WEBVTT 00:00:03.209 --> 00:00:05.129 Triple bag alert, triple bag alert, triple bag 00:00:05.129 --> 00:00:07.129 alert, triple bag alert, folks. That's right. 00:00:07.169 --> 00:00:10.269 The first game of the season is done and we have 00:00:10.269 --> 00:00:12.869 to talk about it, all right? But before we talk 00:00:12.869 --> 00:00:15.570 about it, we got a lot of things to discuss, 00:00:15.730 --> 00:00:18.649 all right? Nick Benito, Abraham Lucas, and Ted 00:00:18.649 --> 00:00:21.309 Karras get paid. My thoughts on the Cam Hayward 00:00:21.309 --> 00:00:24.570 situation. Cowboys versus Eagles recap. Jets 00:00:24.570 --> 00:00:27.210 versus Steelers preview. Ravens versus Bills 00:00:27.210 --> 00:00:31.370 preview. Dolphins versus Colts preview. And Giants 00:00:31.370 --> 00:00:33.770 versus Commanders preview. view, okay? All of 00:00:33.770 --> 00:00:36.250 this and more on the 92nd episode of the Football 00:00:36.250 --> 00:00:38.590 Junkies Podcast, all right? I am your host with 00:00:38.590 --> 00:00:41.130 the most, all right? I'm your chief Bagro Damas. 00:00:41.289 --> 00:00:43.509 That's right, chief, head of the table. Anything 00:00:43.509 --> 00:00:45.729 and everything related to the bag, rumors to 00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:48.250 the bag and more. I am your GM who currently 00:00:48.250 --> 00:00:50.770 is not on a team right now, but don't you worry 00:00:50.770 --> 00:00:53.009 about it, all right? Don't you worry about it 00:00:53.009 --> 00:00:55.710 because guess what? I am all these things and 00:00:55.710 --> 00:00:57.829 more, but most importantly, the most important 00:00:57.829 --> 00:00:59.929 thing that you must remember is you are listening 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:02.009 to the greatest football podcast that you can 00:01:02.030 --> 00:01:04.709 to listen to on a week -to -week, day -to -day 00:01:04.709 --> 00:01:06.950 basis. So guess what? On three, one, two, three, 00:01:06.989 --> 00:01:34.599 let's lock in. All right, folks, let's get into 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:36.780 the meat and potatoes of everything that is going 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:39.579 on in the league right now. So before we get 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:41.959 into last night's game, let's talk about these 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:43.939 bagelers. Let's get that out the way because 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:47.219 we know what we all came here for, and that is 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.760 the Cowboys and Eagles recap. All right, so Nick 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:52.540 Benito, pass rusher for the Broncos. It's a four 00:01:52.540 --> 00:01:56.620 -year $106 million deal that can go up to $120 00:01:56.620 --> 00:01:59.319 million, $70 million in total guarantees, and 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:02.180 he'll be making $26 .5 million a year. Now, when 00:02:02.180 --> 00:02:04.500 we look at his stats for this past season, 48 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:07.959 tackles, 13 and a half sacks, one pick, and 59 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:09.960 quarterback pressures. Now, according to the 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:13.379 3013, Nick Benito is one of two players in 2024 00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:17.379 with 10 plus sacks and multiple defensive touchdowns. 00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:20.000 The only other person, Andrew Van Ginkle. In 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:23.099 2024, Nick Benito recorded 13 and a half sacks 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:26.419 on 57 pressures, converting pressures into sacks 00:02:26.419 --> 00:02:30.590 at 23 .7%. Now, there are two other players who 00:02:30.590 --> 00:02:33.229 had 10 plus sacks, but a higher pressure to sack 00:02:33.229 --> 00:02:36.590 rate. And that was Kyle Van Noy and Dante Fowler. 00:02:36.729 --> 00:02:38.849 Folks, this is a really good deal for a really 00:02:38.849 --> 00:02:41.530 good pass rusher. An underrated pass rusher, 00:02:41.550 --> 00:02:45.370 if I may so add. Nick Bonito has emerged and 00:02:45.370 --> 00:02:48.370 showed that, hey, I am here to stay. I am that 00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:52.569 guy for the Broncos. Man, oh man, oh man. Last 00:02:52.569 --> 00:02:55.520 season, he was putting on a clinic. And it was 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:57.840 only right for the Broncos to pay him the money 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:00.639 that he so deserves. The Broncos have been taking 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:03.520 care of business this entire offseason. From 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:07.520 PS2 to Zach Allen to Nick Benito, they've done 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:11.219 it all. The Broncos are in pole position. Yes, 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:13.659 that's a Tomlinism right there. Pole position 00:03:13.659 --> 00:03:16.520 to make it to the Super Bowl in the next two 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:19.280 years. Now, this may be on cold takes or whatever. 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:22.530 I don't care. But right now, the only thing that 00:03:22.530 --> 00:03:25.169 is stopping the Broncos from reaching to the 00:03:25.169 --> 00:03:29.150 Super Bowl is self -inflicted wounds. They're 00:03:29.150 --> 00:03:32.310 drafting well. They're paying well. They're not 00:03:32.310 --> 00:03:35.090 overpaying for people. They're not reaching for 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:38.090 people in the draft. Everything is coming together 00:03:38.090 --> 00:03:41.389 and it's working. And now when you really look 00:03:41.389 --> 00:03:43.770 at it, that move to let go of Russell Wilson 00:03:43.770 --> 00:03:47.080 was the best move they could have ever did. Because 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:50.460 not only did they take all that dead cap in one 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:54.060 year instead of spreading it, they allowed themselves 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:56.099 to say, hey, we're going to take a risk on ourselves. 00:03:56.699 --> 00:03:59.759 We believe in Bo Nix. We believe in the core 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:02.520 that we have. And we believe that this is going 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:04.120 to be the core that's going to take us back to 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:07.180 the Super Bowl. And so far, it's working. I guarantee 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:09.860 you, if they have one more really good draft, 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:12.319 I'm going to have to slide them in as a Super 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.960 Bowl contender. Just saying. Hit me all you want, 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:16.899 but... Hey, the proof is in the pudding, alright? 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:19.560 So let's talk about Abraham Lucas' tackle for 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:22.300 the Seattle Seahawks. He inks a three -year, 00:04:22.420 --> 00:04:25.620 $46 million deal, and he'll be making $15 .3 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:27.459 million a year. When we look at his stats from 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:29.819 this past season, according to PFF, he had six 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:33.459 penalties and allowed two hits, four sacks, and 00:04:33.459 --> 00:04:36.230 18 total pressures. A little bit of a head scratcher, 00:04:36.230 --> 00:04:38.589 I'll be honest, because I personally thought 00:04:38.589 --> 00:04:40.589 the Seahawks were just going to let Abraham Lucas 00:04:40.589 --> 00:04:44.050 go and possibly draft one or maybe pay one in 00:04:44.050 --> 00:04:46.629 free agency, but clearly they must value him 00:04:46.629 --> 00:04:49.889 a lot, and so they gave him a really good team 00:04:49.889 --> 00:04:52.709 -friendly deal. This isn't bad at all. $15 .3 00:04:52.709 --> 00:04:55.459 million? For somebody who really hasn't been 00:04:55.459 --> 00:04:58.040 that consistent in the last two years, I'll take 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:00.620 it. Because for one, let's really think about 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:03.540 this, right? For all intents purposes, if Abraham 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:05.939 Lucas doesn't do well in the first two years 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:08.300 of that contract, they can move off of him and 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:10.639 they can find his replacement, no problem. Now 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:13.480 on to Ted Karras, center for the Bengals inks 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:16.639 a one -year $5 million deal. I don't know the 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:19.100 rest of the information because it just dropped 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:22.420 maybe about two hours ago. and nobody has any 00:05:22.420 --> 00:05:25.959 information about the intricacies of the contract. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:28.060 But when we look at his stats from this past 00:05:28.060 --> 00:05:30.480 season, according to PFF, he had three penalties, 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:34.939 allowed two sacks, six hits, and 23 total pressures. 00:05:35.100 --> 00:05:38.480 A really good deal for a really good veteran 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:40.699 presence on this offensive line. I'm going to 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:42.779 be honest here, folks. The Bengals have been 00:05:42.779 --> 00:05:45.439 making a lot of moves post -Trey Hendrickson. 00:05:45.699 --> 00:05:49.240 They bring in Dalton Reisner. They just re -signed 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:52.000 Ted Karras. They're preparing themselves to make 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:53.680 a run this year. Now, am I saying they're going 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.040 to go to the Super Bowl? No. Am I saying that 00:05:56.040 --> 00:05:58.180 they're going to win a playoff game? No. But 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:00.879 what I am saying is this. The Bengals are showing 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:04.100 that, listen, although our defense may be weak, 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:07.060 we are still going to put up a fight. Because 00:06:07.060 --> 00:06:10.180 why? We have Joe Burrow. We have Tee Higgins. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:13.420 We have Jamar Chase. We have Noah Fant. We have 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:16.079 Mike Kisecki. We have everything that we need 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:18.519 to be successful. I can't hate him for that, 00:06:18.579 --> 00:06:21.029 honestly. But let's talk about Cam Hayward, all 00:06:21.029 --> 00:06:22.889 right, because we're just breezing by everything. 00:06:23.050 --> 00:06:25.050 This is not going to be a long and drawn -out 00:06:25.050 --> 00:06:27.629 episode. This is going to be a fairly short episode 00:06:27.629 --> 00:06:31.230 just because, for one, I want to prepare for 00:06:31.230 --> 00:06:33.389 college football because I definitely want to 00:06:33.389 --> 00:06:35.629 start talking about college football more, as 00:06:35.629 --> 00:06:39.149 well as prepare myself for Sunday because I'm 00:06:39.149 --> 00:06:41.569 going to try to see if I can at least watch a 00:06:41.569 --> 00:06:44.129 majority of all the games, even if it means I 00:06:44.129 --> 00:06:46.769 have to, you know, review it two or three times 00:06:46.769 --> 00:06:49.470 or look at the All -22. whatever I need to do, 00:06:49.529 --> 00:06:52.329 okay? Because football is here and I have to 00:06:52.329 --> 00:06:54.290 give you guys the fix that you guys need, all 00:06:54.290 --> 00:06:57.149 right? So as of now, he's still in this quote 00:06:57.149 --> 00:07:01.060 unquote. hold in situation, whatever you want 00:07:01.060 --> 00:07:03.660 to call it, right? And so there's another chapter 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:06.839 to this story. So on Thursday, he didn't practice. 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:08.939 He wasn't even on the field. He wasn't doing 00:07:08.939 --> 00:07:11.259 private workouts. He wasn't doing anything. So 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:15.079 apparently they consider it a vet day off, right? 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:17.519 So let's go a little bit back to go a little 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:20.699 bit forward. So on August 11th, Cam had voiced 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:23.930 his opinions about not getting paid. And so he 00:07:23.930 --> 00:07:26.529 said, and I quote, it's hard to justify playing 00:07:26.529 --> 00:07:28.810 at the number I'm playing at, end quote. But 00:07:28.810 --> 00:07:32.310 recently he signed a two -year $29 million extension, 00:07:32.569 --> 00:07:35.410 quote unquote. But it really wasn't an extension. 00:07:35.649 --> 00:07:38.129 It was simply a restructure. Because when you 00:07:38.129 --> 00:07:40.509 look at the structure of the deal, a majority 00:07:40.509 --> 00:07:43.310 of the money is in roster bonuses. And his roster 00:07:43.310 --> 00:07:45.430 bonus this year has already been paid out. And 00:07:45.430 --> 00:07:49.199 that was $13 .4 million. Now, according to Spoltrak, 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:52.420 Cam Hayward is tied as the 34th highest paid 00:07:52.420 --> 00:07:55.000 interior defensive lineman. Now, when Cam signed 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.319 this latest extension that he's on right now, 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.839 he informed the Steelers to expect him to return 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:03.620 to a negotiation table if he had another All 00:08:03.620 --> 00:08:06.040 -Pro season. And so now that he's had that All 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:08.560 -Pro season, he's now looking for a re -up. I 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:10.779 have no problem with that. So now here we are. 00:08:10.899 --> 00:08:12.600 The regular season for the Steelers is getting 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:15.670 ready to start in less than three days. And nobody 00:08:15.670 --> 00:08:18.009 knows if Cam Hayward is going to play or not. 00:08:18.129 --> 00:08:19.870 Now, I understand there's a lot of beat writers 00:08:19.870 --> 00:08:21.910 and people that cover the team that are saying 00:08:21.910 --> 00:08:24.470 Cam Hayward is going to play. I don't believe 00:08:24.470 --> 00:08:28.089 that. If Cam Hayward hasn't said it, I don't 00:08:28.089 --> 00:08:30.410 believe it. I don't care what insider you have. 00:08:30.689 --> 00:08:33.269 I don't care who you know. I don't care what 00:08:33.269 --> 00:08:36.429 teammate you talk to. If Cam Hayward doesn't 00:08:36.429 --> 00:08:38.690 answer that question, I won't believe what anybody 00:08:38.690 --> 00:08:43.250 says. Now, I understand both sides. I understand 00:08:43.250 --> 00:08:46.570 the player side and the organization side. The 00:08:46.570 --> 00:08:51.389 organization realizes that, listen, it would 00:08:51.389 --> 00:08:54.590 be a disservice for us as an organization to 00:08:54.590 --> 00:08:57.870 give you a long -term extension at this point 00:08:57.870 --> 00:09:01.049 in your career where there is more risk than 00:09:01.049 --> 00:09:03.649 reward. Because for all intents and purposes, 00:09:03.929 --> 00:09:08.259 you could sign a long -term deal. And you can 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:11.860 become the fifth or the tenth highest paid interior 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:15.220 defensive lineman, and then you get hurt. Or 00:09:15.220 --> 00:09:17.940 you don't play like how you used to play. And 00:09:17.940 --> 00:09:20.139 now look, the Steelers look stupid because you 00:09:20.139 --> 00:09:22.740 then gave this older veteran defensive lineman 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:24.799 a whole bunch of money, and he isn't living up 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:27.000 to the contract. And most likely, he's probably 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:28.500 going to retire. So you're going to be taking 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:30.639 on a whole bunch of dead cap. I don't think they 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:33.139 want to do that. But at the same time, I understand 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:36.120 where Cam is coming from. He told the Steelers. 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:38.480 Prior to him signing that extension, listen, 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:42.919 if I hit All -Pro, I'm coming back for more money. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.960 So he gave them a heads up. And apparently, by 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.700 a lot of people's reporting, they laughed him 00:09:48.700 --> 00:09:51.799 off. And so he did his thing. He had a really 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:54.460 good season. And he got an All -Pro. Congratulations. 00:09:55.100 --> 00:09:58.500 And so he's looking for his money. Now, here's 00:09:58.500 --> 00:10:01.059 the problem that I have with Cam. And this isn't 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:05.330 directly at him. The person, Cam Hayward. It 00:10:05.330 --> 00:10:08.549 is how he has handled the process of him not 00:10:08.549 --> 00:10:11.090 being happy with this extension. If you've been 00:10:11.090 --> 00:10:14.110 trying to get some resolution with this deal 00:10:14.110 --> 00:10:17.690 since the combine, why are we just now hearing 00:10:17.690 --> 00:10:19.929 about it? And granted, the Steelers probably 00:10:19.929 --> 00:10:22.289 told him, hey, we'll take care of that when we 00:10:22.289 --> 00:10:24.070 take care of that. Right now, we're focused on 00:10:24.070 --> 00:10:26.429 the draft. We're focused on free agency. We're 00:10:26.429 --> 00:10:28.450 focused on a plethora of different things. OK, 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:32.539 cool. But from the combine up until now. You 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:34.740 haven't said anything? You haven't leaked it 00:10:34.740 --> 00:10:37.360 out to any of the insiders? Because here I am 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:39.580 thinking, oh, the game's about to go into this 00:10:39.580 --> 00:10:41.799 season. He's not going to do a whole lot in training 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:43.559 camp because they want him fresh. They want to 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:46.019 prepare for the regular season. Okay, cool. No 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:48.960 problem. But as training camp is beginning to 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:52.279 wind down, now we're finding out that Cam Hayward 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.379 has been unhappy with the Steelers because he's 00:10:54.379 --> 00:10:57.139 looking for an extension or at least some form 00:10:57.139 --> 00:11:00.769 of resolution with his contract. Huh? And then 00:11:00.769 --> 00:11:03.389 you go on to post what you post on your story 00:11:03.389 --> 00:11:06.350 and talk about you go places where you're valued 00:11:06.350 --> 00:11:10.070 and all these just subliminal shots at the Steelers. 00:11:10.090 --> 00:11:12.070 Let me tell you something, Cam. Let me be really 00:11:12.070 --> 00:11:17.210 honest with you, bro. Troy Palamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, 00:11:17.470 --> 00:11:22.029 Hines Ward. All Steelers greats. You want to 00:11:22.029 --> 00:11:23.789 know the one thing that they all have in common? 00:11:24.129 --> 00:11:29.110 They were all forced to retire. Forced. But you, 00:11:29.169 --> 00:11:31.610 on the other hand, have the opportunity to continue 00:11:31.610 --> 00:11:34.970 to play for the black and gold. You still have 00:11:34.970 --> 00:11:37.669 the opportunity to get extensions from the black 00:11:37.669 --> 00:11:41.649 and gold. None of those three players were able 00:11:41.649 --> 00:11:45.149 to get that type of treatment. But you are. And 00:11:45.149 --> 00:11:47.110 granted, I understand there's probably some people 00:11:47.110 --> 00:11:50.250 that say, well, T .J. Watt got a deal, so it's 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:51.850 only right that you take care of Cam Hayward. 00:11:51.950 --> 00:11:54.230 Let me tell you something. T .J. Watt has been 00:11:54.230 --> 00:11:57.690 trying to get a deal for two years. Two years. 00:11:57.929 --> 00:12:00.409 And guess what happened? The Steelers realized 00:12:00.409 --> 00:12:03.529 that, hey, we have to take care of TJ Watt because 00:12:03.529 --> 00:12:05.730 clearly he's showing that he's not happy and 00:12:05.730 --> 00:12:07.870 we have to take care of our star player. Because 00:12:07.870 --> 00:12:09.929 if we don't take care of our star player, we're 00:12:09.929 --> 00:12:13.070 going to lose more games than win. So here we 00:12:13.070 --> 00:12:16.750 are. Cam Hayward is undecided on if he wants 00:12:16.750 --> 00:12:19.649 to play on Sunday. See, here's the problem that 00:12:19.649 --> 00:12:23.990 I have with the Steelers, okay? You can't say 00:12:23.990 --> 00:12:26.860 that you're serious about winning. When your 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:31.299 actions don't match up. It's one thing if your 00:12:31.299 --> 00:12:34.840 actions, your mindset, everything that you're 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:37.820 doing is showing that you're serious about winning 00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:40.360 and you're serious about competing for a Super 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:43.639 Bowl. But everything that we've seen from the 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:47.299 Steelers for the past three to five years shows 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:50.179 that they are not serious about winning and they 00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:55.440 are serving Steelers fans lip salad. Every single 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:58.840 season. They are doing the exact same thing that 00:12:58.840 --> 00:13:02.159 the Cowboys are doing. Oh yeah, this is going 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:03.940 to be the year. This is going to be the year 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:05.759 that we're going to go to the Super Bowl. This 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:07.740 is the year we finally start winning playoff 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:10.299 games. This is all we need. We just needed just 00:13:10.299 --> 00:13:13.080 this one player. We can do it. And guess what 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:16.480 happens? Every single year, Turks and Caicos, 00:13:16.740 --> 00:13:24.079 Hawaii, Malibu, Dubai, South Africa, Japan. China, 00:13:24.079 --> 00:13:27.120 Canada, you know, vacation spots because your 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:29.980 season is already over. Not to mention, you now 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:31.860 sort of look like a hypocrite because you know 00:13:31.860 --> 00:13:35.379 why? You were very critical about Aaron Rodgers 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:38.399 early into the offseason when we didn't know 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:41.120 if Aaron Rodgers was going to play or not. And 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:43.299 you were saying either you want to be a Pittsburgh 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:46.480 Steeler or not. You can't say that, but then 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:48.539 you're having a pissy fit because you're not 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:51.919 the top 10 highest paid interior defensive lineman 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:54.159 in the league, or you're not making this amount 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:57.519 of money this year. Who cares? What you need 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:00.419 to be focused on is just trying to win a Super 00:14:00.419 --> 00:14:03.559 Bowl so you can submit your legacy and say, hey, 00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:07.340 listen, I am a first ballot Hall of Famer. Not, 00:14:07.419 --> 00:14:09.940 hey, I got one of the biggest contracts when 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:12.639 I was 36 years old. No one cares about that, 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.049 dawg. Let's talk about this Eagles game, man, 00:14:15.090 --> 00:14:17.690 because we want to talk about something a little 00:14:17.690 --> 00:14:19.889 bit more important than somebody that's just 00:14:19.889 --> 00:14:22.570 upset because I'm not at this point. I'm not 00:14:22.570 --> 00:14:25.309 making this amount of money. No one cares about 00:14:25.309 --> 00:14:27.590 that. But let's talk about it. So Jalen Hurts, 00:14:27.610 --> 00:14:31.529 23 attempts for 19 completions, 152 passing yards, 00:14:31.769 --> 00:14:35.049 6 .6 yards per attempt, and an 82 .6 completion 00:14:35.049 --> 00:14:38.139 percentage. Jalen Hurts again. 