E.P.I.C. Podcast "Every Play Is Crucial"
Life is full of moments you cannot predict or control only experience and enjoy right? Come join Vernon, Isaac, Justin, and Jared every Wednesday where we lend our opinions about current event going on in sports. Every episode is promising to be entertaining, not necessarily informational.
E.P.I.C. Podcast "Every Play Is Crucial"
From NBA Power Shifts To Playoff Math In College Football
We question whether Dallas solved anything by firing the GM after the Luka trade and a wave of injuries, then connect that decision to a larger NBA problem: minutes, load management, and weak transparency. College football’s 12-team format reshapes incentives as we argue for scrapping conference title games and valuing regular-season results. The NFL segment tracks the Bengals’ narrow path, why long drives might be their only lifeline, and a full takedown of the prevent defense.
• NBA power rankings snapshot and why OKC looks sustainable
• Mavericks front-office fallout and the ownership question
• Injuries, star availability, and fan transparency
• Clippers age curve, Beal’s surgery, and CP3 usage
• College football playoff scenarios and two-loss chaos
• Case for ending conference championship games
• Bengals paths in the AFC North and tiebreaker math
• Weekly NFL slate highlights and matchup edges
• Why prevent defense fails and what to run instead
Yo, yo, yo, welcome to another episode of the Epic Podcast. Just me and Jared in here today, man. How's your sports week been?
SPEAKER_03:Man, cool. I sh I forgot what happened. What is it, Wednesday? I forgot. Forgot what happened on the weekend. Ohio State won. The Bengals lost the bye week. Um that's probably why, because y'all had a bye this week. So yeah, we we lost still again. Gave up 500 yards to nobody. So Jill though. How was yours?
SPEAKER_02:Uh it's been all right. You know, pacers is not doing too good right now. And they're not pacing at all. At all. Um coach one. They did, they did, they did good in Berlin.
SPEAKER_03:I watched that game.
SPEAKER_02:It was a that was a good game for us. Um shoot Bemid did they think, but you know, we got some some real tough games coming up uh this week. So a lot of times, especially in college football, we got some real good games coming up that's really gonna shake up the the playoff ranking. So I'm looking forward to that. So with that being said, uh let's start off with uh talking about the uh little NBA news. Uh power rankings right now, the top 10. Uh we got OKC at 1 at 11-1 right now. You got Denver at 2, at 8-2, Detroit at 3, at 9 and 2, Cleveland at 7-4, uh 5. You got the Knicks at 7-3, which I think they're undefeated at home. I think all those wins are home wins. They're 7-0 at home right now. Um you got San Antonio Spurs at 6 and 8-2. You got Houston at 7 at 6-3, Lakers at 8, at 8-3, Minnesota at 9 at 7-4. Uh, and then you got Miami rounding out the top 10 at 7-4. Um, but nonetheless, a team you don't see up there is the Mavericks, which AGM just got fired. Man, second and last in the West. Um, do you feel that was a fair firing? No. Based on just all the injuries they got. I mean, the roster, if you look on paper, looks great, but all the injuries I feel like the injuries is only one part of it.
SPEAKER_03:I I don't like how they're trying to make it seem like he was fully responsible for trading Luca. There's no way the owners didn't sign off on him trading Luca. Not a chance. Not a chance. And then you double that with the injuries. Um, that's a that's an awesome team that he constructed. You know, who who knew Klay Thompson was gonna be playing as bad as he is? Um, I guess we kind of knew A B was gonna get hurt. Uh Kyrie's out. So I mean, that's an that's an odd. Then you got Jason Kidd trying to play Cooper Flag as the point guard. I mean, you know what I'm saying? There's a lot, there's a lot of dysfunction in, you know, on court, you know, on the floor. So I don't know where I don't know where the decision to fire him now came from. I don't know if they're trying to make it seem like he was solely responsible. I mean, maybe he was. I I don't believe that, but we're gonna have to see the 30 for 30 when it dropped. Because I mean, it's definitely a story to tell. Um, I was watching 520 uh yesterday morning, and they were saying how there might be like an NDA or something uh to where he can't speak on you know what's going on in order to get paid. But um, yeah, man, I I can't wait to hear the story because there's there's no way that I believe that he was able to trade Luca without speaking to anybody above him. I don't, and then everything else that's happened is completely out of his control.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, um, and I think oh, I don't want to uh now because Mark Cuban had already uh sold his majority stake in there, so he wasn't really making basketball operations, making basketball decisions at that time, right? But I don't know, man. Like I think somebody knew, I mean, somebody got to sign off of it. I mean, president of basketball operations, like somebody had to, but I mean, also with that, too, like the way it went down with like not a lot of people knowing, excuse me, it could have been something that was really, really on the low because nobody knew it. Like, it was not leaked at all, so it probably could have been like a hey, look, I want to put a trigger on this, da da da. Like, you know what I mean? Like, maybe him and the owner just like, okay, yeah, go ahead.
SPEAKER_03:But then he shouldn't be he shouldn't be fired for that.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, like I said, he's I think I think he's just off, I think it was just purely off the love of people have a Luca.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, he because I mean, he's not that far off from actually doing a decent job. That team on paper is awesome. They have one of the probably the one of the best rosters we've ever seen on paper. No, no, no. You got three bigs, you got you got the number one overall pick, you got Kyrie, you got Klay, you got uh like you're not you have solid role pieces, role players, rather. You're not really missing anything. You got DO on the bench. If Kyrie was there and AD was healthy, like that team should probably should be undefeated.
SPEAKER_02:No, for sure. Um yeah, like this is not a bad team. I just think like right now, injuries. I think I think you I I will say, hey, look, we're gonna give you we're gonna give you once everybody come back healthy, we'll we'll we'll see how how they play as a as a full team. Because I mean with especially, I mean Kyrie Everton's a huge part, but just even looking at um Anthony Davis, like I don't think he's played 20 games. Like he after that trade, he was gone for like six weeks. You know what I mean? They got bounced in the first round of the uh of the play-in to the Grizzlies. Like, he played a couple games this season, he's already been out, and to where now they're saying he he can't play again he won't play again until the owner approves it, which further makes me think that something else may be about to happen com Trade Deadline. Because like I've never heard that in my life before. And the owner has to approve him playing. You already promoted, I think, Michael Finley and somebody else, uh, to your like your uh intern GMs, which was under the guy you just fired, which to me that's crazy, also. Because like if you fired the GM, why wouldn't you get rid of the guys that's under him and bring in somebody, you know what I mean, of your own. Which so to me that's kind of perplexed because it's like if you fired him for the job he's doing, why would you trust the guys he hired to do a better job? Even if it's just on an intern basis. Like, when are you bringing in a new GM? Probably not to the end of the year. True. I've I've never heard of like an announcement of a GM or you know, any of that. Then what? You gonna get rid of Jason Kidd too? Because that was a his hire, right? Like, what are you doing? Are you gonna hit the reset button now while you have this roster constructed and give uh you know what I mean, a new voice, some new faces to this, you know, to this team? Like, what's the what's the plan? Nah, I feel you for sure. Cause you you because you can't be blow, you can't blame the players. I mean, granted, they have a horrible record, and nobody on their team is shooting over 30% from the three. Right.
