Hello everybody, welcome to Good News York, sponsored
by ads on the go, get ads on the go. It's your
guy, Mike Prendisi, flying solo. Matt is not
in this morning, he had to go to the veterinarian's
for himself, not his animals. So I'm gonna fly
solo. Now as you may know, some of you have been
listening or watching, I'm a big sports fan.
and I did an NFL draft special. It seemed to
go over fairly well, and I made sure to cut clips
of all the things that I got right and not to
show you the things that I got wrong. But I had
a great time doing it, and so I wanted to do
a big Thursday kickoff special tomorrow for the
NFL season. But with Matt being gone, our crack
producer Danny Tripodi came up with the great
idea, let's do it today. So I threw a bunch of
pictures on the table to make it look nice for
you. And I found an old Syracuse Chiefs jersey
in Matt's office. Thanks, Matt. Thanks, Jason
Smoral from the Syracuse Mets. And we're going
to do this thing. Tomorrow night kicks off the
2025 NFL season. I am beyond excited. I'm sure
those of you that follow football are, too. A
fantasy draft season has dwindled down, and it
is time to go. With that being said, before we
get into it, I do want to give you a little bit
of a tease. We had a little bit of a production
meeting yesterday and coming soon, this is a
big announcement. Breaking news! We are going
to be launching, very soon, GNY Sports. That's
right, we've got Good News York, Good News York
Sports. What is that going to be? Well, that
is going to be a one -hour live, well, we might
not start live, but eventually it'll be a live
stream podcast. of just what you think it is.
GNY Sports. It's me, and it's going to be guest
co -hosts, guest athletes and coaches from the
region, maybe eventually some celebrities, who
knows? Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, that's never
gonna happen. But we're gonna have a lot of things
going on in the way of inviting guests on that,
again, are coaches, players. We're going to do
segments. We're going to have people calling
in, possibly, or chiming in via remote broadcast.
And I'm very excited about this. So we are putting
all of that together. Look for that soon. Good
News York, as you know, Monday through Friday.
It airs 5 p .m. Eastern. And then we are going
to be doing GNY sports on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
So look for that. But with that being said, this
is not GNY Sports. This is Good News York. It
is Wednesday and is Mike Brindisi ready to give
you the NFL kickoff special? And I want to start
with some storylines I want to talk about because
there are a lot of storylines throughout the
NFL season, some that we've heard already or
seen and it's been beaten to death. The Trey
Hendrickson debacle, the Shamar Stewart debacle.
I'm noticing a theme with the Bengals. The whole
off -season thing with Micah Parsons, James Cook.
It seems as if the hold -ins were all successful.
So remember that next year when you're sitting
there listening to your team's, you know, radio
show or podcast and they're talking about so
-and -so is doing a hold -in and you start sweating.
Listen, as of right now, the ball is in the players'
court. James Cook held in. That ended very well.
Trey Hendrickson held in. It ended with an extension.
I'd say it's good for now. The Micah Parsons
was a complete failure by Jerry Jones. And people
aren't saying it enough. I think it was a complete
failure by Micah Parsons' agent. Because I think
they could have struck a deal. There's been new
information that's come out that shows that Apparently,
allegedly, the Jerry Jones and the Cowboys had
offered Micah Parsons more guaranteed money than
the Packers actually just gave them, but it was
for a shorter time period. Or maybe, no, I think
it was a year longer. I think, listen, the Green
Bay Packers are one of the most amazing franchises
in all of football, right? We know that. Storied,
respected, all of that. So I think him going
to the Packers is fantastic, especially in that
division. I mean, that shakes things up. But
at the same time, you know, Micah Parsons camp
claims he wanted to be a cowboy and he wanted
to stay a cowboy. And we damn well know all the
fans wanted him to stay a cowboy. Right. Then
he's arguably one of the best defensive players
we've seen in decades. Football players forget
defensive. So I think there was a way that. We
all know there was a way that Michael Parsons
could have stayed in Dallas. And I think it was
more, it was closer than we thought. It's starting
to come out that actually the Cowboys had made
some strides. But listen, Jerry Jones to me is
a cartoon character. It's a dude that's been
riding off the success of the 90s. He's like
that guy you see at the reunion, your high school
reunion who still wears like the letter jacket
and he's living off the... his football days.
Look, the Cowboys were phenomenal in the 90s.
They beat my Buffalo Bills twice in the Super
Bowl, twice in a row. And this whole America's
team bullshit and him coming out recently and
saying, basically admitting in the media, that
a lot of times he's stirring shit up just to
keep the Cowboys in the headlines. And I think
that part... That part of the Cowboys Jerry Jones
is amazing for right like we all know he's a
great owner He's done a lot for the game of football
He was a great owner He's he's done a lot for
the game of football, but you know over the last.
I don't know decade or more it just seems that
he's more focused on the marketing and the Keeping
the Dallas Cowboys in the storylines like I said
and and that's what he admitted so to me That's
a huge aspect of owning a team, marketing. In
fact, when we had Jason Smorel, I'm from the
Syracuse Mets, I'm always like, so tell me what
it's like day to day. And he's like, it's really
not that great. I make sure the toilets flush
and that the beer is cold. Or is that the toilets
are cold and the beer is flushing? Either way.
You know, the job of a GM and the job of an owner
is outside of football operations. It's a lot
of the boring admin stuff. And so, and marketing.
And listen, there's arguably no one better at
marketing. and taking a team and tripling or
quadrupling their value than Jerry Jones. But
when you get down to the football operation side
of it, dude is just, I don't know. I mean, this
Micah Parsons thing could have been done months
ago. And I get that now there's information,
like I said, that they had reached out and offered
more money, but it wasn't in the timeframe that
Micah and the agent wanted. But it seems genuine
that Micah Parsons was absolutely like... What?
I'm being traded? I don't think he knew. I don't
think he thought that it was truly going to happen.
