Transcript of Hour 1: Making Time (feat. Dave Dameshek & Matthew Berry)

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This is the Dan Levatore Show with the Stugats podcast.

I'm curious what you What did you guys think of something I said earlier this week when we were talking about Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin and the position that Deion Sanders finds himself in at Colorado, where I was reading about his health issues Two toes amputated blood clots that are causing leg pain and also an intestine that's functioning as his bladder in a way that makes them have to put a portable toilet on the sideline during games because he had bladder cancer, and so he's going to the bathroom a lot, and there has to be a bathroom right on the sidelines. If you're Deion Sanders at this point, 58 and in health, that is making you have a press conference after a loss where you're apologizing to the reporters because you've had to hide pain all your life. Football players don't talk about pain, don't talk publicly about pain. But here you have two amputated toes. It's painful for him to walk. A lot of people believe that Deion Sanders had some natural gift that a holy man reached into his crib. But that was a person who was very prepared for football. He cares deeply about football.

And now the kids are gone. The kids might need you in Cleveland or in Jackson. Jacksonville, but you're coaching Colorado, and there has to be a toilet on the sidelines for you because you're at an age where health stuff happens. I just thought to myself, I said it matter of factly, Oh, he's going to leave that contract early, right? He's not going to just keep staying there fighting. I said it matter of fact, and I don't think it's fair to say it matter of fact, because he said, No, I'm in a hurry to get back. I don't miss practices. I have to get back. I just thought that at this point in his life, all of that wouldn't be worth the amount of inconvenience, no matter how much of your identity you get from being football guy.

People have questioned Deion's commitment to wherever he is, because wherever he's coaching, people always talk about him at the next level. Even last year when he was having success, like, Jerry Jones, would he possibly bring him in? I think because of all the reasons you just outlined, people should stop doing that. He has bought a lot with what he has overcome. Do you back, and it's not easy. He's got Canan Salter now. He doesn't have Shador Sanders. He doesn't have a Heisman Trophy two-way player right now. He is going through the hard stuff. College game day and going to Boulder these days. It is pretty impressive to see what he's gone through, what he continues to fight through, to be there for a whole new crop of kids.

I'm not actually questioning his commitment. I'm questioning whether any of that is worth it to any human being who is a accomplished what he's accomplished in his life. Health stuff goes to the top of the list on how do you feel every day.

I think everybody would understand if he decided to step away at this point. If he did so, and we didn't know about his health battles, and it was after Shadr and Travis Hunter left, people would use that as confirmation bias for preconceived notions. But I think he has bought so much in the last few months with things that have been made public that I think everybody would concede, You can do whatever want here.

Once he's volunteering physical pain during games in the press conference because of blood clots and has already had two toes amputated and was a symbol for athletic virility at one point, youth. To me, I wouldn't think that all of that is worth it if every physical step is painful. But let's bring in Dave Dameschack. I've told you already and told you before, Football America is a very good podcast, smart podcast, funny, clever, quirky. Your thoughts are what here? I didn't I mean for it, and I don't mean for any of it to sound like criticism of his commitment. I'm just looking at it from afar and saying, All of that seems not worth it, given that's as high as that's all going to climb. I don't believe there's a next job for him that is higher than that job. And so why do it? But what are your thoughts here, David, as we welcome you in?

Oh, listen, if I'm on a big heater at the 21 table, I am wise enough to pick up my chips and walk away. It at some point. Yeah, I hear what you're saying about Deion, one of the most charismatic figures in football over the last quarter century, 40 years. But then that informs Shadr in Cleveland. And I think that is the paradox of Deion is beloved by even in a way that I don't think very many other football luminaries are, he's beloved by today's players. Like 24 year old cats love Deion Sanders and know the lore of him in a way that they don't know about Jerry Rice or Jim Kelly or guys like that. And so the weight of that is on Shador. It makes it makes it clear to me like, yeah, that's why nobody wanted to draft him, because of the baggage of his prestigious old man. I hear what you're saying. I know you're talking about Deon, and I'm turning it into a Shadur conversation. Yeah, I mean, of course, I wouldn't hang on there. I feel like Deon is on some level, and I'm going against what you guys are saying, and I'm being more cynical about it here.