SPEAKER_03:I need to actually need to watch them because I haven't I haven't, I mean, I've watched them, but I haven't really tapped in, so I don't really know what their issue is. Um, so I I can't really speak on the what I see because I don't know. But uh it's definitely not their fault. I mean, I I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, right now you got PJ Washington as their leading score right now. It's 15 and a half points a game, and their leading rebound right now at eight rebounds a game.
SPEAKER_03:He's the leading scorer at 15? Yes. That's tough.
SPEAKER_02:Well, because also Anthony Davis only played five games. Yeah, he don't qualify. Yeah, Gaffer's only played six, Lively's only played three. Uh Nimhard, I mean, like a glad of these guys, so they he's on the bench. But like if you're looking at game people who's also started a game, a lot of these games, I mean, out of 11 games, no, like a lot of these players haven't played that many.
SPEAKER_03:That's crazy.
SPEAKER_02:Thompson played, he's played 10. D'Angelo's probably, and Cooper Flag is the only like mainstays that done played, and PJ Washington is the only people that played 11. Everybody's uh else in at least missed one game. Right. So um, yeah, and I'm sure you're not giving D'Angelo the green light. You uh you're putting a lot of pressure on Cooper Flag, which he's averaging 15. He's their number two scorer right now. So many games does he play? Has he missed any yet? He's no, he hasn't missed none. He's played all 11, and he's playing 32 minutes a game. Him and PJ Washington are playing the most minutes right now.
SPEAKER_03:That's crazy. Like, see, the NBA has changed. I know we're gonna get into injuries later on, but uh that's that's that's insane. Like, why are you only playing 32 minutes a game? Why? I mean, as a as a as a number one overall pick, bro, you should be average, especially if y'all suck, you need to be averaging 43 minutes a game. Like, and I know that that's not the NBA, but 40, 38, 32 minutes a game is just not enough.
SPEAKER_02:Wait a minute though, but you're only playing Clay Thompson 20.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, shit, he got demoted. So I think his minutes might be.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, probably, because yeah, because I see, okay, yeah. Less than that. Max Christie, yeah, he's averaging 30. That's that's who the other, but that's a youngin', too. That's he's a rookie. Yeah, well, Christy, nah. Max Christie and no no no two years. Okay, he's been lead two years. Okay, this is his third year. Okay, my bad. But still, I mean, he's a youngin', so I mean, he's averaging 13. Got Kelly Thompson coming off the pine. I don't know. I just think they, I mean, you just need one, you just need one more guy. I mean, granted, Anthony Davis or uh Kyrie would be that guy. Because looking at their schedule, let's see, when have they been blown out? I don't even know if they've really been blown out. Uh the Bucks, they lost by two. Yeah, the Pelicans, they lost to them by two. Rockets lost to them by eight. Like, you know what I mean, lost to the Thunder uh by seven. Like, these are winnable games. Wizards by 10. Like, you know what I mean? Like, with a with a Anthony Davis or a Kyrie, like it's very well, they could very well be eight and three, other than three and eight. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_03:So I mean the way the NBA is going, the way guys are scoring this year. Shit, Kyrie could be averaging 30. Yeah, no, for sure. AD could be averaging 25. That's 55 points a game, right there. Even if you put them both at 25, that's 50 points a game. Even if you put them both at 20, that's 40 points. Hey, that's that's a lot of that's a lot of games that's not out there. So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So I I don't I don't like saying I don't like I don't agree with firings, but I don't think this was a rightful firing. You did I think they did it to appease the fans because the fans have been yelling it for almost a year now. Yeah, he's escaped.
SPEAKER_03:That's all it is.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but like you think firing him, your team is gonna get better. Like, what moves do you think anybody else is gonna make to improve this team to another to the next level? Right.
SPEAKER_03:And it's like, what did he do that was like detrimental to the team? I don't I don't see it. I don't see it either. I mean, you're you're literally a year removed from the from the finals. That's a that's a fire team on paper that he constructed. So granted, he traded Luca and Luca's killing, but that team that he has there, that is a fire, complete team. I mean, he got a defense.
SPEAKER_02:And that's all he's and that's all he's been saying. He was been saying, like, defense wins championships. Like after being in the finals, they seen there's like, hey, look, we need more defense. So moving Luca to get AD, you can get some of that same offensive production, which I don't think you need all that offensive production, which you with a Kyrie, too. Like, you know what I mean? Well, Luca, you don't need 40 from one person, you know what I'm saying? Like, if you can, like you said, if you can get 25 and 25 from two players, you're gonna make that up with some defensive realm help, you know what I mean? Like, so um, I kind of seen the vision from what I've read, that's what everybody's been saying. But fans just didn't want it, and I think I like it's solely on the Luca trade. Like, you feel like they could have done something else. Um, but when all you got is Luca, like you don't have any other trade assets, like there was nothing else you could do to improve your your roster. Like, you got lucky with the number one pick, a 1.8% chance.
SPEAKER_03:I still think that shit was rigged, but if he got fired, obviously that I think that kind of solidifies that it wasn't.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So it's like everything has gone your way. Like, you still got two superstars. Granted, they hurt when they come back. I think you'll see a different, you know what I mean, a difference in this team. And I'm not, I mean, I don't think he's that's just me personally. I don't think he should have been fired. Because either you're saying that he was the problem, or you're about to do a uh a reset, which means Jason Kidd, you know what I mean, all those other guys are gonna be gone too, and you're gonna bring in a new front office, a new coach, a new front office, and a new coach in the right season. So are y'all playing on this season? Like you got the owner making decisions on when players can play now, like so. I think that's weird in itself. Like, I've never heard of a uh uh owner making a decision, literally saying that AD can or can't play.
SPEAKER_03:That's how you know the owners was actually in on that Luca trade.
SPEAKER_02:That's exactly that that makes sense. That if he's saying that, then yeah, he they definitely had something to say about the Luca trade. I don't even think why you would think that would be okay.
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_02:Like this man literally just dragged you on his back to the finals. Maybe a reel will come out sooner or later. We'll we'll see. To be determined. Yeah, definitely to be determined. Um yeah, I got a question. Do you think OKC gonna repeat, man? I've been hearing a lot of this repeat talk. Granted, they 11 and one right now.
SPEAKER_03:I still I still don't know how they're so good. I really don't, I haven't figured it out. Um, but they can though, for sure.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they they're they're looking just as good as last year. Uh and then and then Jalen Jalen Williams ain't played yet. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. They still missing him there. They they're yeah, yeah. I mean, pending any other injuries, I think they got a great chance to uh represent the West nonetheless. But speaking of the West, Bradley Bill has season engine surgery. Really? Yes, hip surgery. He's that's it. You gotta retire, dog. It's over with. Okay, okay. I thought I was the only one because I'm like, nah, you gotta go.
SPEAKER_03:Since he got that money in in Washington, he's been hurt or unavailable, or just playing like a bum that we know he's not. Like we know that you're not, bro. That's the crazy part. We know that you're good. Everybody, everybody knows that you at least were capable of doing great things on the basketball court, so it's just like, damn, like you cold, but I mean, it's over with in six the the Clippers are three and seven, and in six games, uh he is averaging 8.2 points.
SPEAKER_02:Wow. Shooting 37%. Yeah, that's not gonna cut it. Not gonna cut it at all. Yeah, I just I mean I think this may be a way for the the Clippers to open up a roster spot and go get somebody else, cuz this this team is definitely too good to be three and seven.