14 attempts for 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:41.259 62 rushing yards, 4 .4 rushing yards per carry, 00:14:41.460 --> 00:14:44.440 2 rushing touchdowns, and 1 rush of 10 plus yards 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:47.940 or more. Jahan Dotson, 3 targets for 3 receptions, 00:14:47.980 --> 00:14:51.519 59 receiving yards, and 19 .7 receiving yards 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.779 per reception. Dak Prescott, 34 attempts for 00:14:54.779 --> 00:14:59.139 19 completions, 188 passing yards, 5 .5 yards 00:14:59.139 --> 00:15:01.799 per attempt, and a 61 .8 completion percentage. 00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:05.580 Javante Williams, 15 attempts for 54 rushing 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:08.840 yards. 3 .6 rushing yards per carry, 2 rushing 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:11.639 touchdowns, and 1 rush of 10 plus yards or more. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:15.779 CeeDee Lamb, 13 targets for 7 receptions, 110 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:19.059 receiving yards, and 15 .7 receiving yards per 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:21.879 reception. Now here's some junkie nuggets. According 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:25.759 to the 30 -13, Tyler Booker, Tyler Smith, and 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:28.940 Cooper Beebe each allow 2 pressures and no sacks. 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:32.240 The pressure rate when Jalen Carter is on the 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:36.299 field is 38%, which is 3rd in the league. But 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:39.559 when Jalen Carter isn't on the field, the pressure 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:43.820 rate is 32 .4%, which is 24th in the league. 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.480 During the first half, the Cowboys' pass rush 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:51.519 only created three pressures and no sacks. While 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:55.039 in the second half, they created 11 pressures. 00:15:55.799 --> 00:16:00.159 Due to Jalen Carter getting ejected, Mauro Ojomo 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:04.120 played 29 of 30 snaps and Jordan Davis played 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:09.210 26. Since 2016, the Eagles haven't played two 00:16:09.210 --> 00:16:13.250 defensive tackles, 85 % of snaps in a game. Now, 00:16:13.269 --> 00:16:14.970 the first half, we all know what happened, all 00:16:14.970 --> 00:16:16.629 right? So let's just talk about it. Jalen Carter 00:16:16.629 --> 00:16:19.549 gets ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott. I'm 00:16:19.549 --> 00:16:21.330 just going to be completely honest with you guys. 00:16:22.049 --> 00:16:24.129 Eagles fans, you may hate me. You're probably 00:16:24.129 --> 00:16:25.649 going to turn it off at this point. That's perfectly 00:16:25.649 --> 00:16:27.009 fine. Thank you for listening to the Football 00:16:27.009 --> 00:16:29.330 Junkies podcast. I hope to see you in the next 00:16:29.330 --> 00:16:31.470 episode, okay? But let's just be honest here. 00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:34.210 Jalen Carter spitting on Dak was unnecessary. 00:16:35.470 --> 00:16:38.309 And I understand Dak said, well, I spit all the 00:16:38.309 --> 00:16:41.169 time. This is something I do. Why are we spitting? 00:16:41.490 --> 00:16:44.730 Why are we spitting? This is the first game of 00:16:44.730 --> 00:16:48.570 the 2025 season, and you're already getting ejected, 00:16:48.570 --> 00:16:52.769 Jalen Carter. For what? For what? What are we 00:16:52.769 --> 00:16:56.529 doing? That was unnecessary. And by doing so, 00:16:56.649 --> 00:16:59.350 you almost costed your team to lose the game. 00:16:59.429 --> 00:17:02.429 Because let's be real here, folks. Right now, 00:17:02.549 --> 00:17:06.009 Jerry Jones has been right. And I hate to say 00:17:06.009 --> 00:17:09.089 it, but Jerry has been right. If it wasn't for 00:17:09.089 --> 00:17:11.750 Miles Sanders fumbling the ball and the game 00:17:11.750 --> 00:17:14.490 going into a delay, the Cowboys would have beaten 00:17:14.490 --> 00:17:17.269 the Eagles. I guarantee it. Because the Cowboys 00:17:17.269 --> 00:17:19.589 offense was starting to cook. The Eagles couldn't 00:17:19.589 --> 00:17:22.710 stop Javante Williams. If there was a game MVP 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:25.170 like how they do with 2K and Madden, it would 00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:27.569 be Javante Williams because he was on a tear. 00:17:28.109 --> 00:17:30.089 But I'm going to save that for later. So starting 00:17:30.089 --> 00:17:32.190 off in the first half, you know, the Cowboys 00:17:32.190 --> 00:17:35.230 run game was definitely strong. You can definitely 00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:38.569 see why having Jalen Carter is very important 00:17:38.569 --> 00:17:41.569 on the field because Javante Williams was just 00:17:41.569 --> 00:17:43.549 running everywhere and the Eagles couldn't stop 00:17:43.549 --> 00:17:46.509 it. Then you have the pass interference on the 00:17:46.509 --> 00:17:49.130 Dory Jackson, which was very much unnecessary. 00:17:49.569 --> 00:17:51.950 And even then, when you really think about it, 00:17:52.049 --> 00:17:55.009 if I'm Dak Prescott. I'm putting it up in the 00:17:55.009 --> 00:17:57.450 air because you know why? Outside of Quinion 00:17:57.450 --> 00:18:00.150 Mitchell, what other corner do you have to worry 00:18:00.150 --> 00:18:03.710 about? Respectfully, disrespectfully. Okay, Quinion 00:18:03.710 --> 00:18:06.390 Mitchell is lining up against George Piggins, 00:18:06.450 --> 00:18:08.329 for instance. Okay, CeeDee Lamb, get open. I'm 00:18:08.329 --> 00:18:09.589 going to throw it to you. I'm going to throw 00:18:09.589 --> 00:18:12.250 it to you as many times as I possibly can. Vice 00:18:12.250 --> 00:18:15.210 versa. Because Quinion Mitchell is only one guy. 00:18:15.329 --> 00:18:18.269 There's nobody else in the Eagles secondary that 00:18:18.269 --> 00:18:20.450 you really have to worry about. Something that 00:18:20.450 --> 00:18:23.619 we do need to talk about is... The Cowboys' run 00:18:23.619 --> 00:18:27.720 defense and just the pass rush as a whole wasn't 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:30.400 doing enough in the first half. They wasn't creating 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:32.880 enough pressure. They wasn't going after Jalen 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.980 Hurts. They was basically ghost on the field. 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:39.779 And so now you're seeing the effect of not having 00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:42.460 Micah Parsons. Because if Micah Parsons is on 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:44.720 the field, guess what? He's at least getting 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:48.460 maybe one or two sacks on Jalen Hurts. At least. 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:51.880 And if he's not getting it, then somebody else 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:54.319 is getting it. So moving into the second half, 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:56.440 the Cowboys' pass rush starts to get a little 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:59.019 bit better. Now, is it enough to throw Jalen 00:18:59.019 --> 00:19:02.420 Hurts off? No. I think they still need another 00:19:02.420 --> 00:19:05.440 pass rusher that's just step up to do something 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:08.720 because right now, nobody's doing it. Kenny Clark, 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:11.359 sure, he was effective, but it wasn't enough. 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:14.720 Sam Williams, it wasn't enough. Naming any person 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:17.410 on that defensive line, it wasn't enough. And 00:19:17.410 --> 00:19:19.910 then you have Miles Sanders, he has this big 00:19:19.910 --> 00:19:22.730 run, and then a couple plays later, he fumbles. 00:19:22.950 --> 00:19:26.130 If the Cowboys didn't fumble, they could have 00:19:26.130 --> 00:19:29.369 easily tied the game up. Because at that point, 00:19:29.390 --> 00:19:32.309 the Cowboys were starting to cook, and the Eagles 00:19:32.309 --> 00:19:34.670 were starting to lag a little bit. And I think 00:19:34.670 --> 00:19:36.390 that's something we also need to talk about as 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:38.890 well. Whoever this offensive coordinator is, 00:19:39.130 --> 00:19:41.990 I am very concerned with him. And I understand 00:19:41.990 --> 00:19:44.690 this is just the first game, but I am very concerned 00:19:44.690 --> 00:19:47.569 with him moving forward. Because here you are 00:19:47.569 --> 00:19:49.829 having your first opponent being the Cowboys. 