I feel like no matter what, Deon was going to disprove everybody's take. Like, Well, he's going to walk away as soon as Shadur and Travis are gone, he'll be out the door with them. I think he was going to go back no matter what, just to He's like, See, I'm still here. I can't imagine under any circumstances him being in Boulder, Colorado, as the head coach of the Buffaloes in, say, three years, four years. I think there's.

Well, I just think once you throw the health stuff in with another variable, which is he's not relevant, and he's not going to get relevant there. He's not going to get more relevant there than he already was at the start. He's already done the top end there.

He is a top 10 paid coach in the sport. I think he's right around eight. There's a lot of financial reasons to stick around and tough it out. But I'll take the opportunity to transition to the pros since you mentioned Shador.

Well, I will say one of the great stories in football lore is the Bill McCartney, Sal Onese, Colorado Buffalo, that Sal Enesse is making time with Bill McCartney's daughter and impregnates her. And now Bill McCartney surely has some feelings about that, and then Sal Onese takes ill and then becomes the inspirational figurehead of the Colorado Buffalo program. Imagine how Bill McCartney must have felt with all the stuff he was doing on the side with spreading the good word and now his daughter.

Damosheck, you're one of the strangest people in the universe. What are we talking about? Mike was trying to transition to something.

I It's one of the funniest stories there is. I'm sad. Salalosi.

He just told a good one.

You've got to explain it to Tony now because you use the phrase making time with Bill McCartney's daughter, and he doesn't know what What are you talking about?

Between the sheets in the bed. No, I get that.

I don't know the players. I don't know the characters we're talking about. We got that part, but we don't know the players. Anyways, we do know Shador Sanders, who reportedly told the Baltimore Ravens he didn't want to go there, which is funny because that would have been his quickest pathway to possibly play in. But the Baltimore Ravens are a seven and a half point dog. I read earlier today that 60% of the AFC offensive players of the week played the Baltimore Ravens in that week, that they won the award. So, Dave, a lot of people have yet to write this team off, but if they do indeed miss the playoff this season, that's it. That's the window closing, no?

It all starts with the Baltimore Ravens, this era with Lamar and all of that, and a fascinating discussion to be had is, does Lamar, at this stage in his career, need to look at Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and the mid-career adjustments they made fundamentally in the way they played the game? This Lamar Jackson with the string of injuries now. It's not like, I got dinged up. I mean, this is a plague now through his MVP-laden career. He still keeps having to sit down for long stretches here. The John Harba element of it is, here's the amnesia everybody has about this. They had to sign Joe Flacko after he wins the Super Bowl, so they're saddled with that luxury tax of having to keep the guy who won them the Super Bowl. But then it hamstrings them for the next several years, and they get Lamar Jackson at the back end of the draft after the Jacksonville Jaguars take the great Taven Brian instead of taking Lamar Jackson. And midway through Lamar Jackson's rookie season, they're scuffling along their Under-500, and the Ravens and John Harbaugh agree, That's it. We're going to part ways. And there are public announcements about this.

Great run. We're just going to move on from Coach Harbaugh after this year, all that stuff. And then Joe Flacko gets hurt, and they have to put Lamar Jackson in, and they take off. And now all of a sudden, John Harbaugh has gotten another however many years it's been of like, What a Brilliant savvy. Look how nimble he is. He adjusted. He went from Flacko to Lamar Jackson and didn't skip a beat. He just got jammed into having to put Lamar Jackson in there. So yes, long story short, Mike Ryan, I do think that this is probably the point to take the off-ramp with John Harbaugh as good as he is and as quickly as he'll get scooped up by another pro football team. Yeah, I think that this is where you have to pull the plug because we can talk about... Here's where nick Wright and I park our cars in the same garage on this show and otherwise. It does matter what you do in January, and they don't do anything in January, even though they have the guy who's won multiple MVPs at QB. Yes, this would be the place to move on and reassess that.

