WEBVTT 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:11.880 This is the Litterbox, a Detroit Lions podcast 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:15.480 with your hosts, Chet West and Bill Patterson. 00:00:18.899 --> 00:00:21.800 Welcome to the Detroit Lions Litterbox. I am 00:00:21.800 --> 00:00:24.280 one of your co -hosts, Billy P from the D with 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:27.420 Chet West. And Chet, we have a division game 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:30.449 this weekend. 12 p .m. Central Standard Time. 00:00:30.750 --> 00:00:33.070 Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour 00:00:33.070 --> 00:00:35.229 or everybody gets an extra hour of sleep. And 00:00:35.229 --> 00:00:38.070 the Lions are taking on the Minnesota Vikings 00:00:38.070 --> 00:00:43.009 at Ford Field. Chet, you are a resident of the 00:00:43.009 --> 00:00:46.009 Twin Cities. I am. What are the local folks saying 00:00:46.009 --> 00:00:48.630 about your Vikings? Not a lot of good things 00:00:48.630 --> 00:00:51.409 so far this season. I mean, they aren't, you 00:00:51.409 --> 00:00:53.929 know, they're not exactly in the crapper per 00:00:53.929 --> 00:00:57.170 se. They're sitting at the bottom of a very, 00:00:57.170 --> 00:00:59.630 let's just say, competitive division. I would 00:00:59.630 --> 00:01:02.049 say they've kind of thrown this season in the 00:01:02.049 --> 00:01:04.049 hamper, though. It's they're three and four, 00:01:04.209 --> 00:01:06.469 you know, and they're in last place in a competitive 00:01:06.469 --> 00:01:08.469 division and they're three and four and they 00:01:08.469 --> 00:01:11.290 feel like the season's over. Wentz was fun for 00:01:11.290 --> 00:01:13.909 about a week. People sort of saw enough of that. 00:01:14.129 --> 00:01:16.909 They want JJ McCarthy back. I think they feel 00:01:16.909 --> 00:01:20.420 it's their best chance to to win any games at 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:22.659 all, more or less the division. I think the division 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:25.459 is, you know, in the rearview mirror at this 00:01:25.459 --> 00:01:28.099 point. This is a rebuild season for them to some 00:01:28.099 --> 00:01:30.340 degree or another. And I don't see the J .J. 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:32.200 McCarthy hype. Maybe he's going to prove me wrong 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:34.120 this weekend. But from what I saw from him, yes, 00:01:34.299 --> 00:01:36.840 athletic, quick, still very young, still very 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:40.019 green, technically his second NFL season, but 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:43.159 his first playing. time that he has seen. I just 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:46.579 don't I don't think the hype justifies the output 00:01:46.579 --> 00:01:49.500 so far. We'll see what we get, though. But outside 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:51.620 of J .J. McCarthy, Wentz is out for the season 00:01:51.620 --> 00:01:55.739 now. So if something happens to J .J., it's the 00:01:55.739 --> 00:01:59.140 Max Brosmer show, which is not a pretty pretty 00:01:59.140 --> 00:02:01.500 show for what we've seen so far. John Wolford 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:03.180 is the only other guy they've got and that's 00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:05.780 on their practice squad. So it's J .J. McCarthy 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:08.150 or bust at this point at quarterback. They have 00:02:08.150 --> 00:02:10.729 a slew of injuries on their line and throughout 00:02:10.729 --> 00:02:12.930 their defense, they've got guys out. A gentleman 00:02:12.930 --> 00:02:15.490 that you know well, Jeff Okuda, I believe is 00:02:15.490 --> 00:02:17.770 in concussion protocol right now. So we probably 00:02:17.770 --> 00:02:20.409 will not see him this coming week. That's a disappointment 00:02:20.409 --> 00:02:23.069 because I was really hoping he'd be on the field 00:02:23.069 --> 00:02:27.219 to get torched. I know. by Amand St. Brown. He 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:29.900 did not practice. He did not practice Wednesday. 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:32.659 So due to the concussion protocol. So we'll see. 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:35.259 We'll see what happens here in this game. I am, 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:36.979 you know, I've waffled on this. This is one of 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:38.960 those games. I feel like the Lions could have 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:41.580 a little letdown and make it real close one way 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:44.580 or the other in the end. But based on kind of 00:02:44.580 --> 00:02:46.319 just what I've seen from McCarthy, I just don't 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:47.699 know if he's going to have our number or not. 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:49.780 We'll see. It's at Ford Field. So, you know, 00:02:49.780 --> 00:02:51.460 we'll save everything for the predictions at 00:02:51.460 --> 00:02:53.620 the end of the show. It's a rebuilding year for 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:56.210 the Vikings. Aaron Jones has been hurt. J .J. 00:02:56.330 --> 00:02:58.569 McCarthy is unproven. They still have Justin 00:02:58.569 --> 00:03:00.509 Jefferson and Jordan Addison who can probably 00:03:00.509 --> 00:03:02.930 torch any defensive backfield in the league if 00:03:02.930 --> 00:03:05.189 given the opportunity. The question is, can the 00:03:05.189 --> 00:03:07.449 line block? So it seems like the Vikings signed 00:03:07.449 --> 00:03:10.270 the wrong veteran quarterback in Carson Wentz, 00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:12.610 who's now, as you mentioned, out for the season. 00:03:12.879 --> 00:03:14.960 Where you look at what Joe Flacco has been able 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.680 to do in Cincinnati, you know, connecting with 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.120 Jamar Chase. I mean, why would it be any different, 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:22.280 you know, if he was doing that with, with Justin 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:24.819 Jefferson? So a couple of things I wanted to 00:03:24.819 --> 00:03:27.419 comment on, uh, we get to see McCarthy. I think 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:30.000 that's going to be exciting for, for everyone. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:32.860 And I think the key to the game is going to be 00:03:32.860 --> 00:03:35.580 that both starting tackles for the Vikings are 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:38.479 battling knee injuries. They have practiced, 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:41.659 but it's been limited. And so we're talking about 00:03:41.659 --> 00:03:44.990 Brian. Neil and Christian Darasaw, both battling 00:03:44.990 --> 00:03:48.530 knee injuries and Darasaw was a full participant 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:51.169 yesterday. O 'Neill was limited, but knee injuries 00:03:51.169 --> 00:03:53.889 are tricky. I know offensive linemen wear braces. 