depend heavily on how Anthony Richardson develops,
Speaker 2: and I think they're going to live and die by that.
Speaker 2: But Houston, I do think there are concerns about their
Speaker 2: offensive line. There are some concerns about their wide receiver room.
Speaker 2: Stefan Diggs is in New England. Tank Dell is still
Speaker 2: out for the season. But I did like the Christian
Speaker 2: Kirk pickup and I do like the Jaden Higgins selection
Speaker 2: in the second round for them. But overall, on paper,
Speaker 2: their defense is still legit. They still got CJ's drove
Speaker 2: back there, who I think will have a bounce back year.
Speaker 2: But it's an interesting division, but I still think Houston
Speaker 2: will come out on top on.
Speaker 4: Paper, Taylor your thoughts man, well, like like some are
Speaker 4: pointing out the Titans of rebuilding, the Jaguars got some
Speaker 4: new coaching, Trevor Lawrence is still there.
Speaker 3: It's still a wait and see approach for Jacksonville Indianapolis.
Speaker 3: I would I would say, uh, yeah, yeah. Joe Flacco's
Speaker 3: like play played in the NFL for a long time.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: He mentioned that his name too.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: Anthony Richardson. Uh. I would take either one of these
Speaker 3: over Daniel Jones because Daniel Jones cannot play quarterback.
Speaker 2: I mean, and.
Speaker 3: Any NFL team, the Giants or the Colts, the Houston Texans,
Speaker 3: they definitely need an offensive line. Man, that's a tough one.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna say Houston Texans just randomly. But I think
Speaker 3: the AFC South is just screwed.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's it's kind of been the same. It's
Speaker 2: kind of like the NFC South in twenty twenty two,
Speaker 2: where every team twenty three is like every team is like,
Speaker 2: but it's like on pap like Houston is Tampa, Like,
Speaker 2: you know, they've got some poles, they've got some question marks,
Speaker 2: but on paper, their career with the best team in
Speaker 2: that division.
Speaker 1: I think it'll be interesting with the new the new regime,
Speaker 1: like for the Jaguars the Titans, depends on you know,
Speaker 1: how like you said, how well does cam Ward you know,
Speaker 1: transition from college to now NFL, Because let's face it,
Speaker 1: the NFL plays at a different level, different speed, different tempo.
Speaker 1: You have different defenses out there. I think that'll be interesting.
Speaker 1: I think the whole Travis Hunter with Jacksonville, with Liam Colt,
Speaker 1: like you said, those are some interesting developments and changes.
Speaker 1: So I think they're While they'll be much improved, I
Speaker 1: don't know how that translates to their record. I think
Speaker 1: they're still in rebuilding obviously. The Colts, Yeah, Daniel Jones, Yeah,
Speaker 1: but I still say that like you, like you say
Speaker 1: the Texans, I predict them to win, but I think
Speaker 1: it won't be I don't think they'll be as much
Speaker 1: like last year. Texans were ten and seven, the Jaguars
Speaker 1: were four and thirteen. I think the division will be
Speaker 1: closer than a lot of people think this year, as
Speaker 1: opposed to being such the polarity that it was last year.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I don't want Jacksonville to be improved, mainly
Speaker 1: from just a coaching standpoint, right, Well, and typically when
Speaker 1: you finish your previous year as low as they did
Speaker 1: your next year, you don't have as tough of a schedule. Now,
Speaker 1: I don't remember who does the AFC South play this year?
Speaker 1: Do we know? Did we look that up to see
Speaker 1: who were they playing this year? Because a lot of
Speaker 1: times I think that, you know, let's see.
Speaker 2: Wait, which team Texans.
Speaker 1: The the the AFC South, So who do they play
Speaker 1: this year?
Speaker 2: You?
Speaker 1: Because every year they rotate?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so so I know the scheduling is kind of
Speaker 2: different this year. Like wait, yeah, like the I think
Speaker 2: each AFC South team is playing one NFC South team,
Speaker 2: So like the Texans are playing the Bucks, We're playing
Speaker 2: the Colts in uh Germany and uh, let me see.
Speaker 1: It says the schedule includes divisional games matchups against the
Speaker 1: AFC West and the NFC West, and.
Speaker 2: The Jaguars are playing the Panthers. I know that. Mm hmm.
Speaker 1: Let's see.
Speaker 3: I think the Indianapolis Cult should be in the AFC North.
Speaker 3: I think at least some of those divisions need to
Speaker 3: be rearranged.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Geography, geographically, yeah, I mean, I mean NFC East.
Speaker 2: You can make an argument that, I mean, maybe Dallas
Speaker 2: shouldn't be in the NFC East given the geographical alignment.
Speaker 3: Right, they still yeah, their their rivalry with what was
Speaker 3: the Washington Redskins is over. The Washington Commanders are the now,
Speaker 3: of course, so the past is the past, the present
Speaker 3: is the present. So i'd say that that old rivalry
Speaker 3: is over.
Speaker 2: Well, I wouldn't say that. I feel like I feel
Speaker 2: like all the teams in the NFC East genuinely don't
Speaker 2: like each other, right, Still, I don't. I wouldn't say it.
Speaker 1: So so the Texans, to give you an idea of
Speaker 1: their schedule, Week one is at the Rams, Week two
Speaker 1: is home against the Buccaneers, Week three at the Jaguars,
Speaker 1: four against the Titans. I've at the Ravens. Week six
Speaker 1: is thereby, Week seven is at Seahawks, Week eight is
Speaker 1: against the forty nine ers, Week nine is against the Broncos,
Speaker 1: Week ten is against the Jaguars. Eleven is at the Titans,
Speaker 1: Week twelve is against the Bills, Week thirteen is at
Speaker 1: the Colts, Week fourteen is at the Chiefs, Week fifteen
Speaker 1: is the Cardinals, Week sixteen is the Raiders, Week seventeen
Speaker 1: at Chargers, and week eighteen is the Colts. For me,
Speaker 1: that sounds like kind of a could be it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's not an easy schedule for the Texas.
Speaker 3: Challenging in other words.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but the other on the other flip side of
Speaker 5: it is if you want to win, you've got to
Speaker 5: win the tough games too, so like you.
Speaker 1: Know, yeah, yep, you gotta earn it. So the colt schedule,
Speaker 1: they play week one against the Dolphins, Week two against
Speaker 1: the Broncos, Week three at the Titans, week four at
Speaker 1: the Rams, week five the Raiders, week six the Cardinals,
Speaker 1: week seven at Chargers, week eight Titans, week nine at
Speaker 1: the Steelers. Week ten is the Falcons in Berlin. Week
Speaker 1: eleven then is there by. Week twelve is at the Chiefs,
Speaker 1: Week thirteen Texans, Week fourteen at Jaguars, Week fifteen at Seahawks,
Speaker 1: Week sixteen the forty, week seventeen Jaguars, and week eighteen
Speaker 1: at the Texans. So they don't have it easy. I
Speaker 1: don't think they have quite as hard as as I
Speaker 1: don't know. I mean, anytime you're gonna go to go
Speaker 1: to Seattle the Tech, that's kind of always.