So, man, to be a Dallas sports fan right now,
the Luca Doncius thing, and now Micah Parsons,
it's pretty wild. So with that, a storyline that
is obvious to me to watch, clearly, is in week
four, you've got... The Packers and the Cowboys.
Micah Parsons coming back to Dallas after all
this shit. It is going to be the game of the
week. I should have wrote down. I printed out
the schedule and I forgot to go grab it, but
I don't know what time it is, but it is week
four. That is going to be one to watch. Some
more storylines. Eagles Chiefs week two. Obviously,
it's the Super Bowl rematch. And I have to say,
I have this feeling based on The pedigree that
Patrick Mahomes has and also Seeing him through
the preseason It looks like he is on mission
and that scares the shit out of me because I
think what happened is that they won You know
two out of the last three Super Bowls. I think
it was I Don't they obviously didn't rest on
their laurels because again, they've been back
to three out of the four three the last three
Super Bowls win or lose and It's hard to say
that I think they've rested on their laurels,
but we've seen that the last couple seasons,
that explosive offense hasn't been there since
Tyreek Hill left. What's happened is you've got
one of the greatest offensive coaches in the
history of the NFL at the helm, as well as one
of the greatest quarterbacks of all time who
can do shit that Marvel superheroes can do. And
so with that, they were able to make a kind of
pedestrian offense look great. or not even look
great, just get it done. But as we know, there
was a great thing I saw last season where they
showed if every game that the Kansas City Chiefs
had squeaked out for a win, because there were
like eight to nine games where it was decided
by a missed field goal or a fumble or some bullshit
call by the refs, which is a shocker. And if
you, if they just switched who had won that game,
if it had just bounced the other way for the
other team, Their record was like a losing record.
So I'm not here to say that they didn't deserve
to be in the playoffs. Look, we're in the middle
of the dynasty, right? I get it. They're great.
But this is the first time I just, I hear it
and I see it in my homes since, you know, he
came into the NFL where I think he's as hungry
as he was when he first started. Do I think that
offense is going to get back to the, you know,
high flying 30, 40 point offense? No. Rashid
Rice is out for the first couple of games. Xavier
Worthy to me is a great piece on an offense.
I don't think he's strong enough to be a number
one, but I think he can get it done. And then,
of course, you got Travis Kelsey. And don't sleep
on the backup tight end. He is... Noah... Now
I'm blanking out. But the backup tight end for
the Kansas City Chiefs is a guy who's already
kind of showed that he's NFL ready and he can
kind of pick up where Kelsey left off, but...
Kelsey too has come out in the news saying that,
you know, he's got arrested on his laurels and
he was too focused on working on his acting career.
So I think they're going to come out with a vengeance,
which scares the shit out of me because my team
has been haunted by the Chiefs. They can't get
over the hump with the Chiefs. And that's without
them being pissed off. So brings me back to week
two. You've got a Super Bowl matchup in the Eagles
versus Chiefs. I think that's going to be great.
Lions commanders week 10, I got that circled
because going into the NFC conference championship
last season, it was a big surprise that the commanders
were there because it was a team that had just
started to turn a terrible franchise, turn it
back around. A great coach and Dan Quinn, great
ownership, which is where it always starts. Obviously,
Jaden Daniels, a rookie who exceeded everyone's
expectations, most people's expectations. So
we knew they were going to be better. We knew
they were going to be even good. But to get to
the NFC divisional round and against the Detroit
Lions, who we thought, just like the Bills, they've
been whacking at the pinata for a couple seasons
now. And, you know, the strong pick last season
was Bills Lions, Chiefs Lions. It seemed to always
go back a lot to the Lions and boy, did the commanders
show up to the NFC Championship and whoop their
ass. And it was sad for Detroit fans and it was
sad for the team itself. I think, you know, when
I hear people talk about the Bills and the Lions
and the Bears, you know, teams that have knocked
on the door in the past. and then kind of fell
short. I guess it's more about teams that just
know how to lose in insane ways. You know, the
Bills haven't just lost. They lost four straight
Super Bowls, the first one being a wide right.
I mean, the 13 seconds game a few years ago against
the Chiefs, which I think they would have went
on to win the Super Bowl. It's just, they lose
in such unbelievable fashion. It's almost impressive
how they lose more than they win. So, for me,
You know, when I hear Lions fans talking about
how heartbroken they are, believe me, I get it.
That franchise has been in the basement. They
were a doormat for a long time, and I'd love
to see them win. But if they win before my bells,
I will throw myself in front of a public bus.
Because listen, it's not that I don't think the
Lions deserve it. I want it for that franchise.
I want it for the city, for the fans, for the
team, for Dan Campbell. Who doesn't love Dan
Campbell? wants to bite your kneecaps off while
listening to Injustice for All by Metallica.
I love the guy. But I think they need to have
a little bit more of a heartbreak before I feel
bad, before I really feel bad for them. I mean,
look, yes, they've been, again, in the basement,
right? But they haven't lost when you thought
they were going to win until the commanders came
along last season in the NFC division. They need
a little more heartbreak. Heartbreaking losses
before before that, but I do want to say That
speaking of the Lions again. I had Lions commanders
circled week 10 for storylines to watch How about
week two again Bears Lions now? Why do I have
that circle the obvious answer? It's a divisional
game of course It's a divisional game in a division.
I don't think I've ever had a harder time picking
who I thought the order in which that division
is going to play out, or even predicting anything
from that division because every team could go
to the playoffs. But the reason I do have it
circled the most is the obvious, if you follow,
which is Ben Johnson, one of the most sought
after offensive coordinators for a head coaching
position in the last few seasons, a prolific
offense, what he did with Jameer Gibbs in Montgomery.
as well as making Jared Goff look like a superstar,
which, by the way, I think Jared Goff is a guy
that doesn't get enough credit. He is an incredible
quarterback when it comes to decision -making
and going through his reads and all that, but
that's a different story. Not only did Ben Johnson
leave the Bears and go to the Lions as their...