00:19:49.910 --> 00:19:53.150 A Cowboys team who, by the way, doesn't have 00:19:53.150 --> 00:19:56.109 Micah Parsons, who only has Trevon Diggs and 00:19:56.109 --> 00:20:00.089 Deron Bland. But you have A .J. Brown, Jahan 00:20:00.089 --> 00:20:03.589 Dotson, Devontae Smith, John Mechie, Dallas Goddard, 00:20:03.690 --> 00:20:06.990 Saquon. And you mean to tell me you're not testing 00:20:06.990 --> 00:20:09.970 Trevon Diggs? You're not testing Deron Bland? 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:13.390 Are you serious? And I know A .J. Brown was really 00:20:13.390 --> 00:20:16.630 upset because he only got one pass thrown to 00:20:16.630 --> 00:20:18.690 him. And by the time he got the ball, it was 00:20:18.690 --> 00:20:20.670 towards the end of the game. Like, what are we 00:20:20.670 --> 00:20:23.930 doing? There's nobody in the Cowboys secondary 00:20:23.930 --> 00:20:27.730 that is a problem. So you have to at least try 00:20:27.730 --> 00:20:30.769 it. Now, if you try two or three times and every 00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:32.710 time it turns to a pick, okay, fine. We're going 00:20:32.710 --> 00:20:34.930 back to just running the ball. But if you're 00:20:34.930 --> 00:20:37.930 testing it and it's working, who's really complaining? 00:20:38.430 --> 00:20:41.299 Nobody. But... Let's keep this thing going. So 00:20:41.299 --> 00:20:44.539 we hit the two -minute warning. Cowboys can convert 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:47.700 on a crucial fourth down. Hurts extends the play 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:50.319 to get a crucial first down and essentially seal 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:53.299 the game. And that's it. My takeaway from this 00:20:53.299 --> 00:20:56.640 game is the Eagles need to be concerned about 00:20:56.640 --> 00:20:59.559 Jalen Carter moving forward. I don't know what 00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:01.519 they need to do, but they need to bring in a 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.660 veteran presence because clearly there's not 00:21:04.660 --> 00:21:06.960 enough structure on that defense to keep Jalen 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:09.829 Carter in check. Because if a Brandon Graham 00:21:09.829 --> 00:21:12.490 was on that team, I guarantee you that wouldn't 00:21:12.490 --> 00:21:15.589 have happened. But I will say this. The Cowboys 00:21:15.589 --> 00:21:18.769 show that, hey, we can put up a fight. We may 00:21:18.769 --> 00:21:20.849 not make it to the playoffs. We may not make 00:21:20.849 --> 00:21:23.150 it to the Super Bowl. But we still got some fight 00:21:23.150 --> 00:21:26.829 in us. And I think that's good. I think Dak Prescott 00:21:26.829 --> 00:21:29.950 needs to work more on his relationship with George 00:21:29.950 --> 00:21:32.950 Pickens. I feel like that defense needs to be 00:21:32.950 --> 00:21:35.430 more creative in trying to create constant pressure 00:21:35.430 --> 00:21:38.619 while getting to the quarterback. And I feel 00:21:38.619 --> 00:21:41.660 like they may need to make a major move within 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:44.180 the secondary, probably by the trade deadline. 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:46.400 And I'll just leave it there because if I just 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:49.099 continue to go on, I'll be talking about this 00:21:49.099 --> 00:21:51.480 for 30 or 40 minutes. It's not worth it. But 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:54.720 we have football to talk about on Sunday, folks. 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:58.259 That's right. Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. So let's 00:21:58.259 --> 00:22:00.859 start with the Steelers and Jets preview. So 00:22:00.859 --> 00:22:03.579 four things I'm looking out for. How will an 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:06.269 Aaron Rodgers -led Steelers offense look? How 00:22:06.269 --> 00:22:08.269 will the Jets offensive line hold up against 00:22:08.269 --> 00:22:11.190 the Steelers defensive line? How will both tackles 00:22:11.190 --> 00:22:14.710 from both teams look? And how will a Justin Fields 00:22:14.710 --> 00:22:18.250 -led offense look? Let's be real here, folks. 00:22:18.430 --> 00:22:21.609 This is the first time that Justin Fields will 00:22:21.609 --> 00:22:24.710 have control over an offense. No longer will 00:22:24.710 --> 00:22:27.250 it be somebody else's offense that's just going 00:22:27.250 --> 00:22:29.250 to be tweaked a little bit just for Justin Fields. 00:22:29.349 --> 00:22:32.670 No, this is strictly an offense for Justin Fields. 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:36.940 I want to see how both Troy Furtano and Broderick 00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:39.680 Jones is going to look, as well as Alouf Vachonou 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:42.460 and Armin Membu, because I feel like a lot is 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:45.859 riding on both of these tackle duos. How will 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:48.240 the Jets' offensive line hold up, especially 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.140 with them losing Elijah Vera Tucker? Because 00:22:51.140 --> 00:22:53.980 I've heard that Joe Tittman may be moved in at 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:57.400 guard. Chuksa Korfo might be playing somewhere. 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:00.220 I don't know how that's going to work, but let's 00:23:00.220 --> 00:23:02.539 just see what happens. And this is going to be 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:04.680 the first time where we're going to see DK Metcalf, 00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:08.039 Aaron Rodgers, John New Smith, and company finally 00:23:08.039 --> 00:23:11.099 on the field playing together. So I want to see 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:13.579 how all of this is going to work. But here's 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:16.480 some junkie nuggets. So according to NFL Pro, 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:19.799 in 2024, Aaron Glenn played the highest amount 00:23:19.799 --> 00:23:23.460 of man coverage in the league at 47 .7%. So we 00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:26.220 all know that they're going to be in man coverage 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:29.019 a lot. But are they going to disguise it in a 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:32.180 way? that's gonna throw Aaron Rodgers off. I'm 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:33.779 actually curious to see how Aaron Rodgers is 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:36.420 gonna play on Sunday. Last season, DK Metcalf 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:39.079 faced the fifth highest press man coverage rate 00:23:39.079 --> 00:23:43.019 at 35%, but had the fifth lowest catch rate at 00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:48.019 33 .3%, and only hauled in seven out of 21 targets. 00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:51.740 Since entering the league, Justin Fields has 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:55.480 the longest time to throw rate at 3 .10 seconds. 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:58.460 Aaron Rodgers averaged the fifth highest time 00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:02.000 to throw rate, at 2 .6 seconds and attempted 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:06.619 to pass in under 2 .5 seconds on 52 .2 % of his 00:24:06.619 --> 00:24:09.299 attempts, which is the third highest in the league. 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:12.500 Tanner Engstrang had the third highest 13 personnel 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:16.759 rate in the league at 13 .3 % and averaged 6 00:24:16.759 --> 00:24:19.539 .2 yards per play, which is the fifth most in 00:24:19.539 --> 00:24:21.799 the league. When Cam Hayward is on the field, 00:24:22.269 --> 00:24:25.849 The Steelers generated a 36 .1 % pressure rate, 00:24:25.849 --> 00:24:28.410 which is the eighth highest in the league, compared 00:24:28.410 --> 00:24:32.309 to 31 % pressure rate, which is 28th in the league 00:24:32.309 --> 00:24:35.490 when he isn't on the field. I will say this, 00:24:35.769 --> 00:24:38.109 Justin Fields isn't going to get a lot of chances 00:24:38.109 --> 00:24:40.210 to throw the ball. Most likely, they're going 00:24:40.210 --> 00:24:43.450 to run the hell out of the ball, and rightfully 00:24:43.450 --> 00:24:46.230 so, because with Elijah Veritaker going down 00:24:46.230 --> 00:24:48.490 for the season, and Joel Tittman being moved 00:24:48.490 --> 00:24:51.420 to guard, You want to at least try to run the 00:24:51.420 --> 00:24:54.220 ball as much as you can, because for one, we 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:56.500 all know Justin Fields holds onto the ball too 00:24:56.500 --> 00:24:58.940 long, and you really can't do that against this 00:24:58.940 --> 00:25:01.579 pass rush. So they're going to try to take it 00:25:01.579 --> 00:25:04.480 out of Justin Fields' hands as much as possible. 