I I can't believe what he's saying here.

It feels like the window is closing.

But it's five games. There are seven and a half point dog at home because 160 million of their $280 million salaries are hurt.

But it's not getting any better next season if they miss a playoff.

You're not parked in their garage?

Can I throw an idea out there? Baltimore Ravens call the Pittsburgh Stealers, and they say, You know what? We want to propose a trade. John Harbaugh for Mike Tomlin.

Do you do it? I'm not Are you really interested in that because that doesn't address what the Stealers' problem is. But yeah, that's a fun comp. I mean, who is perceived to be the better coach at this point? I'm hardly objective on the subject.

What are we doing in general? Okay, because he's not wrong about Harbaugh and what happened with Lamar Jackson, but we can do this to anybody. Belichick didn't want to play braided. Bledso's lungs filled with blood, and then he had to play braided.

I don't think that It's true, though, Dan. I think that, in fact, I've talked to guys who were in that locker room and the only guy, even after in the AFC title game, Tom braided is in there, starts the game in Heinz field after the tuck rule and all of that, survives that. He starts the game in Pittsburgh. They're, I think, nine and a half or 10-point dogs or whatever they were. I was in the stadium that day. Oh, my God. He knows. He happens to know. Come, everyone. Come and listen. He happens to know. He happens to know.

Well-informed.

It was 14 to three at the half. It was a shocker for the Patriots. Who in the hell are they? They got the Michigan Wolverine's backup quarterback playing against us, and we're losing 14 to three at the half. And this was at the start of when they had halftime performances. I don't know if you've heard about the big announcement about Bad Bunny getting a lot of heat. But anyway, this was at the dawn of this era where they jammed in pop stars in the halftimes of big football games. And Sheryl Crow hits the stage at Heinz field. The locals are besides... We're beside ourselves. And Sheryl Crow steps up on the stage. It's like, How you doing, Pittsburgh? All I want to do. But everybody booed. It was a terrible day. Anyway, after they survived that game, but braided gets hurt and Bledso has to come in during that game, throws a shutdown pass. The Patriots beat the Steelers that day. Even after Bledso coming in as the relief pitcher and playing hero there, everybody in the locker room knew braided was the answer, including Belichick. It It is a ball's move, if you think about it, that he has the highly paid Drew Bledso, and he decides to roll against the mighty St.

Louis Rams in the Super Bowl with Tom braided. But apparently, it was not that bold a stroke, according to I've talked, like I say, to a bunch of those guys that were on the team, and they said, Oh, no, there was no question about it. It had to be braided in the Super Bowl, not Bledso.

No, but I wasn't talking about the Super Bowl. I'm talking about Brady's first start. Belichick didn't want to play him. Bledso got hurt on the sidelines, his lungs filled with blood, and then Brady's their starter. This is going to happen here with Carson Went now. Like, JJ McCarthy may or may not be good, but Carson Went did something at the end of the games. And until he loses, they're not going to take him out. They'll keep him in there because these coaches don't actually know as much. We give them a lot of credit for stuff, but you just fired John Harbaugh after five bad games when his entire roster is hurt.

Well, you know what's funny about... I mean, the best, most recent example of that is Jackson Dart and Brian Dable. Dable did not want to have to put Dart in until the last possible moment of the season, where he absolutely had to pull the rip cord. He wanted to ride with Russell Wilson because Riding with Russell Wilson extends his job, the life of his job, as long as they're getting by with that. And at the same time, I think there was a case as recently as before before Thursday night football that you could say, Well, what Danny Dimes is doing as Indiana Jones there is worthy of Brian Dable losing his job in New York, that he let him out of the building. It's the same effect that I keep saying over and over again about the stealers letting George Pickens out of the building shows a flawed approach. Same thing with not drafting Jackson Dart when he was sitting there when you need a quarterback. So Brian Dable, you could make a case like, Man, this cat doesn't know what he's doing. Look how good Danny Dimes is with better coaching there. But now all of a sudden, that's obscured by the fact that Jackson Dart is taking off, and that may well save Brian Dable's job.