SPEAKER_03:They're just older, man. But it's just like I didn't know Chris Paul's um his impact was gonna be I ain't gonna say impact. His uh his usage wasn't I mean he's playing like 10 minutes a game. Like, I I don't even know why he's there. You know what I'm saying? Like, why don't I I don't know why he would go yeah, he's averaging 13 minutes a game right now.
SPEAKER_02:That's crazy.
SPEAKER_03:Like you might as well retire. I mean I don't know. Yeah, I because I don't want to I don't want to see LeBron at the end of a bench averaging 10, 12, 13 minutes a game. Like, bro, once you can't play 30, um I don't want to see it. I I just don't. And it's just like I don't know why Chris Paul is like, I ain't gonna say like burning his legacy, but that I I I I just I don't see he you don't need the money. We know he don't need the money. It's just like I don't see the point in doing what he's doing with you know the team.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, because I mean if you really look at it, as I'm looking at the the team right now, Kawaz only played six games out of 11. Man, James Harden's only nine out of 11. They have nobody on their team who's played 11 games. Um but you got a couple guys that done played 10. Like, and then looking at these bench, like, of course, Kawaz, you know, and James Harden are both averaging shoot 24 points a game. Zubak 15, Collins 13, uh Derrick Jones Jr. 10. And then after that, everybody else is in single digits. Like, I don't see why he's not getting you know, getting a play over like a Cam Christie or even a Chris Dunn, like right.
SPEAKER_03:Because Chris Dunn, he ain't he about 37, 38, too. He ain't young, so it's just like, well shit. You know? Yeah, he's 31.
SPEAKER_02:Chris Chris Dunn? Chris Dunn is 31. I'm looking at it. He was born in 94. Yeah, I had to, I don't know. I don't know. Unless ESPN is wrong. Uh, but yeah, but I mean, I mean, still nonetheless.
SPEAKER_03:I mean Wow, I could have sworn because I thought he was younger, and I thought I looked it up. Maybe I looked at something that was a typo or something. Because I was just like, I did not know he was he was, you know. I thought it showed he was older. I mean, even I yeah, I don't know. They've even been reporting. I've I've been watching games where they've said this nigga's like 37, 38.
SPEAKER_02:So I don't yeah, that's that's that's but I mean I mean Chris Paul is still second on your team and assists. Like, I don't you can I mean I think with Bradley Bill being gone, I think because he was getting you said what? Yeah, I mean, well 3.6 technically. I mean I mean James Harden is averaging nine, but I mean Kawhi's averaging 3.5.
SPEAKER_03:That's another thing that's another thing I don't understand. So as a coach, and you're looking at the thing, you're like, uh, well, Buddy's averaging 3.3 through whatever, 3.6 assists in what, 13 minutes?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:At no point does you do you say uh let's play him 30 then?
SPEAKER_02:Because I mean, looking to double it, even if we double it, even if we giving him 20 minutes, even if we giving him the minutes that we were giving Bradley Bill, I think his impact would be bigger than Bradley Bill's. I'm sure you can get more than 10 points out of Chris Paul still, and at least and he's an adaptable guard.
SPEAKER_03:He can play with James Harden. A lot of guards can't play with James Harden. He can play with James Harden.
SPEAKER_02:That's true.
SPEAKER_03:No, I agree. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what's up with that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but maybe like I said, with this injury, uh maybe we'll see a uh shakeup in that roster because it's about time and or you gotta be starting to think about a re-rack there because, like you said, Kawhi's old, Harden's hold, uh Zubak is getting up there, Bradley Bill's gone, you got an old Chris Paul, like like you say, even now, Chris Dunn, 31, you got an old Brooke Lopez, like all these guys are are are too old, so you gotta start bringing in some young talent, you know, to surround them with um instead of trying to recycle some of these veterans to try to get you over that hump, which y'all been doing for the past five to six years, and it ain't been working. Right. Because all your guys, the closer you get to the end of the season, they break down, they injured. You know what I mean? Then you bring Kawhi back at the end of the season to try to play Superman, and it's like, what are we doing here?
SPEAKER_03:Like, so it's man, these injuries is crazy, bro. Like, they they're not even trying to play at all. I mean, I like I'm watching the Pistons right now, and Cade is out. Cade is not hurt. Why is he not playing? It's just it's get it's getting bad. Like, it's it's really getting bad. And I think it's because like the amount of money they're paying these guys is going up, you know. Even if it's your star back in the day, I mean he's making seven million over the course of the year, or even 20, 30 million, these guys are making like 60, 65 now. So it's just like, yeah, we just gonna naturally just hold you. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:No, we're gonna put we're gonna protect it to you all the way back.
SPEAKER_03:Like, that's not a good look, though.
SPEAKER_02:No more playing hurt. Like, if you're injured, you can't play. But if you're hurt, you should you can still play hurt.
SPEAKER_03:Because if I don't see, if I don't see the ESPN update, you're not hurt, bro. That's why I always it always just it it it I don't even gonna say pisses me off, but it always throws me off when I just see a guy, you know, just hurt. Like, when did you when did you get hurt, bro? Even if it was, you know, something at the crib, something fell off the the counter and stubbed your toe. Like, I want to hear about it. Like, I don't want to wait out, work all day, and you know, get home, turn on the game. I'm excited. You're gonna be seeing certain players that nobody's playing. Like, ah, bro, when did you get hurt? I want to, I like we I think it society is old to know when these guys are getting hurt if the injuries are legitimate. I don't think that's too much to ask for.
SPEAKER_02:I agree with that. And you should, I mean, like, again, that kind of goes back. We was kind of talking about the gambling thing before we got on got on air, but that kind of goes back to that, like guys getting hurt or or you're even announcing it, you know what I mean, in enough time because like we I think we had a we talked about this kind of last year about people paying their money to go and see certain players and think they're gonna be playing and come to find out they're not at the last minute. And it's like, you know, I didn't buy Laker tickets to see you know LeBron sit on the bench. You know, I didn't pay fucking$700 for this seat, you know what I mean? To see LeBron sit on the bench, or especially in like Detroit or like these smaller markets where people in these may not even have that much money to go to a game, or you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:And they only come once a year. The East Eastern Conference teams, that's it. They come that one time, that's that's that that's it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so um, I think you gotta be more transparent on that and maybe have some type of I won't say resale option, but maybe you know, I don't know. I don't even know if you can even do that. That probably won't even be legal to like trade the ticket in for another game or something like that. But it'd be yeah, it would it would get pretty shady quick.
SPEAKER_03:Then niggas will start cheating on that. Yeah, right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, I just I I don't like that, just being somebody who grew up and couldn't afford to do those things. And I know I would be mad if I was going to see my favorite player, and then I get there and they wasn't there, like so it's just like even with that, if they were to do some kind of refund process, it's like, well, what if you buy like secondhand?
SPEAKER_03:Like you can't take the money back from the nigga who sold the tickets, like you're right, right. You know, so that would be that would just get way, way too murky. But I I like the way you're thinking for sure.
SPEAKER_02:But I mean, gauge the value of the ticket, or you know what I mean? Like, what was the original ticket cost? You know what I'm saying? And maybe even if you gave me half my money back, if I decided not to come to the game, I would be where would the money come from?
SPEAKER_03:Like the organization, the NBA. It can't come from the guy who sold the ticket.