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:07.460 My prediction for this game is it's going to 00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:10.599 be close, but it's not going to be too close, 00:25:10.660 --> 00:25:13.380 if that makes sense. I do believe Aaron Rodgers 00:25:13.380 --> 00:25:15.640 is going to show some magic. And I think he's 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:17.640 going to make one crazy play that's going to 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:19.119 seal the game. You heard it here first on the 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:21.960 Football Junkies podcast. Now, let's go to the 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:25.279 Ravens and Bills preview, okay? So, four things 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:28.420 I'm keeping my eye on. Can the Ravens start off 00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:32.849 hot? And I mean hot. I'm talking about the pass 00:25:32.849 --> 00:25:36.329 game is on fire. The run game is on fire. Mark 00:25:36.329 --> 00:25:39.089 Andrews is doing his thing. Keaton Mitchell is 00:25:39.089 --> 00:25:41.390 doing his thing. Lamar is just putting on a clinic. 00:25:41.529 --> 00:25:44.529 I want to see will this Ravens offense start 00:25:44.529 --> 00:25:47.390 off hot. How successful will the Bills defensive 00:25:47.390 --> 00:25:49.890 line put up against Derrick Henry? Because I've 00:25:49.890 --> 00:25:52.769 seen a lot of people say, well, there's no need 00:25:52.769 --> 00:25:55.630 to worry about Derrick Henry. That's a lie. That 00:25:55.630 --> 00:25:58.319 is a bold -faced lie. Because you know why? If 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:00.359 the Bills weren't concerned about Derrick Henry, 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:02.500 why would you double dip at defensive tackle 00:26:02.500 --> 00:26:04.779 in the draft? I'll let you think about that. 00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:07.000 How would the Bills secondary look? Brandon, 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:09.339 I understand they have DeMar Hamlin. They brought 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:11.559 back Tredavious White and then they drafted Maxwell 00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:14.339 Harrison. But I want to see how this secondary 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:16.700 is going to look. And I want to see who's going 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:19.119 to be matched up against who. Is it going to 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:22.660 be Tredavious White against Zay Flowers? or Tredavious 00:26:22.660 --> 00:26:24.519 White against Rashad Bateman. It's going to be 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:27.299 a really good matchup, folks. And how will both 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:31.019 Lamar and Josh Allen look in this game? I do 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:33.319 believe that Lamar is coming into this game with 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:35.119 a little bit of a chip on his shoulder because 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:38.279 I think Lamar believes that he should have won 00:26:38.279 --> 00:26:41.279 the MVP, and rightfully so. But we all know, 00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:43.640 and we've all seen the last few years in different 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:46.900 sports, that they'll just give an MVP to somebody 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:48.960 just because they don't want to see the other 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:51.259 person get another one. But that's another story 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:53.460 for another day. But here's some junkie nuggets. 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:57.859 So according to NFL Pro, in 2024, Gregory Russo 00:26:57.859 --> 00:27:01.220 created 59 pressures, which was more than any 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:04.220 other Bills defender. During their week four 00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:08.079 matchup, Josh Allen was pressured 44 .1 % on 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:11.000 his dropbacks, which was the second highest in 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:14.039 a game last season. despite being blitzed on 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:18.200 23 .5 % of his dropbacks. Do I think the Ravens 00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:20.279 are going to be successful in bringing down Josh 00:27:20.279 --> 00:27:23.460 Allen? Maybe once or twice, but I don't think 00:27:23.460 --> 00:27:26.279 it's going to be a relentless type of blitzing 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:28.000 that the Ravens are going to use against Josh 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:30.059 Allen, because we all know that Josh Allen got 00:27:30.059 --> 00:27:32.839 wheels, so you can't really do that. When facing 00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:37.420 the blitz, Lamar and Josh Allen threw 16 touchdowns 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:40.039 last season, which was the second most in the 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:43.539 NFL. Baker Mayfield had the most. When facing 00:27:43.539 --> 00:27:46.940 the Blitz, Lamar and Zae Flowers connected for 00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:51.680 528 yards, which was the second most by any receiver 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:55.099 -quarterback duo. Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson 00:27:55.099 --> 00:28:01.119 had 623 yards. During the 2024 season, the Ravens 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:05.039 used under center formations on 29 .1 % of their 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:08.519 plays, the highest of any season since drafting 00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:12.119 Lamar Jackson. I think this is going to be a 00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:15.759 down -to -the -wire, heavyweight bout type of 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:20.220 fight. But I will say this. The Ravens need this 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:22.400 game more than the Bills, and let me explain 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:25.700 why. The Ravens need to start off hot, and they 00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:28.420 need to do this against another Super Bowl contender. 00:28:28.460 --> 00:28:30.980 They need to shut people up and say, hey, listen, 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:34.220 they may have beaten us last year, but that's 00:28:34.220 --> 00:28:36.259 not going to happen this year. You need to send 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:39.940 a message. to all the other Super Bowl contenders, 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:43.220 whether it be NFC or AFC, that, hey, listen, 00:28:43.380 --> 00:28:46.519 this is our year. We understand that the past 00:28:46.519 --> 00:28:48.980 few years, we've been in better positions and 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:52.599 we failed all the time. But this year, this year 00:28:52.599 --> 00:28:55.119 is different. And we're not going to allow the 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:57.460 Bills to start things off on the right foot. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:02.500 They need to have a strong performance on both 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:05.240 sides of the ball. The offense needs to be dominant, 00:29:05.299 --> 00:29:08.720 and the defense needs to limit Josh Allen as 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:12.559 much as possible. Now, when we look at the Bills' 00:29:12.579 --> 00:29:15.920 side, however, I think the defense needs to prove 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:19.680 that, hey, we can create pressure, we can be 00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:22.539 successful in stopping the run, while at the 00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:25.559 same time making turnovers and putting ourselves 00:29:25.559 --> 00:29:28.640 in a better position. Because I really don't 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:30.380 believe this defense. I don't think this defense 00:29:30.380 --> 00:29:33.079 is going to be super effective this season. I 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:35.299 just feel like, personally, their secondary is 00:29:35.299 --> 00:29:37.680 probably one of their weak spots on this defense. 