To your point, he had to put Jackson Dart in because Russ was so bad, but he didn't want to have to put him in this early in the season.

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Dan Levatard.

It's a Judge coach, sweetie.

Stugatz.

How's your cello?

This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugatz.

It is weird to me the way that we take these leaders and we assign all sorts of intellect to them that they don't often have.

He is- Like Nixie or Yreani?

Well, that's one, but it feels like I can do this with a whole lot of people because- I know, but you need to have the must-have with very few exceptions, the era of Andy Reid and KOC and McVay and Shani and all of that.

And amidst this, you got to have a progressive, offensive-minded play collar and orchestrator of all things. And while all that's going on, nick Siriani has been in two of the last three Super Bowl, both against the Chiefs, and he won one of them. Nick Siriani, that guy, the guy who yells in his own fans, that guy, it's It's paradoxical, and I advise the 31 other teams to not pay any mind to what the Eagles are doing. Whatever voodoo they have worked to earn that Lombardi, it is not your business. Same thing with the push-push, and I heard you talking about that earlier. Very quickly, I just want to say, the idea that it's boring and all of that, completely agree. But I thought last Thursday night, the Rams against the Niners. Mac Jones is out there on one leg, and with His weird bosoms that he has that are created by his pads. What?

Was it bosoms, plural?

Mac Jones- He's got pad tits.

He's got those- He's got a ripped jersey, damn it, Shaq. What are you talking about? I thought he was The performance was admirable. I just said as much. It was great. I thought bosom was singular. But he does nevertheless. Look at me. He's got pad. He's titsy. But anyway, listen, he wasn't farting his way down the field, as someone once said. That is a great way. If you want to campaign against the touche push, Dan, that's the way to do it. Do we want to watch these high-end athletes fart their way up and down the field? They got A. J.

Brown and Devante Smith.

I know. I love it. They got her. But listen, Mac Jones, they can be nihilistic with him. He's the backup QB. But still in the big spot, they said, Hey, Mac, we need you to push it here. And so he did, and they got the first down in that spot. So with two minutes or so left in the game or even less than that, I I thought it was telling, or I guess it's in the last 45 seconds or 30 seconds even, the Rams are in a spot to get into the end zone. I'm trying to, I'm fuzzy. Or was it just to get a first down within the- There are two minutes left in the game and- And they can't, but the point is, they couldn't push push. All the fumbles, they had to run with Kyren Lacy in tight formation. I mean, Kyren Williams in tight formation and everything. They couldn't use Matthew Stafford because of his bad back to push push. And so that's a competitive disadvantage that the Rams now have that we need to pay attention to through these playoffs. And so therefore, I think you have to keep the push push, at least for this season.

But it's all a moot point because after this season is over, they are going to get rid of it no matter how much anybody likes it in Philly or otherwise.

David, it's now week six. Is this an acceptable time to have Baker Mayfield as my MVP leader?

If you want to start Start with this jive, go ahead. Have time. There are only so many minutes left on the big blue marble. If you want to devote them to talking about in early October who the MVP of pro football is, have at it. I like to talk about more important things like this. My son, my 11-year-old boy, came to me the other day out of the blue. It wasn't like it was a part of an ongoing discussion. He came to me and he said this, potato or tomato? I said, What do you mean potato or tomato? He said, You can only have one for the rest of your life, and then the other one is out. You can never eat it again. I turn it to you guys. Potato. What's the cru-well? Well, that's the easy answer. You got to take it easy. Don't jump into something because this is the rest of your life now.

You're eliminating tomatoes as an ingredient on everything.

Get Alfredo pasta. No. Okay. Bye-bye, potato. Hello, tomato.

You'll never have French fries again? Are you insane?

Or chips? You can't have ketchup.

Mashed potatoes? Here's the thing. Never going to... That's right.

