Transcript of Most Fun NFL Story Lines With Peter Schrager

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So this is going to be the third one of the week. We had Cousin Sal. We did a whole thing on Sunday. Charles Barkley was fantastic. And now we had to have this guy because the season is about to start. Our guy Peter Schrager, now at ESPN. We've not had him on during the preseason. He was getting a little antsy, so we had to... We just had to carve out an hour and do it. It's coming up right after the break. We'll do a Pearl Jam and then our old friend, Peter Schrager. It's the Bill Simmons podcast presented by Fandil, and the NFL is back, and thank God, Fandil has everything. They got an awesome app. They have SGPs. They have great futures. They have good prop bets, live betting, your way bets, clean app. It's great to use. Been using it for a few years. Every time I go back to Boston or any place that has Fandil and I get to use it, I'm always excited. I'm on an airplane runway. You're on the airplane runway? Oh, everybody. Or an airplane runway. There should be a button, the runway button. I'm on the airplane runway.

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All right, we're taping this late Tuesday afternoon. This guy has a busy schedule. He's doing a lot of stuff for the ESPN, but he is still on this podcast, the king of the Let's Go, Peter Schrager.

Let's go. Come on, let's go. I'm so happy to be back with you. I texted you. I very rarely would admit this, but I was fishing. I said, You know what? I've done the Pablo Tori origin story. We've had Diana Rusini. We've had Kyle Brain on a dozen times. Can I get back in here? And you were like, Yeah, let's do it.

And I'm so happy. I didn't know if you had to check for permission from Mowet number 2 on the McAfee show or not. Those are my guys also.

I know. I am everybody's guy.

You're everybody's guy. I don't even know where I fit in anymore. You guys everywhere. Guys, all these different shows, you're busy as hell. They're using you in all these different ways, which I'm not surprised by. You're doing great. So much to cover with the NFL season. So I don't think anything will happen before people hear this. I hope nothing happens over the next 24 hours.

I don't think I don't think so.

I had a bunch of things. I only gave you heads up on one thing that I wanted to talk about. Otherwise, I'm just going to throw some shit at you. But this is the one thing I wanted to talk about because we've talked a lot about the Chiefs over the last few years. Mahomes has the stature of best QB in the league, and I'm with you. If it's one game for my life, I'm picking him first. But he wasn't as good last year as I think people seem to think he was. And he finished fifth in the MVP voting, even though he played the whole year. Stats were down. The deep throw stuff was really bad. And you could say the supporting cast got a little worse, or you could say maybe he just didn't have a great year. Now they got killed in the Super Bowl. What Mahomes year are you expecting? Are we moving into an Albert Pujols in his 30s, just not quite the same as good as he was in his 20s situation? Or is this, I am taking back all prisoners I am laying the smack down. I am Kaiser Soze in this entire league.

What's your vibe?

It's funny because I think this season could go one of two ways. It could go the former where it's, all right, this is Albert Pujols. This is one of those other players that we have seen who just hits the cliff, and it's still very good, just isn't in that thing, or it's scorched earth. I would say this, everyone I speak with in Kansas City, and I know your listeners love when I give this because it always means it's going to be positive, this guy is locked the fuck in. And it has been rampage season all summer of like, We're taking this thing back. And whether that's just big talk or not, I look at last year, he was playing catch with Skymore. Xavierworthy was in his first season. Justin Watson was like his number two option. Nicole Hardman and DeAndre Hopkins, who, let's be honest, still has a great red zone target, but was not a true number one weapon. And they still went the Super Bowl. And this year, he gets Xavier worthy. He gets Rashe Rice for at least some of this season, rejuvenated Kelsey, and a healthy Hollywood Brown. I think the options and the weapons are significantly better.

And they still lost- But Kelsey Going this way. Yes, trending that way. I'm pushing my head there. Trending that way. Trending that way. Yeah. Trending that way. That would be the one thing I would be like, All right, when Mahomes was at his apex, he was one of the best receiving tight ends in the history of mankind, and now that guy is moving in a different phase of his career. No doubt.

And Tyreek Hill and him were going to look back and say, you know what? We only got a few years of that. We should have gotten more years of that because the two of them were electric. Kelsey is an interesting one because his numbers were there last year at the end, and they still sustained, and they had big catches, and they needed... Again, they lost one regular season game last season until that final week 18, whatever with Denver.

I know, but you were there for all those games. I know. Each game had one player where it's like, wow, if that happened, they lose that.

It wasn't flashing, but he found a way to win.

It was never dominant or anything awesome.

Look, last year, he was not going to win you a fantasy league. He's not going to be the analytics darling. But like you said, two minutes left, he still found a way every single time and made the clutch play until the Super Bowl when the wheels fell off. And then that left me and everyone else thinking, All right, is the chapter closed? It hasn't been reported. He was not himself in that Super Bowl. He also was under the weather. He also was truly a shell of himself in that game. So he isn't the one coming out, saying, Hey, I was sick. But I know from chief sources that he was not himself because he wasn't 100 %.

Well, let's be honest. The healthiest Kelsey ever, they still get killed in that game. They couldn't block the egos. That's it. Point blank.

Yes. And they add Simmons, who I think is going to be good eventually. Obviously, he's a rookie as an offensive tackle, and they feel good. I Look, I don't know if he's ever going to put up 5,000 yards of 50 touch downs ever again. I don't know if it's possible for him to do it with just whatever it is. I do think Josh Allen could still do that. I do think Baker could still do that in what they have in their offenses right now. The Chiefs are going to be great. Mahomes, is he coming out here? Look, if I had to put my hand up and say, Is he going to win MVP? Because of his stats and all that, I don't know if he's my pick to win MVP. I do know that the Tuesday after the Super Bowl, he was like Michael Jordan in the gym in Last Dance, working out with the guys and encouraging them to get in the gym. And he didn't just cut his hair. He's been working out ferociously. And what felt like a big offseason because he was out and about and they opened a steakhouse and whatever else, they have been working and they are dialed in and Andy has gotten them back in the lab.

But when you talk to a million people, and it feels like as we head into this year, there's four QBs that are ascending above everybody else. And then Jaden Daniels is like, Can you wait here? Can you just wait? The bouncer will let you in if we've decided to let you in. The way he gets in is if he goes 12: 00 and 5: 00 again with a much harder schedule and a team that probably went sideways from a talent standpoint. A year ago, we would have said, All right, Mahomes here, and then this next group. When you talk to other people in the league, do they think somebody else is the best QB? Do they think it's him? Do they think it's a group? What are the different reactions?

It's the group of four. And I think maybe we're just putting them all in the same conversation and we're not valuing enough the stuff that doesn't come up in the stat sheet. So I have Mahomes as one because of the clutch moments, because that's what we have been trained to treasure and to value in our quarterbacks. We treasure and value who wins on the road, who wins in the AFC Championship Games, who wins when you're down, who's the guy you want the ball in? But statistically, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow are better than Patrick Mahomes. So it's this classic individual versus the stats versus the non-stats. So give me an NBA comparison. Adrian Dantley fills the stats sheet. You never put him in the same conversation as Magic Johnson.

But this was braided versus Manning 20 years ago. Braided had the three Super Bowl's. Manning had better stats. And Manning had the. And I was arguing for braided, braided, braided over again. I guess my issue is... Or not my issue because I think this is a fun argument.

It's a great argument.

I just think if I'm taking a quarterback for 22 weeks and I could have any QB in the league, I think I'm picking Josh.

I think I am, too.

