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00:00As Madonna said here, Joe Neary, get into the groove.
00:03Why are we going to do that in the preseason?
00:05Most starters sit out.
00:06There's no need to get into a groove.
00:07Get into the groove week number one.
00:09You know what hasn't worked for the past couple years getting into a groove in week number one?
00:13The Cincinnati Bengals.
00:14They're terrible out of the gate.
00:16So Zach Taylor, their head coach, says yesterday, and pretty much we've been hearing this for this week,
00:20an Ian Rappaport tweet confirms this.
00:22Bengals coach Zach Taylor tells reporters that Joe Burrow and other big-name players
00:26will play several series on Thursday night.
00:29And more in game two against the Commanders.
00:31New way of doing it with eyes on starting fast.
00:34This makes sense.
00:35Understand this, Joe.
00:36We know that you don't want to get stars injured in the preseason.
00:40You can get hurt at any time.
00:42You say, man, I sent Joe Burrow out there in week two of the preseason, snap number three,
00:46he went down with an ACL.
00:47That's terrible news.
00:48You never want that to happen.
00:49But there also is something to this.
00:52Preparing for a season and getting ready.
00:54Anybody who's ever played any sports, you can have all the scrimmages you want.
00:57You can have all the intricacies in the offseason.
01:01But once you get the game number one, if you're not used to game tempo, you're going
01:05to be winded.
01:06You're not going to be ready.
01:07And hey, I got to, wait a second.
01:09I took five snaps in the preseason.
01:11Game number one, Joe, I'm playing 80 snaps in the 85-degree temperatures in September.
01:15It doesn't work out.
01:17I like this approach from the Bengals.
01:18What do you think about it?
01:19Well, I mean, I like it too.
01:23But from a betting perspective, it means absolutely nothing.
01:26Zach Taylor is 3-12 straight up and 0-5 straight up over the last two years in the preseason
01:33here.
01:34It's great that you're going to give the starters, you know, some reps early on.
01:39But the reality is, from a betting perspective, Donnie, those guys aren't going to have any
01:44impact on who wins or covers the game when it's all said and done.
01:48It's who comes in after that, especially in the second half, where games are going to
01:53be decided and bet and tickets are going to be cash.
01:56So I think it's good, but you're still just 3-12 straight up and 0-5 over the last two
02:02years, Zach Taylor.
02:03Ultimately, the second halves mean absolutely nothing to the Cincinnati Bengals.
02:09I mean, you don't want to put yourself on the eight ball.
02:12Now, granted, like we added 16 games to 17 because of the statistics, Joe, always where
02:17you go 0-2, everybody's getting fired because you are not making the playoffs.
02:21Now, with the 17th game, it's a little bit more leeway.
02:24But nobody likes the pressure in the building.
02:27Do you know what's fantastic?
02:28Opening up 3-0, it's like, whoa, what a season.
02:32This could be our year.
02:33You open up 0-2, you don't even want to go to work on that Monday showing up because
02:39of how much pressure is in that building.
02:41The owner is always going to make his money.
02:43The general manager, the front office, the starting quarterback, the running back, the
02:47guys that want to make more money, you are on the chopping block immediately because once
02:51you go 0-2, 0-3, 0-4, the season is already over.
02:55I don't care that you have 17, 18 weeks to try to make it up at this point.
02:58So I like this approach saying, boy, if we can just go one and one out of the gate as
03:03opposed to what we've been doing, that would seem like a miracle.
03:06Now, also, they're going to play Thursday in Philadelphia.
03:08Is there going to be a referendum that they need to beat the Eagles 17-0 in the first
03:13quarter because Joe Burrow and the starters are out there?
03:14No.
03:15It just means preparing for the game, going through your normal mental workout before
03:20you even take the field, taking a couple snaps, being in the huddle with the boys during
03:24a normal game, running a couple plays, a couple outpasses, a couple deep shots here.
03:28Just get those vibes going for the regular season as opposed to, oh, wait, opening day
03:33is here.
03:33Well, I'm not used to this.
03:34We haven't done this since last year.
03:35They're all dress rehearsals, Joe.
03:36Just use them.
03:37You see the stat that we just posted up there.
03:39The worst starting team, it feels like, in the NFL is the Bengals.
03:41There's no excuse for that.
03:44Well, and, you know, listen, the definition of insanity is to continue to do the same things
03:48and expect a different outcome.
03:51You know, you're not playing anybody in the preseason.
03:54Your record indicates that you don't care about these, quote-unquote, meaningless games.
04:00And yet, look at those starts.
04:02On the flip side, there's two other teams in that division, Donnie, that, you know what?
04:07They take the preseason seriously.
04:10One guy's named John Harbaugh, who's 45 and 16 straight up in the preseason.
04:15The other guy is Mike Tomlin, who's 40 and 27 in the preseason.