I'm sorry, excuse me. Not only did he go from
the Lions to the Bears and become the head coach
of the Bears, he immediately called out some
of the other teams in the division like say we're
ready to roll you and there's a lot of expectations
for him and so to see him face his old team in
Detroit it's gonna be a good one so as far as
week one goes and your week one which starts
tomorrow night here's some storylines to watch
the Jets versus Steelers that's right Justin
Fields, who was on the Jets last season, is now,
or excuse me, on the Steelers last season, is
now on the Jets. And Aaron Rodgers, who was on
the Jets last season, is now on the Steelers.
Both trying to redeem themselves from pretty
putrid seasons. So that's going to be a fun one
to watch. I want to watch Burrow's hot start
in week one. And I say hot start because not
only do I think he's going to start off hot,
I think he is going to be my favorite for MVP,
but we're going to talk about that in a few minutes.
The reason why I want to watch in week one Burrow
and the Browns is for two reasons. One, we know
that every year Joe Burrow and the team usually
starts off 0 -2 or 0 -3, mostly because he's
injured, usually, but they've been perennially
slow starters. And then so the rest of the season
they are just trying to catch up to get that
wild card. And what I've seen from Burrow is
the same thing I talked about a few minutes ago
about Patrick Mahomes. He is pissed off. I watched
the quarterback documentary on Netflix. He's
pissed. He is done. He's fully healthy, finally.
He's done with the whole, oh, the Bengals, they
can't start off fast. They're, you know, everything
I just talked about. The question, they locked
up T Higgins, they locked up Jamar Chase. He's
got his core, you know, his core, Chase Brown
is there. It was an underrated running back.
Everybody's set to go. We all know their offense
is one of the best offenses in the league. The
defense is the question. That's what's really
been keeping them from the playoffs and having
them struggle in addition to the slow start.
So I want to see if Burroughs is pissed off and
on a mission as I think. So, you know, Burroughs
and the Bengals versus the Browns in week one,
that's exciting. But what makes it even more
exciting, believe it or not, Joe Burroughs' numbers
against the Browns? Three and five record. That's
right. The Browns, who everybody tramples on.
I believe, and don't mark me on this, I think
that's the team that gives him the most shit
in the division. Makes it the hardest for him.
He just can't get over that hump. And I want
to see that. Can he take the Browns down in week
one? And can the Bengals actually start 1 -0
for the first time? Chiefs Chargers in week one.
Another storyline to watch. Why? Yes, again,
it is a division game. Division games are always
great to watch. But are the Chargers for real?
I don't think I've heard anybody else. I mean,
people talk about the Broncos and then the Raiders
are exciting because they're turning around.
That division is very exciting. Probably having
four head coaches now. I don't think we've ever
seen four head coaches of this magnitude in one
division. So any division game in that division
is going to be great because they're going to
cannibalize each other. And that's why every
single division game in that division, just like
the NFC North, matters. And the NFC East, to
be honest. It matters more than normal. But more
than any other team in the division, people really
have this feeling. I think it's the Broncos,
but people think it's gonna be the Chargers that
really challenge the Chiefs for the division
title this year. So let's see, do the Chargers
look like they can keep up with the Chiefs in
week one? And also, is Mahomes on that vengeance
I talked about? Last two, Raiders -Patriots in
week one. Interesting, why would I pick that?
I'm picking that because Tom Brady is now one
of the owners of the Raiders. They've brought
in Pete Carroll. They've made a ton of moves.
They drafted a star, what we think is going to
be an absolute star blue chip rookie. But remember,
Josh McDaniels is on the Pats now. And the Patriots,
their dynasty, was Josh McDaniels who can't coach
anywhere else. unless he's the offensive coordinator
of the Patriots. Then for some reason, he's a
superstar. Anywhere else, he's trash. At least
that's how it's been. That's what the numbers
tell us, right? So seeing Josh McDaniels, who
just got hired again as the offensive coordinator
of the Patriots, with Vrabel, facing off against
the Raiders, coached by Pete Carroll, but more
importantly, do you think? We don't know. Does
Brady talk to them and say, listen, I know every
goddamn move that McDaniels is going to make.
Look for this. Look for that. I have to believe
in some sort of capacity. You know, do owners
generally do that? No, but owners aren't generally
Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time.
And I'm not afraid to say that anymore, as much
as it hurts me, because after seeing Belichick's
performance in college in week one, I know it
was week one. And after seeing Brady win a Super
Bowl with the Tampa Bay Bucks, it seems like
that marriage in New England was mostly Brady
and not as much Belichick as we thought. So will
Brady give them some sort of intel and can the
Raiders take down the Patriots in week one? Lastly,
Ravens -Bills. Am I being a homer on this? A
little bit. Yeah, of course. I'm a Bills fan.
I love them more than anything. But every single
home game this season... the hardest game for
the Bills. They lucked out. They finally have
a schedule that is one of the easiest in the
league. All their hard games are at home, and
it starts off with, of course, the Baltimore
Ravens, who, other than the Bills, are my pick
for possible to represent the AFC in the Super
Bowl. They're stacked. They are great. Lamar
Jackson's a superstar. John Harbaugh, who I'm
kind of getting sick of, but, you know, he knows
how to win. And they've got, of course, Derrick
Henry, who's the scariest son of a bitch on the
planet. So... This game, while every game in
the NFL is important, this game really sets the
tone because Baltimore is on a vengeance. They
lost to the Bills in the playoffs in Buffalo
last season. But let's be honest, as a Bills
fan, even I could admit, they squeaked it out.