00:03:54.469 --> 00:03:58.530 I fully expect the newly extended Aiden Hutchinson 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:03.169 and our guy, Bob Muhammad feast on what is a 00:04:03.169 --> 00:04:05.629 banged up offensive line for the Minnesota Vikings. 00:04:05.629 --> 00:04:09.020 I am with you on that. I agree with you. I think 00:04:09.020 --> 00:04:10.520 if they're going to win this game, they're going 00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:13.439 to make it the day. Absolute hell for J .J. McCarthy. 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:16.019 They're going to be running after him left and 00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:19.019 right, and his athleticism will be on on display. 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:23.240 I do. You know, the general tenor around Minnesota 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:27.079 sports right now isn't great. Minnesota. dropped 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:29.959 a game to Iowa this past weekend. Iowa scored 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:32.019 like more points than they've scored in I don't 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:34.079 know how many seasons in a game against a Big 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:37.100 Ten team. They didn't drop a game. They got absolutely 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:41.560 trounced. They got absolutely trounced. And in 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:43.279 the process, you got, you know, there's a lot 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:45.139 of memes and a lot of videos going around social 00:04:45.139 --> 00:04:47.819 media right now of people ranting about how hard 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:50.379 it is to be a Minnesota sports fan. They just 00:04:50.379 --> 00:04:53.120 endured a terrible season with the twins. I don't 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:55.079 know what the wild is doing. I'm not a massive 00:04:55.079 --> 00:04:58.420 hockey fan. living in Minnesota which is an anomaly 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:03.040 in itself with that but it is it's the dark days 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:05.939 here in Minnesota yet Anthony Edwards is out 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:10.600 injured for the T Wolves so it's I enjoy watching 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.540 them suffer, but also can relate as a Detroit 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:16.300 sports fan. These these cities are not like Chicago 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:18.920 in Detroit or even maybe Green Bay in Detroit 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:21.360 or Cleveland in Detroit. They don't. If you go 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:23.560 to a game here, it's I remember coming to games 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:25.480 here when I first moved here. I went to the last 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:27.699 game in the Metrodome. It was Lions Vikings last 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:29.519 game of the season. Both teams were terrible. 00:05:29.779 --> 00:05:31.560 All their stars were hurt. I think the game ended 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:34.759 like 13 to three or nine to three or something 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:37.819 awful. And And the nine was because like an extra 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:40.360 point got missed. It was just that bad. And I 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:41.800 remember just sitting there with the fans. It 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:44.420 was more of like a commiseration together. It 00:05:44.420 --> 00:05:46.399 was like, yeah, you guys have always stunk. We've 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:49.839 always stunk. Then the Vikings got some good 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:51.939 years in there after that. They went to the NFC 00:05:51.939 --> 00:05:54.500 Championship game a couple times. They look, 00:05:54.579 --> 00:05:56.439 you know, they got Justin Jefferson. He looked 00:05:56.439 --> 00:06:00.000 like an All -Star, All -Pro. You get Kirk Cousins, 00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:02.680 Captain Kirk, with his gold chains on the flights 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:04.459 and everything. He was looking like a pimp. And 00:06:04.459 --> 00:06:07.300 then all of a sudden, you know, they ditch him. 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:10.240 They get McCarthy. Things kind of go. Sam Darnold 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:12.699 has this one great season, but then flails in 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:15.600 the playoffs. I think they're in this rebuild, 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:17.740 this unintentional rebuild. I don't think they 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:19.819 thought they would be rebuilding right now. So 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:21.220 I think that's where the disappointment is. Is 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:23.660 the general consensus that Sam Darnold's missed 00:06:23.660 --> 00:06:26.699 at this point? And that they regret not re -signing 00:06:26.699 --> 00:06:30.319 him? I don't think so, because the season ended. 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:32.980 It was kind of like once Sam Darnold got figured 00:06:32.980 --> 00:06:36.300 out last year, teams started to make life difficult 00:06:36.300 --> 00:06:38.860 for the Vikings. Yeah, but the Seahawks are doing 00:06:38.860 --> 00:06:42.240 well under his. I know. And your third string 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:44.420 quarterback last year, Daniel Jones, has the 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:47.439 Colts off to an amazing start. Exactly. And I, 00:06:47.540 --> 00:06:49.620 you know, and you look at like the Flacco having, 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:51.819 you know, Flacco having success, Daniel Jones 00:06:51.819 --> 00:06:53.740 having success and who do they end up getting 00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:56.040 was Wentz as the backup. And it was just kind 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:59.620 of, they had a lot put on JJ McCarthy being the 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:01.939 real deal this season and he got hurt again. 