That's crazy for me to say. If I'm taking a guy for, this is now the most pressure we've ever had. It's a fourth quarter. It's a tie game. Who do I want for 30 minutes? Taking my homes. I think I would take my homes. But I just think to me, Allen is like LeBron in the late 2000s now. It's like, I don't even care who's on his team. I don't know who was... You can't even name the weapons he had last year other than James Cook was really good down the stretch. But I just think he's a guaranteed now 12 to 13 wins, and he's going to be heard from in the playoffs. I don't know if you can say that about Mahomes based on how that playoffs ended. I thought they could have lost to Houston. I thought they probably should have lost to Buffalo. They got killed by Philly. So it's a good one. It's the thing if you want to be the goat or you want to be the best guy in your generation, you need to get kicked in the teeth a little bit to bounce back and be like, All right, I'll show everybody.

Braided certainly needed it.

braided needed it. And braided had an '07 season where he was like, All right, if Payton is the individual that you guys all think, and Payton is the guy, and he just won the Super Bowl. Here, I'm going to go scorched earth and break all these offensive records. Does Mahomes have that in him right now? He's already done that. Can he do it again at 30? I don't know, honestly. And I don't know if In the NFL, in history, last year, Baker threw for 5,000 yards. Are we talking about Baker? I don't know if stats matter as much in football as they do in baseball or they do in the NBA.

The wins matter. Mahomes was getting the wins.

And that's right. And that's it. It's the ultimate team sport in a different way. So we look at Lamar. Lamar, statistically last year, had as good a season as anyone's ever had in football. I will never remember Lamar Jackson's 2024 as a special season because it came up short and because he was the third quarterback in the AFC, not even... Maybe the fourth, maybe behind Burro, because Burro's stats were as good, if not better. Mahomes, I'll remember. Mahomes took that team and they won, again, Carolina game. They're winning by three, to your point. They're playing the Raiders. They're barely getting by on a Black Friday game, and it's like, what is going on with this team? And yet they find a way. I never felt that good.

Yeah, it's a weird one because LeBron, who was the best player in the NBA for a long time, but didn't win the MVP after 2000. 13. And there were real reasons for that because it was either he didn't play full season, he had injuries, or he was mad at the team and didn't really try for three weeks. There was always something, he didn't play enough games. The NFL, Mahomes played the whole season last year, and we watched the whole season, we were like, You're fifth. So that's why I wonder how much of it... Do you think he reads this stuff? Does he care? Yes. So you think he does? He's one of those, I know what people are saying, guys.

This is Le Bradford Smith shit. Yes, he sees it all and knows it all. And a couple of years ago, the NFL Network put him fourth on the top 100 list, and he scores a shutdown against Lamar, and he's seen doing one, two, three, four, and does a shrug. That stuff is so... He sees it, he reads it, and he's motivated by it all. I honestly, I think he's got this otherworldly competitiveness and killer instinct to him that maybe wasn't He wasn't valued enough in the pre-draft process because he played for a losing Texas Tech team. But Kingsbury will tell me that this has always been Pat. We just didn't surround him with enough. And we would have won maybe two games if he wasn't the quarterback. And they ended up winning what 8 or seven every season at Texas Tech. He's got this killer instinct, and he and Andy Reid, that's the thing. You start realizing it's not just one-on-one, and it makes for great talk radio and podcast stuff. But at the end of the day, it's coach and offense as well. So are you taking Sean McDermott and Josh Allen, Zack Taylor and Joe Burrow, John Harbaugh, who has shown that in these big games, there are some head scratching decisions and Lamar, or Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.

It's a package deal, and the two of them together are still going to reign supreme over those other three convos.

Yeah, you'd think he had that whole Tyreek section. Tyreek was one of the best field tilters we've had at receiver this century. And then you have Kelsey, who's been the best receiving tight end in the last 10 years. So He had those guys in his formative years. And now this feels like he's still in that 2006-Brady area where you're just carrying this supporting cast that's not quite good enough. I think the cast he is- For the '07 LeBron when it's like Anderson, Varejou, and El Gascas and whoever else that he had out there. I just think Alan, I thought he was so good last year. He was amazing. The last piece of this, I picked Buffalo over Green Bay to win the Super Bowl. Really, it's It's a pick on... I think that guy is a special player. And at some point, a guy that good is going to have to win a title. It's just the way the NBA works. I think it's the way the NFL works for the most part. He's knocked on the door, right?

And that's what we always need. You need to knock on the door. And he's done it so many times. There are a couple of other things. Like last year, we're going to get that stadium, right? It feels like this is like, all right, Buffalo has been ascending, ascending, ascending. He feels like the guy, and it just feels like the torch is ready for him to just grab it. When you picked Buffalo, and I heard you do it, when you went to sleep at night, did you wake up and have any second thoughts on it? Because that matters to me. If you're like, did I really just pick against Mahomes? You felt comfortable with going.

Here's the big thing for the Mahomes thing this year is the schedule combined with that third division, I think. The chargers, I have the chargers as the worst team in the division. Other people would have Vegas, but it's just not a walk over like it used to be. And then you have all these night games, all these other stuff. And I took note of, and I think they're the most interesting team to talk about at all the teams. I took note of some of the stuff they talked about during the Super Bowl last year about the grind of it and just 22 weeks a year of this bullseye and what didn't feel as special to be in the Super Bowl this year. And weird shit that you say when you've just been...

They were exhausted. They were. And I'll add this, Pacheco played in the playoff. They were like, I say Pacheco was a huge, huge part of that offense. He goes down in week two, and they have to pick up Kareem Hunt off the scrapheep. And they won 17 games with Kareem Hunt and Samajay P. Ryan as the running backs. Pacheco is back. Pacheco is healthy. And I know you've already done your fantasy draft and you've had your fantasy podcast. Please, everybody, take Pacheco. Trust me on this. Pacheco is ready to go, and that is a huge piece to their offense also. So they get back, guys. Hollywood Brown is healthy, rice and worthy. I just feel like for the Chiefs, it's, yes, they hit the wall and it eventually caught up with them and they were sneaking by, sneaking by, sneaking by. But this was a hard reset. And they feel a lot better about their team coming into the season now than they did at the end of the season last year.

I had Denver winning the AFC West over them, but then be having the same record. And Denver is now the sexiest. Isn't it? And I hate it.

I hate it, too.

But is it realistic to you that Denver could have a slight upper hand over Casey in the West?

Yeah. And I talked to Sean today, and he... Payton, sorry. First name, Payton. It's like when Collinsworth just calls him Patrick, it's me talking about Sean. But Payton and I spoke today, and I said, all right, today is three days away. What are you thinking? And he's like, here's the deal. This is what he told his team. He's like, every Every team has a book on them, and some books are small, some books are medium, some books are big. The Denver Broncos franchise is one of those teams that has a big book. There's a lot of chapters. You have the Orange Crush, you've got Elway, then you've got Payton Manning, You've got this big book, and he's like, We have the chance to add a really cool chapter to this franchise's history. You guys, it's all here. There are only a few Crown jewel franchises. Denver Broncos are one of them, and it's all there. They're the number one rated defense last year. The quarterback, if you listen to Payton, he talks about him as if this guy can do no wrong. And they added a whole new running back room that they're very excited about.

That said, there are expectations now. Last year, they snuck up on everybody. You and I had them in the playoffs. We did before this season.

It was the easy schedule, newish coach bunch that we liked. But it was also keeping our fingers crossed that Bo Nix was competent, which he was. He was. We had no idea We know, but we felt relatively confident.

And you take Payton's word for it. Now, Payton is 61 years old. He's been doing this for a long time. And he's like, this is one of the best teams I've ever had. I love this group.