There was a couple, there was a Mark Andrews
fumble, I believe, and then, of course, the famous
Mark Andrews drop in the end zone. Lamar Jackson
had a fumble. He had an interception. The Bills,
look. You don't keep track of how it happened,
right? You're not gonna look back and go, oh
yes, I remember the Bills beat the Ravens, but
man, they squeaked it out. A win's a win, especially
in the playoffs. But I have a feeling that pissed
the Ravens off, and there's no snow on the ground,
because Lamar Jackson is not good in the cold
weather, he's admitted it. There's no snow on
the ground in week one in Buffalo, believe it
or not. So I do think that this is an important
matchup for... for obvious reasons, but mostly
because this could be the difference between
the one seed at the end of the season. This could
be the difference in Buffalo playing in Baltimore
or Baltimore playing in Buffalo. It is a huge
game to start. Bills are knocked around, little
injured. There's some questions at the safety
position. One of the defensive linemen who isn't
necessarily a key piece, he's a second -year
player, Carter, tore his Achilles. There's some
questions on the defense, and if you've been
following the Bills or following the NFL, you
know. Have the Bills... The Bills have not been
able to get over the Chiefs in the playoffs.
We know this, all right? In the Bengals one time.
That was after the Demar Amlin thing. That's
a different story. But I'm not being a homer
when I say, if you look back, Josh Allen has
never lost to Mahomes. The Buffalo Bills defense
has lost to Mahomes. The coaches Sean McDermott
Leslie Frazier They've lost to Mahomes 13 seconds.
I mean Josh Allen could not have done anything
else They changed the rules of the playoffs overtime
in the playoffs because of what happened He didn't
even get a chance to come back out it was one
of the greatest games in the history of football
not even the bills and chiefs and Allen I mean
the dude The only thing more he could have done
is put a headset on and coach the game himself.
The defense has always let the Bills down. They're
a Ben don't break kind of defense. McDermott
and Bean have always put together. And again,
this year, they spent so much draft capital and
money in the offseason on beefing up the defensive
line. They drafted Max Harrison. He's hurt. Trey
White comes back as kind of a vet to help out
Max Harrison. He's hurt. This is going to be
a game that I actually I feel the Ravens are
gonna edge this one out, but it's a huge huge
game So that's another storyline to watch in
week one now I want to talk about real quick
some players some sleeper players and breakout
players That people I guess you could say for
fantasy, but also in reality I think these are
going to be sleeper slash breakout players this
year. Let's start with rookies this Isaac Tesla
from the Detroit Lions slot receiver. He looked
like now again. I know it's the preseason, but
I don't judge I'm not judging because he looked
good in a preseason game. I'm using my eyes my
football eyes and ears I see what I see I watch
enough football know that guy looks NFL ready.
He looks like a young Julian Edelman, you know,
I think he's gonna surprise a lot of people to
in the running back in Jacksonville It's a crowded
backfield. Jacksonville a few weeks ago put both
Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne Jr. on the trade
block. And I saw him at the combine and when
I did the draft special, I talked about him.
I think he's got a chance to really surprise
the shit out of some people. Tyler Warren, maybe
not so much a surprise because he was drafted
in the top 10. They thought Colston Loveland
was going to get drafted before him. But he again,
not only did I like him coming out, He looked
real good and real ready, especially in an offense.
The Daniel Jones experiment is still going on.
You've got Michael Pittman. You've got Jonathan
Taylor. You've got some great pieces, but I think
he has a chance, other than those guys, to really
be the factor, the X factor in that offense.
Keep an eye on Jaden Higgins. Wide receiver.
Came from Iowa State. Drafted by the Texans.
He has potential. He's got potential. With Diggs
gone now, that was a one -year project test,
if you will. He's gonna be thrown in there with
Tank Del, who's had a serious injury in the past.
Nico Collins, I think he's got a shot to make
some noise. This is gonna sound crazy. There's
something I like about Tyler Shuck. What do I
like about him the most? Yeah, he's older. He's
like Andy, or Andy Dalton, excuse me. He's like,
who the hell came out that was... like 28 years
of Brandon Whedon with much more talent, I think.
I like the way Tyler Shuck... There's something
I talk about with rookies that you can't beat.
You know, people talk about, you know, when a
rookie is coming from Ohio State, like an SEC
team or a Big Ten team, you know they're playing
in NFL -style offenses. They're gonna be more
ready. Yes, all those things matter. But to me,
what matters more than all of that is experience.
And this dude, if you look back, Tyler Shuck
has taken... An incredible amount of snaps as
well as played an incredible amount of games
and he's ready to go and and I mean I believe
me I don't think that New Orleans is gonna do
very much New Orleans or New Orleans I'll say
New Orleans New Orleans isn't gonna do very much
this season, but they're starting to make that
turn But I think he's gonna surprise some people
Jackson dart not really under the radar. I just
think that dude is gonna ball I think he's gonna
come in I think something's gonna happen and
Russ is going to just have to take a seat. And
I think when they have the Giants have the toughest
schedule in the NFL. I see a spot and I forget
where it is. But when they play Carolina, I think
it's like week four or five or six somewhere
in there. I think that's mark my words. I think
that's where Jackson Dart comes in and takes
the lead by storm. He looks real good. I went
to the Bills Giants preseason game and I saw
him live. I liked him coming out of college.
I didn't think he was going to look this good.
So Eric Ayamonor, I think is how you say it.
He's on the Titans, he's a wide receiver. Under
the radar, Stanford, look for him. And then Trey
Harris, a guy that I wanted on the Bills along
with Kyle Williams. Trey Harris is gonna be on
the Chargers. And I think with Justin Herbert
and of course their coach Harbaugh, he's got
a chance to edge Quentin Johnson for wide receiver
too. I loved him at Ole Miss. And lastly, I said
Kyle Williams. He looked like a young Stefan
Diggs to me, another guy I wanted on the Bills
wide receiver. He got drafted by the Pats, which
pissed me off. And guess who he's going to be
in the wide receiver room with? Stefan Diggs,
who can kind of show him the ropes. And he gets
off the line just like Diggs does. So I think
we'll talk about the Patriots and what I think.