Speaker 2: But yeah, yeah, that's why I feel like, well, neither
Speaker 2: team really stands out. It's kind of like again the
Speaker 2: NFC South in twenty two and twenty three, where you're
Speaker 2: picking Tampa just based off their roster on paper.
Speaker 1: So the Jaguars their week one is versus the Panthers.
Speaker 1: Week two is at the Bengals, Week three is Texans,
Speaker 1: Week four is at the forty nine Ers, Week five
Speaker 1: is the Chiefs, Week six is the Seahawks, Week seven
Speaker 1: is the Rams in London. Week eight is a bye,
Speaker 1: Week nine is at the Raiders, ten at Texans, eleven
Speaker 1: is Chargers, twelve at Cardinals, thirteen at Titans, fourteen the Colts,
Speaker 1: week fifteen the Jets, week sixteen at the Broncos, week
Speaker 1: seventeen at the Colts in week eighteen versus the Titans.
Speaker 1: See now, I don't I don't know if that's as tough.
Speaker 2: Yeah for who which the Titans?
Speaker 1: That was the JAGUARSS my apology. That's okay. Ten Titans
Speaker 1: will be next. They will be the last. But yeah,
Speaker 1: I think I mean to the Jaguars credit. I think
Speaker 1: playing the Chiefs at home helps playing see the Seahawks
Speaker 1: at home is you know, I think always going going
Speaker 1: on the road to like Seahawks Seahawks, because that's a
Speaker 1: lot of travel because so remember they play the Chiefs
Speaker 1: at home, the Seahawks and then they go across the
Speaker 1: seas to London to play the Rams. I just think
Speaker 1: there are some stadiums that are a lot tougher to
Speaker 1: play in, and one of the Seahawks Seahawks, whether they
Speaker 1: have a good team or not, but there's always that,
Speaker 1: you know, that twelve man mentality up there. As far
Speaker 1: as the Titans schedule, week one is at the Broncos,
Speaker 1: Week two is versus the Rams, three is the Colts,
Speaker 1: four is at Texans, five is a Cardinals, six is
Speaker 1: at Raiders, seven is Patriots, eight is at the Colts,
Speaker 1: Week nine is the Chargers, Week ten is thereby, Week
Speaker 1: eleven is the Texans, twelve is Seahawks, thirteen as Jaguars,
Speaker 1: fourteen is at the Browns, fifteen is at the forty
Speaker 1: nine Ers, sixteen is the Chiefs, seventeen is the Saints,
Speaker 1: and week eighteen is at the Jaguars. Yeah, that's not
Speaker 1: quite as difficulty either, I don't think. Yeah, I think
Speaker 1: I really look at the tough games against the teams
Speaker 1: that I think are going to be tough, and are
Speaker 1: you playing them on your home field or are you
Speaker 1: playing them away, and if you're playing them away, that
Speaker 1: makes it that much harder. I think. So we still
Speaker 1: think even though we think Houston's got one of the
Speaker 1: tougher schedules, we still think Houston's gonna take it.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I just feel like there's still the most talented
Speaker 2: team in that division, and I think when it's all
Speaker 2: said and done, that talent is going to get them
Speaker 2: over the hall in regards to one in that division.
Speaker 1: Okay, Okay, So they're saying that Tennessee's strength of schedule
Speaker 1: is the easiest in the division and fourth easiest in
Speaker 1: the entire league. The Titans are just one of three
Speaker 1: teams facing a three game road trip. Interesting. Interesting, And
Speaker 1: Tennessee and Newerleens are the only two teams without an
Speaker 1: international game or a prime time spotlight. That's kind of interesting.
Speaker 2: Mm hmm.
Speaker 1: Okay. So, now, so we did the AFC, so let's
Speaker 1: do the NFC South and that would be the Buccaneers,
Speaker 1: the Falcons, the Panthers, and the Saints this time, Taylor,
Speaker 1: you want to talk about what's new with those.
Speaker 3: Four teams or I'll pass right.
Speaker 1: Okay, Samir, since I know this is up your wheelhouse
Speaker 1: with the Falcons being in Maryland, go for it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2: I think you can make the case that every team
Speaker 2: in the NFC South improved this offseason in some capacity
Speaker 2: except for the Saints. I think seems like the Saints
Speaker 2: are finally enough, Like no more kicking the can down
Speaker 2: the road, no more trying to contend with an aging roster.
Speaker 2: It seems like they're finally starting to turn the page
Speaker 2: and rebuild. They bought and Kellen Moore and I actually
Speaker 2: do like their first round draft pick with Kelvin Banks.
Speaker 2: When you were starting to rebuild in the NFL, you
Speaker 2: rebuild from the inside out, so offensive line, defensive line.
Speaker 2: Then you kind of go out and get your skill
Speaker 2: position players. I feel like that's kind of the way
Speaker 2: to do it. But then that quarterback, they've got Spencer Rattler,
Speaker 2: who was all right last year but didn't really stand out.
Speaker 2: They spent an early second round pick on Tyler Shuck,
Speaker 2: twenty six year old, had a couple of injuries, never
Speaker 2: really had that great of a season in college, and
Speaker 2: they went ahead and spent and spent early second on them.
Speaker 2: It's funny the Saints fans last year made fun of
Speaker 2: us for taking Pennix, who was far more talented his
Speaker 2: last two years in college, and Shuck was at any
Speaker 2: point and even younger of a prospect by just a year. Nonetheless,
Speaker 2: then they go around and do that. But that being said,
Speaker 2: Saints are finally in rebuild mode and we'll see where
Speaker 2: they end up going there. Carolina, I do feel like
Speaker 2: I do like what Carolina did this offseason, especially in
Speaker 2: the draft, getting a guy like Ted McMillan at eight,
Speaker 2: even though some say they maybe should have went with
Speaker 2: May went and got defensive player like Jalen Walker there.
Speaker 2: They got Nick scords On in the second out of
Speaker 2: Texas A and then then they get Princely from Ole Miss,
Speaker 2: so that kind of headline their draft. I like what
Speaker 2: they did there, and overall, though I still think they
Speaker 2: are maybe another year away, I do think they'll improve.
Speaker 2: Maybe they'll be seven and ten, possibly eight and nine
Speaker 2: if things go really well. I do expect Brycelling to
Speaker 2: continue to develop and take strides, kind of like what
Speaker 2: he did towards the second half of last season after
Speaker 2: he came back from being benched. And I think overall
Speaker 2: this was a testament to the difference that coaching can
Speaker 2: make you go from a guy like Frank Reich and
Speaker 2: that coaching staff. They had his rookie year, that terrible
Speaker 2: offensive line, no weapons, got sacked like sixty times, and
Speaker 2: then gets benched after two games, comes back and looks
Speaker 2: like a completely different quarterback. So we'll see whether or
Speaker 2: not he builds off of that this season. Tampa Bay,
Speaker 2: they've won it four years in a row. I think
Speaker 2: their offense is gonna be good, if not better on
Speaker 2: paper than last year, especially when you add a Mecca
Speaker 2: Buga to that already talented wide receiver room. The only
Speaker 2: question mark for them is their secondary because outside of
Speaker 2: Antoine Winfield and maybe Jamel Dean, there's not really much there.