04:20And they always seem to start the season off well and finish it well.
04:25And I don't hear their seasons being ruined because they don't care about meaningless football.
04:30Like, I just, it makes no sense to me.
04:32Do what other successful teams do.
04:35It's not that hard to figure out.
04:37No, it's not.
04:38And you're not asking them to throw 50 times in a preseason game.
04:43You're just asking to say, okay, put the starters out there.
04:45And understand this as well.
04:47Injuries happen in the NFL.
04:49Nobody wants it in the preseason game.
04:50Nobody wants it in week number four.
04:52Nobody wants it in week 17.
04:53We understand that.
04:54But you certainly have to prepare for the regular season to be on point in the regular season.
05:00We understand, Joe.
05:00They work out all season long.
05:02This isn't the 1960s.
05:03But you still need those game reps here and those mental reps before the season starts.
05:08Maybe things change for the Bengals and things are on the up and up.
05:10But I like this move by Coach Zach Taylor.
05:13Buy yourself, people.
05:14Some of our favorite segments here in the NFL.
05:16We're going to do that next right here on the early line.
05:19Joe, let's get the hard topics out of the way.
05:21I'm going to ask you a quiz question to see if you're updated on your NFL knowledge.
05:25And if you're up to maybe a couple of buy-yourself questions.
05:28So I'm going to ask you this.
05:29Can you name the four teams in the NFC South?
05:33We'll start there.
05:34Make it easy.
05:35What are those teams?
05:36All right.
05:36The NFC South, I would believe.
05:40And they are all terrible in a whole lot of different ways here.
05:43So we're talking about the Falcons.
05:45We're talking about the New Orleans Saints.
05:48We're talking about Carolina.
05:49And we're talking about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
05:53Is that about right?
05:55That is right.
05:55And that's why I wanted to ask you that question first.
05:57Because when you say the team's on, okay, the NFC South, it's a division.
06:00It's going to be tough to win.
06:01But I wanted us to say the teams out loud.
06:03Let's remove Tampa Bay.
06:04We're going to talk about them in a second.
06:05The Falcons.
06:06Scary team for you, Joe, in the NFL.
06:08Like, whoa, watch out for the Falcons.
06:12To me, the jury is still out there.
06:14Because I'm not sure, Penix Jr., what do you get in his sophomore year?
06:18Is it a step back?
06:20Is Kurt Cousins even going to be on the team by the time, you know, week three or four?
06:25Is he going to be traded?
06:26Well, you know, there's a lot of question marks with the Atlanta Falcons.
06:30And a lot of it also stems around that coaching staff.
06:34Carolina Panthers around the NFL.
06:36Whoa, you better not play the Panthers, man.
06:38Is that a feeling around the NFL right now?
06:40I don't think anybody has felt that in a very long time.
06:44But I can tell you this.
06:46You got to love last season when it finally felt like it started to click for Bryce Young there at the end.
06:55It was an awful start to the season.
06:58But he finished it up pretty well.
07:00That was a pretty competitive team there down the stretch.
07:02I give that coaching staff a lot of credit.
07:05Can you build off it is the question this year.
07:07You're in the right division to be better than you were a year ago.
07:11We'll see if they can make it happen.
07:14And the final question, New Orleans Saints.
07:16Remember, like, you used to look at the schedule and be like, oh, no, man.
07:19Eagles got to go play the Saints in the Dome on a primetime game.
07:23You could probably chalk that up as a loss.
07:25Anybody saying they don't want to go play in the Dome?
07:26I think the rest of the NFL is like, put us every single game against the Saints in the Dome, Joe.
07:30Is that true?
07:31Yeah, you used to be a pretty feared place to go and play, right?
07:37But it has not been that in a very, very, very long time.
07:42I truly believe it's going to be where it's tank-a-thon for the Saints this year.
07:47If you're going to throw out, you know, Spencer Radler is your quarterback.
07:52There you go.
07:53Enjoy yourself.
07:54Yes, let me know.
07:55Big time down there.
07:56Run, Alvin, Kamara into a break.
07:57Well, we'll find it out.
07:58But the question we're going to ask here on By Yourself doesn't have to really deal with those three teams.
08:03It really deals with the Buccaneers, but the effect is on those other three teams and what can happen.
08:07So if we take a look at the Buccaneers, right?
08:102021, 13-4.
08:112022, 8-9.
08:132023, 9-8.
08:142024, 10-7.
08:16You might look at that yourself and say, all right, well, one of those years, yeah, probably 2021, they won the division.
08:22But the rest of the years were pretty average.
08:24No, Joe, they won the division every single year I just told you.
08:26It shows how bad this division is.
08:28So by yourself, the Buccaneers are just going to win another division championship this year, which will be their fifth straight.
08:37All right, listen, the best of the rest, right?
08:39If it ain't broke, why fix it?