So the negative I told you about when I did my talent rankings, I was shocked just how much talent they have. It's everywhere. I don't think people realize.

And they're the number one defense last year, and they added pieces. And here's the that scares you. What scares you is that every NFL media outlet came through to Denver. And whether it be the before mentioned Rucini, or it be ESPN, or it be K Adams and FanDuel, whoever, they all leave and they say, That's the team.

That scares me because- But this was Detroit last year?

It was.

And Detroit went 15 and 2, and then the wheels came off, but they had some bad luck.

They had injuries, and also they handled the expectations. Can Denver handle the expectations? Because now you're not the hunters, you're the hunted, especially... I was talking with McCordy last week, Jason McCordy, who I love, and he's like, I've got Denver winning the AFC West. I'm like, All right. I walk away. I talk to four other people. They're like, I got Denver winning the AFC West. I feel like more people have Denver winning the AFC West than they do the Chiefs right now.

Yeah. That to me is crazy. Still three to one on FanDuel. But yeah, I think it's 50/50 with the schedule the Chiefs have combined with just a talent thing where you look at both sides. Coaching staffs are both really good. But I think the reason I wanted to lead with this talking to you, because we haven't really talked in a couple of months on the pot, is I think KC versus Denver is the most interesting of all the big picture story lines. You can give me anything else, but the way last year where we were like, the NFC North, and maybe we thought it was going to be Chicago instead of Minnesota, we were like, the NFC North, it feels like that's going to be driving a lot story for us to share. I think it's going to be the AFC West, whether Denver can be a real team, and then combined with the Baltimore Buffalo, KC Denver, those four, those might be four of the best five teams in the league, along with Philly.

Yeah. Do you put Cincinnati anywhere near there?

Nowhere near. Not even like... Because I do. They're not even in... What's the case for that? With their defense? Yeah. And their offensive line?

I think big picture, they got everything done this offseason that you could have asked for and bringing back those two receivers, Healthy Burrow, and they could light it up. They're going to be a pain in the ass to play. You're going to have to score 35 points to beat them every week. And I don't know if a lot of teams can do that.

You're going to be able to with their defense.

You're going to have to, though. That's it.

Let's take a break, and I have the other big storyline that you're uniquely qualified to discuss. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like expecting the leadership of a team captain on the football field. Are you getting a sea captain? Sure, they're both captains, but who's going to run your offense? You wouldn't settle for just anything for your team. So don't settle for just any insurance. When it comes to getting the help you need, State Farm is the real deal. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Parents, if there's one thing you deserve to make it easier on yourself, it's back to school season. I know that's how I feel as well. On Uber Eats, you can get up to 40% off back school essentials like notebooks, pencils, calculators. You got lunch boxes to fill? Get discounts on fresh fruit, juice boxes, string cheese, and more. Get everything you need for back to school delivered right to you. Just to tap away in the Uber Eats app. Offer ends September 16. See app for details.

All right, you don't know anything else we're talking about because you don't need to because you've been doing this nonstop. So it took me a while to come around on this, and I talked about it last week when we did the bears, Sal and I, and I was saying it was over. I think they're a playoff team. It just seems like the Ben Johnson, all of it, the hype, which I was resistant of. I always want to zag if there's a zag. I've just been really impressed with everything I read and heard this whole training camp. Give me your best Ben Johnson will be immediately awesome case. That he will immediately ascend to the McShay, Lafleur, ShanaHann, Andy, that he will get there right away this season.

He chose to come here, and he leaned in so hard and didn't have to. He could have taken the Washington job last year. He decided to punt on that at the last second. The story is actually crazy. He was on a plane, a private jet last year. I'm sorry, the Washington brass, Josh Harris and the executives were all on a plane, the private jet, to go court him and finalize a deal with the... And then while they're in the flight, they find out over Twitter that he's backing out, and they land, and he's like, Guys, I'm sorry, I'm staying in Detroit. So could have had that job. Could have had Carolina, I think, two years ago, David Tepper loved him, and he was a North Carolina guy.

Good whiff on that one.

Yeah, look, he's calling his place. I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting. Any team, he could have any job this year. I know everyone will say, No, actually, no, he could have any job. He made it very clear he wanted one job. He wanted the Chicago job. And in his opening press conference, he's like, I can't wait to beat Matt LaFleur. And I texted LaFleur because I'm like, That's funny. You guys obviously know each other. Lafleur is like, I don't know that guy. I have no relationship with that guy. That's crazy that he would call me out in his press conference by name. But he wanted that. He chooses to coach against the Lions, the team he just spent six seasons with, and slicing up the rest of the NFC noise. Like, No, I'll go up against them. And then the last team, he goes up against a Vikings team where Brian Flores was hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and had this staff. And one of the holdovers was Ben Johnson. And Brian Flores is like, I don't need this guy. We're good. We'll move on. And Ben Johnson is like, All right, I guess I'll find another job and wasn't retained by Brian Flores.

Flores is now defensive coordinator of the Vikings. Ben Johnson brings to Chicago all of this with this giant chip on his shoulder.

So he's got a chip on his shoulder against two of the teams and then He chose the third team exceptionally well.

Exceptionally well, and could have chosen to take in the soft AFC team in Jacksonville or wherever else and said, Okay, I'll just get paid a bunch of money somewhere else and not take on this challenge. The last piece, he wanted to work with Caleb Williams, and not everyone necessarily after that first season would want that. If you're the offensive genius and you're the boy wonder, you might say, Give me a more established quarterback that I can work with, or let me pick my own quarterback that I can work with, like Cliff did with Kyler or whatever it in the history of offensive coaches taking new jobs. Give me Caleb because I'll coach him hard. And Caleb's big thing is he's never been great with timing. It's always been off script, and Caleb likes to work and be freestyle. I'm like, that is not what Ben Johnson's offense is. Ben Johnson's offense is, Hey, Jared Goff, here's the play, here's the first look, here's the second look. Play, action, go. You're not doing it as shotgun. And Caleb's got to rewire his whole brain. And from I hear out of Chicago, it's working.

Again-well, wasn't he doing the thing where he threw a lot at him and then he started scaling it back? Yes.

And they actually felt-Yes, it's the kitchen sink.

So that's legit because you read this training camp stuff, you never know what to believe about.

Well, everyone's going to be amazing at a training camp. That's what we hear. So you got to read it with a filter. In this case, all right, so Mike Martz. Someone brought up Mike Martz recently. He was like, Mike Martz. Offensive mastermind, like sit in the lab and not exactly a social butterfly, maybe not the best communicator. Mike Martz becomes head coach of the Rams. They go to one Super Bowl, and then it never happens again for him. It's just an offensive corner. It's just what he was. This guy, a lot of people immediately thought was some bookish nerd just sits there and draws up plays. He's not. He's not a nerd. He's not a geek. He's not a guy who sits in the lab all day long and can't talk. He's guy, and he's a dude. And he, from what I hear, in Chicago, has established that pretty quickly. They're not going to play just air raid football, and this guy is going to draw up fancy plays where the offensive lineman goes in motion. No, they're going to run the ball down your throat, and he's also going to do that stuff. And then he's going to talk some smack on the way also.

I said on ESPN a couple of weeks ago that he's the most interesting person in the NFL this season, because if he can revitalize not just the bears to a winning team, we've seen them win and go to the playoffs last couple of years. But if he can make the bears a fun and sexy offensive team where we're like, oh, shit, I've got to watch the bears on Red Zone, or, oh, I'm going to... You and Sal always talk about the four screens and what you're choosing. They're going to be one of my teams every week.