Speaker 2: So I'm surprised they didn't go that route or address
Speaker 2: it further in the draft. But I mean, look, they've
Speaker 2: won it four times in a row, they got a
Speaker 2: Super Bowl the year before that, and it's just a
Speaker 2: it's their division until someone else wins it. And they
Speaker 2: did extend notably extended Todd Bowles and Jason like Jason
Speaker 2: liked in my opinion as one of the more underrated
Speaker 2: general managers in the NFL. Think about how good of
Speaker 2: a job he's done, especially coming out of the transitioning
Speaker 2: from the Brady era. There is a lot of question
Speaker 2: marks under center, what's that going to look like? There
Speaker 2: is a lot of uncertainty around Baker Mayfield and his
Speaker 2: future as an NFL quarterback when he had first signed there,
Speaker 2: and that signing ended up being an absolute hit. In
Speaker 2: their playoff windows wide open again and last but not least, Atlanta,
Speaker 2: you could argue that they could have won this division
Speaker 2: last year and in twenty twenty three. But they're just
Speaker 2: a team that just seemingly can't get out of their
Speaker 2: own way. Why there be a couple of bad draft
Speaker 2: classes in twenty twenty one, some interesting draft strategies that
Speaker 2: Kirk Cousins contract. They're they're just in the way it
Speaker 2: was handled. They just seemingly cannot get out of their
Speaker 2: own way. They have the talent on paper to win
Speaker 2: the division. I really like our draft class, especially with
Speaker 2: Jalen Walker. I like picking Xavier Watson the third and
Speaker 2: there are a lot of mixed feelings about the big
Speaker 2: trade up for James Pierce Junior. I like it and
Speaker 2: I don't like it at the same time. I like
Speaker 2: it because James Pierce, he was one of the he
Speaker 2: was one of the better rated prospects going into that draft,
Speaker 2: and was actually considered a top ten picking some mocks
Speaker 2: earlier in the fall, but there were some rumored character
Speaker 2: concerns that caused him to slip in the draft. We
Speaker 2: went and take that chance on him, But but I
Speaker 2: feel like Jalen Walker was a steal at fifteen. I
Speaker 2: did not even think he would be there. And I
Speaker 2: know there's a lot of hype around this draft class
Speaker 2: and the four draft picks we spent on defense, Walker, Pierce,
Speaker 2: Xavier Watson, Billy Bowman out of Oklahoma, But I think
Speaker 2: whether or not that defense takes the next step is
Speaker 2: going to depend largely on the guys that were already
Speaker 2: hearing that we drafted the past couple of years. Like
Speaker 2: we have Braylin Trice coming back from an ACL injury.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't expect much from him this year, considering he
Speaker 2: is a rookie and he usually takes a full year
Speaker 2: to rehab from that injury. You've got ruk of Roro
Speaker 2: row second round pick out of Clemson. We took him
Speaker 2: over Bradon Fisk, who was on the board then, so
Speaker 2: some consider that a reach. He's gonna be stepping in
Speaker 2: replacing Grady Jarrett, so there's gonna be a lot of
Speaker 2: eyes on him. Brandon Dorless a guy we went and
Speaker 2: took in the fourth round twenty four. I think he's
Speaker 2: gonna get more playing time this year. Same with Zach Harrison,
Speaker 2: the guy we got out of Ohio State. He was
Speaker 2: productive outside. Later on towards the end of twenty twenty three,
Speaker 2: they moved him in side. Didn't get a lot of
Speaker 2: playing time, even though in my opinion, he should have.
Speaker 2: But it seems like they're moving him back outside. So
Speaker 2: it's gonna depend on guys like that developing and taking
Speaker 2: that next step. And it's also going to depend on
Speaker 2: whether or not Jeff Fobrick can put them in a
Speaker 2: position to succeed, because last year we had Jimmy Lake
Speaker 2: who was in over his head first time being an
Speaker 2: NFL defensive coordinator, didn't know what he was doing, gets fired.
Speaker 2: We bring back Jeff Fobrick, who was a solid linebackers
Speaker 2: coach when he was here years ago under Dan Quinn,
Speaker 2: did a solid job as a defensive coordinator with the Jets,
Speaker 2: but when he took over as a head coach while
Speaker 2: overseeing the defense, they kind of fell apart, so we'll
Speaker 2: see what happens there. But offensively, I am confident in
Speaker 2: Michael Pennis Junior. More ok, I would say cautiously optimistic,
Speaker 2: Like when you watch him those last three games. He
Speaker 2: has the poise, he can read a defense, and he's
Speaker 2: got the arm. The only question I have for him
Speaker 2: is his accuracy, and I think that will improve this year,
Speaker 2: especially with more timing and more and more reps with
Speaker 2: the ones, and ultimately, I think that's what it's going
Speaker 2: to come down to. Also, coaching, as I mentioned, can
Speaker 2: the coaching staff put this team in a position to
Speaker 2: succeed Last year? There were some lapses that were related
Speaker 2: to the coaching staff. For example, as I mentioned in
Speaker 2: my article, Raheem Morris was one of my six head
Speaker 2: coaches on the hot seat this season and we were
Speaker 2: six and three, collapsed, finished eight and nine out of
Speaker 2: the playoffs, and that's due to some fisteps he took.
Speaker 2: For example, the mishandling of the injury to Kirk Cousins. Yeah,
Speaker 2: Kirk was not upfront about his shoulder injury, knowing that
Speaker 2: once Pennix came in, he wasn't coming out. But at
Speaker 2: the same time, if you're the head coach, you're the
Speaker 2: offensive coordinator, you're the quarterbacks coach. You can't see that
Speaker 2: this guy's hurt or that this guy's not giving you
Speaker 2: the best chance to win. And you've got a top
Speaker 2: ten pick on the sidelines waiting right there. Of course,
Speaker 2: we all know the issues with clock management against Washington
Speaker 2: didn't take that time out. Seems like the defense, which
Speaker 2: was his calling card at times, some games just look
Speaker 2: like they didn't even show up, like that last game
Speaker 2: against Carolina when Bryceon came into our house with the
Speaker 2: season on the line and hung forty four on us,
Speaker 2: or when we end up losing to a two and
Speaker 2: seven Saints team that had just fired their coach. There
Speaker 2: were some breakdowns in the secondary there, which is a
Speaker 2: secondary which was a secondary with three All pros in it,
Speaker 2: aj Terrell, Jesse Bates and last year Justin Simmons. So
Speaker 2: we'll see what happens there. But it is a very
Speaker 2: consequential season for the Falcons, probably the most we've had
Speaker 2: in the last decade or so, because this can go
Speaker 2: two ways. The talent is there to make a run
Speaker 2: and challenge Tampafore the division. You've got Michael Pennix progressing
Speaker 2: as a quarterback, certifying himself as the quarterback of the future.
Speaker 2: Drake London, Bajeon Robinson have another have good years again,
Speaker 2: and offensive line is steady as it's been the last
Speaker 2: few years, and the young players on defense can contribute.