08:41And we just talked about three other teams in this division, Donnie, in which, yeah, no, they don't have the same weapons that Baker Mayfield and the Bucs do.
08:52I mean, there is another new offensive coordinator this year.
08:57Keep that in mind.
08:58That will be also Baker Mayfield's, I believe, eighth different offensive coordinator in eight seasons, if you can believe that.
09:06But you got Mike Evans back.
09:08Godwin will be back.
09:09Jalen McMillan is back.
09:10They have got they got a running game.
09:13They are always going to be good on the defensive side with Todd Bowles there, you know, bringing up a lot of young guys.
09:20So, yeah, to me, this is are they world beaters?
09:25No, I don't think anybody's picking Tampa to up in your Philadelphia Eagles anytime soon.
09:31But, yeah, they are more than capable and have plenty enough talent to be able to once again sit atop that division.
09:39No doubt about it.
09:40And you take a look again at that division.
09:41It's not so much about how good are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Joe.
09:44It's really how good is the rest of that division.
09:47But if it's not broken, right, why are you going to fix it at this point?
09:51General manager Jason Lick, like he's thinking of a good thing.
09:53I got a Super Bowl trophy when Tom Brady was here.
09:55We keep winning divisions.
09:56That's all you can ask for.
09:57Now, granted, do you want to win more games in the playoffs?
09:59Yes, do you want to go in deeper playoff runs?
10:01Absolutely.
10:02We do have to give them credit for saying we're hiring the right offensive coordinators.
10:05You know, we brought in Baker Mayfield when nobody else really wanted him.
10:08And here we go.
10:08And also, what is their M.O.?
10:11Baker is a swashbuckler back there quarterback.
10:13We have a decent offensive line.
10:15Every year we give him three legitimate wide receivers that he can use.
10:19Evans, Egbuka you draft out of Ohio State high.
10:22Godwin's coming back here from injury.
10:24Also, a couple capable running backs that he's done very well and successful in drafting those guys.
10:29So the sky's the limit for me by saying, yes, they can win the division, which when you win the division, Joe, means you get a home game.
10:35Did that work to their advantage last year?
10:36No, it didn't.
10:37But sooner than later, the home games are going to pay off.
10:39I have really high expectations for the Buccaneers in that division.
10:43And then again, on winning a playoff round because you will be at home as long as you stay healthy.
10:47Todd Bowles, who I love him as head coach.
10:49No, but you know what I love him as?
10:50A defensive coordinator.
10:51If they can, again, replace an offensive coordinator in Liam Cohen that left for Jacksonville, why can't we trust the Buccaneers?
10:57This should be one of the easiest buys you can have on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a division that says, well, Pennix is really going to have to step up.
11:04Carolina's going to have to take a monster step forward.
11:05And we don't even know what New Orleans actually is trying to do this year with a team total of four and a half.
11:11Well, they're trying to lay down and they have their eyes on maybe a quarterback in the draft next season.
11:17But the schedule is also pretty favorable as well, Donnie, if you look at it.
11:22The Bucs, I believe, over the final six or seven weeks of the season, I don't think they leave the state of Florida, but maybe once.
11:32So they are going to end the season with a lot of home opportunities, not a whole lot of travel there.
11:39They do have the Texans.
11:40They do have the Lions, but both of those games are going to be on the road.
11:44This definitely sets up as a double-digit winning season.
11:49If that offense stays healthy, I know they're younger.
11:52They're more athletic.
11:53They're going to be better against the pass in the secondary with Todd Bowles this year.
11:57I like the chances of the Bucs winning double-digit games here.
12:02And also double-digit wins, which again would mean the division championship and a chance to be at home
12:06and how hard those schedules are right now, particularly for the NFC East.
12:09Like you might get an 11-win Buccaneers team, and I'm being honest, a 10-win NFC East champion,
12:15which means you would get the bye-week chance over the NFC East if it comes down to that.
12:19But if we do look at the odds market, let's just say to win the NFC, the Eagles are a plus 360.
12:24Detroit's a plus 550.
12:25The Niners are plus 850.
12:27The Packers are plus 900.
12:28We're still going here, Joe.
12:29The Rams, a 10-to-1 price.
12:31The Commanders, a 10-to-1 price.
12:32The Vikings are a 10-to-1 price over the Buccaneers at 13-to-1.
12:37I'm telling you right now, the Vikings aren't winning their division.
12:40So you're telling me right now the Vikings will be a better bet than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
12:43I'm not buying that, Joe.
12:45No, no.
12:46I mean, listen, again, you've got Baker Mayfield, who we all know is, time to time,
12:52is certainly going to throw the ball to the other team.
12:55But he also threw for, what, over 4,500 yards last season?
12:59And it's not like this OC doesn't know him because I believe he was the passing game coordinator
13:05last year with Liam Cohn.