They just have to be there. Yeah.

That is a totally new chapter for them. And I think with Ben Johnson, they can do that.

Are the two weapons that they drafted both going to have huge impacts? Yes. Because Lovalen is already getting drafted. He's a top 10 tight-end. Yeah.

And they took him before Tyler Warren, and they had options to take a lot of-Yeah, I don't know about that one. I know. We'll find out. And they could have taken wide receiver. It's off topic a little bit. I've heard Abuka out there in Tampa Bay is already the captain of the team, and Baker is absolutely in love with him, and he's going to be right out of the gates, a guy that they're going to feature in the offense. I haven't heard that with Loveland yet, but that's because they have DJ Moore and they have Burden and they have the two running backs. And I don't know in that offense if it's going to be tied It's a wide-end focus. But if you look at the way Ben Johnson used Laporta, I would think that they're going to feature him heavily.

So if you had to say three NFC North teams make the playoffs and one does not, who is your does not?

The Chicago Bears.

Still, you have them fourth. Yeah, I do. What's the Minnesota case?

The Minnesota case is that they might have the best roster in football besides that quarterback, and that quarterback might be awesome. We just don't know. The balls on Quake I see the GM and Kevin O'Neill to move on from Darnold when you could have easily franchised, tagged him or paid him what he's making in Seattle to move on and say we're better off with a guy that we've seen throw three preseason passes is a crazy decision. But they are so convicted in this that I have to believe that they believe they can win with this guy right out of the gate. So JJ McCarthy, what is a 40 million for Darnold.

Instead, they just basically use the QB money for JJ, which is Rookiescale. Take the 40 million for Darnald. Spread it out. Give a couple to a backup, and then you get four starters out of it, basically.

Yeah, more or less. And then I thought, all right, let's see JJ McCarthy. And maybe they sign Aaron Rodgers to a minimum deal, and Rogers probably would have been open to that. And they're like, No, we're good. We're going with JJ McCarthy.

It's a pretty big spot for that dude, though. It reminds me of the Arch Manning, all the hype he got all summer. And then it's like, All right, now, noon, Saturday at Ohio State. Go, knock yourself out. I don't know, it's a pretty big spot. Mccarthy is going to have a couple of those.

Monday Night Football in Chicago. That's about the same platform as Arch is having where you're going to have a pregame show all day long and everyone's looking at it, and you got Ben Johnson on the other sideline. I guess I trust KOC and Flores in a way that I just don't know from the bears what we're going to get yet. So I would say any other division I could argue that the bears could compete, at least. You're not obeying the three-in-three out rule, which might even be the two-in, two-out rule.

I know. We're not just running it back with three NFC North playoff teams again, the same three. I do think the lions- I feel like one of them has to flip.

I think the lions do take a step back. I think it's because of Ben Johnson. I think he's incredible in his ingenuity and the way he used Jamir Gibbs and the way they got Penne Sewell in motion in the way that they got open all these guys and used all those. I think they're really going to miss that. And I don't know if John Morton, who's a long time NFL coach, it just isn't like they elevated some 28-year-old that they feel good. John Morton has been around for 30 years. I don't know if he's got the ingenuity and the spunk and all that that Ben Johnson had. And I hate saying this about Jared Goff, because here's Jared Goff, who took a Rams team to the Super Bowl, took the Lions to an NFC Championship game into a one seed last year. And we're still, after all these Pro bowls and his name being chanted in the draft, I still, without McVay or Ben Johnson in his ear, I still don't know what that looks like with John Morton as the OC. So I might put an asterisk on the lines. I might just go two teams and say it's Vikings packers out of the NFC North this year.

Well, and weaker offensive line, too. I said this to Sal. I don't know who the Year From Hell team is yet, but we're going to have one. And if you're doing fando odds on that, they're probably the odds on favorite. But I think the fact that the chargers have already lost one of the three best guys in their team, they're a candidate, and maybe somebody else. Last year was pretty easy to look at the Niners and be like,.

Yeah, the IU thing was just gross all summer, and we didn't know what was up with Trent Williams? So that's an interesting team. I heard you guys talking about it when you and Sal were doing all the NFC over and under. What's your 30 seconds on the Niners?

Imbivalence? Just I don't know, right? Winning six games last year and then losing a shitload of veterans, and then people are going, no, they're going to be good again because they have Kyle Shanehan and Aukes coming back in October and McCaffrey might play. I just don't really see the case. It feels to me like there's more arrow pointing down potential than arrow pointing up. I don't really know, but I just know that I like Seattle more. And I think that's one of my big week one plays is I just think Seattle is going to be good. I'm in the minority. I know it's a nobody believes in us thing, but I just trust. I think they're just steadier than this Niners thing, which is all over the map. I don't know what I'm getting. Are they going to be able to block? Are they going to have a pass rush? When are their receiver is going to all be healthy? Am I getting 12 games out of McAfree? The schedule is the only case. It's like their schedule is easy. Okay, cool.

Great. They cut Kyle U's check, and it was like, it looks like they're changing And the look of this team. Kittle's contract was still not finished. I'm like, are they going to move on from Kittle? And then they were like, no, actually, we're going to resign Kyle Uschek. Then we're going to extend Kittle to a monster deal, like legit money for Kittle at this stage in his career. And then, oh, we're also going to give money to Purdy and Fred Warner. And we still got Ayuk, and we're going to bring back Salah. It was almost like, hey, fuckers. We were in the Super Bowl less than 18 months ago. Chill Don't give up on us yet. So the conviction of John Lynch to not just say, All right, let's do a little changing of the guard here. Let's get younger. But to bring back all those guys tells me that they think they can still compete. And broadly enough, I'm not a big gambling guy. I see the odds. They're still the favorites in the NFC West. And I guess that's because of the schedule. But to say that they're the favorites over the Rams is crazy to me.

Right. Okay. That was going to be the next thing I asked you about. Matthew Stafford, God only He knows.

Yeah, I don't either. The left tackle seems like he's okay.

He's scheduled to maybe play. So you have uncertainty with the quarterback and the left tackle, like real uncertainty. And yet I still pick them to make the playoffs because it's just like... And you were the one who was talking me into the Garoppolo piece of it that you felt like that is about as good of an insurance policy as anyone has. So make the case.

Yeah. For the Bill Simmons' Reddit folks who don't think you and I talk talk all the time. We still talk on text all the time, and we were talking about the Rams. And I said, this guy, Garoppolo, can still win 10 games if they need him to. And when they played with the Cowboys in these inter-camp practices, to a man, both sides said, he lit up the Cowboys defense, was going up and down the field. And he and Devante, which everyone assumes because of what was said on the wide receiver documentary, hate each other. They're great. They're also adults and have made a ton of money and are like, let's just go win football games and try to get a Super Bowl. So with Stafford out, Garoppolo was under center and McVeer was telling me, Jimmy G looks awesome. So at the very least, they have a capable backup that they know they can win games with if Stafford is unavailable. And I hate saying this because Cooper Cupp has been a great player and as a Triple Crown winner and all this thing, they view Devante Adams as a big upgrade from what they had as Cooper Cup last year.

So now you have Devante Adams, Pukunakuwa, 2-2 Atwell, Karen Williams. And at quarterback, you hope Matthew Stafford at 37 can stay healthy. And if he isn't and has to miss a few games, you're not going to Brett Rippie in like they did a couple of years ago. You're going to Jimmy Garoppolo, who is a serviceable quarterback in this league.

It's really hard to bet against McVay winning nine or 10 games.

And dude, verse- With an easy schedule, by the way.