Never going to- Almost all sauces have a tomato base. Italian sauces.

Pizza is gone. Here's what the wise asses say. Like, so what? I can eat Alfredo. But listen, you're going to be awfully resentful of that 200th plate of chicken piccata at the Italian restaurant while everyone around you is eating meatballs and spaghetti and pizza and all the rest of it? You will come to resent Italian food very quickly. You know what else is out without tomatoes? Barbecue. You want the same effect? Like, Oh, I can go dry rub. How much dry rub do you want to pass in your lips for the rest of the time without sweet barbecue sauce to go along with it? It's a very tough question. I'm not saying there are easy answers here. You flipped me. Salsa. Salsa. Yeah, you flipped me.

Get out of here, potato.

Well, wait a minute, okay? It is a more difficult question than you thought because everyone's instantaneous The envious reaction is going to be, I've got to keep potatoes. But then you eliminate pizza, and now we've got a real problem. We've got a dilemma.

Here's the other thing for... One more thing on tomato is... Oh, by the way, potato, if you're a vodka drinker, it's out. So that's a shame.

Mike Fuente has called that one out. So is the bloody Mary.

Well, and also for me, I love with my French fries, I like some ketchup, and now I don't at that. So that's a big loss for my French fry eating.

Damosheck, I will tell the people again to watch Football America twice a week, Mondays and Fridays on YouTube, where he does whatever he wants, as he does on our show when we ask him questions, and he took it to potato, tomato, and we were trying to do football with him.

He's got no time for Baker Mayfield MVP.

He does whatever it is that he wants to do.

He's a hater. He hasn't forgiven him for winning that playoff game.

Pad Tits. That's right. Pad Tits is what he has. Steve Smith has a bunch of stories. He joins us on today's Football America Coming up at the top of the hour, it's grand stuff. Be there, Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes. And like I say, Steve Smith. What else do you need?

Well, more than that because- Gino Fuentes' second billing.

How mad is Mike Fuentes that Gino was said first?

That's right. Gino went first.

Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes, what else do you need? Well, more. You got pad pits. More than that. I need more than that.

Pad pits is all I need.

Pad pits. Oh, I know. We unveil a brand new game with Steve Smith. Two of the Stoneiest philosophers of our society right now are, of course, Matthew McConaher and Mike McDaniel. So we put Steve Smith to the test. We play McC or McD. I give him quotes, and he has to determine which Stoneys philosopher issued them.

We know where Jeremy stands.

See you later, Damosheck. Again, I will tell the people, football America, it is fun, it is unusual, it is smart as well, and you will enjoy it. Thank you, Damoshek, for being on with us.

Thursday Night Football is on, and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the AFC North takes center stage as the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Cincinnati bangles. Rar. Coverage begins at 07: 00 PM Eastern with football's best party, TNF Tonight. Not a prime member? Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30-day free trial. It's the Steelers and the Bangles, Thursday at 07: 00 PM Eastern, only on Prime Video. Restrictions See amazon. Com/amazonprime for details.

Don Levatard.

Football.

Football.

Football.

Football.

This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugats.

One of the things that he mentioned from that Rams game because I thought he was talking about something else. I always thought he was talking about the last two minutes of the game. Yes, the Rams lost that game because on fourth and short with the lead late, they couldn't keep the ball because they couldn't convert on a fourth and short. But late In that game, Al Michiels and Kirk Herb Street said, because there were two minutes left in the game and the Rams were in position to win it and Stafford had the football, he said, There's no one you want more in this situation. There's no one you want more having the football in this situation than Matthew Stafford. And I think he's probably right, isn't he? For all the conversations that we had all along the path of, is Matthew Stafford worthy of being the highest paid quarterback in football? He was for one time, so was Carson Wentz. As a value trait, the one that Mahomes and braided have is that late in the game, everyone knew, including the other team, you don't want him to have the football. That's where we are with Stafford, right?