SPEAKER_02:That would no no, I'm just saying, like, so let's just say I bought the I could buy the ticket from a guy and I paid, you know, whatever,$150 for the ticket.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:If I go back to, you know, if I go back to the to the to the stadium and I say, hey, look, like, you know, I came to see, you know, the Lakers of Indiana, and no, LeBron's not playing, you know, the guys ain't playing. Like, I don't want to see this game. Can I trade it in and get a percentage of my money back? Or because that guy had to buy the ticket if the ticket is valid. So, like, there's a value still on that ticket, regardless of what he sold it for or what he got it for. Right. Um, and I think the stadium should be able to place a value on the ticket because y'all sell the ticket. So it'd be like, all right, well, this this ticket basic Somebody's gonna have to lose out on the money though. Like, who's gonna lose out on the big thing? Right, and it's it's gonna be me because I made the decision. I'm not I'm not gonna get 100% of the value back. But that's why I say, even if I got half of the value of the ticket back, then I think that should be a decision I should be able to make, if that makes sense.
SPEAKER_03:Uh it does, but I'm still like, even if you even if you get half the money back, who who do you suggest that half the money comes from? The organization, the NBA, the arena?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, it will, yeah, it will come from the arena.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, which is the organization anyway. I mean they're gonna vote that shit down unanimously. Probably, probably, yeah. Yeah, they're never. Absolutely. Yeah, but I'm just saying, like, his ideas the fuck up out of here.
unknown:Sure.
SPEAKER_02:But I'm just thinking, like, it has to be something because it happens so much, and you hear so many people complaining about it. It's like either you're gonna force these guys to play hurt or or something. Like, I don't know. I definitely feel you so it's just from a frustration standpoint where, like I said, I've paid a lot of money for tickets. Um, luckily, the games I've gone to, the people that I want to see played, but it's not like that for like that season ticket holders and stuff like that. Like, you gotta think these people paying thousands of dollars a year. Like, just imagine, like, well, I guess the season ticket holders this year new because it happened in the playoffs, but imagine if they just, you know what I mean, they hid uh an injury, you know, Halliburton's injury, you know what I mean? They'd tell how serious it was and and made y'all everybody anticipate that he'll be playing at some point this season.
SPEAKER_03:Like, now what it's crazy though, because they did get hit because you start paying for your season tickets before the season even ends. For example, our our season tickets for the Bengals, the first payment of next season came out November 1st. So, like, so there are some people that pay for Patriot season tickets that uh, you know, now your first year you get it, you you don't get it until you pick the tickets, which pick the seats, which is like in March or April or somewhere around in there. But uh once your first year is up and then you continue, uh you pay a lesser amount, but you pay that every month as long as you have the tickets. Like as long as you're a season ticket holder, you pay you every month of every year you're paying something. You know what I'm saying? So like I imagine uh and then they have to do it like that because you can't just like have people pay per game, then people wouldn't pay, and then you would end up losing that on it would get too so you end up. No, you gotta get the money before, right? Yeah, this whole entire football season had to be paid before October 31st, or you know, you forfeited your season. You you know, you for you forfeited the ticket. So right, yeah. There's definitely some people that probably already had their next year's pastors tickets, you know, 30% paid off, and then he gets hurt, and now you got a poverty or organization out there. So, like it now, that's exactly how it happens.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so so which I believe, you know, like it is, it is so many.
SPEAKER_03:From from my first year in it, they don't they don't give a fuck, they just give us the money. It's money. We don't care what you think about the team, we don't care what the team is doing, pay us. Yep, they don't they don't give a shit. So nope, that's and and that's fair. That means that it's a business. I mean, yeah, I can't think of no alternative way for it to work.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's what I'm saying. No other way. You you hear my thoughts. Give me my money back, some of it anyway. No, sorry, no, sir. All right, but we're gonna. jump over and uh we're gonna talk about some college football real quick uh so new uh playoff rankings came out yesterday and we got still ohio state at one iU at two Texas AM at three i think all three of them are still undefeated uh you got Bama Georgia uh Texas Tech Omus Oregon at eight Notre Dame moved up one to ten Texas I mean one to nine Texas at 10 OU at 11 and BYU drops I think they were eight last week they dropped down to 12 so I mean with with one loss but you're right they they got whooped on um so I don't think I have a problem with these with these standings I know some of them is because of like we got we ain't gonna know until like conference champion or the playoff or the bracket how that'll work out but um what teams outside of I guess that top 12 and the bottom 13 do you think can can or should make a leap ooh that's a tough one man because there's there's ooh I mean I I I guess you gotta figure that a um that an SEC team is gonna is gonna make their way up um eventually right now you got five SEC teams in there you got five SEC teams and three Big Ten teams yeah I feel like I feel like you can always bet on an SEC team coming jumping up um but I mean with with the with the lack of powerhouses there are this year I mean I don't know you got all these teams sitting at two losses you know a lot you got Michigan sitting at two losses uh you none of these teams have really separated themselves Vanderbilt Miami Georgia Tech SC Michigan Virginia Louisville that's like the same team like all those teams I just named are like they're like the same team you can even add BYU Utah you can even move up at Oklahoma in that mix you could add Texas in that mix uh Notre Dame might be slightly better they have really really good running backs and their defense is solid um they've been playing some real old school football getting these wins like everybody really outside of Ohio State IU Texas and M Alabama Georgia everybody else is is it's kind of just up for whatever so I mean I I guess we gotta still it's so many teams with two losses on here I'm I'm looking at it now like it's well now you got the well this week speaking of that you get oh you get uh Oklahoma and Bama play this week okay so that's gonna somebody that's gonna change somebody's situation right now yeah either you get Notre Dame at nine and you got Pitt they 22 but a win over Notre Dame like that could push them up I know I'm just saying if uh you get you get uh number 21 Iowa number 17 USC uh that still can have some some implications even on maybe even uh pushing pushing Michigan up some or USC dropping out completely because that'll be their third loss uh do you get Texas and Georgia and we got to look at their schedules too I'm gonna see who Michigan got before us they got see Northwestern and not Maryland they'll be 9-2 when they play us for sure so that'll end up turning into a game and then if they if they somehow win you're looking at 10 and 2 Michigan 11 and 1 Ohio State like that's gonna look good on their situation.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah it is it's it's really too hard. There's so many mid teams and I don't even say mid disrespectfully I'm just saying like just there's a lot of teams at that same plateau a lot of them in that chunk is basically what I'm trying to say.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah because I mean a two loss Alabama I mean and a two loss Oklahoma like where do you put them at and then let's say Georgia loses two you know I mean like that's gonna be crazy if Bama and Georgia both lose even though Bama's beat Georgia like you can see another dame jump up shoot up you know I mean or an old miss shoot up you know what I mean even a Texas Tech moving to that fourth spot.
SPEAKER_03:So we got we got we got Oklahoma and Bama and Texas and Georgia both on Saturday.
SPEAKER_02:That's lit yes that's uh the Bama game is at 330 um uh so let me see when that uh Georgia game is the Georgia game is at 730 okay so that's the that's the night game okay so yeah so I mean you're gonna have some good football all day uh on Saturday because you still like I say you get the Iowa USC if you care about the the Big Ten um you get that Notre Dame pit that's at noon so like I said that's gonna I mean all these can have ramifications and then you got Texas AM even though South Carolina is three and six I mean that's just they just always play hard um just with them being in in the uh SEC they they played each other before so there's a rivalry there yeah it's some it's some it's gonna be some of the games this week and we get into that part of the schedules where some of these teams are starting to play each other and man if Texas wins if they beat Georgia and like how they been like on their kind of roller coaster this year with their wins and losses and man well shit they Texas still get Texas AM at the end of the season.