With an easy schedule.

Yes. And that defense was awesome down the stretch last year. They were one pressure away from playing in an NFC Championship game against the commanders, and they got to Stafford, and that was that. But they were in that game with the Eagles. They were the only team that competed with the Eagles in the playoffs last year. They had them on the ropes in the snow, and they came up short.

And then you have the 2025 hipster champs, the Arizona Cardinals.

Everybody's team. Jeez.

I don't get it. I don't either. I'll freely admit I don't understand it. I don't think from a talent standpoint, they have as much talent as the other teams in the division. I was last season. I thought they had a chance a couple of times to maybe make a run, and then we just have a terrible loss. I'm not a Kyler guy, as I've mentioned many times, and I have them fourth in that division. I don't really get it.

So do I. And maybe we're wrong. And maybe this shows up on Old Takes Exposed or someone digs this clip up and is like, See?

Told you guys, but like-I'm not worried about that one.

I don't see it. I don't. And I think it's a competitive NFC. The way it is for me, it's like the best coaches are in the NFC, and the best quarterbacks are in the AFC. If you're going to win that NFC West, you're going to have to outcoach McVay, you're going to have to outcoach Shana Khan, and then you're going to have to also outcoach Salah and Chris Shula, who are the defensive coordinators. And oh, by the way, Mike McDonald does a pretty good job in his first year, and they love Kubiak as a new offensive coordinator. That's a really good coaching staff. So Jonathan Gannon, year three, you should be competing. You They should be doing it. And if we're wrong, we're wrong. But I don't know if they have the talent, and I don't know if they've got all that goes into actually competing for a playoff spot in a loaded NFC.

I don't see the case. Who is your Nobody Believes in Us contender this year? I know you're Doing some prediction stuff on ESPN. Last year, it was the Washington.

Yep.

Former Redskins, now Commanders. And I remember us talking about it, and I couldn't get there to them as a playoff team, but We checked a lot of boxes for the bump. Nobody had them in the playoffs. Nobody in the planet had them go to the NFC title game. So who is the team this year? Who does nobody believe in?

Okay. So last year, there were two teams that I had that I was very high on, and it was the Broncos and the Commanders. And I puffed my chest out all season about that. This year, I have a team that literally nobody on Earth, including their fans, seem to be in on. And I like them to shock everyone and compete in their division. The Miami Miami Dolphins are very intriguing to me. Let's go.

This is a good one. You're right. Nobody believes in the Dolphins. I mean, it's like this is everybody's, this team is going to suck team.

Mike McDaniel has been hearing it all offseason that he's on the hot seat and that this thing is kaput. Tua Tunga-Vialoa has heard it all offseason that he sucks and he can't get over the pump and he can't win in cold weather. Tirek Waddle, guess what? I know guys with the Dolphins, they love Tua, and Tua is really good with them. That is as good a one, two in the league outside of Cincinnati that you're going to find. And McDaniel can still put up 40, 50 points with his offense. Achan, great running back. And their defense did not have their two best players last year in Phillips and Chubb. They get them back, and you get Chubb Robinson in year two. I know they lost a lot. I get it. And maybe Jalen Ramsey is the greatest cornerback of his generation. Maybe he's not. But Jalen Ramsey is out. And with Jalen Ramsey being out is you have a bunch of young guys who are going to step up, and the locker room is maybe a little different than it was last year with a lot of veteran guys. I like Mike McDaniel with a chip on his shoulder.

I like Mike McDaniel knowing that he's got his guys on the field. And I like the fact that absolutely nobody, including the most diehard Dolphins fans, are riding with this team. I'll take them. I'll take the Dolphins. Are they going to the AFC East? Probably not. Can they compete for a wild card? You better believe it.

Over-under is still seven and a half.

Take the over, folks.

So legitimately bad defensive backs.

We don't know that.

I'm going to say they're bad.

We don't know that.

Considering they've been still scrambling and trying to sign guys to potentially throw out there. They don't have a single shutdown anybody on their... I mean, Fitzpatrick's there.

Mink is back there.

And the offensive line Young? Yeah. In shades of the Pats last year. It might be bad, bad. Those two things were in me. Then you have Tyreek. I have no idea where Tyreek's head is at. They removed his captaincy, which I thought was interesting. Waddle's already banged up. The running back situation, it's gotten the point that Ollie Gordon has gotten buzz in some of the deeper league because he might actually be playing a lot. I'm an Ollie Gordon guy. Yeah. So I don't know. To me, it's like, are they going to be better? Are they more talented than the Patriots?

Yeah, I think they do have more talent in the roster than the Patriots still.

I like your case. Your case is pristine because you're the only one who believes in them that ever.

And that's where I like to hitch my wagon. Give me that team. And I'll tell you, this team will embody Mike McDaniel. And you might say, well, what the hell does that mean? It means high-powered offense, fast. Let's get the ball out. Let's go. And the noise Because the size of all the shit that's been going on this offseason, they had 100 % participation this offseason. And that's the first time I could say that's happened in Dolphins' recent history. And as much as we all say last year was terrible, they went 6-2 after starting 2-6. They finished the season strong last year.

So I don't know.

I look at this team. Two years ago, they were a playoff team. Injuries hit them. They went into Kansas City in the coldest game ever. It was played on Peacock, and everyone just remembers Andy Reid's frozen mustache. That wasn't a good draw. The year before that, they were awesome all season. They got hit with the injury bug, and they had to go to Buffalo, and it's Skyler Thompson at quarterback. I know they had a bad year. It's like the Niners. They had a bad year last year. Can they bounce back? Absolutely. All those guys are still there for the most part. I still think that they've got an offense that put up 70 points on the Broncos two years ago.

I mean, the better case is they're playing beyond what you just said. Where are they? So they have at Indy, week one.

Win.

Homepats, week two with the Gonzales ham string thing, which is now dominating my life as I just wait for updates.

Patriots in September at the Dolphins' Win.

Patriots in September, Miami. Not a great history. At Bill Thursday night. That just crossed out. Probably a loss. Jets Monday night at Panthers, week 5. Home chargers at Browns. So you're saying five and two.

We could be six and one. We could be six and one at that point. We. I don't give a shit, but we.

No, it's a well, we because you're the only...

This is it.

This is really good. I completely disagree with you, but I'm also really jealous.

And this is it.

It's so funny because we've known each other so long. I thought for sure you were going to do.

You did not see that coming?

No, No, I thought for sure you were going to do Tennessee. They check a lot of Schrager boxes, and I was ready for a whole Kam Ward and this defense and the culture. I just thought you might be in on them, but you zagged on me.

I'm not in on them yet. I like the Dolphins as a pick, a good team that has a coach that has something to prove that has his guys on the field and that I think has been really, really dismissed this offseason. And all the stuff about they don't get along, and Tyreek was questioning the running backs room. If you're not there and you're seeing stuff in press conferences, it's hard. And again, I think I might be the only person, including JJ Jastremski and all the different Dolphins fans out there, actually feels that this team on paper still is as good as anybody on offense. And that coach put the league in a blender the last couple of years when he's got his weapons.

7: 01 win the AFC East. Mcdaniel is 2: 00 to 1: 00 to be on Get Up with You in mid-November. I know. Let's take a Walmart break. I have a couple more things to throw at you. You did this already in the ESPN, but I feel like you have to do it here. You got to just do your whole Giants thing. I had to do an imitation of you doing the Giants thing. I heard it. Just do the two minutes because every Giants fan I know is over the moon with the potential... They're not going to win the Super Bowl this year, but just having an identity again, knowing that they're not going to have a shitty quarterback, knowing that they're going to have a pass rush. That's like the mid 2000s pass rush, knowing that Michael Parsons is now out of the division. They have a real chance to be the second best team if Washington goes backwards. But there's just a lot of buzz, neighbors. So give me the spiel.