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.279 And so he's coming out of that. We'll see how 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:08.339 he does. He may come out tomorrow and prove everybody 00:07:08.339 --> 00:07:11.120 right in thinking that he was the next coming 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:14.230 here. I I hope he doesn't do that against our 00:07:14.230 --> 00:07:16.870 Lions, but it would definitely be one of those 00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:19.949 things where it might might perk some people 00:07:19.949 --> 00:07:23.089 up here in the Twin Cities. Well, let's go back 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:24.990 to that. They've only played one division game, 00:07:24.990 --> 00:07:26.829 the Vikings, and they beat the Bears in Monday 00:07:26.829 --> 00:07:28.629 Night Football, week one. So they're 1 -0 in 00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:30.750 the division. In a game when the Bears were not 00:07:30.750 --> 00:07:33.089 quite together yet. Right. Like I would say the 00:07:33.089 --> 00:07:35.410 Bears team now is better than it was then. OK, 00:07:35.470 --> 00:07:37.509 but still, you're 1 -0 in your division. Yeah. 00:07:38.490 --> 00:07:41.550 With five left to play, to punt on the season 00:07:41.550 --> 00:07:45.490 seems very premature to me. I do have some angst 00:07:45.490 --> 00:07:47.870 though. I cannot stand your general manager. 00:07:48.069 --> 00:07:49.529 I don't know how to pronounce his name, but it's 00:07:49.529 --> 00:07:53.990 like Kwazi Adolfo Mensah. He's done nothing thus 00:07:53.990 --> 00:07:56.350 far in the draft. And if McCarthy doesn't work 00:07:56.350 --> 00:07:58.269 out, it's really going to be a black mark against 00:07:58.269 --> 00:08:01.029 him. He inherited a lot of good players. Your 00:08:01.029 --> 00:08:03.009 safety Harrison Smith is one of the best. He's 00:08:03.009 --> 00:08:04.810 begun to catch heat. I mean, he's begun to catch 00:08:04.810 --> 00:08:07.720 heat. Because all he does is free agency all 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:10.579 the time and the Vikings kind of rebuild. But 00:08:10.579 --> 00:08:13.660 as you and I know, that is not the way to sustain 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:16.339 greatness in the NFL, which brings me back to 00:08:16.339 --> 00:08:20.139 kudos to Brad Holmes. He did it again. He resigned 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:22.800 Aiden Hutchinson. And I think this is key for 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:25.560 a couple of things. One, it's not as much money 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:28.279 as what Micah Parsons got in Green Bay. So he's 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.639 not truly the highest paid edge. But he got more 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:33.659 guaranteed. Got the most guaranteed money. And 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:36.120 that's all that matters. Yeah. And he's a team 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:39.600 leader. He's part of the fabric of the Detroit 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:43.320 grit lions. He's one of Dan Campbell's top lieutenants 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:46.799 and captains. And I think that this is just yet 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:49.539 another feather in the cap, which leads me to 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:51.779 a question, Chad. They're really taking care 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:54.299 of their guys. There was a list that came out 00:08:54.299 --> 00:08:56.759 the other day of all the guys that are their 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.059 guys that they've signed. It's an impressive 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:02.769 list of monetary commitment. It was, I was shocked 00:09:02.769 --> 00:09:06.169 when I saw it. So we can go down that list. I 00:09:06.169 --> 00:09:09.149 mean, Kirby, Joseph, they've got secured, obviously, 00:09:09.309 --> 00:09:14.129 Hutch, Sewell, St. Brown, Jamison, Jared Goff, 00:09:14.169 --> 00:09:18.370 and then Aleem McNeil. So the next men up would 00:09:18.370 --> 00:09:20.950 probably be Jack Campbell, possibly Brian Branch, 00:09:21.070 --> 00:09:22.970 who will be back this week from his one game 00:09:22.970 --> 00:09:28.139 suspension and Jamiro Gibbs. Everybody's saying 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:30.320 they don't know if he's getting, everybody wants 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:33.679 it, but running backs are so fragile to the point 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:37.460 where, what do you do? The other thing we need 00:09:37.460 --> 00:09:41.000 to keep in mind is that he, and don't be surprised 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:43.580 if Laporta gets extended before either he or 00:09:43.580 --> 00:09:46.139 Campbell because they're first round picks. And 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:49.710 so the fifth year option is automatically kicks 00:09:49.710 --> 00:09:52.789 in provided the team wants it. So the Lions have 00:09:52.789 --> 00:09:55.809 more control over Campbell and Gibbs than they 00:09:55.809 --> 00:09:58.850 would anybody outside of the first round. So 00:09:58.850 --> 00:10:00.649 that's going to be an interesting thing to see 00:10:00.649 --> 00:10:03.789 unfold. The other good news, I guess, if we can 00:10:03.789 --> 00:10:06.230 switch, you know, away from the Vikings over 00:10:06.230 --> 00:10:09.289 to the Lions is Malcolm Rodriguez is back and 00:10:09.289 --> 00:10:11.970 Vahki is practicing again, which could help immensely 00:10:11.970 --> 00:10:15.070 in the special teams. And our guy, your guy, 00:10:15.330 --> 00:10:18.659 Terry on Arnold is a full participant. in practice 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:21.860 at the last two days. So I'm going to go back 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:24.740 to something about this, the contract issues 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:27.100 here real quick. Laporta is actually the one 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:30.919 guy they think is the odd man out right now because 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:32.960 tight ends just being one of those things that 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.779 are a bit more replaceable, even though he's 00:10:35.779 --> 00:10:38.340 very good at what he does. They're saying that 00:10:38.340 --> 00:10:40.539 he could be. There's just been a few things out 00:10:40.539 --> 00:10:42.259 there that he could be the guy getting replaced. 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:44.759 It's just talk right now. He may get the next 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:46.500 extension, but I found it pretty interesting. 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:49.539 Sorry. Let's go on with the injury report. Well, 00:10:49.620 --> 00:10:52.100 actually, can I ask my question to you on this? 