We're approaching there with Mayfield. I'm still expecting, as Mike makes Mayfield MVP in week six, I'm still expecting the game when Mayfield throws the interception late because that is He's a reckless quarterback.

It happened against Philadelphia. He had another opportunity down the line. But with Baker, big champion for healthy amount of interceptions. Because he goes for throws that no one else can make.

But when I'm talking about trust late in games. I no longer expect Matthew Stafford to throw the late interception. I did when he was in Detroit. He's not a different quarterback. Baker Mayfield spoke to this this week, okay? Because he says, I used to be immature. I used to be reckless. I haven't changed. I'm still the same person. But now that we're winning and I'm at the top of the standings and we've won the division four straight times, now the perception of me has changed. I'm going to keep slinging it fearlessly, and sometimes I'm going to throw interceptions.

I told you guys to try and not get too high, not get too low, which is something that I was not doing early on in my career. But early on in my career, it's looked as cocky, immature. Now it's Moxie, he's a dog. So It's the same or different day. As long as you play well, they change the narrative. But you just got to be yourself, and I've always been like that. I was going to say, have you changed that much?

I mean, everybody has a natural growth, and we're not meant to stay stagnant, but you still seem at the core, the same person.

Yeah, at the core, definitely the same. But matured in different ways, not worried about little things that really don't matter. Now, you put it in the landscape of a competitive football game in that atmosphere, that'll never change.

Can you guys just freeze that right there? Just freeze the end of that. I want you to look in both stature and body language. That does not look like an NFL quarterback. In stature and body language, just how he's sitting there, That is not the quarterback to be most feared in the league at any time in my lifetime, except for perhaps before I was born, when Sonny Jurgen'sen was a quarterback of small stature. Physically, look at the way that he doesn't even fit in that shirt. He does not look like the guy who's leading you as the greatest of the warriors. It's an oversize shirt. Look at him. Just look at his body language. You're used to the quarterback filling the screen. I don't mean this as any disparagement of it because the balls are not on the screen. And if they were, he would then have the stature of an NFL quarterback.

I love that he could have very easily played into whatever narrative you want the NFL media. It would further endear yourself to the media. This guy learned how to mature. This is the story. No, you guys had it wrong. I was this dog the entire time. I went in the Pittsburgh with a Cleveland Browns as a number one, undersize draft pick, and I won a playoff game. I tried to play her. They got rid of me. They had me as D. N. Scout team on Carolina. You had it wrong. I haven't changed. It's almost like the RG3 thing where it's all these great coaches. They didn't know how to coach me. That's basically what we're looking at. Only in this instance, RG3 was right, whereas RG3 is a joke because he's going at Sean McDane, Kyle Shane. I'm like, All right, these are the greatest coaches of the era. But you look at Stefansky, and it's like, Stefansky's a good coach. It didn't know how to use him. Botched it. Botched it. But I will say from talking to people that were really plugged in, maybe that had to happen to Baker in Cleveland. The locker room had turned against him.

There was like a Miles Baker thing. And then went with Miles.

That feels like a happen to know. That feels like- He happens to know?

Great Scott, he happens to know. He happens to know.

Gather, everyone.

Get the children. He happens to know.

So why?

They did a bad job of mending those fences. Baker probably shouldn't have played through that injury, and everything was made worse. Both his performance and the relationships that he had in that locker room were made worse by him trying to be out there for his team, which is something that has remained consistent throughout his career up until this day, where he puts out a social media posting him standing in front of his teammates, not a solo photo, him in front of his teammates in that tunnel as he's getting heckled and said all sorts of foul things in his direction. Name the place, name the time.

Speaking of football, we have a guest in the wings here who is going to give you something that you really want right now. Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry. Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry. He's really got to like that as intro. It's strong. Anybody would want to be introduced that way, even if their name weren't Matthew Berry. He's here to give us very fast- It'd be odd for someone else. It would be, but I'd like it if it was my introduction. I have to be honest. If I had that music, I would like it, even though my name is clearly not Matthew Berry. Everyone here is... Look at how hyped everyone is. They're here, Hyped for fantasy. Matthew.