The spiel is this. I went to a couple of practices, and then I saw him with the joint practice with the Jets, and Abdul Carter was absolutely unblockable. And then you add that to Dexter Lawrence, who is arguably the best defensive tackle in football, who next to him is Brian Burns. And then on the other side also is Kavon Thibodeau. You have a front that is as good as anyone in the league, and that includes the guys in Philly right now.

I know. I think it's them in Philly, right? I would even say if Carter is as good as we think he's going to be, they might even have the edge.

Yeah. And Abdul Carter has been, to a man, unblockable. And it's funny, you get that one clip against the Jets or whoever it was in the preseason game where he gets chipped and people are like, See, he sucks. I'm like, No, you guys don't get it. He's that good. They love their defense. They think their defense is as good as anybody. I look at the defense, the Jets could not move the ball in practice, and the Jets had just got done running the ball down the packer's throat in a preseason game, and the Jets could not do anything against this this Giants defense. The question is, what do we get on offense? Well, the days I was there, neighbors didn't practice. The days I was there, Slateon or Hyatt wasn't out there. So I can't tell you what the offense looks like. I do know that every time they put Jackson Darden, the kid comes in with a ton of swag. You He walks in there like he owns the joint. The other quarterbacks, Jameis and Russ, don't seem threatened by him. In fact, they love him. They're like, Let's promote this guy. We're going to do the best thing we can.

There just seems to be positive vibes. And Daniel Jones, he was tough. He was reliable. He came to practice. He never really embraced the whole, let me be a badass. Let me be a New York City leader. Now, nor did Eli in a lot of ways, but then Eli just did it on the field, and that's where he gained everyone's love. This kid, Dart, comes in dressed in his kith's shirt and in his necklace that's from his sister, and he's got these sunglasses on. He's just got something to him where from the very get-go, it's like, oh, this guy's coming in here with something a little A little swag to him that maybe we haven't had at the quarterback spot in some time. And then there's a future. And I know that Dable and Shane, they've casted their lot with them, and they absolutely love the guy. And Brian Dable doesn't need to talk up any quarterback. He's had Josh Allen. He's had all these guys. He's been with braided. He loves his Jackson darts. So at the very least, last year, you look at this team, they've got a great front seven. And then Nubin and Phillips, some of these other guys, they bring in a player that they really are high on, and Javan Holland at safety.

The defense is going to be great. So you're going to be in games. It's, can this offense score enough? And if Nabors isn't even close to what he was last year with some inferior quarterback play, then shit, they could put up some points, too.

What about Giants, Cold Hero, Kim Skatebo?

I don't know if... It's funny because I see them going in fantasy league really early. They really like Tyrone Tracy, and they really like Motor Singletary. So I don't know where Kim Skatebo fits in. It's funny.

People just wanted to have it.

I know. I saw you at a party over at Super Bowl week, a Saturday afternoon party, and we're there. And there's a lot of A-list NFL players and entertainers. And you and I were hanging, and there was only one player I wanted a selfie with, and it was Cam Skatebo when he walked by. He's got that to him. He is very, very appealing as a fan favorite. I just don't know what role he has in the offense just yet.

So Pittsburgh has the 21st pick in the draft in 2025, April. He took defensive tackle, Derek Harmon. Dart goes four picks later. It's Giants Trade-up. That might have been a massive mistake because it really seems like DART might be good.

Yeah.

And Pittsburgh hasn't had a quarterback since Ben Rothsberger. And he was sitting there and they must have checked him out. And everybody thought they might take Shador there because this was during the part of the draft before we realized Shador was going to drop multiple rounds. But man, I wonder, if I'm a Stewards fan, I'm dreading this dark thing. When do you think we see him? Because Sal and I did this on the schedule. We were thinking week four, week five range, or do you think they're going to let Russ steer the car for a while and wait until December or something.

I don't know if it's December, but they're not going to yank Russ. I remember, just to give it a comparison, Bill O'Brien talking to him, and he's like, Look, Deshawn Watson will get in eventually, but Tom Savage is our guy. And then literally, halftime of the first game, Deshawn Watson replaced Tom Savage. This isn't that. Russ is going to get a couple of games. He might get a couple of months. I would think the buy week is always a weekly circle. You know how brutal the start of the season is. I think they have one game where they're going to be favored in that first nine weeks. It might be against the Saints. I would think at the buy week is when we start thinking Jackson-Dart, unless Russ is winning and they're going to keep him in.

Give me 90 seconds on the pats. Great.

The arrows pointed up. And as we see Belichick on Monday night, and it's like, jeez. And now you've got Vrabel where it's like, okay, we They have a piece of the good of Belichick, but it's like fresh and young. And Vrabel is so good at time management and so good at having his guys be disciplined and ready to play every week. It's the exact opposite of last year's team. There's an immediate upgrade with who is Vrabel and McDaniels. And I'll throw Stretch in there who is Vrabel's game and clock management guy, who is like the next Ernie Adams up there. And McVay loved him in LA, and he left LA to be with Vrabel, who he had in Tennessee. A very, very niche I'm feeling.

Stretch, not shy about doing media.

He's been out, right?

That was like a Boston Herald, like 4,000-word feature that I devoured by Andrew Callahan. Is it exciting? And he popped on somebody's podcast. I'm like, Look at Stretch. Not an enigma like Ernie Adams.

I know. Ernie Adams was down there in the basement and was fed like straps of food. And meanwhile, Stretch is out there at the podium. But that's a real thing. That's an elite, elite clock management guy that has been long valued in the league. And then Vrabel, of course, I think, is the best in the sport as far as knowing the rules and knowing all that stuff. And again, you're going to fall asleep listening to that. If you're like, oh, we've got a guy who knows all the rules in the playbook, don't. Hey, a lot of these NFL head coaches do not know all the rules in the playbook and do not know how to do time management. And you bang your head against the wall saying it, you're never going to see an unprepared Mike Vrabel team. You're never going to see Mike Vrabel botch a time out or not know that, hey, wait, actually, this is a 10-yard loss in a stoppage of play, whatever it is. I don't have them in the playoffs this year. I think that they're better this year. I think Drake May is in much better hands with Josh McDaniels than he was in the previous.

You probably gave them to Cincinnati. You gave Cincinnati their spot.

I love Cincinnati this year. Yeah, I get it. And Miami. And I got Miami in there, too.

Okay. So the Pats, Vegas spots you gave to Cincinnati and Miami. Yes. I have the Pats in Vegas.

And we both have Denver and K.

I don't feel Yeah, of course we do. I didn't feel good about six and seven in the AFC. I changed my mind a million times. Me too. But I think the Pats, the Gonzales thing, if they don't win this week one game, I don't think they're going to make the playoffs. I know. Not to sound like it's a must-win game, but If you're going to get to 10 wins, this has to be one of the 10. I just find it hard to believe they're going to go 10 and 6. You have to beat Vegas at home if you're going to make the playoffs. Washington would have beaten Vegas at home last this year in week one. So if it's going to happen, we'll know right away, I feel like.

Well, I feel like I got egg on my face last year when Gerard Mayo's team goes into Cincinnati and beats them in a really hard-fought week one game. And I'm like, Gerard Mayo had them running drills. They're They were better shape than they were under Belichick. And then that all went off the rails, of course. I do feel without any second of hesitation, like Vrabel, McDaniels, and the rest of that coaching staff. It includes even on the offensive side, you've got all these different guys who have been with Vrabel before, and I think that they play a big role also. This is a very experienced coaching staff.