13:07So I think this is, all signs point up, I am buying the Tampa Bay Bucs here to not only,
13:15and having Bucky Irving back as well, I think all of it lines up to 10-11 wins.
13:21And it's going to be real interesting here towards the end of the season to see where they might
13:26land in a postseason game against two.
13:29And do we really want to come to Florida and play in that spot?
13:35I like Tampa's chances here.
13:37You know what's interesting, Joe?
13:38Because we always talk about also how we, like, bet the season and set it up.
13:42Like, we're telling you right now, we like the Buccaneers to win that division.
13:45The price point is going to be high to start the season because most people's expectations are they are going to win it.
13:49But hear me out on this, Joe.
13:51It might not be a bad idea.
13:52How about this?
13:53Lose to the Falcons game number one on the road.
13:55It's always tough to win on the road, specifically in division.
13:57Lose game two to the Texans.
13:59Very good opponent.
13:59That's on the road.
14:00Beat the Jets at home.
14:01The Eagles then come to town and you lose to them.
14:03Now you're one and three at that point.
14:06Are we talking about maybe getting an awesome price on the Buccaneers,
14:09knowing nobody's going to run away with that division outside of Tampa Bay if they start the season three and one?
14:15Do we just wait on the Buccaneers to, like, week four or five and go,
14:17now's the time to press it when the price point might be way better than what you're getting now?
14:22Yeah, it could, but again, they also could just run the table.
14:26This was the best, one of the best red zone offenses and third down offenses last year.
14:32I don't think that changes.
14:34Let's talk Falcons.
14:35Joe loves Kirk Cousins, but should he be on that roster?
14:37We'll find out next right here on the Early Line.
14:39I'm digging the Falcons a little bit this year, and if we take a look from an NFC South perspective,
14:44I do think they're the second best team in that division behind Tampa Bay.
14:47If they play good football and stay injury-free, they added some components to the defense.
14:51Maybe Raheem Morris catches a clue and learns how to coach on the sideline.
14:54This team might be able to do some damage.
14:56The talent is there where they can win this division.
14:58We just haven't seen it over the past couple years actually work its way onto the field.
15:02They also made a major move just an off-season ago to say,
15:06whoa, Kirk Cousins, welcome down, big contracting.
15:10By the way, we're going to draft your replacement right off the bat, which never made any sense.
15:13It still doesn't make any sense right now.
15:15Kirk Cousins is still on that roster, which doesn't make any sense now.
15:19So let me ask you this question, Joe, on a buy yourself.
15:21The Falcons need to get rid of Kirk Cousins off the roster by any means necessary?
15:28Well, they can't.
15:30I mean, that's the problem because they're saddled with a four-year, $180 million deal
15:36that didn't allow them to any wiggle room to add anything of value in the off-season here, Donnie.
15:46I mean, they went defense.
15:48They drafted defense this year in the NFL draft.
15:52But what you see is what you get here because you have a quarterback who's not even playing
15:58that has all of this salary cap issue going on with him.
16:03He is the ultimate safety net because you still have a young quarterback going into his sophomore year.
16:10You're still not sure, you know, is he any good?
16:12Is he not any good?
16:14The numbers were up and down last year.
16:16Kirk Cousins is the perfect safety net unless another team's quarterback gets hurt over the next couple of weeks, Donnie.
16:23And then the phone starts ringing.
16:25And then we'll see.
16:26And I'm sure somebody in the front office of Atlanta is going, well, if that happens, yeah, our asking price could be pretty good.
16:35And we might be able to get out from under this contract we gave him.
16:39Yeah, you know what would have been better?
16:41Just don't sign Kirk Cousins.
16:42Draft Michael Pennix Jr.
16:43Had $50-plus million to spend on a cornerback, another defensive end, another wide receiver, what have you.
16:48So this organization, we always remember, Joe, right, Drafton, best case scenario here, if Michael Pennix never plays, that means it was a great signing.
16:55I'm saying, like, what?
16:56Or if Kirk Cousins is so bad we paid him all that money, we have Michael Pennix.
17:00What?
17:00Like, none of that made any sense, and you couldn't sell that to anybody, and here we are.
17:04But I think you're right about this.
17:06If there's one quarterback or one personality that can say, I'm getting all of this money, and I won't be a distraction, and I'll put my best foot forward every single day, it's Kirk Cousins.
17:17You tell most people that are expected starters in the NFL who were brought to town on a promise they would start and get paid a lot of money to do that, and then get shoved into the corner by saying, like, yeah, we'll just play it off as you're not healthy, and we know you tried to fight through your injury, but it doesn't matter, you're not going to play.
17:30Like, Kirk Cousins is that one guy, and if you are Raheem Morris, Michael Pennix doesn't work out.
17:35At week number three, he goes down with a knee injury.
17:36Not like he hasn't gone down with a knee injury before in his career.