Quickly, players that are not rookies that I
think will be sleepers or breakouts. You're gonna
laugh. Wondell Robinson. Why did I say Wondell
Robinson? What is he, like wide receiver 48 in
the league? Why? Because Russell Wilson and Jackson
Dart are going to be at the helm. One or both
of those quarterbacks who are much a way bigger
upgrade than Daniel Jones. And you've got to
remember Malik Nabors who's probably my favorite
wide receiver in football, by the way. He's he
has not been able to stay healthy yet, and I
don't think he's still fully healthy when he's
on the field Obviously those two together are
gonna help each other in production, but especially
if If he has to go out on injury or if he doesn't
start week one I think you're gonna see Wanda
Robinson's production shoot up Chris Olave I
talked about Tyler Shuck and what I think he
can do and you've got Camara and you've got other
pieces on that offensive Chris Olave again He
if he can stay healthy I think he's a wide receiver
that's been forgotten about all the way down
there. All the way down there in Louisiana. Marvin
Mims. I love Bo Nix. I loved him coming out of
the draft last year. He had a great first season.
He's in second year with a Sean Payton offense.
You know he's gonna be good. Cortland, Sutton
and him are going to be lethal. But watch out
for Marvin Mims. He's an under the radar guy.
Don't forget about Brandon Iuke. Brandon Iuke
is coming off of... Injury, he'll be back like
week six. Actually, I think he's suspended but
he's also coming off an injury as well and When
he comes in, you know people forget about him,
you know people forget about players that are
injured or suspended. I Forget the exact stat
but he was on on track to He only played a certain
amount of games last year and he was at like
1300 yards if he had played a full season he'd
have like 2 ,000 yards He was trending that way.
Of course anything could have happened But he
is a receiver that knows how to get open. He's
in a Kyle Shanahan offense. He's one of the best
receivers in the league when he's on the field.
And with Debo Samuel gone, Jawan Jennings kind
of a question mark. That brings me to not only
Ayuk, who I, again, think is going to be huge
when he comes back. Until Ayuk comes back, this
is more fantasy than reality. Ricky Pearsall,
baby. That dude got shot in the offseason as
a rookie. and still had a good season. Who gets
shot and still has a good season? He didn't get
shot this off -season, and he is going to be,
again, like I just said, in a Kyle Shanahan offense
with Brock Purdy, who's a game general, and with
Debo Samuil being gone and Brian Dyuk not there,
you've got him, Kittle, and Juwan Jennings. So
he'll be a great one, and I talked about New
Orleans. Look out for Rashid Shahid and Alvin
Kamara to have a breakout year. Rashid Shahid,
again, he's down in Louisiana, stuck in the bayou.
They've got a good young quarterback and I think
they're going to do something. And Okonkwo, I
think I said his name right, the titan's tight
end. Another guy you're going to watch for because
Cam Ward, who's probably the least talked about
rookie in the history or number one pick of all
time, I think he's going to have a good year.
How good? I don't know. It's the Titans. But
I think Kim and Okonkwo, if I said that right,
are going to have a great year. And lastly, I've
got two more things on this sports edition of
Good News York. Again, I'm Mike Brindisi here
on Good News York. It is Wednesday. Good News
York sponsored by ads on the go. Get ads on the
go. Doing a little bit of a sports segment without
Matt today, who again isn't here. So I thought
I'd do a little solo NFL kickoff special, which
starts tomorrow night, week one. We've talked
about storylines. We've talked about sleeper
and breakout players. Let's get down to the division
winners and wild card. And I'm gonna make this
quick. I'm not gonna make you suffer. Start with
the AFC. Divisions in order. These are my picks.
Some of it is based on strength of schedule,
but I don't put too much stock in it. I look
at these games and I listen, I watch, I use my
eyes. I don't like to listen to other media and
kind of hop on those bandwagons. I watch and
I listen and I'm going to take a pause here.
We're going to edit, time stamp it. Forget what
I just said there now we're gonna go back. All
right, we've talked about Sleepers and breakout
players. We've talked about Storylines in week
one and throughout the season. Let's let's just
get down to it my division picks and Playoff
picks here we go. I'm gonna make it quick for
you Starting the AFC AFC North one of the hardest
divisions in the NFL It is so hard to pick this
for me. It's the AFC North the NFC North and
the AFC East, those three divisions to me are
the hardest to choose, but I gotta go with the
Ravens in first place for obvious reasons. The
Bengals, they are on a mission. Joe Burrow is
pissed off. They're tired of starting slow. They
have one of the best offenses when everyone's
healthy in the league. Bengals come in second
place. This may surprise you. I am putting the
Cleveland Browns in third place. What? Look,
I know it's the Browns and the Browns be Browning
and they are a disaster. Not as much on the field
these days as they are in the, you know, as a
franchise, as a whole. If you look at that roster
from top to bottom, I mean, they are stacked.
And one of my favorite defensive coaches in the
league, defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz,
who he coached, one of my favorite defenses the
Bills ever had was coached by him. He doesn't
get enough credit. I think they're better than
the Steelers who I have finishing in fourth.
because why? I think the Steelers are so overrated.
I think Mike Tomlin is getting a longer leash
than he should, albeit I know he's one of the
best coaches in the league. What have you done
for me lately? I think the Steelers defense looks
phenomenal, but I just think that Aaron Rodgers
is over the... I get it was the Jets, but man,
he did not look like himself last year. Yes,
he's older. I'm not trying to discriminate on
his age as much as I am. He had an Achilles tear.
If you're in your 20s and you have an Achilles
tear, there's no guarantee on how good you're
going to be when you come back. I'm sorry. I'm
putting the Steelers in the basement. You can
make fun of me when it doesn't happen because
it seems like they always squeak out with nine
or ten wins every season and they get in the
playoffs anyway. Let's head to the AFC West.
The Chiefs. They're pissed off. They have a chip
on their shoulder from their Super Bowl loss.
The Chiefs be chiefin'. As long as they've got
Mahomes and Reed. It's going to be hard for me
to take them out of first until someone else
does. But here's what might surprise you. I'm
sorry. I believe in Sean Payton. I love Bo Nix.