It's funny to read the quotes, and we have really good beat quarters for the Pats. You do. It's funny to how many players have not come out blatantly and said, wow, this coaching staff is so much better than last year, but it's just been a lot of between the line stuff that's been pretty It's like, wow, it's nice to have some stability this year. Just all these little...

Remember, Mayo was saying crazy stuff in the press conferences, too. And you're like, what? And doing appearances and saying things on the radio show that, again, not his fault. First year head coach.

I know, but it's just unnecessary distractions. Yes.

Vrabel comes in and Vrabel, he's busting shots with the reporters. I think he went at Mike Girardi. I think he went at Tom Curran. He's not going to back down. He also knows these guys, and he knows Karen.

Arn knows all them since- He went to bed voling hard.

Oh, he did. And it's like, a part of you is like, oh, I hate the way he's talking to the media. A part of you is like, he's comfortable with these guys. He's not going to be bullied around by them. And he also respects the fact that they're the best in the game when it comes to a media market.

He's aggro. He's getting into the gaps when they're breaking up straps in practice, he's yelling at media people. It's great. It's good to have an identity again.

What was your reaction to Belichick? Because I guess this is probably the first time you'll talk about it on on Monday night because that was...

I was really bummed. I thought he was going to be awesome as this last act college thing. And it was so bad. I almost don't even know how to process it. It was so bad. It was interesting how many people were delighted that it was bad. And some of that he brings on himself. He was a dick the last 12 years when he coached. The Jordan Hudson thing's weird. I get it, but this guy is still the greatest NFL coach of all time. It was the first I was thinking to myself, Oh, man, I hope they don't go three and eight. And this is just sad.

I know.

I don't want that to be the outcome.

Was the word schadenfraud? No, I'm pronouncing it wrong. I know you pronounce wrong words. Schadenfraud, yeah. We all do it. But It was so real. And my phone was lighting up. And it's not just for Bill, it's for Lombardi, our boy also. People wanted to see these guys because they thought, just let us get there and we'll be all right. I think people want to see failure year because of jealousy, but also because of the way that they came in. And a lot of those players that were at North Carolina were like, We're good. They can walk. We'll bring in our own. We'll be okay. And obviously, it didn't go well the first day. Now, they play a Charlotte team next week. That from what I've heard, App State is not a powerhouse this year. It's not a great App State team. And App State waxed Charlotte last week. If they struggle against Charlotte in week two, then we've got a real problem, and this thing can get real ugly.

It did feel like a moment for about 40 minutes. It was cool. They had MJ and LT in the suite. They scored them in the first drive. I was like, I'm in.

I'm like, Who's this quarterback? Lefty. I'm like, First 15 plays. It's amazing. And then she ends up on the sidelines at the end, and you're like, What the hell is going on?

So give us, before you go, give us the first... How many months that he has been now?

I got there in March.

Popping on all the different shows, being like Swiss Army Knife. What's been the biggest surprise the first three months of being in that whole world?

It's been cool because I thought it was going to be like, All right, you're signed on as NFL analyst. Here is your role. And what I've realized very quickly is I have more freedom and more flexibility at ESPN than I ever did at NFL Network because they're like, oh, Molly Kareem's out. Why don't you host first take this week in July? Or Mike Greenberg is out. Why don't you host get up? And then McAfee was out. They let me fly to Indianapolis and do that. And then When the Knicks were doing their thing, and I'm a Knicks fan, they were like, Why don't you get on SportsCenter and talk Knicks? So all that stuff I never really thought about. And then the bigger surprise is I was doing a three-hour show five days a week, and I thought everyone was watching Good Morning Football. And I thought, okay, if I make a point on Good Morning Football, everyone in the media world is going to know what I said because I'm Peter Schrager and I'm so important and the world revolves around me. What I very quickly learned was when you get to ESPN, that's what's in the airports, that's what's in the barbershops, That's what's on in the bowling alley, and that's what's on in every hotel lobby.

The NFL Network stuff was big fish, smaller pond. I'm a smaller fish in a massive pond, but everyone's listening to what I say. And it feels like when I make a point on ESPN, people hear it that I'm like, oh, shit, I got a text from XYZ because I said that at 9: 00 AM on ESPN with first take. And it's like, all right. So I think just the actual fire hose of the platform has been a pleasant surprise.

Yeah. The face being on in the airports and all these different places. That's when you start. The thing I noticed when I was in that whole world was when you start getting recognized by the TSA guys and the cab drivers.

That's it.

And I was like, I I was a writer. I'd been so anonymous for so many years. And then once all of a sudden I'm on these shows and you forget. You're just like, oh, that guy's... And then people are like, Yo, man, what's going on with the Lakers? And you're just like, I'm just having coffee right now. It's eight o'clock in the morning. No doubt. And you're just on call like a doctor for sports conversations.

Totally. And I live in Brooklyn, where you don't know if people are into sports or if they're into the new Strokes album. You don't know if they're into it. So I'm doing NFL Network for years living in Brooklyn, and maybe I get a head nod once in a while from a sports fan, and I'm like, All right, it's just Brooklyn. People would much rather talk about craft beer and some indie band. No, since I've been at ESPN, everyone's like, Oh, shit. I saw on SportsCenter. I saw you on this or that. The one thing that's different is at Good Morning Football, I came in to work with Kyle, and it was our show, and it was like, What do we want to talk about? Let's do it. I've got to navigate that a little bit, and the season is going to be interesting where tomorrow, for example, I'm on GetUp, First Take, and then I'm doing SportsCenter from the US Open. I'm going to be asked questions by Greenberg and by Molly, and I'm going to be talking with Steve A, but it's not me coming in and saying, Hey, should we talk about Travis Hunter?

I don't have that anymore. So we've got to figure that out and navigate it where my voice is... My thoughts aren't just being call and answer. It's more like, Hey, what can I provide and offer up proactively?

Yeah, I miss you and Kyle. I'm going to really feel it during the season just because it was a habit. I love that dude.

And listening to him and you, I get jealous and FOMO, and I'm like, oh, they're good together. I miss Kyle. Absolutely.

But I've been monitoring your his pants stuff. You've stayed true to yourself. You're still you.

Trying.

I'm monitoring. And if I feel like you start veering in directions I don't like, I'm going to be texting. I know.

It's going to be a test. On Mondays on first take with Steven A Smith and Cam Newton and me. And it's like, all right, dude, You want to still make your pithy joke about some reference to the '90s? It might not land like it did with Kyle Brandt giggling. Your Adam Durance joke might not work. It's a long December. Wink. No, it It might not work. The third-eye blind reference might go over some heads, even though Kim's hat is very high. We'll see. I've been thrilled with it, though. It's been cool.

You'll be fine. It has been fun seeing you just pop on all these different places. I don't even watch as much ESPN as other people, but I feel like when I would tune in this summer, you were somewhere involved somewhere on some show.

Can I say one thing? I've got a new passion, and you see me posting about it on Instagram. I know you're a racket sports lover, and you love tennis.

Are you going to do Padel?

Yes, dude. Padel, this is so up your alley. I hear you doing these Michelob commercials, and you're crapping all over pickle ball, and I'm nodding along, but then you're like, Tennis is my sport. I play tennis. You have to get into paddle. You would love this sport, Bill. And if your listeners don't know, It's two on two. It's doubles, but it's got the glass wall. I know how much you love tennis. This is easier on the body, and it's the most social thing in the world. Paddle's coming, and I want you in on the ride.