Speaker 2: Jalen Walker and James Pearce Junior are as advertised, and
Speaker 2: we end up meeting our expectations and making the playoffs,
Speaker 2: or this can go a different way. The defense looks bad,
Speaker 2: Pennix doesn't progress, which I'm not really all that concerned
Speaker 2: about him, or we just look flat at times and
Speaker 2: we end up missing the playoffs again. It's kind of
Speaker 2: known that for anyone who follows this team, if they
Speaker 2: don't make the playoffs this year, the coach and the
Speaker 2: general manager are getting fired. The general manager especially considering
Speaker 2: this is his fifth year and he has yet to
Speaker 2: have a winning season or make the playoffs. So I
Speaker 2: feel like it's a two team race between Tampa and Atlanta,
Speaker 2: and as much as I want to see Atlanta, I
Speaker 2: feel like it can really go either way.
Speaker 1: Okay, Okay, Taylor, your thoughts on Yeah NFC, so m.
Speaker 3: H Man that that's another tough one at the Buccaneers Falcons, Saints,
Speaker 3: and Carolina Panthers. The Carolina Panthers are still the Carolina
Speaker 3: Panthers for now. The Saints they still have some good
Speaker 3: players on their roster. The Buccaneers and Falcons. The Falcons
Speaker 3: are trying to cut back on their choking uh, while
Speaker 3: the Buccaneers are still holding the NFC South crown. And
Speaker 3: I just think it's going to be a close one.
Speaker 3: I think I still think Tampa Bay is going to
Speaker 3: take the division.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's understandable because again, as I mentioned before,
Speaker 2: you could argue that we had a good chance at
Speaker 2: winning it last year and the year before, but we
Speaker 2: just can't get out of our own way.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 1: So to give you an idea, the Falcons schedule this year.
Speaker 1: Week one against the Buccaneers, two at the Vikings, three
Speaker 1: at the Panthers, four versus the Commanders, an early week
Speaker 1: five by six against the Bills, Week seven at the
Speaker 1: forty nine Ers, Week eight the Dolphins, Week nine at Patriots,
Speaker 1: Week ten colt in Berlin, and then there is not
Speaker 1: a bye right after that. They come back home week
Speaker 1: eleven and pay play the Panthers. Then they go back
Speaker 1: on the road week twelve to play the Saints, Week
Speaker 1: thirteen at the Jets, Week fourteen the Seahawks, Week fifteen
Speaker 1: at Buccaneers, Week sixteen at Cardinals, and then they have
Speaker 1: two home games Week seventeen the Rams and Week eighteen
Speaker 1: the Saints.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, I feel like it's not to the extent
Speaker 2: of last year, but I think those first six games
Speaker 2: are definitely tough. Like if we are if we get
Speaker 2: out of those first six games at three and three,
Speaker 2: I am going to feel good better about the rest
Speaker 2: of that season because Miami, New England, Indianapolis, Carolina, and
Speaker 2: New Orleans and the Jets are all very gettable ones
Speaker 2: for the Falcons. I do like the fact that that
Speaker 2: first game against Tampa is at Mercedes Benz Stadium. You
Speaker 2: open at home again against your division rival. That's a
Speaker 2: good time, you know, make a statement to a team
Speaker 2: that you swept last year. And both of those games
Speaker 2: really could have gone either way. So I feel like
Speaker 2: if you get a win week one, you would be
Speaker 2: in a better position because I don't see us winning
Speaker 2: that home their home opener in Minnesota. I know there's
Speaker 2: a lot of uncertainty life. There is, Michael Pennis, Here
Speaker 2: is a lot of uncertainty surrounding JJ McCarthy. But when
Speaker 2: it comes to just the coaching matchup between Kevin O'Connell
Speaker 2: and the way he just seemingly has a way with quarterbacks.
Speaker 2: You look at what he did with Sam Darnold last year.
Speaker 2: He was winning games a couple of years ago with
Speaker 2: Josh Dobbs. He just seems to have a way with quarterbacks.
Speaker 2: And with JJ McCarthy, with that coaching and those weapons,
Speaker 2: I think he'll be fine. So I just don't see
Speaker 2: us beating Minnesota against the again in that environment. Week
Speaker 2: two at their home opener Caroline is another gettable one.
Speaker 2: Washington hot take. I think we end up stealing that
Speaker 2: one because remember last year, we shouldn't we had them
Speaker 2: at their place last year. If Raheem Morris caused that
Speaker 2: time out, we're able to get maybe ten to fifteen
Speaker 2: more yards. We end up kicking a forty yard field
Speaker 2: goal instead of a fifty five yard field goal, and
Speaker 2: I think we win that game and beat Carolina the
Speaker 2: next week. So but I don't see it's beating Buffalo.
Speaker 2: I just don't see that happening. San Francisco is another
Speaker 2: tough one. I know a lot of people aren't high
Speaker 2: on them, but they are going to be healthier this year,
Speaker 2: and you just can't bet against a Kyle Shanahan led team.
Speaker 2: So if we get out of there at three and three,
Speaker 2: all feel good about the rest of the season.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, Next team, Carolina Panthers schedule Week one at
Speaker 1: the Jaguars, Week two at Cardinals, Week three, Falcons, Week
Speaker 1: four at Patriots, Week five, Dolphins, Week six, Cowboys, Week seven,
Speaker 1: at the Jets, Week eight the Bills, Week nine at
Speaker 1: the Packers, Week ten the Saints, Week eleven at Falcons,
Speaker 1: Week twelve at the forty nine Ers, Week thirteen the Rams,
Speaker 1: and then a late week fourteen by fifteen at the Saints,
Speaker 1: sixteen the Buccaneers, seventeen the Seahawks, and week eighteen at
Speaker 1: the Buccaneers. You know, I would say the Panthers are
Speaker 1: probably one of the teams that have the most approved
Speaker 1: because they've been trying to improve every year lately, and
Speaker 1: with their three of their first four games on the road,
Speaker 1: with matchups against quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray, and Drake
Speaker 1: May in the road, they will provide an early test
Speaker 1: for the defense that underwent a makeover this this year,
Speaker 1: setting the record for most points allowed in a single
Speaker 1: season last year. So I think it'll be interesting. I
Speaker 1: think I think they'll be improved, but it depends on
Speaker 1: a lot on Bryce Young. Can he build on the
Speaker 1: progress that he displayed at the back half of last
Speaker 1: year or not. Thoughts on the Panthers guys, mhm, I.
Speaker 3: Mean I still I still think the Panthers are going
Speaker 3: to be in the bottom bottom cellar of the NFC South,
Speaker 3: below the Saints. I thought I was talking about the
Speaker 3: Carolina Panthers. That's what Candy asked us.
Speaker 2: I don't know, like you think they'll be below the Saints.
Speaker 3: Yes, okay, because the Saints still have good players, like
Speaker 3: I pointed out.