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:53.600 Because we've kind of touched on some of the 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:55.799 injuries and then we'll do a deeper dive. I was 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:57.980 reading Bill Barnwell today, who's one of my 00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:01.700 go tos for the NFL at ESPN .com. And he said 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:05.679 that the Lions window is closing. And his exact 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:08.220 words were that this is the best opportunity 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:11.139 to 2025 because they have so many young guys 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:13.919 that they need to sign and that eventually the 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:16.340 money will grow tight. My argument is they've 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:18.779 already taken care of most of those guys. Like 00:11:18.779 --> 00:11:23.139 the list of small chat branch. Well, what does 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:25.919 the window have to do with really? Is it the 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.710 rest of the competition around him? Or is it 00:11:28.710 --> 00:11:31.570 their team? Because if they're signing all these 00:11:31.570 --> 00:11:34.090 guys and locking these guys up through what looks 00:11:34.090 --> 00:11:37.570 like almost 20, 29, 20, 30. Well, their age 30 00:11:37.570 --> 00:11:40.129 seasons is basically what they're doing. So like 00:11:40.129 --> 00:11:42.570 what I see a window that goes for another three 00:11:42.570 --> 00:11:46.049 to four years, in my opinion. That's mine as 00:11:46.049 --> 00:11:48.269 well. So I don't know why he feels that this 00:11:48.269 --> 00:11:50.610 year is the best. Sometimes I think people, I 00:11:50.610 --> 00:11:53.029 think. I think writers or people in the media, 00:11:53.389 --> 00:11:55.690 even you and I, if you want to throw us into 00:11:55.690 --> 00:11:58.029 the lot, like to poke the bear a little bit. 00:11:58.250 --> 00:12:00.210 We like to sit and, oh, time's running out. Time's 00:12:00.210 --> 00:12:01.730 running out. Got to do something. Got to do something. 00:12:01.970 --> 00:12:03.870 Why? Because guess what's coming up Tuesday, 00:12:04.009 --> 00:12:06.649 the trade deadline. So it makes for a very, you 00:12:06.649 --> 00:12:09.309 know, pressing discussion to sit here and say, 00:12:09.309 --> 00:12:11.009 oh, time's running out. They better do something 00:12:11.009 --> 00:12:13.980 big before the deadline. It creates conversation. 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:17.299 It creates worry. It creates fear. We love to 00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:19.539 create fear these days, right? I mean, who doesn't 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:22.200 like to create fear to draw attention? So this 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:24.679 is kind of these writers doing this. I think 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:26.740 sometimes they think like, oh, if I write, you 00:12:26.740 --> 00:12:29.159 know, if I go out there with this, it's the end. 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:31.320 They got to do something now. It creates that 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:34.000 panic and the fans getting a frenzy and they 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.000 get more readers that way. If he sat there and 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:37.840 said, hey, the Lions have a huge window here. 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:39.980 They got all they got four years to figure this 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:43.419 thing out. Does that make for good? Talk or story? 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:46.299 Probably not. It doesn't copy, right? And the 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:48.779 fact remains that thus far, the Lions have been 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:51.519 pretty fortunate with the guys they have extended 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.379 in terms of not having the injury bug hit them. 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:56.360 Another guy that we need to talk about that was 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:58.360 extended, but just not that recently, was Taylor 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:00.639 Decker. So they really have taken care of everybody. 00:13:00.909 --> 00:13:03.450 And he's retired now, but Frank Ragnow was another 00:13:03.450 --> 00:13:05.570 one that they took care of. So, you know, the 00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:09.149 only guy that like was an all pro or a pro bowl 00:13:09.149 --> 00:13:12.190 player that they allowed to leave in free agency 00:13:12.190 --> 00:13:14.649 was Jonah Jackson. And that proved to be wise 00:13:14.649 --> 00:13:17.450 as well. So at this point, I have full faith 00:13:17.450 --> 00:13:20.509 in Chris Spielman, Brad Holmes, Rod Wood, Martha 00:13:20.509 --> 00:13:27.019 Firestone, Ford, and MCDC Dan Campbell. Don't 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:29.240 feel that strongly about it. I know you wanted 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:31.120 to talk to me a little bit about the trade deadline 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:34.200 because part of the reason that maybe this happened 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:37.000 at the time it did in terms of the hutch extension 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.860 is maybe that does free up a little bit more 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:43.340 money. The lions have about 25 million or so 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:47.179 in cap space right now. And so I think one of 00:13:47.179 --> 00:13:50.340 your questions is we texted offline is who would 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:53.980 I want to see? come in if the Lions did decide 00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:55.460 to be aggressive and make a move. Yeah, trade 00:13:55.460 --> 00:13:58.019 deadline's Tuesday, okay? So Tuesday's trade 00:13:58.019 --> 00:14:01.500 deadline, November 4th, and some stuff's starting 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:03.740 to come out about, well, who the Lions should 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:06.120 be pursuing. What do you think is our biggest 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:09.259 area of need via the trade deadline, via trade? 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:11.480 Where do you think the Lions can do the most 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:14.139 for their team? Well, I think that you could 00:14:14.139 --> 00:14:18.179 still use another edge rusher. And why I think 00:14:18.179 --> 00:14:22.320 that is because I don't know when Marcus Davenport 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:25.179 is going to be back. MCDC did have some good 00:14:25.179 --> 00:14:28.039 news in his press conference where he said that 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:30.539 he does expect him back this season, but he wasn't 00:14:30.539 --> 00:14:34.460 sure when and what that would look like when 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:37.220 he comes back. This is one of the knocks that 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:39.200 we've had about Marcus Davenport ever since he 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:40.860 was signed as a free agent from the New Orleans 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:44.879 Saints is he's always, always hurt. So with that, 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:47.539 you know, being known and that we know that Bob 00:14:47.539 --> 00:14:50.039 Muhammad has played exceptionally well, but he 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:52.259 could be on borrowed time. I think the biggest 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:55.100 