Paddle's coming? Where's it coming from?

It's coming from South America. It's coming from Miami. It's coming, dude.

It's coming for primetime?

I don't know if it's ever going to be a primetime, but it's a great sport. And I agree with you on pickleball. I couldn't get into pickleball. But as a tennis player and a tennis lover, this sport is so fun. And I want to give you a racket, and I want to get you on the court, and I just want to play with you because I think you would love this sport.

I would be an immediate natural because it's a racket. I'm good at racket sports.

This is my goal over the next year to get you into this sport. Did you go to the US open? I'm going tomorrow. We're recording this on Tuesday. I'm going tomorrow, and I'm excited. I love it. Any chance you'll be in town? No, right?

No, I don't go, but I'll give you one take that I had that I've been thinking about.

Is it about the honey juice or the chicken I'm going to get a nugget with caviar?

No, I've been cultivating this take factory. Let me hear. Serena, who's been back in the mix a little and she lost weight, she's in great shape and she's been- She's on row. Yeah, she's pitching this row thing, and she's the best she's felt. I think she should come back.

Let's go. I see Venus every night on these doubles with Fernandez, and I'm like, I love those two.

I feel like if she started planning it right now and aim for French Open, Wimbleton, US Open. All right, seven months. Her kids are a little bit older. How old is she? She's early '40s. But I was thinking, I was trying to think, what would be a bigger non-NFL storyline Then Serena coming back in shape, almost like MJ coming back to the Wizards, but more favorable and trying to take her thrown back. I think it would be- What's a boxing reference?

I feel like it's a boxing reference more than anything.

I just feel like everybody would be interested in this. I don't know. There's not a single person in my life who wouldn't be interested in a Serena come back, and I just think she should consider it.

I know you and your wife love the tennis, and me and my wife as well. We watch And like, Sableynca is unbelievable. An Iga is unbelievable. And you've got these two women right now playing at such a high level. You think Serena can still roll with those two?

I don't know. That's what would be so fascinating because it would be a whole thing like, She can't do this. There's no way. And then there would be this other side be like, She's Serena Williams. She's the goat. She's the best female athlete we've ever had. If anyone could do it, it's her. And it'd just be incredible theater. I wonder if she thought about it at all.

I'm sure she has. She looks amazing. What's she doing now? She owns all these things. She's like a crazy successful businesswoman.

She's like a great businesswoman. It just would be so interesting. I was trying to think of anyone who could come back that would be a more interesting subplot than her because nobody else is realistic. Tiger is in his 50s now. He's had all these surgeries. He can't come back. There's no... Lebron is still playing. But when LeBron retires, then it'll be like, Oh, could LeBron come back? We'd have that whole thing for two years.

For two years, we've done the braided. I guess, braided would be the other one, but braided is too old now. At this point. It would have happened last year. It would have happened with the Niners a couple of years ago. He had his opportunities. He didn't. Serena coming back would be awesome. Now, my hot take on the tennis is we always had Nadal and Federer as the top guys, and then Jokowitch obviously joined them. But there was always this Stan Warrinka, David Ferrer. There was always these other guys. Right now, it's just Sinner and Alcraz. The gap is so big between those two and everyone else. I don't know if this US Open has been as exciting because they win 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. And it's like, all right, they'll play in the finals, but we have two weeks of tennis. And I got to be honest, I'm going tomorrow I'm seeing the Canadian guy play the Australian guy. I don't even know their names. And I follow this thing on a daily basis. So it's really just a two-man sport right now. And I don't think that's great either.

Well, the Ben Shelton getting hurt was a murder. That was killer. Because I I think they were counting on him to really potentially be heard from, especially because the crowd would have gotten completely behind him.

Tiafo loses in straight sets.

Wasn't great. And then Coco is like...

Coco, about Asaka.

Just got waxed by Asaka. Worked her. But yeah, I don't know. The Serena thing would be pretty fun. That'd be great. I like the US Open.

Hey, should we do a tennis pod together?

No, I don't think anyone would listen to it. The one at the Ringer who loves tennis is De Bundo. Okay. De Bundo is I texted him today on Tuesday about what's a tennis bet that you would go for it? He's like, I like both underdogs and the woman... He's really into it. But yeah, I don't know how hot the tennis pad would be. Maybe Padel. Maybe that's the pad. When paddle becomes a major thing.

You would love this. And the games you get in with these random guys that are... I work in oil. I work. It's a crazy scene, this paddle scene, and it's big in New York right now, and I think it's coming to LA.

So you're officially a McAfee guy, and I'm the old girlfriend. Or how does this work? Just walk me through it.

I don't know. I'd like to be able to swing a little bit and have you both. I want to be able to just be open. That's great. It's just fun.

And we'll try to get along for you, and it'll be good. We just want you to feel good.

If I could bridge you guys. Because you mentioned mullet number two. That's Boston Connor. He's a good guy. He's a Patriots fan.

I like the Boston guy. He's great. Yeah, give my best to the Boston guy. He's great. They're all great. I like that he sticks up for us.

What you would appreciate about them, and it's got a good Ringer, Grant feel. It is them against... They live in Indianapolis. It's five friends. They don't have a rundown. I go down there and it's like, Let's just talk football. And I so appreciate it. It's like the part that you and McAfee have, the shade of thing is the complete distrust disrespect for middle management and that stuff of the khaki pants and the suit and the lanyard and all that.

That does speak to me.

Pat doesn't suffer schools, and he will tell it. And that's just what it is. He This is his show. It's his deal. But I know you guys both speak a very similar tongue when it comes to, Hey, we're the talent. We know what works, and just trust us, and don't try to interfere too much. That's the game he plays, and I respect you both for that.

I always respected what he built. I just didn't like the Kimmel Aaron Rodgers thing, but I'm over it. Fair enough. It is. It was like, what, two years ago? It's fine.

It's done.

It's fine. Now you're there sometimes. Sometimes. Now we are. What's that guy's name? Boston Connor?

Austin Connor. I would love for you to have him and Ty Schmidt on. Ty is great also. You've been having- Ty Schmidt.

These are your guys. You've moved on.

They're good.

It's fine. I'm like the old girlfriend.

You've got Diana and Pablo and the rest. Pablo Tori comes on talking about his origin story. I'm texting Bill. Can I come on and talk about the Seahawks?

What are we doing here? Mike may have some Mike McDonald thoughts.

I want to talk. I've got some thoughts on Johnny Smith. Can we talk?

All right. Well, so you'll be popping on a few times during this season. I would love to I would love to have you. I'm excited for everything that's happening for you. It's great to see you as always. Dude, you're the best.

You've always been such a champion of mine and my love for you and the listeners that you guys have.

All right. Good to see you. Thanks, man. Thanks, dude. All right. That's for the podcast. Thanks to Peter Schrager. Thanks to Gehow and Eduardo as well. I'm going to be back on Thursday doing Ringer 107 with House and a whole bunch of other stuff. So stay tuned for that as we get ready. We might even go after the Philly-Dallas game, but at some point Thursday, you'll have a podcast from me. So stay tuned for that. I will see you then. Must be 21 plus in President's Slate States for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 plus in President DC, Kentucky, or Wyoming. Gambling problem? Call 100 Gambler or visit rg-help. Com. Call 1-88-789-7777 or visit ccpg. Org/chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp. Org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gambling helpline ma. Org or call 800-327-5050 for 24-7 support in Massachusetts, or call 1877-8 Hope, NY or text Hope, NY in New.