SPEAKER_03:Man yeah they got an opportunity if they win both of those they got all the opportunities yeah they're lit well but see they can lose to Georgia they still that gives them three losses but if they beat Texas uh undefeated Texas AM do you just say nah we don't care nah that's definitely gonna hold some rank I'm glad it's 12 teams I mean people better be happy that it's 12 teams because uh yeah if it was only four because there I like I said there's just too many teams that are just kind of meh right too many like too many because looking at Texas which is probably one of the most interesting teams right now with a with a you know with a close loss to Ohio State in the first game of the season you lost to Florida but you know what I'm saying that's probably one you can hold against you but then you beat a Vanderbilt granted it was only by three but you beat a ranked Vanderbilt there's ranked nine and then even if you lose to a fifth ranked Georgia if you beat an undefeated let's say Texas AM is undefeated at that time and you beat them the last game of the season they definitely gonna have to look and be like that goes back to how it used to be with the BCS though you remember it used to be a like a win you loss type deal even the last one that we won in 2014 we lost was that the second game of the season at home to Virginia Tech so we were able to just like build back up but it it it it hurts it really used to hurt especially when it was BCS and then when it was the 14 playoff it would hurt to lose like late which it shouldn't matter because like I say like I've always said this about the rankings if you're number one and I'm number two we're both undefeated I lose to number one by a field goal at the buzzer why should I drop down to five you know what I'm saying it's just like if your rankings are correct I should lose a close one to number one so everything should be cool. You know what I'm saying but it's it's all about like when you lose like if you were number two you lose to number one they're automatically going to bump an undefeated number three to number two and it's just like I don't I've never understood why that why that happened.
SPEAKER_02:Me neither and I like like you say when it's it's what have you done for me lately the teams that's coming up you may they may not have been ranked on your schedule at that moment but now once you get closer to that game now they don't want some games and now they're ranked it's kind of like the Notre Dame uh thing I was saying earlier in the season like how we were saying like hey look Notre Dame still got a chance Michigan still has a chance because they lost this was so early that they can still stack some wins um and looking at the schedules we've seen a lot of these top teams are playing each other it's like yeah there's definitely gonna be some two loss teams it's gonna be it's gonna be a team ranked that barely misses the playoff with three losses there's a very good chance and you still got a Tennessee hanging around with three losses at 23 like somebody's gonna barely miss the playoff this year with three losses and that could very well be a Texas that could be an Oklahoma shit some niggas miss it with two yeah that's a Georgia could possibly miss it with two like if they lose to Texas you know what I mean like the only it looks like the only teams that can afford a loss in the SEC is Texas AM and Alabama because they're the only teams that are undefeated in conference Georgia has one loss O miss one Texas lost one so forth and so on um but yeah Alabama and Texas AM can they have one to kind of you know play with for lack of a better phrase pause to you know have a chance to plan that conference championship get rid of the conference championships bro like I'm begging please just just give the championship to the best record and like let's move on with our lives the best conference record yeah whoever just then like and if you get a comment just break them down even if you got to bust it all right that can I would just keep it with the factuals like I would I would keep it with like just the the non just you can do um you can do uh point score you can bust it all the way down to point score the the uh margin of victories like you can you can bust it all the way down to just absolute facts but just give whoever finishes first the the goddamn conference championship and like let's jump into the playoffs bro like or or let the let the the outs the other six conferences do conference championships but for the SEC that's only thing a SEC championship big ten championship does is is uh uh give everybody else a chance possibly yeah where it's and it could it could switch a position too yeah this because now when it was a four-team playoff you might have needed that to you know I'm saying because like a record yeah we needed that big ten champ we needed to dominate Wisconsin how we did in order to get into the playoff but now with 12 teams like bro let's just let's let's just get let's just get to it 12 teams conference champions best record if it's tied go through you know home in a way whatever bust that shit down margin of victory strength of schedule you know what I mean ranked opponents uh uh margin of victory you know what I mean just whatever you gotta ways it's a ways to just bust that shit down pick a champion and let's move on because I mean you can still give whoever that is the number one you know then that means that yeah that means these games that they playing they can't take off the gas like if you can beat somebody 70 to two beat them 70 to two because that might affect you at the end of the year that would make all your all your games more interesting get rid of the conference championship game it's it's pointless like it really means nothing I don't want it like I'll take I'd rather I'd play an extra playoff game every year than have to go play a a a Big Ten championship if it was up to me like just give me the extra let's just get and then that that first playoff game is at home well more times than not it's probably gonna be at home most of the time depending on I mean it could it in theory it could be a road game so I guess you know I'm speaking from my experience not everybody's experience yeah but being an Ohio State fan of where does it come from yeah Tennessee had to come to Ohio Stadium in December last Friday.
SPEAKER_03:So yeah but I mean that also I mean I don't know like do better like if hey if you win all your games then you you you know you win your conference championship you you beat the shit out of people you win your conference championship you'll get that by and if you don't get that by you'll get a home game that's fair because real now there's only there's only four out of the 12 teams that don't either have a bye or a home game those bottom four seeds that didn't win a conference championship you know so yeah that's that's enough man as long as you don't finish those bottom four seeds you get either off the first week of the playoffs or you get a home game the first week of the playoffs that's enough bro get rid of the conference championships like get rid of them yeah but I think it's again it's money yeah it is but I mean in in the grand scheme of strategy it just don't pay because like Ohio State and IU are headed towards a head to head collision of a lifetime it's like for what like we're we're gonna have to play y'all again both teams are making the playoffs without a shadow of a doubt but making but I also think too like with y'all both being high rank there's no guarantee that y'all gonna play each other you see what I'm saying one of y'all we're both you get upset yeah y'all both gonna have a chance yeah there'd be a chance but I'd forego I'd forego that game and just take my chances if we meet y'all in the playoffs I don't want it put Wisconsin in it let them like I don't care about it like put put them in. Even if we got to play the first round at home I'm cool with that let uh let Michigan and IU or Oregon and IU play for it. Put Penn State I don't care I don't want to be in it it just me it means nothing.