I love the defense in Denver. They've got some
thin air there. And I think they're just going
to edge out the Chargers for second place in
the AFC West. Why? Great defense. Hall of Fame
offensive coach and a roster that is... Surprisingly
one of the best in the NFL. Maybe not everyone
knows that. How am I putting the Chargers in
third? Well, for every reason, I just said the
Broncos should be in second, but I just can't
trust Justin Herbert. He was phenomenal in the
regular season, fell apart in the playoffs. He's
got some injury questions. I love Harbaugh. Everywhere
he goes, he wins, but this is one of the hardest
divisions with four Hall of Fame head coaches
in the division. The first time I think that's
ever happened. Someone's got to be in third,
and for me, it's the Chargers. They be Chargerin'.
And then the Raiders are in fourth. I know. There's
a lot of talk about the Raiders being a surprise
team. I get it. And they are going to do some
great things. And I love Pete Carroll. I think
he's one of the greatest coaches of all time.
Again, I said four Hall of Fame coaches in the
division. But they're not there yet. They're
on the turn. They've got some great pieces. Gino
Smith, sure. Ashton Genti, blue chip rookie.
Max Crosby, probably the best defensive ender,
top three in the league. But you can't pick everybody.
There's four division winners and three wild
card spots. So Raiders, they're going to be in
the basement, but that division could be better
than the rest of the league. Maybe all four get
in. Who the hell knows? Let's go to the AFC East.
I've got my Buffalo Bills in first. I'm not being
a homer. If you've been watching football, they've
won the last five seasons. But here's what might
surprise you. I have the Pats in second. I have
the Jets in third. I have the Dolphins in the
basement. The Dolphins to me. Now, Mike McDaniel's
record with Tua is phenomenal. Without Tua, it's
one of the worst in the league. They can't beat
the Bills. They've literally beat the Bills,
I think, twice since Josh Allen's been there
in all these years. More importantly, even though
Mike McDaniel's looks like he should be selling
vapes at a bodega, he is a brilliant offensive
mind. But if you've been following their offseason,
I don't know what's going on. People wanting
trades, them wanting to trade away players. The
Jalen Ramsey thing. Tua can't stay healthy. I
just think there's players coming out and expressing
their unhappiness. I just think there's too much
distraction going on off the field. I think this
is McDaniels last season. I think they finish
in the basement. So that's what I'm going to
do there is Bills, Pats, Jets, Dolphins. And
we'll move on to the AFC South. I've got the
Texans. I think the Texans, you know, with D
'Amico Ryan's, they're the obvious favorite.
I got the Jags in second. I love what the Jags
have done adding their new coach, who's a great
offensive mind. We'll see how it translates,
how he translates as a head coach. Puts the Titans
in third. I think Cam Ward's gonna have a great
season, but they, again, like many other teams,
like the Raiders, they're building. And then
I got the Colts in last. The Colts have a lot
of great pieces on offense and defense. They've
got a decent coach, but to me, they're... I can't
think of a more mid -vanilla team than the Indianapolis
Colts. Moving on to the NFC. Oh, wait, hold on.
How could I forget? My wild card teams. Wild
card teams for the AFC. This may surprise you.
I have the New England Patriots, who I have coming
in second, obviously, in the AFC East. People
are saying, like, I think they're taking a step
in the right direction, but they're not there
yet. I say bullshit. If you saw what they added
on defense in the offseason, also bringing Mike
Vravel, who is a proven young head coach who
used to be a Patriot, you throw in Mike McDaniels,
the superstar offensive coordinator of that dynasty.
Drake May, who I think is phenomenal. It's his
second year. They gave him Stefan Diggs. They
gave him Kyle Williams out of this draft. I just,
I think, not only do I think they're going to
win the wild card, Oh, I'm gonna get shit for
this. I think they challenged the Bills for the
division. I really, really do. My second team,
my second wild card team is the Bengals. And
it's Joe Burrow. All he does is win. Win, win,
win, no matter what. And my third, the Denver
Broncos. Sean Payton, Bo Nix, and the boys, they
made the playoffs last year. I think they make
the playoffs again. Now we'll move on to the
NFC. Starting in the NFC North. Literally, I
may as well take each team, throw them in the
air, let it land, and I'll just pick it that
way. I've never had a harder time in my entire
life picking a division. But I'm gonna do it.
I think Micah Parsons, what the Green Bay Packers
have done, and perennially do, which is win,
I love what they did in the draft, I love what
they did in the offseason. One of the key things
they were missing was a defensive end. Yeah,
do I think one player moves the needle a lot
for a team? Not usually. But a player, a generational
Hall of Fame player, a future Hall of Fame player,
like Micah Parsons, does move the needle enough
for me in a division that tight to win that division.
I really, really think so. I think Packers win
the division with the Lions right behind them.
It's hard for me to not pick the Lions. I understand
they lost Ben Johnson, but that team had more
injuries than a WWE Royal Rumble. I don't know
why I used that as a reference. But they had
like 15 or 16 players banged up on defense last
year. I gotta go with what have you done for
me lately. Do I love the Vikings? I hate putting
them in third. I hate putting the Bears in fourth.
But that's what I got. Why? Just like the AFC
West. Someone's gotta be in third and fourth.
Any one of these teams could win the division.
So if you look back and you're like, uh -huh,
you got it completely wrong. The Bears won. You
had them in last. I know. They probably will.
Who knows? Each team is so good, and so tightly,
just centimeters between each team. I gotta go
with the Vikings in third, and the reason I did,
I'm a huge Kevin O 'Connell fan coach of the
year last year, but I just think with J .J. McCarthy,
I think he's gonna be great, especially with
Kevin O 'Connell as his head coach, who is a
QB developer extraordinaire. But given the schedule,
given how tough the division is, and just...
How much JJ McCarthy might I don't know. There's
just too much of a question mark You know you
got to remember JJ McCarthy coming out of college.