need for the Lions right now, and most realistic 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:58.980 get would be trading some day three picks. What 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:01.299 that looks like, I don't know, a fourth, fifth, 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:03.639 six round, excuse me, I guess fifth, six round 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:07.299 picks. And taking the salary of Jalen Phillips, 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:10.460 the edge for the Dolphins who seem to be. on 00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:13.720 a pretty quick track to nowhere. They play this 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.440 evening against the Ravens, who are expecting 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:18.600 Lamar Jackson back and who have underachieved 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:20.639 greatly this season. In fact, it's kind of a 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:22.740 battle between the two most underachieving teams 00:15:22.740 --> 00:15:25.279 to date. So Jalen Phillips should probably be 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:29.279 my guy. If you could get a swing tackle or a 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:32.190 backup tackle, that'd be great. But Chet. Teams 00:15:32.190 --> 00:15:35.210 is we've documented before, don't let go of good 00:15:35.210 --> 00:15:39.049 offensive linemen. Anything we get is probably 00:15:39.049 --> 00:15:42.509 the equivalent to Giovanni Manu, who was not 00:15:42.509 --> 00:15:44.470 great filling in for Taylor Decker, but at least 00:15:44.470 --> 00:15:47.549 he's ours and he's working with Hank Fraley. 00:15:47.590 --> 00:15:49.909 He's practicing. He knows the culture. He knows 00:15:49.909 --> 00:15:53.250 what's expected. So if it's not Jalen Phillips, 00:15:53.330 --> 00:15:56.169 uh, now that Trey Hendrickson's hurt, which I 00:15:56.169 --> 00:15:58.610 always thought was a pie in the sky reach anyway. 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:01.700 I don't see a whole lot else. So you're thinking 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:04.559 edge is what will help us the most right now. 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:07.299 And I don't disagree. I think edges are you can 00:16:07.299 --> 00:16:09.179 never have enough of them. Right. And I think 00:16:09.179 --> 00:16:11.879 I was just reading this past week that one of 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:14.039 Brad Holmes quotes about his search last year 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:16.519 for an edge when they grabbed Zidarius was how 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:19.019 difficult it was to get teams to part with their 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:21.879 edge rushers, even guys that were three and four 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:24.179 down the depth chart, because the line of thinking 00:16:24.179 --> 00:16:27.139 was if I lose one. then all I got are three. 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:29.299 I need to run two of them out there at a time. 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:31.659 So it's not something that people are readily 00:16:31.659 --> 00:16:34.899 willing to give up. You have to have quite a 00:16:34.899 --> 00:16:37.320 bit of depth there. And then left tackles or 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:39.940 right tackles are even less so. And we could 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:44.419 definitely use a left tackle. Not only just for 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:46.519 now, but the future, too. I mean, we don't know 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:48.940 what Decker's future looks like right now. So 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:51.120 there are two positions where I think we could 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.480 definitely use some help in the deadline. And 00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:56.960 I think all we will get at those positions is 00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:59.940 some, you know, a good, like, fill -in guy. Somebody 00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:02.360 to play a few downs here and there to give people 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:04.400 a breather. I don't think we're getting somebody 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.079 starter caliber who can come in and start in 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:09.180 front of one of our guys at either one of those 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:12.359 positions. Now, defensive back, cornerbacks seem 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:15.480 to, you know, not grow on trees, good ones at 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.680 least, but they seem to be a little more available 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:20.920 at the trade deadline. Do you think we need any 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:22.759 more help in the defensive backfield? I think 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:25.259 we always do. And I'm going to give you a name 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:28.859 that I think the Lions could trade. So they're 00:17:28.859 --> 00:17:32.740 in either conjunction with draft picks or solo 00:17:32.740 --> 00:17:36.059 on his own. And that would be Roy Lopez, who 00:17:36.059 --> 00:17:38.740 was signed as a free agent. He's not seen many 00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:41.859 meaningful snaps, if any at all. And he was a 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:45.640 starter last year for the Cardinals. And in their 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.539 top three defensive linemen depth, I could see 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:51.259 him being a piece because. Defensive linemen 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:53.319 are always needed. Yeah, probably doesn't really 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:55.680 mean he's a rental at this point for the Lions 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:59.059 I don't see him being a long -term solution So 00:17:59.059 --> 00:18:02.200 he might be a piece that I could see being moved 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:05.079 now that Aleem is back and healthy and they've 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:07.839 got the guy they drafted and Williams Seems like 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:10.980 they may have a glut of D tackles now again depth 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:13.359 being key here It's great to be able to have 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:15.539 a Roy Lopez come flying in when somebody gets 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:18.500 hurt or something, but at some point You've gotta 00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:20.660 fill in other areas likewise where you're not 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:23.289 as wealthy. I agree with you there, too. I think 00:18:23.289 --> 00:18:25.809 Roy could be a good trade piece if somebody wants 00:18:25.809 --> 00:18:27.849 if somebody wants to take him on or needs him 00:18:27.849 --> 00:18:30.049 for their line. But yeah, it's a one year deals. 