00:29:38.140 --> 00:29:41.559 And I feel like with Joey Bosa not playing this 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:44.819 game, I'm a little bit skeptical on how they're 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:46.480 going to be able to create constant pressure. 00:29:46.660 --> 00:29:49.720 But only time will tell. Now let's talk about 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:52.059 the Dolphins versus the Colts, okay? So four 00:29:52.059 --> 00:29:55.019 things I'm looking out for. How will the Dolphins' 00:29:55.059 --> 00:29:57.539 old line hold up against the Colts' pass rush? 00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:02.420 How will a Daniel Jones -led offense look? How 00:30:02.420 --> 00:30:05.819 will the Dolphins' pass rush look? And what edge 00:30:05.819 --> 00:30:08.119 will the Dolphins' offense have this season? 00:30:08.660 --> 00:30:11.279 I'm going to be really honest with you. This 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:16.000 Dolphins' offensive line is beat up. And I really 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:18.000 don't believe it. And I would have thought by 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:20.200 now Chris Greer would have at least made one 00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:22.779 or two good additions to the offensive line to 00:30:22.779 --> 00:30:25.920 say, hey, Although this may be considered patchwork, 00:30:26.059 --> 00:30:30.980 it's good patchwork. But right now, I'm very 00:30:30.980 --> 00:30:33.240 skeptical about this offensive line moving forward. 00:30:33.740 --> 00:30:36.460 And I'm very concerned about Tua moving forward 00:30:36.460 --> 00:30:39.039 because this offensive line is going up against 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:42.359 a defensive line that has Latu Latu, Quidi Pei, 00:30:42.940 --> 00:30:45.960 JT Tumalau, who they just drafted this year, 00:30:46.059 --> 00:30:48.920 and DeForest Buckner. I don't think this offensive 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:51.079 line can stop them. I'm just going to be completely 00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:54.720 honest here. I've seen crazier things. Now with 00:30:54.720 --> 00:30:57.940 this being Daniel Jones' first time being a starter 00:30:57.940 --> 00:31:01.039 since leaving the Giants, I want to see does 00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:03.779 he have the juice. Because I want to see can 00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:07.539 Daniel Jones run this offense successfully. Because 00:31:07.539 --> 00:31:10.720 I think the bar is set pretty low for him. I 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:14.240 think if Daniel Jones plays at an average to 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:17.619 slightly above average, I think the team can 00:31:17.619 --> 00:31:21.400 make that work. However... If we start seeing 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:23.480 a lot of the problems that we saw when he was 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:27.200 with the Giants start to emerge again, then we 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:28.960 might have to have another conversation about 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:31.700 the Colts. Because I think right now, I think 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:33.880 their mindset going into the regular season is, 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:36.259 let's just make it through the season so that 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:38.500 we can draft a quarterback next year. Which, 00:31:38.579 --> 00:31:42.589 I don't blame them. When we look at the Dolphins' 00:31:42.609 --> 00:31:45.369 pass rush, with them acquiring Matthew Judon 00:31:45.369 --> 00:31:48.109 via free agency, and Jalen Phillips coming back, 00:31:48.190 --> 00:31:50.930 as well as Bradley Chubb, I want to see can those 00:31:50.930 --> 00:31:53.849 three create enough pressure to really go after 00:31:53.849 --> 00:31:56.569 the quarterback. And I also want to see can Kenneth 00:31:56.569 --> 00:31:59.190 Grant be the wrecking ball that he was at Michigan. 00:31:59.390 --> 00:32:02.109 Because I think if that defensive line can actually 00:32:02.109 --> 00:32:04.250 create a lot of pressure and really go after 00:32:04.250 --> 00:32:06.650 the quarterback, I think the defense could be 00:32:06.650 --> 00:32:08.660 in a really good shape. Because I mean, you have 00:32:08.660 --> 00:32:10.920 Megan Fitzpatrick, you have Jack Jones, like 00:32:10.920 --> 00:32:14.319 they've done a lot with this defense. And I think 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:17.039 they can make it work, but it all relies on the 00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:20.079 pass rush. Now on to the final game, and that 00:32:20.079 --> 00:32:23.240 is the Giants versus Commanders, okay? So four 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:26.220 things to watch out for. How effective will the 00:32:26.220 --> 00:32:29.140 Commanders pass rush be? How will the Giants 00:32:29.140 --> 00:32:31.880 use Abdul Carter? How will the Commanders use 00:32:31.880 --> 00:32:34.700 Deebo Samuel? And how will Russell Wilson look? 00:32:35.690 --> 00:32:37.890 So when we talk about the pass rush for the commanders, 00:32:38.250 --> 00:32:41.089 you have Frankie Lou Vu, you now have Von Miller, 00:32:41.289 --> 00:32:44.170 you still have Deron Payne, you have Johnny Newton. 00:32:44.509 --> 00:32:47.309 I want to see how this pass rush is going to 00:32:47.309 --> 00:32:50.509 look because I think Von Miller can still be 00:32:50.509 --> 00:32:53.519 a really effective pass rusher. to the point 00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:55.400 where I believe that the Giants will probably 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:58.920 run 12 and 13 personnel a lot because they want 00:32:58.920 --> 00:33:01.880 to try to mitigate his presence as well as Frankie 00:33:01.880 --> 00:33:04.819 Luvu's and Deron Payne's. Now, as far as the 00:33:04.819 --> 00:33:07.599 Giants using Abdul Carter, I want to see how 00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:09.480 the formation is going to look. I want to see 00:33:09.480 --> 00:33:11.720 where he's going to be lined up at because you're 00:33:11.720 --> 00:33:14.440 going to have Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeau, 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:17.859 himself, and Dexter Lawrence. At least two of 00:33:17.859 --> 00:33:19.759 those pass rushers is going to get after the 00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:22.099 quarterback, and I can't wait to see it. Pardon 00:33:22.099 --> 00:33:24.339 the interruption, but this is your GM, your bag 00:33:24.339 --> 00:33:27.119 road dominance, here to talk about rss .com, 00:33:27.160 --> 00:33:29.559 all right? So if you guys already don't know, 00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:32.599 I am a rss .com affiliate. And so I just want 00:33:32.599 --> 00:33:35.759 to tell you for just a quick moment about why 00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:39.079 you should choose rss .com. So me personally, 00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:41.759 on my journey of podcasting, I was looking at 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:45.200 different platforms just to find the right place. 