Speaker 2: I mean, they do, but I just feel like they're
Speaker 2: getting older. It's yeah. And then I guess you could
Speaker 2: say that Kellen Moore is an upgrade from It's probably
Speaker 2: an upgrade from Dennis Allen. But I mean, is that
Speaker 2: really say much? Dennis Allen was horrible.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but.
Speaker 2: I mean a.
Speaker 1: Quarterback, like I mean, I don't know. The Tyler Show.
Speaker 1: Do you think he's gonna you know, with Derek Coward's retirement,
Speaker 1: do you think I don't know. I think Tyler can
Speaker 1: do it.
Speaker 2: I don't know, but like I just feel like with
Speaker 2: Bryce Young, Dave Canalison, the way their offense looked at
Speaker 2: the end of last year, and you add a Teed
Speaker 2: McMillan to the equation already. I just like their offensive
Speaker 2: foundation right now over the Saints because you've got Alvin Kamara, who's,
Speaker 2: while still good, he's getting up there now. Chris Elive
Speaker 2: can't stay healthy, Rashid Shahid is coming off a season
Speaker 2: ending injury. But it seems like they are rebuilding that
Speaker 2: offensive line, which is wait, did you say something, no, no,
Speaker 2: But it seems like they are rebuilding that offensive line,
Speaker 2: which is you know something you always which is I
Speaker 2: think where you start when you are rebuilding a team
Speaker 2: in the NFL, you start on the inside out. So
Speaker 2: credit to them for that, But I just see I
Speaker 2: think they're going to be a bottom five team in
Speaker 2: the entire NFL this year. I'm just not sold on them.
Speaker 1: So the Saints their schedule. Week one is at home
Speaker 1: versus the Coldoninals. Week two is the forty nine ers,
Speaker 1: Week three at Seahawks, four at Bills. Week five the
Speaker 1: Giants six, the Patriots seven at Bears eight. The Buccaneers,
Speaker 1: week nine at Rams, ten at Panthers, Week eleven is Thereby,
Speaker 1: Week twelve is the Falcons, Week thirteen at Dolphins, week
Speaker 1: fourteen at Buccaneers, week fifteen the Panthers, Week sixteen the Jets,
Speaker 1: seventeen at the Titans, and week eighteen at the Falcons.
Speaker 1: You know, I think I think it'll be really interesting
Speaker 1: to see. I think Kellen Moore is a very good
Speaker 1: offensive minded now whether that translates to a good head coach,
Speaker 1: and with the talent or lack thereof that I think
Speaker 1: New Orleans has. I don't see them doing a whole
Speaker 1: lot this year. I just don't. I think the Panthers
Speaker 1: will easily take them over. I think the Panthers. If
Speaker 1: we watched the last half of last season, I think
Speaker 1: the Panthers were much improved. And I only think that
Speaker 1: I'll keep going up. I Yeah, I don't think the
Speaker 1: Saints are gonna in my opinion, I don't think they're
Speaker 1: gonna do well this year.
Speaker 3: No, I don't think either team's gonna do well this
Speaker 3: year either.
Speaker 2: Yeah, as I mentioned, it'll be a two team race
Speaker 2: between US and Tampa. And while the bias to me,
Speaker 2: I'm going to give it Atlanta the edge barely because
Speaker 2: it just feels like with the draft they had, they
Speaker 2: finally got it right, like they finally addressed the thing,
Speaker 2: the main thing that's hurt them for the past twelve
Speaker 2: thirteen years, and that's been the pass rush, and it's
Speaker 2: not been the quarterbacks. I think it's been the passers
Speaker 2: more than it has been quarterback play. You could argue,
Speaker 2: but if Michael Penn is what we think he is,
Speaker 2: and if we can get a combined maybe ten and
Speaker 2: a half eleven sacks from Jalen Walker and James Pierce Junior,
Speaker 2: because there is usually a year or so learning curve
Speaker 2: for defensive ends in the NFL, and the secondary is
Speaker 2: as advertised with Jesse Bates aj Terrell. Now you've got
Speaker 2: Xavier Watson the equation, possibly Billy Bowman at Nickel, I think,
Speaker 2: and then you have you replace you add Divine Diablo,
Speaker 2: who like who we have right now, and Troy Anderson
Speaker 2: has the speed athleticism but just can't seem to put
Speaker 2: it all together. So that's really where my question mark
Speaker 2: is with this team because you've got Kaden Ellis, but
Speaker 2: our linebacker inside linebacker room outside of that is a
Speaker 2: big question mark. Then another thing that concerns me about
Speaker 2: the Falcons is our interior D line. We did lose
Speaker 2: Grady Jarrett, and while he wasn't a twenty million dollar
Speaker 2: year defensive tackle anymore, he was still serviceable and he
Speaker 2: was still productive, especially against the run. I feel like,
Speaker 2: so those are big shoes for guys like Ruka ro
Speaker 2: ro Row Brandon Dori was to fill you got David
Speaker 2: on your mode is still in the fold. So that's
Speaker 2: where my question mark is on defense with the Falcons.
Speaker 2: And then at center, something a lot of people aren't
Speaker 2: talking about. We lost Drew Dallman, who was one of
Speaker 2: the best run blocking centers in the NFL and he
Speaker 2: played a big role in facilitating the run game. We've
Speaker 2: had the last couple of years with Tyler Raljier and
Speaker 2: eventually Jon Robinson in the fold. And now Ryan Newzil
Speaker 2: comes in and he was okay in the seven or
Speaker 2: eight starts last year, but the issue was he was
Speaker 2: the most penalized center in the NFL and not as
Speaker 2: good of a run blocker as Drew Dalmen was. So
Speaker 2: we'll see what happens there. So it's really center into
Speaker 2: an interior D line and coaching. Those are my things,
Speaker 2: and of course, as I mentioned, whether or not the
Speaker 2: young players on defense we already had in the building
Speaker 2: take that next step. So those are the things that,
Speaker 2: in my opinion, will determine who wins the NFC South.
Speaker 2: If two of those things go our way, I think
Speaker 2: we win it. But if not, and it's still the
Speaker 2: same old that we've seen the last seven years, then
Speaker 2: it's going to be Tampa again.
Speaker 1: So JD thinks the Falcons could win the division. You
Speaker 1: expect the Panthers to be close and competitive, but not
Speaker 1: quite there yet. Winner of the division will be ten
Speaker 1: and seven, second will be nine and eight, Third will
Speaker 1: be seven and ten, Saints will be six and eleven.
Speaker 1: So really the whole division only will only be separated
Speaker 1: by four games. Let's I'm want to quick read off
Speaker 1: to you the Buccaneers schedule. Week one is at the Falcons,
Speaker 1: Week two is at Texans, Week three is the Jets,
Speaker 1: Week four is the Eagles, Week five at Seahawks. Week
Speaker 1: six is the forty nine Ers. Week seven is at
Speaker 1: the Lions. Week eight is at the Saints. Week nine
Speaker 1: almost perfectly placed there is thereby. Week ten is the Patriots.