00:18:30.369 --> 00:18:31.970 Why I brought him up is I don't think there's 00:18:31.970 --> 00:18:34.450 anything damaged about him wrong with him. No, 00:18:34.670 --> 00:18:36.549 I just don't think he's good enough. I don't 00:18:36.549 --> 00:18:38.369 know if he's going to get the opportunities here. 00:18:38.529 --> 00:18:41.569 He could help somebody else out a lot more. Yes. 00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:43.890 So I think we're all I think we're in lockstep 00:18:43.890 --> 00:18:45.990 here. We're looking at a pie in the sky would 00:18:45.990 --> 00:18:50.609 be like a edge rusher or a tackle. Mm hmm. and 00:18:50.609 --> 00:18:53.329 possibly, but more realistically, we'd possibly 00:18:53.329 --> 00:18:55.529 look at something like a D -back, a fill -in 00:18:55.529 --> 00:18:57.309 D -back, or somebody to play with the rest of 00:18:57.309 --> 00:18:59.509 the guys that are back there right now. A move 00:18:59.509 --> 00:19:02.490 that I liked, that another team did, and it's 00:19:02.490 --> 00:19:05.130 always kind of funny, because they're, the Detroit 00:19:05.130 --> 00:19:07.910 Lions west coast, was less need than the Rams 00:19:07.910 --> 00:19:11.309 signed Roger McCreary. They did a trade, just 00:19:11.309 --> 00:19:14.869 as a defensive back, backup. And I would look 00:19:14.869 --> 00:19:18.509 at him as like rock yassing. It's just a reclamation 00:19:18.509 --> 00:19:21.890 project, change of scenery, a depth piece, come 00:19:21.890 --> 00:19:24.069 up a little, whatever, something like that. We'll 00:19:24.069 --> 00:19:26.829 see that could be, I mean, not McCreery, but 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:30.380 somebody like that. Yeah. Yeah. So let's transition 00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:32.579 here to the injury report. We just had our bye 00:19:32.579 --> 00:19:34.579 week. We just came out of the buy. I know we've 00:19:34.579 --> 00:19:36.640 got some changes here for the injuries. We got 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:38.539 some expectations as to who will play and who 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:40.039 won't play this week. Bill, what do you have 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.279 as far as injuries go? So the only real concerns 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:45.200 chat are Kirby Joseph and that need that's bothering 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:49.440 him and Craig Reynolds, who let's admit he is 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:52.160 a fourth string back. You and I talked about 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:55.869 that. Sionevaki is back from his groin injury. 00:19:56.230 --> 00:19:59.329 So that kind of replaces Reynolds needs on special 00:19:59.329 --> 00:20:01.849 teams, et cetera. Taylor Decker is still battling 00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:04.289 that shoulder, but practicing. Evante Maddox 00:20:04.289 --> 00:20:06.630 is still dealing with his hamstring, but practicing. 00:20:07.269 --> 00:20:10.109 Bob Muhammad, our guy, is dealing with a hamstring, 00:20:10.150 --> 00:20:13.869 but still practicing. You mentioned Malcolm Rodriguez 00:20:13.869 --> 00:20:16.849 is back from his knee injury. And then Daniel 00:20:16.849 --> 00:20:20.549 Thomas, who was a bit piece in the Legion of 00:20:20.549 --> 00:20:24.869 Hume last week, is Also battling a forearm injury. 00:20:25.369 --> 00:20:29.170 And then good news, Terry and Arnold is apparently 00:20:29.170 --> 00:20:31.410 very healthy from his shoulder and been a full 00:20:31.410 --> 00:20:33.890 participant in practice. Good. I'm glad to see 00:20:33.890 --> 00:20:35.509 we're going to get a couple of these guys back 00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:38.009 on the field. And it's if at the very least it 00:20:38.009 --> 00:20:40.839 provides some depth. Um, and we're not as thin 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:42.779 as wondering who's going to play what position 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:44.980 three days before the game starts. So that's 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:47.160 kind of nice. Bye. We came at the right time. 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:49.700 Yeah. And then on the Viking side, their full 00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:53.019 back, uh, CJ Ham has a hand injury and he did 00:20:53.019 --> 00:20:56.019 not practice. Jeff Akuda, who you mentioned earlier 00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:58.480 has a concussion, did not practice that one. 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:01.900 I'm very dubious whether he plays a Josh Oliver, 00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:04.579 one of their backup tight ends. I was battling 00:21:04.579 --> 00:21:08.119 a foot injury. And then you've got Jonathan Greenyard 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:11.680 and Andrew Van Ginkle, who are, they're two outside 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:14.140 linebackers and kind of edges, if you would, 00:21:14.380 --> 00:21:17.319 they're both battling injuries, Greenard's an 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:20.359 ankle and Van Ginkle's a neck. And then you've 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:23.700 also got a little bit of injury history with 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:27.400 Isaiah Rogers. One of the starting corners so 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:30.299 and then you know JJ McCarthy still listed as 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:32.740 an ankle injury even though he's a full participant 00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:35.759 practice he might not be a hundo on that ankle 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:40.660 and so I Think again the Lions have a great opportunity 00:21:40.660 --> 00:21:43.539 here. Yep I think they've got their little beat 00:21:43.539 --> 00:21:46.019 up likewise just like we kind of were and I think 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:48.539 we're on the way back to getting healthy similar 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:50.279 a little different than last season right the 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:52.799 transition from Last season seemed like we were 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:54.559 healthy, healthy, healthy injured for the second 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:56.539 half. Now we had our injuries kind of up front 00:21:56.539 --> 00:21:58.200 and where everybody's getting back to being healthy 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:00.079 for the end of the season this year. Kind of 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.740 convenient. So do you want to segue into fantasy 00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:07.359 football? Let's move into that. Let's move into 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:10.670 the fun stuff now, Bill. All right. Uh, if you've 00:22:10.670 --> 00:22:14.130 got either Jefferson, St. Brown, or Jamo, I would 00:22:14.130 --> 00:22:16.549 start them all. I think Jamo is going to be on 00:22:16.549 --> 00:22:18.829 fire this game coming out of the Lions by week. 00:22:19.069 --> 00:22:21.309 And I expect him to score at least one touchdown. 