17:39He's been known to have injuries.
17:40That you can bring in Kirk Cousins and salvage your season and win football games and try to make the playoffs, that's not a bad option.
17:46They should have never signed Kirk Cousins, but now that they have him, they should have gotten rid of him here in the offseason.
17:52They couldn't do that.
17:53You're not just going to cut bait, eat that salary cap, get nothing back when you go, well, wait a second.
17:58We're one and four.
17:58Michael Pennix is playing poorly and injured.
18:00Oh, it would have been nice to have Kirk Cousins come in and try to right the ship for you.
18:03So for me, I don't think it's off-sell that.
18:05You can't get rid of him at all costs now.
18:07You should have been thinking about that in February, in March, in April, in May, and in June.
18:13It's too late now for me, Joe.
18:14It's way too late.
18:17I mean, that ship has sailed.
18:18The minute that they made the change last year, that was it.
18:22And quite honestly, I don't blame Kirk Cousins for what happened there last year.
18:28I am not a big fan of Zach Robinson, the offensive coordinator in any way, shape, or form.
18:34I don't like his play calling.
18:37I don't like his offense.
18:38I don't think he put Kirk Cousins in a position to succeed or utilize what he's been really good at his entire career.
18:45So, yeah, I think they're in trouble here, Atlanta, especially on the defensive side.
18:53They spent, what, three or four draft picks right off the top on the defensive side, even in free agency.
18:59But what, okay, they're going to play what?
19:02The AFC East, I believe, is on the schedule this year with them.
19:07They have a bye week, week five.
19:10They're going to Berlin in week nine, and they're not coming out of that with a bye.
19:16They've already had it in week five.
19:19So, I don't like the coaching staff, and I don't like the way the schedule sets up for them.
19:25It'll be interesting, too, because I always, like, there's two parts of the schedule we usually look at, right?
19:29Like, number one, you want to find out where the bye week is.
19:31We always understand that.
19:32But can we start fast?
19:33But if we need to close strong, can we do that?
19:36Like, oh, man, they got three of the four games on the road against my toughest opponents.
19:38If we're fighting for a playoff spot, we're probably not going to make it.
19:41Game number one against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
19:43That is, like, we think Tampa's going to win that division.
19:45That's a winnable game, though.
19:46At home, healthy.
19:47Crowd's going to be loud.
19:48That's a tough environment to play in.
19:49On the road against Minnesota.
19:50We don't know what J.J. McCarthy is.
19:52Game number three at the Panthers.
19:53Yes, it's a road game in the division, but it's the Carolina Panthers.
19:56Then home to the Washington Commanders, and then you get a bye week.
19:59Like, you have to figure you need to be at least two and two before you hit that bye and sort of have a takeoff.
20:04But also, let me ask you this.
20:07Is there a point in the season where Michael Penix, Joe, is not injured but just not playing well, and they go to Kirk Cousins?
20:14That can't happen, right?
20:15That's never going to happen, is it?
20:18Listen, a lot of this is going to depend on how many games are these teams winning?
20:24You know and I know that the pressure is going to be on if all of a sudden Penix is not getting it.
20:30It has that sophomore slump.
20:32We saw a sophomore slump last year, didn't we, in Houston with a young quarterback?
20:38Could very well happen here again.
20:40Only the difference is he is not surrounded, I think, on both sides of the ball or on the sidelines with the coaching staff like they are in Houston.
20:49So, this could go from bad to worse, but if they're winning games, it won't really matter, right?
20:56If he's going to have his ups and downs, which, Donnie, how is he not going to have the ups and downs here?
21:02So, you know, expect there to be some issues.
21:05They will have to be desperate to go to Kirk Cousins, which means they must feel at some point that going to Kirk Cousins gives them an opportunity to make the postseason.
21:15I also understand this, too.
21:17We're not getting a blind look at him, right?
21:19Like J.J. McCarthy.
21:20We expect good things from him, but we haven't seen him play in the NFL, and you've got to make those adjustments.
21:23Penix does have some game NFL action.
21:26Penix went through this entire offseason as the quote-unquote starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
21:30So, it's not as if he's just getting thrown in week number one.
21:32Like, oh, my goodness.
21:33We can't handle this.
21:34I've never seen this before.
21:35So, he should be able to hit the ground running and find out how that plays out.
21:39But it is interesting.
21:40And kudos.
21:40You get paid to play a position.
21:42Kirk Cousins is getting paid a lot of money in the NFL and played his cards exactly correct.
21:48We'll see if he winds up elsewhere.
21:49You know, it'll be interesting.
21:49Like, a Brock Purdy goes down for San Francisco, and Kirk Cousins is healthy.
21:53There can be places to move him if that is available.
21:56More talk next by yourself.
21:58We love these segments.
21:59Come on back with us.
22:00Ah, those pesky Atlanta Falcons.