Speaker 1: Eleven is at the Bills, twelve at the Rams, thirteen
Speaker 1: is the Cardinals, fourteen is the Saints, fifteen is the Falcons,
Speaker 1: sixteen is at Panthers, seventeen is at Dolphins, and week
Speaker 1: eighteen is Panthers. The one things I will say about
Speaker 1: that the dates with Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit, all Land within
Speaker 1: the first seven weeks. If they're searching for tests, they
Speaker 1: won't have to wait long. The other thing I will
Speaker 1: say is they're going to rack up their air miles
Speaker 1: because Tampa Bay will fly to the West coast twice
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty five, and both games will present challenges.
Speaker 1: I think they have a tough that sounds to me
Speaker 1: like a very tough schedule. Anytime you're going to play
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl champions, the Eagles, you're going to play
Speaker 1: at Seattle at the Lions. The Lions have been playing
Speaker 1: good as of late. I think their toughest test is
Speaker 1: obviously going to be their games before the bye. If
Speaker 1: they can manage to do pretty well in that, then yes,
Speaker 1: they have a chance to take the division. But I
Speaker 1: think that is a tough schedule for them. Any thoughts.
Speaker 3: On their schedule, Well, yeah, the Eagles, you cannot beat them.
Speaker 3: The Lions, sure they're a good team too. They're still
Speaker 3: trying to work on ball security and whatnot. They no
Speaker 3: longer have Ben Johnson. They have John Morten as their
Speaker 3: offensive coordinator and he's trying to address the ball security
Speaker 3: or lack there. Of the the other good teams that
Speaker 3: the Buccaneers are trying to face, there'll be a challenge.
Speaker 3: But I would I would say, uh oh man, that's
Speaker 3: a tough one. I still I'd still say the Buccaneers
Speaker 3: are going to win the NFC South. Sorry, some air,
Speaker 3: but I think the Bucketeers are going to go ten
Speaker 3: and seven.
Speaker 2: That's that's understandable. I feel like if you want respect,
Speaker 2: you got to earn it. And you know, we look
Speaker 2: good on paper, but okay, now what we gotta.
Speaker 3: Go to petition prove it on the field.
Speaker 2: I mean, we we've looked on paper the last couple
Speaker 2: of years, and I don't know anything with you.
Speaker 1: So I can't stand in the NFL back floating division
Speaker 1: rivals like they do with the Steelers and Ravens, same teams.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. Well, guys, unless you guys have anything more
Speaker 1: to add about the NFC South, I think it's time
Speaker 1: to go to my town, all right, Taylor, go ahead,
Speaker 1: go for it.
Speaker 3: So the Tigers before their all start break last weekend
Speaker 3: got swept by the Seattle Maters. They got routed the
Speaker 3: first two games. Speak not only because of their bullpen,
Speaker 3: their terrible bullpen, but they're their lack of coaching, but
Speaker 3: lack of scouting by their coaching staff minus a J. Hinch. Yeah,
Speaker 3: they yet made they made some adjustments before Sunday's eight
Speaker 3: to four lost to the Seattle Manners. They just kept
Speaker 3: underrest that Tommy Canley just kept throwing too many changeups.
Speaker 3: But the Tigers still yet have the best best recond
Speaker 3: all of Major League Baseball, but just barely. But for
Speaker 3: the Lions, they of course put some players on the pup.
Speaker 3: The biggest surprise Taylor Decker being put on there, but
Speaker 3: Allen McNeil, Mcott, Malcolm Rodriguez understandably have to be put
Speaker 3: on the pup and other things like that. The Red
Speaker 3: Wings they got John Gibson, Pistons, they got new players
Speaker 3: like Duncan Robinson. Football's coming up. Also college football, the
Speaker 3: Michigan and Michigan Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Sparts. The
Speaker 3: Wolverings are going to have finally, they finally have a quarterback,
Speaker 3: Bryce Underwood the Michigan State Spartans. They still have work
Speaker 3: to do, but man, I can't wait for that MLB
Speaker 3: non Weaver trade Daneline and see what Tigers. The Tiger's
Speaker 3: front office floating Scott Harrison, Jeff Greenberg and the owner
Speaker 3: Chris Silic haven't have in mind because they got to
Speaker 3: get rid of some of their players that suck, let
Speaker 3: alone Tray Sweeney and Carlos Hernandez or something like that.
Speaker 3: They need bullpen help, period. They need a catcher to
Speaker 3: replace Jake Rogers. They need two starting pitchers to replace
Speaker 3: Jack Flaherty and Jackson job who's out for the rest
Speaker 3: of the season. Jack Flaherty has been struggling out there.
Speaker 3: Plus they need, of course Alex Bregman and some more
Speaker 3: offense because Tray Sweeney is definitely not going to be
Speaker 3: the answer whichever position he plays, especially shortstop. How do
Speaker 3: your bias has been improving? Of course?
Speaker 2: Uh?
Speaker 3: Carry Carpenter can't wait for him to return from the
Speaker 3: I L of course, But I I'm just looking for
Speaker 3: Trek Scoobel to make some adjustments. They all start breaking
Speaker 3: give at least give the Tigers some time to refocus
Speaker 3: and rethink and re redo what whatever. But they they
Speaker 3: need bullpen help, they need a lot of stuff. Uh catcher,
Speaker 3: two starting pitchers, bullpen help, a bat, Alex Bregman, they
Speaker 3: need like almost everything. That's it.
Speaker 1: Okay the mirror, what's happening in your towne?
Speaker 2: Uh yeah? So Atlanta Falcons training camp starts next week,
Speaker 2: next Thursday. That's when everyone's going to be there and
Speaker 2: we're going to get a good look at what this team,
Speaker 2: how this team is going to be set up going
Speaker 2: into the season. Some competitions to watch out for one
Speaker 2: that no one's talking about, it's gonna happen at kicker
Speaker 2: Young Waykup has struggled the last couple of years. After
Speaker 2: he hit that game winning fifty eight to fifty nine
Speaker 2: yard field goal against New Orleans Week four, he just
Speaker 2: seemed to struggle, missed a lot of field goals that
Speaker 2: he would usually make. And and I think, as we
Speaker 2: know in the NFL, the life of Alasia kicker has
Speaker 2: is pretty short because every team is in need of kickers.
Speaker 2: Every team is looking for kickers. So they did sign
Speaker 2: Lenny Kreig from Germany, and notably they gave him a
Speaker 2: three year deal. So it seems like Raheem Morris has
Speaker 2: acknowledged it. Special teams coach Marquise Williams has acknowledged it.
Speaker 2: There will be a competition at that position. So if
Speaker 2: ku wins it, which it seems like he's the favorite
Speaker 2: rit to do so, given that his hip is better, now,
Speaker 2: seems like Kre will just be on the practice squad.
Speaker 2: Another one is at nickel. They did bring back the
Speaker 2: Alfred who definitely struggled in coverage last season, got penalized, life,
Speaker 2: gave up, gave up a lot of touchdowns. Yeah, but
Speaker 2: it seems like he's he's going to be more of
Speaker 2: a depth piece this year and he is going to
Speaker 2: be behind Clark Phillips, who's back third year corner. And
Speaker 2: then it seems like right now the coaching staff has
Speaker 2: spoken very highly of Billy Bowman. He was a safety
Speaker 2: at Oklahoma, but he was illicited safety to Oklahoma but played
Speaker 2: a lot of Nicolason. It seems like that is the
Speaker 2: plan for him here. So it seems like if there
Speaker 2: is a favorite to win that job, I would say
Speaker 2: it's Billy Bowman. With the Hawks, Summer league balls started.