00:22:21.710 --> 00:22:24.990 I think St. Brown will do his usual dirty work 00:22:24.990 --> 00:22:27.210 in the middle of the field, getting seven to, 00:22:27.589 --> 00:22:30.329 I don't know, eight, nine catches. I can't promise 00:22:30.329 --> 00:22:32.869 you end zone. It's always a good chance. And 00:22:32.869 --> 00:22:36.190 then I think of anybody on the Vikings offense, 00:22:36.430 --> 00:22:39.049 uh, Jefferson's going to be the one to tour chess. 00:22:39.309 --> 00:22:42.170 I think it could be Jefferson or Addison in this 00:22:42.170 --> 00:22:44.869 one. Okay. Yeah, I think either receiver could. 00:22:45.349 --> 00:22:47.470 I don't know that McCarthy's going to be able 00:22:47.470 --> 00:22:49.930 to distribute to both of them and give them equal 00:22:49.930 --> 00:22:52.950 amounts opportunity, but one of them I think 00:22:52.950 --> 00:22:55.990 will go off against us and probably be Jefferson 00:22:55.990 --> 00:22:59.269 in the end. He has had a less than stellar season, 00:22:59.289 --> 00:23:01.230 but he's also had guys throwing to him that are 00:23:01.230 --> 00:23:03.750 not quite, not what you would have, not what 00:23:03.750 --> 00:23:06.390 he would want, I think. Not Sam Darnold? Not 00:23:06.390 --> 00:23:09.579 Sam Darnold at this point, right? Anybody else 00:23:09.579 --> 00:23:12.380 you want to include on this? Well, no. I think 00:23:12.380 --> 00:23:15.420 you've hit everybody. I have a feeling Monty 00:23:15.420 --> 00:23:17.319 might actually have a bigger game than Gibbs 00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:19.559 this week. Okay. I don't know why. I feel like 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:21.619 this is a Montgomery game. He's been kind of 00:23:21.619 --> 00:23:24.799 missing in action lately. Yeah. And I feel like 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:26.740 this could be the one where they run Monty up 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:29.099 the gut a hundred times if we get up by a touchdown 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:31.559 or two and they just burn the clock that way. 00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:35.599 So on that note, do you do you think either team 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:37.759 will be successful running the ball against one 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:40.559 another? Because both defenses are stout against 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:44.720 the run. Yeah. And so, you know, do Mason and 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:47.779 Jones have success against the Lions? I don't 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:50.400 think they personally will. I think the leading 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:52.680 rusher for the Vikings might actually be McCarthy 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:55.140 kind of coming out on bootlegs or just scrambling 00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:57.079 for his life. I have a feeling if there's a guy 00:23:57.079 --> 00:23:58.859 that's going to run against us, it is going to 00:23:58.859 --> 00:24:01.299 be JJ. Okay. And he's probably going to get away, 00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:03.940 evade our rush and run for 20 damn yards. Who 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:07.180 knows? I don't think it'll be Jones or Mason 00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:11.119 at this point. And I do wonder. You know, Lee 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:14.140 McNeil, having him back is kind of the linchpin 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:16.680 to that run defense, right? Like, now that he's 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:19.240 back, I can confidently say we can stop the run. 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:21.480 At least up the middle, out on the edges, who 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:26.460 knows. But, up the middle, we're gonna be solid 00:24:26.460 --> 00:24:29.720 there. I will say, I don't know that the Vikings 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:32.539 run defense is quite as solid as ours. We'll 00:24:32.539 --> 00:24:34.759 see what happens there. I feel like we could. 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:38.220 Possibly open some holes for Gibbs or Monte to 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:40.019 run around a little bit and again I think it's 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:42.400 gonna be more Monte doing some grunt work with 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:45.799 the old shoulder pads on Sunday You had in your 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:49.279 notes. This is a curious little section big day 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:52.579 for Fox You've really taken to our punters and 00:24:52.579 --> 00:24:54.539 kickers this year. Haven't you? Yeah, I know 00:24:54.539 --> 00:24:57.750 this isn't really fantasy because the special 00:24:57.750 --> 00:25:00.730 teams unit. What I need to do is getting a lot 00:25:00.730 --> 00:25:03.710 of love from you. I need to find a really, really 00:25:03.710 --> 00:25:07.710 nerdy fantasy league where punters are. What 00:25:07.710 --> 00:25:09.589 do you think you'd get points for from a punter? 00:25:09.829 --> 00:25:13.119 Like hang time? Net average hang time, all the 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:15.960 above. Kind of punts inside 10 yards, get you 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:18.200 five points or something like that. Punts inside 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:21.640 the five, inside the 10, inside the 20. Why don't 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:23.480 we have that? That would be incredible. You would 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:25.680 have to pick punters on really bad teams. God, 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:28.099 if I only was to pick on bad teams, that would 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:29.640 be the one position you'd be like, I gotta get 00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:32.519 a really bad offense. If only I could speak. 00:25:32.750 --> 00:25:35.130 currently to the commissioner of our league to 00:25:35.130 --> 00:25:37.490 maybe make this change. That would be so wonderful. 00:25:37.890 --> 00:25:39.650 The commissioner of your league is never allowing 00:25:39.650 --> 00:25:41.910 this change. When the league, when we're going 00:25:41.910 --> 00:25:44.150 to burn the league down, the commissioner of 00:25:44.150 --> 00:25:46.190 the league will allow this change. All right. 