SPEAKER_02:Especially when you done won all your games leading up to it I'm cool but I mean it's still there so you know if Ohio State finishes off then they're gonna have to play it and then if you know the game of the year might be the Big Ten championship and then we might get all blowouts in the in the playoff who knows yeah no for sure and I and and I don't think the one loss hurts either one of those teams like no nobody I mean nobody's gonna drop out there they'll still be one and two regardless of who wins it may flip but who cares for sure well they can't but it is a lot it's gonna be a lot on that game if both teams are undefeated one team is gonna have to one team is going to get a bye one team is not that's what I said the positions may flip did they did they um did they change a rule to where I think they changed that rule didn't they what where uh the conference championships conference champions got the f the buys I think they changed that no no oh did they I I'm pretty sure they did bro I hope because I remember we was complaining well I was complaining about it last year just even though I'm a then the loser then the loser of that big 10 championship might still have a bye because like you said one and two whoever loses it's gonna be one it should be one and two even if Ohio State beats IU IU should still be number two right that's in other case they'll still get a bye first round let me see uh yeah that's because see right now they're saying yeah because right now first round buys is Ohio State Indiana Texas AM and Alabama so the first four seeds yeah yeah so that's that's that really good that makes the Big Ten championship even more worthless yeah yeah yeah that's all I say now it's no matter that makes it even more worthless so we're not even playing for a buy we're literally playing for a a trophy bro yeah well I mean I guess they could say that about the national championship too but I'm good you're all playing for trophies yeah I'm cool bro that's wild yeah that's that's wild so the Ohio State wins out they can whoever would be game can still be number two yeah that's what I'm saying they okay well they still like I said maybe switchy like one yeah just who the whoever y'all would play in the second round would change like yeah uh whoever's first plays the winner of Oregon Texas tech and whoever loses will play the winner of Notre Dame BYU so that yeah I mean and it's just like I'm sure the coaches are thinking about that like because I mean because you that that has that has to affect your play calling that has to affect your strategy it has to affect your schematics going into that game because you can't show you literally can't just go hoop because you can't show everything yeah you might have to play these guys again so you can't you know you can't sell out a game plan against one thing you kind of gotta still play the game neutral because we don't play for Big Ten championships nobody plays for conference championships people play for it play for it all and that's what matters like you know even as an Ohio State fan people well Michigan beat I don't give a fuck about that game bro I want the national championship if you can guarantee me that Ohio State's gonna win a national championship every single year I'll take a loss to Michigan every single year call it like I don't care I want to win it all like that's just how I am yeah I know and like I wish I felt that way with Bama like I really be wanting to beat Georgia I'm not normally I don't care about that shit bro I mean I don't care about the championship but normally a lot of times we end up playing Georgia in this in a in the SEC championship but like that Georgia game I don't care that's a measuring stick for me maybe I'll be Georgia I'm like I was brought up bro I just like bro I was always football first like yeah before I was a crazy Ohio State Buckeye fan I was I was in the trenches watching college football you know I'm saying so I grew up watching guys from Michigan like I I it just I I don't I just don't care that much like and people think I'm weird I I don't bro I'm I don't because I mean like I I was telling somebody it's like there's people that that uh don't know nothing about football that be involved in a rivalry like go away bro like go away I'm like I'm all for good football that's why people oh you're a Holly State fan you're supposed to be mad with Michigan won man Michigan man they was killing they was killing that year nigga Blake Korn was going crazy like Roman Wilson them guys was bawling like can't get mad at that I'm a football head like you can't I can't be mad at that they was balling they was probably cheating which I mean I think it was confirmed that they were cheating but they were balling like when they were when I thought they were when they were in the Rose Bowl against Bama I thought they were gonna lose that game they kept saying no sir we're not we're not gonna lose bro fourth and goddamn 23 bro we we picking it up we gotta have this and I respect it a lot of people don't I respect it it is what it is yeah now same here I don't want you Georgia to succeed at anything that's just yeah yeah I don't I don't want you to beat us but shit whatever else you got going right right no I'll I shoot I I be going against them with other they play other teams I see that I just want them to lose yeah I just as long as our position is above theirs I'm okay so like us at four and them at five cool we got about that granted I ain't I ain't rooting for Michigan because I mean the fans that have talked they shit have have gotten on my nerves so of course like naturally just being an Ohio State fan naturally having experiences with Michigan fans I'm like man these niggas get on my nerves bro they just lose like I don't just lose but if y'all gonna beat us and that's gonna propel us to a national championship every year man sign me up and so like i I'm still getting used to the the Texas the Oklahomas being SEC teams like they don't even really register on my radar like at all like I don't even be thinking about them I'm like I'm still thinking right I'm still thinking about the Tennessees and yeah the Auburn I'm still thinking about those I'd be subject in the SEC still old miss like those are the teams I be thinking about because these are the teams that you know Bamba play you know year in and year out so like I'll be forgetting about like I said I mean the old like I say Oklahoma Texas like these guys I'm thinking about Vanderbilt and them like now you like you said it's like you throw these guys into the mix now they're competitive which is crazy um because in the Big 12 they were not like but now you even got like the BYUs in them in there the Texas Tex you know what I mean coming up so it's it's it's definitely gonna be interesting this year but uh with these games this weekend there's gonna be some separation some things definitely change next week on next week's show so we'll be able definitely be ready to cover that man um last but not least man let's jump into some NFL get that score grizzly week 10 recap man um we spoke a little bit on it for we uh at the beginning of the the show um some of the games last week that I thought was gonna be bad ended up turning turned out to be pretty decent uh coats did they think uh it was still closer than it should have been but 3125 we beat the Falcons Jonathan Taylor's a dog man if they don't give that man MVP bro he's on pace to break like that dude is cold he's on pace to break Ladanian Thomason's uh touchdown record he definitely gonna can get that 2000 yard record like yeah bro all those rush records he's on pace to be and you can't even say oh well they just putting him in on the goal line like he's getting yards and touchdowns bro he had 32 carries for 244 three touchs yeah that is ridiculous yes that is ridiculous definitely definitely five games five games with three td's already this season yeah and we still we still well we week 10 going into week 11 like you still got well we haven't had our bye yet i think we got our bye week 13 as our bye or week 12 my bad that's this week ain't no no week 13 nope when is over is it week 13 y'all gotta buy now i don't think y'all play someday this pick out for Germany should have a buy uh no we played the Chiefs no that's week 12 my bad hold on yeah this is our bye this week okay cool so we got our bye this week but then we should we got yeah we got I got some games yeah yeah five six more weeks I think he can do it man if he stayed on that pace definitely could can can break that record uh yeah nah man hurt Joe Burrow man he he's he's practicing a little bit he's been looking good too man it's crazy yeah he's he's back he's back so I mean they can't they say he can he can he can officially play I know he said they had to he had to wait two games um nah he they can activate him now they just gotta they get well he's activated but they have 21 days to put him on an active roster okay okay he has to be activated anywhere but I think it's actually less than 21 days now because I think that that clock's that was that was that last Sunday Monday or something like that.
SPEAKER_03:But yeah anytime between now and like the next two and a half weeks he can be activated so we'll see I mean they're like you know they're talking to him they're just like oh you think you're gonna be back for that crucial game at the Ravens you know on on Thanksgiving bro we're gonna get beat by 40 like with him or not like I don't even understand what what we're talking about.
SPEAKER_02:So I I honestly don't even understand why you know I mean why him coming back is even a a deal because offense clearly isn't our issue I mean you're just gonna bring him back just so the defense they're just looking at the division and how like nobody's like separating themselves. That's true.