22:02But we talked about a couple teams so far here in the NFC South.
22:05We do think that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are best seeded here to win another NFC South championship.
22:11And then you feel like the Atlanta Falcons might be on their toes.
22:14And then there's the other teams in that division.
22:16And we're going to start with the Saints.
22:17It's a proud franchise.
22:18It has a Super Bowl trophy.
22:20It has one of the more iconic venues in the sports landscape being the Superdome.
22:24Caesar Superdome now is what it's called.
22:26The Super Bowl last year, the Sports Grid Network, we were down there.
22:29I got my first glimpse in the first time in my history seeing the Superdome and be like,
22:33man, this is where all those amazing games were played and how loud that place can be.
22:37A party city on a Thursday night, on a Sunday night, on a Monday night, in a playoff game,
22:42or to host a Super Bowl.
22:43It's a wonderful place.
22:45But the Saints are going to be going through some trying times right now.
22:48And I don't even know, Joe, if they got their franchise quarterback in the draft and Tyler
22:53Shook.
22:53Like, is that going to be the guy that's going to lead them into the next millennium, if you will?
22:57But the question here is, it's not exactly, will they win the Super Bowl?
23:01Can they win the division?
23:03Buy or sell Joe Ranieri.
23:04The Saints will be the worst team in the NFL this season.
23:10Well, you know, I don't necessarily blame them for the situation that they're in right now,
23:15because I'm fairly certain when Kellen Moore took the job that he thought Derek Carr was
23:21going to be his quarterback.
23:22And I guarantee you, Donnie, it would have been a much more competitive division had he
23:28not retired.
23:30But the minute he retired, I mean, there isn't a quarterback on this roster right now that
23:35won a game.
23:37Derek Carr was the only one that won a game.
23:40The quarterbacks currently on the roster that were there a year ago had more interceptions
23:45than they did touchdown passes.
23:47They've got a lot to look forward to in the future.
23:50The offensive line, a lot of very young guys that had a lot of experience last year, they
23:57are going to get their next quarterback or try to get their next quarterback next year
24:03in the draft.
24:04But I don't see how this is going to work.
24:07Four and a half wins?
24:09Yeah, no.
24:10There is some turnover here.
24:11But like any other franchise, it comes a time.
24:14It's you'd have been good.
24:16You'd have been all right with Derek Carr when he retired.
24:20It's all about looking to the future now for the New Orleans Saints.
24:23The interesting part about this question is, it's like, will the Saints be the worst team
24:27in the NFL?
24:28I think if you're coming into the season, Joe, on paper, they are the worst team in the
24:31NFL.
24:31But you are judged by how many wins that you can get.
24:34And you might say, well, Donnie, what do you mean?
24:35They're four and a half as a total.
24:37Like, how many can they have?
24:38But also the Cleveland Browns are listed at four and a half.
24:41That's a product of your environment.
24:42Like, look at the Saints.
24:43It's one of the easiest schedules in the NFL.
24:45They don't have a ton of talent, but they do have some talent.
24:47And also, it's an easier schedule that they play.
24:50You look at the Cleveland Browns going like, yeah, we're four and a half.
24:52But Steelers in our division, Ravens in our division, Cincinnati.
24:57I mean, come on now.
24:57They're getting to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which are a good football team, not the best.
25:02Yeah, you're going to get to play the Atlanta Falcons.
25:04We think they could probably be over 500.
25:05The Carolina Panthers, who we don't know what they're going to be with Bryce Young, a quarterback.
25:09So it's hard to answer that question, because if I say the worst team in the NFL, just based
25:13on what I think is the eye test, I do think they're the worst team in the NFL.
25:17But based on the record at the end of the year, they might be able to get five wins, which
25:21probably won't be the worst team, Joe, in the NFL.
25:24Look at the New York Giants.
25:25Like, the Giants have talent.
25:27Their schedule looks like they might not even score a touchdown at any game they play, how
25:30hard it is.
25:31But the Giants would wipe the floor at the Saints, if you ask me.
25:34I agree.
25:35I agree.
25:36And I mean, look at how the problem is, the schedule does not favor them.
25:41I mean, look at that.
25:42You got three games against the NFC West, and then you got to go to Buffalo.
25:46Like, are you kidding?
25:47You got to go from Seattle, come home, and then you got to go to Buffalo.
25:51Not good here.
25:52I mean, they're staring 0-4 in the face here, Donnie.
25:56And then, you know, you're going to have a division game, and there's no guarantee that you're
26:01going to win that one against Carolina anyway.
26:02So, I think this could be a very, very rough year.
26:07Transition, right?
26:08Is that what they said?
26:09Transitional year, I think is what they say it is, Donnie.
26:12Or tank.
26:13You can use that word, too.
26:14But yes, wins are going to be hard to come by here for the Saints.
26:19No, they certainly are going to be hard to come by for the Saints.