00:25:46.210 --> 00:25:48.490 All right. Good, good thinking, but probably 00:25:48.490 --> 00:25:50.750 not. All right. What's your, what's your projection 00:25:50.750 --> 00:25:53.990 for the final score? So you talked about it very 00:25:53.990 --> 00:25:57.150 succinctly. Minnesota is like Atlanta. They are 00:25:57.150 --> 00:26:00.569 the two worst sports towns for long suffering 00:26:00.569 --> 00:26:03.500 fans. They have a few baseball championships 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:06.960 each, but nothing to show for in the NBA. I mean, 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:09.220 Atlanta can't keep an NHL team to save their 00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:11.900 life. The Wild for how passionate Minnesota is 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:14.720 about hockey have done absolutely nothing. And 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:17.980 the Vikings are 0 for 4 in Super Bowls and don't 00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:20.859 seem to be on track to make another one. Lions 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:22.799 are at Ford Field. It's going to be raucous. 00:26:23.059 --> 00:26:25.839 And I think the Lions role in this one, 34 to 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:27.900 13. You think it'll be a little bit of a track 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:29.720 meet in the beginning? I think it's going to 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:32.720 be a slog for about a quarter and a half. I think 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:34.460 the Lions. No track meet in the beginning. Yeah. 00:26:34.619 --> 00:26:36.099 I think they're going to open it up. And then 00:26:36.099 --> 00:26:38.380 I think to your point, I agree with you. They're 00:26:38.380 --> 00:26:41.440 going to pound Monte run Gibbs, uh, kind of off 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:44.460 tackle and milk the clock. I think one of the 00:26:44.460 --> 00:26:47.180 touchdowns for the lions could be either on, 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:49.759 well, I think we could see a pick six or a fumble 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:52.799 recovery for a touchdown. I could see Hutch maybe 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:56.890 getting his fifth strip. Okay of McCarthy. Okay, 00:26:57.049 --> 00:26:59.230 and I think it's gonna be a big day for lines. 00:26:59.369 --> 00:27:02.289 What are your thoughts? I'm going 27 17. All 00:27:02.289 --> 00:27:04.529 right lions I think they win by 10, but it's 00:27:04.529 --> 00:27:07.809 one of those that feels like 42 to 7 So it's 00:27:07.809 --> 00:27:10.109 not gonna feel that close, but it is gonna be 00:27:10.109 --> 00:27:13.069 that close I eat the Lions are something like 00:27:13.069 --> 00:27:16.789 21st in third down conversions and If they aren't 00:27:16.789 --> 00:27:19.049 able to run the ball on the Vikings, my biggest 00:27:19.049 --> 00:27:20.809 fear here for our offense is if we can't get 00:27:20.809 --> 00:27:22.690 the run game going against the Vikings, if they 00:27:22.690 --> 00:27:25.809 do have that stout run defense, they become a 00:27:25.809 --> 00:27:28.170 little one dimensional. They can't work off the 00:27:28.170 --> 00:27:30.549 play action. We already haven't been doing that 00:27:30.549 --> 00:27:33.049 great on third down conversion this year. I just 00:27:33.049 --> 00:27:35.549 see that the offense might have a little bit 00:27:35.549 --> 00:27:38.130 of a struggle. I think we're going to be hoping 00:27:38.130 --> 00:27:41.900 to benefit from field position. I think our defense 00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:44.819 gives McCarthy fits, hopefully, and we end up 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:46.819 in great field position on just about every drive 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:48.759 which sets us up. And we don't have to do that 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:50.900 much work. So that's your way of saying that 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:54.119 Jack Fox is valuable. Is valuable. Is valuable. 00:27:54.180 --> 00:27:56.880 OK, let's talk about Vegas. I'm just I'm poking 00:27:56.880 --> 00:28:00.680 you. Vegas thinks that the Lions are eight and 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:03.039 a half point favorites. They've got the over 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:05.039 under at forty eight and a half. If you were 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:07.559 to take the money line, the only way to make 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:10.519 money on that is taking the Vikes at plus three 00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:14.519 eighty five. Any thoughts on that? I hate it 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:18.099 all. And here's why I don't like. to bet the 00:28:18.099 --> 00:28:21.500 spread on an NFC North game. These games just 00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:23.799 end up too close all the time. Which is interesting 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:25.819 because you and I both picked bigger point spreads. 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:27.420 I know, and I started thinking about it when 00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:29.180 I said that. You said that point spread and I 00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:33.019 said, you know what? 27 -21 sounds far more realistic 00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:36.000 in this game. for one reason or another, which 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:37.940 would have been inside of that spread. But I'm 00:28:37.940 --> 00:28:39.519 going to say I'm staying with my twenty seven 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:41.900 seventeen and I guess I got to take the spread 00:28:41.900 --> 00:28:44.220 too. So, yeah, I'm going to take the points. 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:46.460 I'm going to take the points in the spread and 00:28:46.460 --> 00:28:48.799 the under probably. Yeah, I think the under is 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:51.920 probably the the play soundest decision now that 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:54.099 I back myself into having to take the spread 00:28:54.099 --> 00:28:57.579 because of my pick. All right. So we're going 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:59.740 to see what happens here at Ford Field, Bill. 00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:03.240 I'm a little I. You know, every game, I just 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:05.599 don't have the confidence that I think I had 00:29:05.599 --> 00:29:08.400 last year when we're going into games. Our offense 00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:11.180 just isn't quite clicking. Even though a lot 00:29:11.180 --> 00:29:14.119 of the numbers are doing really well, we just 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:16.400 aren't quite clicking along. I'm probably getting 00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:19.089 over worried for no reason at all here. I'm probably 00:29:19.089 --> 00:29:21.630 giving the Vikings way too much credit. But we'll 00:29:21.630 --> 00:29:23.650 see what happens. We'll be back with a review 00:29:23.650 --> 00:29:26.809 or recap after the fact. Win or lose. Hopefully 00:29:26.809 --> 00:29:30.349 win. Probably should win. And yeah, we'll go 00:29:30.349 --> 00:29:33.450 from there. Go Lions. Enjoy your weekend. Forward 00:29:33.450 --> 00:29:34.609 down the field. Go Lions.