SPEAKER_03:You know what I mean by a lot of games so I think that's why they look at there as a crucial I would feel that I would feel that if there was some optimism behind our our team right now like there's zero. We can't but I think I think he's the optimism even though he wasn't a problem where he's not gonna be gave up 500 yards to the Jets like who are you gonna beat who are you gonna beat with with that like you're not gonna beat anybody I agree I'm giving up 500 yards to the Jets like you you literally aren't going to beat anybody so it's like it it doesn't it doesn't matter who you have on the offensive side of the ball like can he play linebacker can Joe line up somewhere on defense or can we put Flacco somewhere on defense like because offense isn't a problem. Our offense has actually been better with Flacco just keeping it a beam um so I I've got I mean I've got nothing I mean you gave up 500 yards and 40 something points to the Jets like you your season should have been KO'd at that at that moment and in theory it was because I mean we're we're not bouncing back from that so I I don't really know I don't really see the vision so let me see what's the rest of your schedule look like uh treachery if we still got you get the Steelers the Patriots the Ravens Ravens twice the Bills it's belt ass bro like there's no way well the bills just lost to the Dolphins but yeah that is that's that's crazy I actually watched them lose to the Falcons a few weeks ago too so they've been they've been on the suspect suspect alarm but brought but I think the Patriots are playing the Patriots playing great yeah I mean like with their defense then yeah yeah you gotta look we're gonna get sprayed by the we're gonna get sprayed by it and we're gonna get sprayed by the the Ravens twice I think the only games we probably still have left that we might win is the Browns and the Cardinals but I feel like the Dolphins yeah I forget about the Dolphins too probably beat the Dolphins so if y'all get those three if I mean y'all always play the Ravens if y'all can split one with the one with the Ravens beat the Steelers we'd have to we'd have to get to at nine we'd have to at least get to nine wins yeah and and we'd have to we damn near would have to win out the division because we've only won division games all three games we won this year were division opponents yeah no way no the Jaguars yeah that's right yeah we're two and all in the division but I guess the most important part is we haven't lost any division yet but we still got the toughest you know we got all those all the division games are coming up so yeah all right ravens twice and the Steelers on um coming up this week I think if y'all still won y'all steal that Steelers game probably lose to the Patriots yeah and get one of those Ravens games beat the Bills and win out between the Dolphins Cardinals and Browns man we need to get to nine wins and we have three I don't see six we nine wins is pushing it yeah ten wins will probably like solidly get us in or win a division but eight and nine in the AF in the in in the north right now that might be the goal ravens four and five uh the well browns ain't worried about them really but uh the Steelers Steelers five and four it really depends on what games we win too like that's what I'm saying if we can some kind of way beat the Ravens twice and beat the Steelers I think we could probably we could probably win a division eight nine yeah that's what I'm saying like because you gotta think of what they record's gonna be it's gonna be similar because the Ravens don't got too many well we got the same amount of losses now right uh five yeah they got five they got five yeah yeah we got five too yeah or we three and six uh let me go back y'all are yeah y'all three and six yeah we could bro like we could like I said I mean it it just kind of how y'all play going forward I mean we could bro it's over with the Raven uh they get the Jets they get the Browns we could only they get the Patriots absolute maximum lose two more games the rest of the season it I don't see it yeah I don't see it that's I mean it's gonna be tough yeah it's gonna be super tough but y'all do tend to play your best ball towards the end of the season that's that's a fact but so I don't see it but like I say in that division like it could happen.
SPEAKER_02:If our defense was top 20 we'd be straight oh yeah we're absolute last in everything that's just yeah it's over with let me see Pittsburgh they get the Bills the Bears the Ravens they get the Lions they still get the Ravens twice so I mean it's definitely possible like y'all just you know y'all just got to win some tough games but we really just gotta focus on the losses for the other teams because if we
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Because we're we're two games out, but as of now, we have a tiebreaker over Steelers. So that kind of takes away like a half a game. So technically, in the loss column, we're like a game and a half out. If we beat the Steelers, that's what I'm saying. That'll turn into a whole game there. So it's it's definitely possible, but they're the other teams are gonna have to lose some for sure.
SPEAKER_02:And they're gonna get some tough games. Like you said, though like New England ain't no pushover. Like they both gotta play New England. They both gotta play the Bills. The Ravens and the Steelers both gotta play the Bills. But the only thing is the Ravens is finding their fucking stride right now. They look good. They look good with with uh whatchalic coming back. Like, yeah, they've been playing better. Defense is playing uh slightly better, too. So but again, like I said, y'all play y'all best ball. I mean, of course, you know, even though he wasn't the problem, but him coming back is always gonna give your team a boost of confidence. Uh hopefully, like you said, if the defense can just do anything, you know what I mean? Then, you know, you could probably pull out some wins, at least make it tough, even make a you know I mean, push towards the end of the season to where it may come down to the last two games where you're playing the the Browns and the Cardinals, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_03:Right, right. That's crazy. I was telling Nikki, I was telling her about Burrow coming back like she cares. But I was saying I was just like, the only thing that he could do to help us is create longer drives. Like, I'm trying, I'm really, I'm reaching for anything. I'm like, the only way Joe Burrow can can help us is to slow down our touchdown drives. Like, if he just makes turn every touchdown drive into a 10-minute drive, we might have a chance.
SPEAKER_02:But yeah, just literally keep the other offense off the field.
SPEAKER_03:Literally keep the other team off the field. Like, that's that's gonna have to be part of our strategy. Like, as crazy as that sounds, that's the only thing that's gonna give us a chance at this moment.
SPEAKER_02:And you can't settle for field goals, like no field goals.
SPEAKER_03:Gotta get touchdowns. Yeah, like I mean, we gotta hold teams to four possessions, man. Like, even if we're gonna have to go to the city.
SPEAKER_02:That's crazy to say those four possessions.
SPEAKER_03:Because I mean, and I'm factoring in a team. This is gonna sound crazy, but I'm factoring in the team scoring a touchdown on all four possessions. So we're gonna have to score 30 and in and hold four touchdown possessions. Yeah. That's a tough ass. That's a really tough ass. And I can't see it in a million years, so it's not looking pretty.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:But just think about it. If we had a won even one of those last two games, man, we'd be we'd be sitting.
SPEAKER_02:Be in a good position, yeah. All right, well, let's look at some of the top games this week uh coming up. You get Tampa Bay and Buffalo. That's a one o'clock game. That should be a good one. Um, we were just talking about Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, depending on when Burr will come back or how that goes. Um, could possibly be just implications for the future, nonetheless. You get Seattle, Los Angeles, uh the Rams, that's gonna be a good game, I believe. Uh Kansas City and Denver, uh, Detroit and Philly, that's the Sunday night game. And unfortunately, for Monday night, we get Dallas and Vegas.
SPEAKER_03:That's crazy, bro. Defund that shit.
SPEAKER_02:Uh, Thursday, you get my bad. I should the Thursday game is is the Jets in New England. So I'm nothing on that either.
SPEAKER_03:I guess I will I haven't watched we're gonna watch it, but I haven't watched the Drake May game this year, though, so I'll I'll tap in to that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, me neither. I've I used to catch it on Red Zone, but hey, he's been they he been bowling. Yeah, I ain't watched the game yet. So I'll and uh oh boy from uh what you call it? Uh they run it back.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, Trey Ven, bro. Check that one. Call that one going crazy too. Boy's been nice, bro. I I'm just I was still thrown off by how we didn't use him more. Like he he's a beast, and it's so crazy when the announcers be oh, yeah, he's looking like a home run hitter. Bruh, I've been seeing that for four years. He's been cold, and I he just never really got that attention because he never got the carries. He had some injuries, he never really was like on spotlight, and then when he was full, full, you know, full health his last year, he split he was splitting carries with Quenshine. So he never got that that his due spotlight.
SPEAKER_02:So that's like that's also kind of a good thing, too, because he don't have a lot of royal terror on him from college, you know what I mean? So that's okay. You know what I mean? Now he's in the league, he he a little fresher than maybe other running backs that you know also came in with him or so you know, they're not in a rush to bring Stevenson back because shoot, he's been I don't think people knew about him.
SPEAKER_03:So I I love those kind of stories. Like, because I I've been knowing he's he was like that. His first game, I'm like, oh yeah, this dude is he he's like that for sure. And now it's just transitioning right in front of everybody's eyes, and it's like, damn, this is hard. So it's good to see. It's good, definitely good to see.