He wasn't even that great at Michigan He was
just a game manager now. I don't hold that against
him. I think he was great They won a national
championship, but in the NFL and in a division
as hard as hard as the NFC North Just think I
think he's just a little wet behind the ears,
so I think they finish in third and the Bears
I mean look Ben Johnson. I love Caleb Williams
again As much as I think they could come in fourth,
I think they could come in first. But someone's
got to go there. It's the Bears. I just think
Caleb Williams is just mentally not there yet.
He's got the athletic ability. Ben Johnson's
the type of coach that can rein him in and hone
his skills. But again, given the division, someone's
got to finish in fourth. NFC West. I got the
Rams. The Rams are stacked, baby. I love me some
Matthew Stafford. Davante Adams, probably one
of the greatest receivers of all time. He's phenomenal.
I think with a coach like McVeigh and what have
you done for me lately and their roster and kind
of a weaker division, I'm going with the Rams.
I'm also going to go with the Niners in second.
Now, before I made this list, I was ready to
put the Niners in the basement. But I looked
and I thought, Kyle Shanahan, he wins. You've
got the defensive coordinator back, who was just
a head coach in the NFL for the Jets. He's back.
Can't think of his name right now. Blanking out.
But I just, what have you done for me lately?
Just like I was talking about with the Lions,
Kyle Shanahan knows how to win. That organization
knows how to win. It's a weaker division. They
have an easier schedule. More importantly, they
had so many injuries last year that I think when
this team is healthy, They always have a shot
at winning the division. In third, I'm putting
the Seahawks, who again, I think what Sam Dardell
did in Minnesota just shows you. He's got the
ability, but he completely fell apart under pressure
in the playoffs. And so for that, I think being
in a division with the Rams and Niners, I think
the Seahawks will be good, but not enough. And
then the cards in the basement, because it's
the Cardinals. I'm sorry. They've got a lot of
great pieces. But the cards are cardinaling,
right? I think someone's got to come in fourth,
and for me, it is the Cardinals. But it wouldn't
surprise me if any of these teams were jumbled
around as far as second, third, and fourth. I
think for me, the Rams are the clear -cut division
winner, but the next three, shake them and roll
them. But that's what I got. NFC East, again,
one of the three hardest divisions in football.
Eagles, just Howie Roseman, incredible GM. They
just won the Super Bowl. Did they lose some key
defensive players? Yes, but they also drafted
some amazing defensive players Eagles, what have
you done for me lately? All you've done is one
you're in the middle of possibly a dynasty So
I got the Eagles in first I got the commanders
in second I have the Giants in third because
they have the hardest schedule in football and
Then of course that leaves me with the Cowboys
in fourth, which that's easy for me because holy
shit The difference, if you look at the stats
between the Cowboys defense when Michael Parsons
was on the field, it's something like top three
in the NFL, maybe top five. When Michael Parsons
wasn't on the field last season, it was like
28th. It was crazy, the difference. And with
all the bulls, yes, I know they brought in George
Pickens, but they've got a new head coach. They
have a very tough division. And then all that
debacle and noise outside with Jerry Jones. And
as long as Jerry Jones is the owner, I'll never
take them truly seriously. I got the Cowboys
in the basement. Now, you could take the Eagles
commanders in Giants. I have them in that order.
And you could shake them up, because it will
not surprise me if the Giants, you know, could
squeak out a second place. I think having the
hardest schedule in the division they're in,
that won't happen. But man, I think Russ and
possibly Jackson Dart coming in, I think, with
Abdul Carter. They could make some noise. But
for me, it's Eagles, Commanders, Giants, and
then the Cowboys. NFC South, last one. We've
got, I've got the Tampa Bay Bucks. I think they
are so underrated. I think Baker Mayfield is
an incredible quarterback. He's a gunslinger.
He doesn't get enough credit because I think
the way he kind of came into the league a little
cocky. People like to kind of trash him. But
listen, Tampa Bay, they're in a weak division,
a division that's building. But to me, there
is no doubt. And they drafted Egbuka, who I think
could be possibly offensive rookie of the year.
That dude is NFL ready. Chris Godwin's out, yes.
Mike Evans, a little bit older. They got Bucky
Irving. They've got Rashad White. They have a
good defense. I love Tampa Bay. They could be
a sleeper pick for the Super Bowl, but I'm not
going to do that today. In second, I've got the
Falcons. In third, the Panthers. I like what
the Panthers have done. in what they're building
there, but not enough to do much more than third.
I think Bryce Young will take a step forward.
And then lastly, the Saints, who I think may
even have the number one pick. Again, they've
made some decent moves. They have a few key pieces,
but for me, just not enough. Wild card? I'm gonna
give you two teams from the same division, the
hardest division. I got the Lions and the Vikings
making the playoffs in the wild card, and then
the commanders as well. All right last but not
least on this good news York sponsored by ads
on the go get ads on the go calm Good news York
sports NFL Kickoff special because Matt's not
here today NFL kicking off week one tomorrow
night. I want to end this segment With my yearly
award predictions. This is ballsy. I'm not gonna
lie This is really ballsy because it's I mean
you're pretty much playing the field But I'm
going to do this for two reasons. One, if I get
any of these right, I'm going to look like a
fucking stud. And if I get any of these wrong,
it could be hilarious how wrong I am. This is
what we're going to do. Here's my prediction
on the end of year NFL AP awards. Offensive player
of the year, I am going to give it to a man I
just talked about, Baker Mayfield. You heard
me. Baker Mayfield. The dude knows how to sling
it? That's all he does. He's a winner. He's got
grit. He's tough. And he's in a division. It's
pretty easy to rack up some good numbers. And
if you look at his numbers last season, I think
he led. I know he led in fantasy. I think he
led fantasy, all of fantasy, in fantasy points.