26:22Tyler Shook, I guess we always say this, too.
26:23You get a rookie quarterback, what's the best that you hope for?
26:26The team probably stinks.
26:27You get a high draft pick, but the quarterback showed some promise, and Kelly Moore's a new coach.
26:30They'll build this thing together.
26:31That's what the hopes would be for the Saints right now, not to actually win football games.
26:35So, like my Philadelphia 76ers so many years, just keep on tanking here.
26:39Eventually, things you hope will get better.
26:41That win total 4.5 to become last in the division, a minus-130 price.
26:44Miss the playoffs at a minus-1600.
26:47Make the playoffs at a plus-820.
26:49That lets you know exactly what we think about the New Orleans Saints.
26:52Not a lot of good things here.
26:53And, again, an iconic franchise in an iconic city.
26:57Not really going to have an iconic season unless they pull a Detroit Lions and go,
27:01Hey, you know what?
27:02What's wrong with going 0-17 on the season?
27:04Maybe we get Arch Manning next year.
27:06Another Manning in the city of New Orleans, which happened, what, 40, 50 years ago with Arch?
27:11Going to come back there for Archie Manning?
27:14How about that, people?
27:15Hour number two is coming up next.
27:16More buy-yourself topics today.
27:19Another action-packed early-line segment right here on the Sports Grid Network.
27:24It's on the right side.
27:25It's Joe Raniere.
27:26It's what we do.
27:26We're breaking down the NFC South, having fun here, saying,
27:29Can the Buccaneers win this division once again?
27:31Will they win this division?
27:32And also teams like the New Orleans Saints who are probably going to stink this year.
27:35You never know, though.
27:36Teams always surprise on year-to-year basis.
27:38But I do think a huge surprise would be the New Orleans Saints.
27:41Hey, by the way, Joe, it's October 14th.
27:44The Saints are in first place in the NFC South.
27:46That's probably not something we're going to say.
27:48You know, what we will say is, hey, Tyler Shuck looks pretty good,
27:51or they drafted Tyler Shuck.
27:54That's what it feels like for the Saints here in football.
27:56But, hey, way we go.
27:57A new season's going to begin.
27:58Preseason week number one.
28:00Everybody's underway, including the New Orleans Saints.
28:04And ironically enough, the South divisions in both the NFC and the AFC are very top-heavy, Donnie.
28:12Are they not in transitional year, they say?
28:15I don't know if there is a dark horse in either of those divisions.
28:20But if I was going to take a flyer outside of Tampa, I would think that maybe the one team
28:28that might overperform this year to expectations is Carolina.
28:32Yeah, you know what?
28:35On the way up, quarterbacks there, more weapons in town, Chuba Hubbard and the boys, we get that,
28:40which brings us into our next buy or sell question.
28:42It does focus on the Carolina Panthers, and it's Bryce Young.
28:45If we look at his statistics, right, his odds, or should I say his numbers this year, prop bets,
28:513,200 and a half passing, I'd say, oh, that's not that much.
28:53You take a look at what he's thrown for so far in the NFL, it's like, oh, okay, that's an increase here.
28:58Passing touchdowns, 18 and a half.
29:00Most interceptions in the NFL, 25 to 1, which is a tough number to hit because you have to be bad
29:04and play the entire season, not usually a combination that works out in your favor.
29:08MVP odds at 100 to 1, we don't think that's going to take place.
29:11But the buy or sell question for the Carolina Panthers, mainly is on Bryce Young.
29:14Is he playing for his career as a starting quarterback?
29:17Now, I'm going to throw it over to you in a second.
29:19From my money here, looking at Bryce Young, you just have to continue to increase under Dave Canales.
29:23We don't have high expectations, as I don't, for the Carolina Panthers.
29:26But it's an unfair question because you're also saying to yourself, everybody really is playing for their career.
29:32Third year for Bryce Young, if we're not turning the corner and winning seven games, maybe he's not the quarterback of the future.
29:37So for me, I'm going to say bye.
29:39Yes, he is playing for his career because you're no longer a young quarterback in the NFL in year number three.
29:45You don't perform well this year, you're probably done.
29:49Well, you know, last year was unique.
29:52First of all, Dave Canales took the job and he was hired there to do one thing and one thing only.
29:57And that was to fix Bryce Young.
30:00Because, again, this ownership group didn't do this young quarterback any favors.
30:06And, boy, you finally got the right coach in there.
30:10Now, what we saw last year is we went from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton back to Bryce Young, if you recall.
30:17I think he took over, back over in week eight.
30:21So the final ten games that he was the quarterback, they went four and six.
30:26He had 15 touchdowns, six interceptions.
30:29He completed 62% of his passes.
30:32He ran for 223 yards and 37 carries.
30:35He had almost, what, seven yards per attempt.