Can you hit a rewind one more time? I love the intro so much.

Let's do it again so that he can just go straight into giving you maximum information as fast as he can when you need it this weekend. Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry. Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry.

Unbelievable. I love that music. That's great. I'm going to make my wife listen to that. Listen, Dan, so far this year, no team has allowed more shutdown passes than the Baltimore Ravens. They've given up eight in just the past two weeks before. Over the last four weeks, Matthew Stafford, ranked fourth in fantasy points per pass attempt. Stafford gets the Ravens this week. So far this year, there are only five teams in the NFL with a higher pass rate over expectation than the Denver Broncos. Bo Nicks is averaging 35 pass attempts per game, and this week, get the Jets team that allows shutdown passes at the second highest rate in the NFL. So far this year, the San Francisco 49ers are allowing the fifth most reception to opposing runningbacks. This week, they have to face Rashaad White, a good pass catching runningback for the year. Last week had a 12. 5 % target share. He also had 75 % of the Bucaneers. Total team touches. I saw you talk about Baker Mayfield. Baker and White will be busy on Sunday against the Niners. We've allowed, by the way, 120 yards to scrimage to an opposing running back three of the last five games, Rashaad White about to go off.

Over the last three weeks, only Chris McCaffee and Josh Jacobs are averaging more touches per game than Quinchawn Judkins, who plays for Baker's former team, the Browns. And it's worth noting that no team allows more rushing yards per game or high yards per carry to opposing running backs than the Chicago bears. I bring that up because last week we saw the emergence of Bill Crosky-Merritt, Jacory, as some people call him, 6. 6 yards per carry, highest in the NFL for a running back. Every single game this year, Ted Rowe, McMillan of the Carolina Panthers has gotten at least eight targets. Wide receiver that have seen at least seven targets against the Cowboys this year are averaging 26 fantasy points for game, and every single one of them scored at least 15. A tech breakout game is coming, and it's coming this Sunday. By the way, over the last two weeks, Stefan Diggs is the 10th best wide receiver in fantasy football. He's had back to back games with a 40 % target share. He's the 10th best fantasy wide receiver without a countdown. Every week this year, but one, Courtland Sutton has finished as a top 16 wide receiver.

Two last things here. Last week, Jake Tongass is the San Francisco 49ers tight in. He had a 23 % target share. He scored in three out of five games this year. And each of the last two games, the Tampa bit Bucaneers have allowed multiple touch downs to opposing tight ends. Not saying he's awesome, but could you do worse? A hundred % if you're desperate for a tight end. And by the way, over the last two weeks, no tight in NFL has a higher utilization score than Mason Taylor, the Jets 88, a Realization Score is a metric that we came up with at fantasylife. Com that uses all the underlying data to come up with one simple number of how a NFL player is used in fantasy statistics, and it's an ultimate predictor of future fantasy success on a scale of 1-100 based on Taylor's 88, the highest of any tight in in the NFL over the last two weeks.

So from everything that you just said, Matthew, can you tell us what you believe to be your surest bet this week? The thing that you feel most confident in based what you're watching in terms of mismatches between here's a team's strength versus a team's weakness.

Yeah, it's a little dangerous because I'm banking on Bryce Young, who has struggled so far this year. But I'm a huge believer in Tedderoh and McMillins. Ability, his usage, and it's an unbelievable matchup with the Cowboys. So I am all in on Tedderoh and McMillan, and I do believe a big breakout game is coming, and I feel like it's going to be this weekend against the Cowboys. Rashaud White, as well as we talked about the Bucaneers running back, just the workload he's going to get and how much the 49ers struggle against pass-catching running back. Those are my two biggest ones of all the ones I just told you, Dan.

Again, for the audience, you guys know that this guy does it better than anybody when it comes to giving you information that's very well-informed. It's very hard to predict this stuff. All he's doing is probabilities, but it's very researched probability.

He's well-informed.

You can find everything Matthew's got on fantasy, fantasylife.