That's my offensive player of the year. My defensive
player of the year, Max Crosby. Now, he's one
of the top defensive ends in the league. So is
it chalk? Maybe. But I'm going against the field
here. You have to remember, who's coaching him
now? Who? Pete Carroll, one of the greatest of
all times. Who's my MVP? I'll save that for last.
Let's move on to my Coach of the Year. I'm going
to give you a guy by the name of Mike Vrabel.
Why? He's a great coach, obviously, but I think
he's going to take a team that people expect
to take some strides. He's going to take them
to the playoffs in the wild card and challenge
the Bills for the division. And it makes me want
to vomit just saying that. But because of that,
I think he wins coach of the year. Who's the
comeback player of the year? I thought about
McCarthy, but then I thought I hate that he's
even considered because I don't even think he
played a snap in the regular season. I think
he got hurt in the preseason, so I don't even
think he should be eligible. So I crossed him
out and I changed it to Aiden Hutchinson, one
of the biggest game records in the NFC, soon
to be in the NFL, if not already. He had a terrible
injury last year. The story is that he has worked
harder than anybody at coming back, so I think
Aiden Hutchinson, defensive end, for the Detroit
Lions is your comeback player of the year. Offensive
Rookie of the Year, this one kills me. I could,
listen to my honorable mentions. This is probably
one of my favorite offensive rookie classes.
Maybe rookie classes altogether, of all time.
I think it is going to be, these offensive rookies
are gonna come in and crush. I mean, I like Matthew
Golden. I like Macmillan. I like Cam Ward. I
like Omari and Hampton. I like Ashton Gentey.
He's the favorite for offensive rookie of the
year. I like Tyler Warren. I think he's going
to be the key like Lad McConkey was to the Chargers.
I think Tyler Warren will be to the Colts this
year. So it came down to two players. Emile Agbuka
and Trey Henderson. Trey Henderson, if you remember
on the draft special, which you don't, and that's
fine, but I have to say it. I thought was the
best running back coming out other than Ashton
Genty. I think he's phenomenal. Then he did in
the preseason, he ran it back, and then everybody
hopped on my wagon. So, but the more I watched
Igbuka, who I loved, the more I watched him in
the preseason and I hear what they're talking
about, I just... I think he is going to be the
key to that offense. I think he's going to be
a breakout rookie star, but just... To protect
my pride in knowing that Trevion Henderson was
going to be great, I'm going to pick Trevion
Henderson as my offensive rookie of the year.
And I say that kind of... I kind of say it like
this. Only because he's on the Patriots, who
is the team I probably hate the most next to
the Jets. But also, I just don't know how many
snaps he's going to get. He is still technically
behind. Ramandre Stevenson. I don't know Vrabel
enough to know, or I guess, McDaniels was in
an offense that was known for passing, albeit
they had Brady. I just think, I think Ibuca's
gonna have a lot more snap count percentage,
so he probably edges it. But again, I'm gonna
stick to my guns, and I'm gonna call Trevion
Henderson offensive rookie of the year. Brings
me to my defensive rookie of the year. Abdul
Carter is probably going to get it. He's a generational
talent. He's the favorite on all the sports books.
But man, my favorite defensive player coming
out of the draft was Jihad Campbell, linebacker
defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles. I
think he was the best defensive player in the
draft, you heard me, other than Abdul Carter.
So he's gonna be my defensive rookie of the year.
Honorable mention to Malachi Starks on the Ravens,
as well as Mike Green on the Ravens. Honorable
mention to... Jaday Baron, defensive back for
the Broncos, James Pierce Jr. for the Tennessee
Titans, linebacker, and the Falcons, Jalen Walker,
defensive end. Those are my honorable mentions.
And that leads me to my last award prediction
for the year, and I kind of hinted at it. I may
have already said it. My MVP of the year is Joe...
freaking burro, baby. I think that dude is on
a mission. He's perennially one of the top three
to five quarterbacks in the league. All he does
is know how to win, even on a team with shitty
defenses. They're always either in the playoffs
or sniffing the playoffs. He's been to the Super
Bowl within the first two years of his career.
He's, to me... I'm talking about sheer... Talent
and just watching him with his eyes and his play
style and his abilities. He's the closest thing
I've seen to Tom Brady I know That's what it
sounds like to me He to me is not only a phenomenal
quarterback that looks like Brady I'm judging
I'm making this ruling But I think I think he's
on a mission like I said, he's pissed off He's
tired of them starting 0 -2, 0 -3. He's tired
of being hurt for the beginning of the season.
He's always throwing up big numbers in the season
in fantasy and in reality, but this year, I think
he just fucking goes off. He gets them to the
playoffs, whether that's division or, as I picked,
wild card. I think Joe Burrow's your NFL MVP.
With that being said, I know it's been a long
episode, but it's the NFL, baby, and there's
a lot to talk about. Mike Radice with you on
this Wednesday. Good News York, brought to you
by ads on the go, get ads on the go dot com.
Shout out to Zach and his crew. Before we go,
just again, I want to tease GNY going to be going
live soon. Good News York, we are going to be
going live soon from nine thirty to ten thirty
every day. But for now, you can catch us Monday
through Thursday at five p .m. Eastern and GNY
Sports. That's right. Good News York Sports is
going to be launched soon as well. That'll be
on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That may be live eventually.
We'll probably start pre -recorded. That's going
to be... I'm not sure when that will be released.
I'm assuming around the same time that Good News
York comes out. Probably in the evening time.
But don't worry about the time now. Just look
for Good News... GNY Sports coming up soon. Hosted
by me. I'm going to have guest co -hosts. We're
going to have guests in general. Athletes, coaches,
regionally. Maybe even nationally. We're going
to have a lot of fun. A lot of ball busting.
But today was just serious business. I had to
be very serious. You heard my predictions. I'm
going to cut it up and make myself look good
at the end of the season and then you can cut
it up and say all the things I got wrong and
make me look bad. I love you. Mike Brindisi for
Good News York. Let's go Bills. NFL starts tomorrow
night. Thanks for tuning in. See you tomorrow.