SPEAKER_02:So, man, we got a bye this week, and I think we play the Chiefs coming, right? So, I mean, we see it, man. Like, I'm I'm I'm I'm starting to see uh yeah, man. We just keep giving the ball to Jonathan Taylor. I don't think everything'll work out. Sounds like a plan. I don't know what's going on with Sauce Gardner. That man was getting cooked this weekend.
unknown:Hey, man, yo.
SPEAKER_03:That man was getting he's he has been getting cooked, though. It's the thing.
SPEAKER_02:Like, he has been I mean, like tripping over his own feet, like I don't know, maybe Aldo. I'm trying, I'm I'm being one of them people I I'm I'm trying to just give him some time, maybe get just one of my nervous, but he's he's not been locking up, and then like with all that money that's that's on the horizon for him, it's like, man.
SPEAKER_03:I don't know. I like Sauce Gardner too. That's probably he's definitely top top ten of my favorites, but yeah, no, I'll just we'll see.
SPEAKER_02:Like, I mean hopefully, hopefully it's just like the nerves or whatever.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, we'll see.
SPEAKER_02:And having I think he only had what five days of practice. Yeah, playing five.
SPEAKER_03:What I'm saying is like he didn't even really end it in in the in with the Jets, like like lockdown. Yeah, I don't I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:But you gotta think the Jets wasn't scoring a lot. You gotta think how much they was on the field. Like, people get tired, like you song's so long, even the best corners can cover, you know what I mean? When your office is angry and out and things on the toss in a while.
SPEAKER_03:So we'll we'll see though. We'll see. It's a lot of he got a lot of lot of career left, so we'll see.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. Um, but shoot, that's all I got, man.
SPEAKER_03:Let me uh defund in this week. Man, we defunding pre-vent defenses, man. Like, I don't understand it. I was watching that IU and Penn State game. Why don't teams just play the same defense that they've been playing all game when they backs are against the wall? I I'll never understand it, bro. Like, you stop blitzing, you stop sending funky coverages. And then it's like it's like this. Say you do run your what you've been running all game, you're still sending pressure, you're still doing this, you're still doing that, you're still just disguising, you're still challenging wide receivers. Even if they score, say they throw a bomb on you, at least you get you know, you get a chance to get the ball back and and recover with some time. But it's like they they play the soft zone, they all sit back and they just let quarterbacks just kill you down the field, wide open, boom, 12 yards, boom, 23 yards, boom, 14 yards, boom, 12 yards. Now you're in field goal range, but they had to get a touchdown. So they just boom, boom. I'm just I just don't I don't understand it. I don't understand it.
SPEAKER_02:And it happens all the time in college and in the pros.
SPEAKER_03:It literally happens all the time, bro. And it's just like at what coach is gonna be like, all right, bro, hey, we're gonna live and die by what got us in this situation. If I've been blitzing the crap out of this QB all game and he's been ass, I'm gonna keep doing it on that last drive. But they never do, they always play soft zone and just that last drive was like, bro, he was he was playing against you and uh you you and I. Like I was just like, so they're just they're just they're just not gonna play any kind of any kind of nope. Let them go.
SPEAKER_02:I don't get it. I don't get it. Like they do it all the time. And they what do you like? You're trusting the fact that what the field goal kicker gonna miss a kick? I don't know what you're trusting. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:Like they they they need all they had to do, they could the field goal wasn't even gonna beat them. They had all they had to do was stop a touchdown. Yeah, they were because they were up by four. So you had to score a touchdown, and they let them go straight down the court in like a minute something to score a touchdown. Like, bro, just I'd rather you just bomb it and you know what I'm saying, and then at least my offense has some time to to kind of score, but I'm gonna play same aggressive defenses, but I guess they're thinking, oh, we don't want to give up the big hitter, so we're gonna play, you know, conservative, we're not gonna play as aggressive. Yeah, that's so stupid.
SPEAKER_02:And then try to waste the time, you know, me tackling them in in the field of play, right?
SPEAKER_03:Especially if you have nothing to lose. Like, you ain't got nothing to lose. If they throw a bomb and beat you on some miraculous shit down the field, so like who cares? Nobody's supposed to be in that position, right? At least you know that you tried, like you they just they keep going in this this soft coverage, and they teams-I mean, it's been happening for years, for years, bro. I've been watching football since I was six, and it's been happening game after game, year after year. That last drive, they just let the offensive team turn into Super Saiyan and they just go crazy.
SPEAKER_02:Like, I've never understood that. I mean, just watching, like you said, watching NFL, just watching football period, like you said, like it happens so much that teams need one score to either tie or to win the game or whatever. And like you said, they just play these soft zones, they try to guard the sideline, or and then then somebody make a catch or play, you know what I mean? That was you know what I mean, once supposed to happen, and now you in a yeah, you're in a messed up position, now you're about to lose the game and or go to OT, which most of the time you end up losing in OT.
SPEAKER_03:Like usually the team, the team that comes back to forces the OT, usually. OT even winning it, yeah, unless there's a crazy talent disparity, but usually the team that forces because they have the momentum. Yeah, you know, if you come back from 14 down to force overtime, you probably gonna you probably gonna get an overtime period in who like that's usually how it happens. We've all watched thousands of thousands of games. Like, I wish I could I knew how many games I've watched in my life. Like, we've seen it over and over and over and over again. It's just like challenge the receivers on this last drive, make them work, bump them off the routes, jam them. Like they never do that. They sit 12 yards off the line of scrimmage, let them run up, run a little in route, 15 yards, boom, pitch and catch up, another 12 yards, boom, 23 yards, boom. It's just like what are we doing? So, yeah, we gotta defund the the prevent defense, man. It just doesn't work. I don't know what it's gonna take for people to understand that.
SPEAKER_02:That's fair. I'm with that. I'm not I'm not against that. Uh just just play to the end. You always talk about people always talk about playing to the whistle and da da da like play to the end of the game, like play all 60 minutes. Like they never do that.
SPEAKER_03:Then they talk about analytics and all this other stuff, but like, don't analytics show you that you know what you've been doing for you know year after year after year after year isn't working? Like, at some point, analytics should show you, hey man, yeah, we probably should chill on. We gotta stay aggressive.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, because this this this ain't this ain't really working out. And outside of Hail Marys, like prevent defenses really don't stop nothing.
SPEAKER_03:They don't prevent I always that was always my saying prevent defenses don't prevent anything. Like, I've always said that. And this is I came up with that phrase when I was probably 10. Like, prevent prevent defenses don't prevent anything. Prevent defenses prevent winning. That's what they yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I'm about to say probably prevent yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:So, one more thing, Carter today. Um oh, yes, what we got? We got this uh Carmelo Anthony. This is out of I don't know what year national treasures this is, but that's a game one patch, and then the uh the stay mellow autograph. Okay, so yeah, this is one of my favorites here. This is numbered out of 99. No, 40, 40, 49, or 99. I don't know, it's kind of dark in here. Actually, I think this is 48 out of 49. Okay, something like that. Oh, yeah, that's card of the day. Game one patch, auto, national treasures, Carmelo Anthony's one of the goats. So, yeah, that's how we're rocking out today.
SPEAKER_02:For sure, for sure. And this has been the Epic Podcast, man. We will see y'all next week, yes, sir.