Com. Check out his fantasy football happy hour, Sundays at noon on YouTube and on Peacock.

Every day on YouTube, Chris. Every day. It's Monday through Friday on YouTube, noon Eastern, and then, of course, on Peacock and wherever you get podcasts.

Get it right, Chris.

Yeah, Chris.

It was a quick text for me. It's not Chris's fault.

It is Chris's fault.

I should have been clear.

Chris is going to get chopped from the guillotine, by the way. I didn't happen to know.

And from the show.

Thank you, Matthew. I appreciate the time, sir. Talk to you next week.

Thanks, Dan. See you guys. Good luck.

Thank you, sir. We are going to open up the club here in a little while, and I do want to update some polls as well. What are you guys laughing about? You guys are just making fun of Chris there.

At least I had good imaging. You moron.

Matthew Berry. It's really good. It does save you a little bit. It is good.

We have to beat it down so it doesn't sound like it's underwater.

We're in a fantasy league with Matthew Berry, and things are heating up in our fantasy league.

What's happening? Are you guys beating him?

No. Well, I mean, there's basically six of the twelve teams are active, basically, and we're getting to the point. It's a guillotine league. So every week, the person with the lowest score that week gets eliminated from the league, and then all their players become available. We're getting to the point where now the sharks are starting to bite here, and we're getting down to the point where the only people that are actually competing are going to be left soon, and we're going to see who's who. But you only have $1,000 that you can bid on each player on their blind bids for the entire season.

Dan spending a lot of money. You're in the league, Dan. I don't know if you're aware.

The team that you are on has $8 left, and we're about five weeks into the season. So a bit of mismanagement of the funds so far because you have to plan for the full season here. Now, that makes things interesting because then you figure out, do I have to bid this amount or do I only bid enough so that this person who needs this position can't get this player, which is where we're at. He said he was high on Mason Taylor. We knew that for Matthew Berry because he spent $26 on Mason Taylor this week. When, if you're paying attention to our league, probably could have got him for three or even a waiver claim, potentially. Don't hold it against Matthew that we see he has more information. Matthew's somewhat at a disadvantage in our league because he actually knows what he's doing, and it's not a bunch of idiots who are getting players for $1-$3 or $350.

Mike Fuentes picked up Malik Nabors two weeks ago for $250. The next week, he tears his ACL and he's gone.

This league is honestly awesome. I wish every fantasy league was like this.

By the way, Mike Ryan is about to get chopped.

It's guillotineleague. Com.

Guillotineleague.

Com is where we do it. Don't tell him, so he's not paying attention. He's got some players out there. He's got some good players.

Me and you are going to have to fight for those players. I got Jacksons within the Jig, I'm calling it.

Gino Fuentes, star of football America, is the one who's spending prodigiously on my fantasy team in a way that is reckless and unwise. He has $8 left? That means I have $8 left. Out of a thousand.

I know. I'm just listening to this. I'm enjoying this.

He was there the whole time. He's been lurking.

I just enjoyed this. This is great listening. I didn't realize I was overbid for Mason Taylor. I'm in a 20 league, so I'm just like, what's he worth? I grab it. So there you go.

I was curious about that because we were talking, Matthew, off air about it. We're like, poor Matthew. He actually knows what these players are worth. So he's going in. He's like, man, this person's worth $97. Like, this idiot league. We could have had him for four.

Yeah, I'm playing it. I'm playing it legitimately. It's a straight up league, more on than I am.

So are we.

We're playing it straight, too. Yeah.

There's no logic in this league, but at least you know I This is what I preach is I'm sitting here touting Mason Taylor. At least I'm putting my money where- And Tech MacMillon, too.

Why are you still here listening to us talking about how shit our fantasy league is? We're talking about his name. Matthew Berry.

No, it's not.

Matthew I'm so proud that you guys are playing guillotine music.

I'm Matthew Berry.

I'm so proud that you guys are playing via team. Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry. I'm Matthew Berry. I'm Matthew Berry.

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