Speaker 2: They are four to zero. Ason Newle has shown some
Speaker 2: signs of a guy that can be a solid player
Speaker 2: in the NBA. Given to this summer league, and you know,
Speaker 2: it's not really a clear picture, but the signs are encouraging.
Speaker 2: Kobe Buffkin has been very underwhelming, to say the least.
Speaker 2: That's a guy we were hoping to be our backup
Speaker 2: point guard. First round picked him a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately for him, he hasn't been able to stay healthy.
Speaker 2: But it seems like this might be his shot to
Speaker 2: submit himself when maybe he is part of the tray
Speaker 2: deal in so with the Atlanta Braves. They did win
Speaker 2: a series in Saint Louis against the Cardinals before the
Speaker 2: All Star Break. I think for anyone who's paying attention
Speaker 2: knows that this season has been an absolute disaster on
Speaker 2: the field for the team. The The only bright spots
Speaker 2: have been Ronald Acuna, Junior, Drake Baldwin and the all
Speaker 2: An All Star Week, which was an absolute hit. From
Speaker 2: the festivities the home run derby to the game itself,
Speaker 2: it was an absolute hit. There are eleven games under
Speaker 2: five five hundred. Given the state of the National League East,
Speaker 2: and the National League Wild Card in general, and the
Speaker 2: teams that are in front of us the Braves, it
Speaker 2: seems like are all signs point to the Braves missing
Speaker 2: the playoffs for the first time since twenty seventeen. When
Speaker 2: Truest Park first opened, Freddie Freeman was playing a little
Speaker 2: bit of third base, Matt Adams was at first, we
Speaker 2: had Bartolo Cologne in our rotation, and Ozzy Alby's was
Speaker 2: a rookie. It'll be interesting to see what they do
Speaker 2: with the deadline. Double A has already stated that where
Speaker 2: Alexanthopolis has already stated that they are not going to
Speaker 2: move any players who are locked in after twenty five,
Speaker 2: So it doesn't seem like Ozzie's going anywhere. Michael Harris
Speaker 2: with that, with how bad he's been at the plate,
Speaker 2: still doesn't seem like he's going anywhere. Austin rally, so
Speaker 2: it seemed like that course staying together. But I would
Speaker 2: definitely look out for Marcelo Zuna to get moved. He's
Speaker 2: got an expiring contract and team wants to add a
Speaker 2: DH even though he has been underwhelming this year with
Speaker 2: his hip due to his hip injury. That could be
Speaker 2: a guy they moved right, Seal Iglacias. He was there closed,
Speaker 2: he was our close in the last couple of years,
Speaker 2: hadn't been very good, moved into a setup role. Now
Speaker 2: it's been a little better. It closed the last couple
Speaker 2: of games in Saint Louis, so we'll see what happens there.
Speaker 2: That's another guy look at to get moved, possibly Dylan Lee,
Speaker 2: another reliever we could get something in return. Four and
Speaker 2: a wild card to look out for. If they do
Speaker 2: end up moving a player who has signed past this season,
Speaker 2: it would be Sean Murphy, depending on what they can
Speaker 2: get back for him. If they can get a good
Speaker 2: prospect or two back for Sean Murphy and and find
Speaker 2: a way to have Drake Baldwin in the line up
Speaker 2: behind the plate every day, that's something they could possibly do.
Speaker 2: But my guess is they will not be moving Sean
Speaker 2: Murphy and Austin Raley also got hurt right before the
Speaker 2: All Star break. So Nacho Alvarez has been playing third
Speaker 2: twenty two years old. He's looked okay so far for
Speaker 2: the small handful of games he's played, and most notably,
Speaker 2: the MLB Draft was last week, and for the first
Speaker 2: time since twenty nineteen, the Braves took a position player
Speaker 2: in the first round, Tate south is Seeing out of
Speaker 2: a prep shortstop of a high school in Nevada, and
Speaker 2: then they end up getting Alex Lodes, another shortstop out
Speaker 2: of Florida State. They go shortstop again in the third
Speaker 2: round in Cody Miller before getting a pitcher, Briggs Mackenzie.
Speaker 2: So all four of them have been signed. They've also
Speaker 2: signed for more of their draft picks. So eight draft
Speaker 2: picks happened signed, They've got to sign twelve more. So
Speaker 2: it's gonna be interesting to see how they distribute the
Speaker 2: money from then on. And that's it for my.
Speaker 3: Town, Candy, h m hmm, all that, Yeah, Samir just finished.
Speaker 1: Yep, Nope, what I was gonna say, my town. So
Speaker 1: I first want to say kudos to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaker 1: for signing and agreeing with TJ. Watt on a historic
Speaker 1: three three year, one hundred and twenty three million dollar extension.
Speaker 1: He has been the face of your defense and kudos
Speaker 1: for you for recognizing that and making him giving him
Speaker 1: the extension. Now, as opposed to my town, the Brewers
Speaker 1: are notorious for being at the top during the regular season.
Speaker 1: They are again are they're a little bit behind the Cubs.
Speaker 1: Question is will they overtake the Cubs or not. They
Speaker 1: got a little bit of big pitching boost right before
Speaker 1: the All Star break with Woodruff coming back pitching his
Speaker 1: first time in almost two years. It seems it was
Speaker 1: like a long, long, long time. Obviously, we have pitching sensation.
Speaker 1: The Miyes, the kid that had brought a lot of
Speaker 1: controversy whether he should be making the All Star Game
Speaker 1: or not because he's only pitched in five games. My
Speaker 1: response to that was, there were twelve other players that
Speaker 1: turned them down, so he was not the first on
Speaker 1: their list to take and kudos to him for giving
Speaker 1: him the opportunity. He's he's doing really well. Kudos to
Speaker 1: Freddie Peralta and Trevor McGill because they paid tribute last
Speaker 1: in the All Star Game to Bob Buker and I
Speaker 1: thought that was cool when they all stood up and
Speaker 1: they put up those cards and it says, I stand
Speaker 1: up for cancer for and Freddy Peralta put Bob Bucher
Speaker 1: on his If you don't know, he was the voice
Speaker 1: of the Brewers for many many years. He passed away
Speaker 1: earlier in January from cancer, so as far as the
Speaker 1: Milwaukee Bucks in what was a very puzzling movement when
Speaker 1: they let Dame Lillard.
Speaker 5: Go.