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:47.940 And I looked here, I looked there, I looked everywhere, 00:33:48.039 --> 00:33:51.440 but I checked out rss .com and it was the best 00:33:51.440 --> 00:33:54.980 decision I ever made. From low prices to interactive 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:58.019 analytics to as well as helping you with your 00:33:58.019 --> 00:34:01.980 distribution, rss .com does it all. Not to mention, 00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:05.400 they just started a Slack channel where you can 00:34:05.400 --> 00:34:08.300 network and interact with other podcasters and 00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:10.820 even get some insightful tips on how you can 00:34:10.820 --> 00:34:15.559 increase your podcast even more. Also, RSS .com 00:34:15.559 --> 00:34:18.480 just launched their paid ads program. So now 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:22.239 you can get paid for posting your content. Not 00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:26.380 to mention, all you have to do is just have 10 00:34:26.380 --> 00:34:29.679 downloads and you're qualified for it. Who would 00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:32.219 want to get paid for doing something that they're 00:34:32.219 --> 00:34:35.329 passionate about doing? So head on over to rss 00:34:35.329 --> 00:34:39.010 .com. I will be attaching my RSS affiliate link 00:34:39.010 --> 00:34:41.570 within the description. When you click on that 00:34:41.570 --> 00:34:44.309 link, I will be able to receive some compensation 00:34:44.309 --> 00:34:47.150 for it. And with that compensation, I will be 00:34:47.150 --> 00:34:49.670 able to give you guys a better product. A lot 00:34:49.670 --> 00:34:52.389 of that money will go towards upgrading the microphones, 00:34:52.769 --> 00:34:55.969 computers, new subscriptions for more analytical 00:34:55.969 --> 00:34:59.030 information that we can use for future podcasts, 00:34:59.269 --> 00:35:01.670 all of that and more. Thank you for your support 00:35:01.670 --> 00:35:04.550 and thank you RSS .com for making me an affiliate. 00:35:04.829 --> 00:35:07.289 Now back to the good stuff. Let's talk about 00:35:07.289 --> 00:35:09.610 Debo Samuel and his role on this team. So with 00:35:09.610 --> 00:35:11.269 Terry McLaurin coming back to the commanders, 00:35:11.610 --> 00:35:14.190 I want to see how they're going to use him. I 00:35:14.190 --> 00:35:16.510 want to see are they going to use him the same 00:35:16.510 --> 00:35:18.889 way that the 49ers use him, which is sort of 00:35:18.889 --> 00:35:22.030 like that Swiss Army knife. You can double as 00:35:22.030 --> 00:35:24.969 a running back. We can put you in the slot. We 00:35:24.969 --> 00:35:26.889 can put you in the outside. I want to see how 00:35:26.889 --> 00:35:29.170 that's going to work because I feel like. With 00:35:29.170 --> 00:35:31.949 the addition of Deebo Samuel, I think this is 00:35:31.949 --> 00:35:34.150 going to expand the offense a little bit more. 00:35:34.309 --> 00:35:36.030 Now, am I saying you're going to get the same 00:35:36.030 --> 00:35:39.449 production that the 49ers got from him? No, but 00:35:39.449 --> 00:35:41.710 I do believe that's another weapon for Jaden 00:35:41.710 --> 00:35:45.250 Daniels that he can rely on moving forward. Now, 00:35:45.250 --> 00:35:48.789 with Russell Wilson, we all know that he started 00:35:48.789 --> 00:35:51.269 off really strong last year against the Steelers, 00:35:51.289 --> 00:35:54.269 and then he just fell off. But the question is, 00:35:54.309 --> 00:35:56.670 will Russell Wilson be able to maintain a level 00:35:56.670 --> 00:35:59.809 of consistency with the Giants? Because I think 00:35:59.809 --> 00:36:03.570 if he's just slightly above average, I think 00:36:03.570 --> 00:36:06.469 this Giants team can make a lot of noise. But 00:36:06.469 --> 00:36:09.510 if you see a lot of the problems that you saw 00:36:09.510 --> 00:36:11.329 when he was with the Steelers last year start 00:36:11.329 --> 00:36:15.230 to emerge, then we might be in trouble. Then 00:36:15.230 --> 00:36:18.690 we might be having to talk about, Jackson Darn 00:36:18.690 --> 00:36:21.309 might have to come in or Seamus Winston might 00:36:21.309 --> 00:36:23.659 have to come in. But let's talk about these junkie 00:36:23.659 --> 00:36:25.860 nuggets, all right? So the Commander's defense 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:29.139 allowed 17 touchdowns on deep passes during the 00:36:29.139 --> 00:36:32.739 2023 season, four more than any defense in the 00:36:32.739 --> 00:36:37.860 season since 2016. Brian Burns generated 66 pressures. 00:36:38.360 --> 00:36:41.079 So we all know that Brian Burns is going to do 00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:44.219 his thing. But the question is, is there going 00:36:44.219 --> 00:36:47.440 to be a formation where it's Brian Burns and... 00:36:47.739 --> 00:36:50.699 abdul carter or brian burns and kayvon thibodeau 00:36:50.699 --> 00:36:54.119 or kayvon thibodeau and abdul carter how was 00:36:54.119 --> 00:36:56.500 that going to look the commander's defense used 00:36:56.500 --> 00:36:59.679 man blitzes against 22 of their opponents dropbacks 00:36:59.679 --> 00:37:03.280 which was the third highest rate in the nfl when 00:37:03.280 --> 00:37:06.360 dexter lawrence was on the field the giants created 00:37:06.360 --> 00:37:10.280 a 27 .5 pressure to sack conversion rate which 00:37:10.280 --> 00:37:12.920 was higher than the ravens pressure to sack conversion 00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:16.840 rate at 24 .4 percent The Giants offense used 00:37:16.840 --> 00:37:20.880 spread formation on 36 .2 % of their plays, which 00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:23.960 was the third highest rate in the league. Deebo 00:37:23.960 --> 00:37:26.619 Samuel was one of two receivers to have played 00:37:26.619 --> 00:37:30.260 150 plus snaps when a line in the backfield, 00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:34.800 slot, wide out, and tight on at least 5 % of 00:37:34.800 --> 00:37:37.780 the snaps. The other receiver was Jaden Reed. 00:37:38.019 --> 00:37:40.380 Now we all know with divisional games, they're 00:37:40.380 --> 00:37:43.440 very close and they're very competitive. I expect 00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:45.820 this game to be a back and forth type of game 00:37:45.820 --> 00:37:48.960 going down to the wire. Might have to make a 00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:51.219 field goal kick just to seal the game, but I 00:37:51.219 --> 00:37:53.679 can't wait for Sunday. But I'm going to end this 00:37:53.679 --> 00:37:55.519 episode here. If you guys like what you're listening, 00:37:55.699 --> 00:37:57.519 please, please, please, please, please make sure 00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:00.539 you guys download the episode, share the episodes 00:38:00.539 --> 00:38:02.940 with somebody else that loves football just as 00:38:02.940 --> 00:38:06.360 much as we do. All right. 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Let me know your thoughts on anything 00:38:39.489 --> 00:38:41.809 and everything that I have covered in this episode, 00:38:41.929 --> 00:38:44.170 okay? Am I right or wrong about Cam Hayward? 00:38:44.269 --> 00:38:46.429 Am I right or wrong about the Cowboys and Eagles 00:38:46.429 --> 00:38:48.670 game? Am I right or wrong with any of the games 00:38:48.670 --> 00:38:51.469 that I have covered prior to Sunday? Please let 00:38:51.469 --> 00:38:54.550 me know. But while you're on our YouTube, Football 00:38:54.550 --> 00:38:58.420 Junkies Pod, Football Junkies Pod. You go in 00:38:58.420 --> 00:39:00.500 our bio, there is a link tree. 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Now for my Instagram people, all right? 00:39:33.409 --> 00:39:35.590 Football underscore junkies pod, all right? Football 00:39:35.590 --> 00:39:38.090 underscore junkies pod. Junkies pod is not what? 00:39:43.170 --> 00:39:47.739 It is together. not spaced. It is together, not 00:39:47.739 --> 00:39:50.780 spaced. Football underscore junkies pod. All 00:39:50.780 --> 00:39:54.320 right. Now for my ex people slash Twitter, GM 00:39:54.320 --> 00:39:59.980 Kale. All right. G M K A I L E. I always post 00:39:59.980 --> 00:40:03.679 all of my clips, my hot takes. I may even interact 00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:06.239 with a few fans on. you know, various different 00:40:06.239 --> 00:40:08.179 things and whatnot. So go ahead and follow me 00:40:08.179 --> 00:40:11.320 over there as well as on Blue Sky, G -M -K -I 00:40:11.320 --> 00:40:15.340 -L, all right? G -M -K -I -L -E. Now for my TikTok 00:40:15.340 --> 00:40:18.159 people, Football Junkies Pod, all right? Football 00:40:18.159 --> 00:40:20.980 Junkies Pod. I got some clips that I gotta post. 00:40:21.179 --> 00:40:24.000 Stay tuned for that. I may post them today or 00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:27.219 tomorrow, but they will be posted fairly soon. 00:40:27.719 --> 00:40:29.760 But just stay tuned for that. But as always, 00:40:29.900 --> 00:40:31.559 I hope I gave you guys the fix that you guys 00:40:31.559 --> 00:40:33.760 need. I love you guys. I appreciate you guys 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:35.739 so much. Thank you guys so much for listening 00:40:35.739 --> 00:40:38.840 to another episode of The Greatest Football Podcast 00:40:38.840 --> 00:40:40.900 that you can possibly listen to on a week -to 00:40:40.900 --> 00:40:43.860 -week, day -to -day basis, all right? I am your 00:40:43.860 --> 00:40:46.739 GM, Kale, signing out. Peace and love. Later. 00:40:48.619 --> 00:40:52.219 Sunday, folks. Sunday, one o 'clock. Football, 00:40:52.480 --> 00:40:53.139 we're back.