Speaker 1: If you think about it, though, it makes sense because
Speaker 1: they had to. He was injured in the playoffs, so
Speaker 1: he's not gonna play any of next year. They want
Speaker 1: to diversify some of his stretch out some of the
Speaker 1: money that they owe him. But they need players now
Speaker 1: because they know Giannis is on. He's he's the face
Speaker 1: of the franchise now, but how many more years does
Speaker 1: he have? And we want another title? So you really,
Speaker 1: they really had no choice. As much as everybody was
Speaker 1: shocked and surprised, they had to do something because, like
Speaker 1: I said, they want And you know, kudos to Dame
Speaker 1: because he's actually gonna go back to He's returning to
Speaker 1: the Blazers on a reported three year, forty two million
Speaker 1: dollar deal, which doesn't sound like a lot. But he's
Speaker 1: still getting paid by the Bucks too, so he's gonna
Speaker 1: get paid by the Bucks and the Blazers. And that's
Speaker 1: really I mean, that's where his kids live, that's where
Speaker 1: he that's where his home is. So kudos to him.
Speaker 1: As far as let's see the Packers start their training
Speaker 1: camp next week too. The only difference would be is
Speaker 1: Jordan Love is now wearing a little piece of jewelry.
Speaker 1: He actually got married since the last time he took
Speaker 1: the field. So congratul, congratulations to him, and good luck
Speaker 1: to him. The one last, one last thing I do
Speaker 1: want to say is rest in peace to ex Eagles
Speaker 1: special teams Ace Brahman, who died of a rare form
Speaker 1: of cancer at the age of thirty eight. He was
Speaker 1: a key special teams player for the Philadelphia Eagles first
Speaker 1: Super Bowl championship team. He was diagnosed earlier this year
Speaker 1: and had multiple surgeries in recent months in an attempt
Speaker 1: to treat the illness. He actually passed away this morning.
Speaker 1: There was a statement issue the team. We are deeply
Speaker 1: saddened to learn of the passing of Brian Brahman, the
Speaker 1: team said. During his four seasons in Philadelphia, Brian was
Speaker 1: a loyal teammate, a supporter of the community, and a
Speaker 1: valuable member of the Super Bowl winning team. More importantly,
Speaker 1: he was a devoted father who passionately loved his family
Speaker 1: and everyone around him. We extend our deepest condolences to
Speaker 1: the Brian's family and all who are grieving a loss
Speaker 1: at this time, he was signed as an undrafted free
Speaker 1: agent by the Texans in twenty eleven. He played seven
Speaker 1: seasons in the NFL. He spent his first three in Houston,
Speaker 1: last four in Philadelphia. I believe he was having problems
Speaker 1: paying for medical treatment and even and I want to say,
Speaker 1: like JJ Watt even put money towards his medical treatment
Speaker 1: and stuff like that. So rest in peace, and my
Speaker 1: prayers and thoughts go out to your friends and family
Speaker 1: and all of your teammates that are mourning your loss.
Speaker 1: With that being said, let's tell everybody how they can
Speaker 1: get a hold of us. I'm gonna first go because
Speaker 1: I should have done this a while ago. South Florida
Speaker 1: Tribune Publishing Company publish a book, Lessons from the Microphone,
Speaker 1: Tuning into the Enduringanism of Visionary Leaders. It is written
Speaker 1: by by my husband, Scott the MotorCity mad Mouth Morgan.
Speaker 1: Roth talks about media and how it has changed over
Speaker 1: his forty years in the business. It's available on Amazon,
Speaker 1: Barnes and Noble, Kindle, Google, and Apple Books. There's also
Speaker 1: a link on our website www dot South Florida Tribune
Speaker 1: dot com, where there is a plethora of great content.
Speaker 1: So go check it out. If you'd like to listen
Speaker 1: to podcasts, you can find us wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1: If you want to advertise or sponsor one show or
Speaker 1: all of our shows, you can call Scott nine five
Speaker 1: four three oh four. If you have show ideas or
Speaker 1: want to be a guest, you can always email me
Speaker 1: at South Florida Tribune at gmail dot com. Monday nights
Speaker 1: we talk baseball, Tuesday nights we talked football, Wednesday nights
Speaker 1: on Sports Exchange, and Thursday nights on Fire Up. You
Speaker 1: never know what topics we're gonna put into place, although
Speaker 1: I will say we did the AFC and the NFC
Speaker 1: South this week. I think next week, let's do the
Speaker 1: NFC and AFC East next week. So we're gonna keep
Speaker 1: that going and uh ending with right before the actual
Speaker 1: season the preseason starts. But I like that topic good, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: And then I'm trying to think if there's anything else
Speaker 1: I need to put in my little spiel.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: The only other thing I will say is Tuesday nights
Speaker 1: at seven thirty, I am a member of the Chicks podcast.
Speaker 1: It's three Chicks and a Pod or Chicks and Salsa,
Speaker 1: and it's three or four Chicks and we talk sports.
Speaker 1: So check out our podcast as well. Taylor, how do
Speaker 1: people find you or get a hold of you?
Speaker 3: I'm the creator of the Michigan Sports Truth Podcast. Subscribe
Speaker 3: to its YouTube channel at the Michigan Sports Truth Podcast
Speaker 3: on one word. Also listen to it in audio form
Speaker 3: on Spreaker, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Slash, Audible,
Speaker 3: cast Box, Deezer Podcast, Added Podchaser, and Gio Savin. Also
Speaker 3: on social media, follow it on x, Instagram, threads, and
Speaker 3: TikTok at Michigan Underscore Truth, and like its Facebook page.
Speaker 1: Okay, Samrror, how can people find you?
Speaker 2: Just mentioned below? You can find me on Twitter x
Speaker 2: at atl Underscore Samir twenty four oh one. I post
Speaker 2: a lot of my articles there. I'd post Atlanta sports
Speaker 2: content there in general, so you can find me there
Speaker 2: for that. You can also find me on Instagram at
Speaker 2: Samir dot side my net. I'm going to be posting
Speaker 2: some clips of of the show on here as well,
Speaker 2: and you can find me on Fire Up on Thursday night.
Speaker 1: Awesome. Awesome. Well, with that being said, guys, the great broadcast,
Speaker 1: I hope everybody enjoys. Back to the regular programming. Now
Speaker 1: that Major League Baseball had their All Star Game, college
Speaker 1: football is starting to They're starting to ramp up. The
Speaker 1: NFL teams, a lot of them are starting training camps
Speaker 1: next week. I'm looking forward to it, even though I'm
Speaker 1: not back in my hometown and everybody knows that I'm
Speaker 1: from Green Bay. I'm not Green Bay, but Wisconsin.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: I love their tradition. I love the tradition where they
Speaker 1: have the players ride the kids bikes from their locker
Speaker 1: room to the field. That's kind of that's cool, and
Speaker 1: it's going to continue. Uh. The one thing that did
Speaker 1: change over this NFL off season two for them is
Speaker 1: their president Murphy retired, so they have a new president.
Speaker 1: So with that being said, I want everybody to have
Speaker 1: a great weekend, enjoy the sports that are happening. We're
Speaker 1: talking about possibly catching a Marlins game on Saturday night,
Speaker 1: so we'll see.
Speaker 3: So with that and a good rivalry, but they have
Speaker 3: been a long time by the way.
Speaker 1: Yes they have. They have. With that being said, everybody
Speaker 1: have a great week and we look forward to you
Speaker 1: tuning in next week. Have a good one, everybody.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 3: Touch