30:38He looked so much better and more comfortable than we have ever seen him to this point in the NFL.
30:45I think they should have beat the Chiefs.
30:48They should have beat the Eagles down that stretch.
30:51They could have beaten the Bucs as well.
30:54So this was a very, Chuba Hubbard running the ball was great.
30:58Xavier Leggett was absolutely a monster.
31:02And, you know, Adam Thielen, too, where you could have made a lot of money in the prop betting market backing him each and every week, the unforgotten one there.
31:10The problem with this team was the defense.
31:13Can they, and they spent a lot of assets building up this defense this year.
31:18If the defense is more competitive, I think Bryce Young takes that next step.
31:23And, yes, I think this team could surprise a lot in the win total.
31:27By the way, you're right about that.
31:28Bring up one of those games where the Carolina Panthers in the field off the Eagles.
31:31The Panthers stunk.
31:32But there was a pass that Bryce Young threw late in that ballgame that should have been a touchdown that was dropped.
31:36And the Eagles probably lose that football game.
31:38But yet, Spurs on, they end up winning the Super Bowl at that point.
31:41It says how close on a week-to-week basis teams in the NFL can be.
31:45And Bryce Young's been around the block, not a rookie quarterback anymore, entering into his third year.
31:48The expectations are he's going to at least deliver them a chance to play meaningful football games in December, not just absolutely playing a spoiler once we get to the month of December here.
31:58But other NFL notes throughout the landscape that we saw yesterday, some interesting doings here.
32:02And the sexy pick, as I always like to say, this NFL season is the Los Angeles Rams.
32:07And I always like to say in preseason camp, boy, if you're injured, a lot of times you stay injured.
32:13An aging quarterback with a lot of wear and tear.
32:16Matthew Stafford getting epidurals now, back issues.
32:20Don't worry about it.
32:21Let's worry about it.
32:22My goodness.
32:23Like, if it's Jimmy G time, that's a downgrade for the Rams.
32:26But I didn't expect to hear about any of these issues coming from Matthew Stafford heading into the season.
32:31Well, you know, listen, he's always had some issues, you know, health-wise there.
32:37But they did such a good job building up the offensive line and protecting him.
32:43They certainly did last year.
32:44But this is the risk that you run with a 37-, 38-year-old quarterback, Donnie.
32:49And we know this.
32:50But you've got to have faith in that coaching staff there.
32:54They've got a lot of young guys on both sides of the ball.
32:58And I think they'll be fine.
33:00But they're going to take their time with him.
33:03They have proven defensively with all that young talent, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
33:08And I think they just signed, what, Williams now?
33:11They locked him up there.
33:13I think they're going to be just fine.
33:15A lot is going to depend on Stafford.
33:17But I think they've been down this road with him before.
33:20And they know exactly how to baby him along.
33:23And by the way, off-the-field stuff in the NFL, too, which is interesting.
33:26We've all seen over the past couple years, like, ooh, what a great invention here from the NFL to actually come up with the Red Zone.
33:31Very lucrative, very profitable for them.
33:33They sell that entity off to ESPN.
33:36Now, from a Red Zone perspective, it's nice that the ticket is now on, like, YouTube, where it's not the dish, where, like, only 2% of the country can actually get it.
33:44So that is viable.
33:45Like, as a handicapper in a sports better, like, I think the Red Zone is cool for, like, the casual fan.
33:50I'm not knocking it here.
33:50I'm just going to explain, like, my thought process.
33:52But now that we have the ticket open, I don't watch the Red Zone all that much because I don't care about it that fashion.
33:57In fact, I can watch any game I want at the push of a button.
33:59But I've got to tell you, but when it's just the dish days and a lot of people couldn't get that, the Red Zone was fantastic.
34:04If you're a fantasy football player just casual, the Red Zone is fantastic.
34:08So the question to you, Joe, is not a buyer's sell at this point.
34:10But the Red Zone, going to ESPN, a lot of people saying, oh, no, there's the death of the Red Zone.
34:19Scary situation there, but also paid a ton of money for it.
34:24So with that kind of price tag, they can do whatever they want.
34:29But you already know if they decide to change who the host of that show is, there might be a mutiny here because people like what they like.
34:39They don't like changes.
34:40They don't like all of a sudden showing up and going, wait, wait, who is this?
34:45What's going on here?
34:46So you hope that, you know, they just keep things status quo because there's not a lot more I think you need to do with the Red Zone.
34:54I don't think it needs to be improved.
34:56It wasn't sold because it wasn't doing well.
34:59So if it ain't broke, ESPN, let's not try to fix it this year.
35:04That would be great.
35:06Exactly.
35:06And how about this one coming in here?
35:08NFL bans smelling salts.
35:10George Kittle is upset that he uses smelling salts every single start of a new drive to go out there.
35:15What would be the reason for that?
35:16Is that warping your mind at this point?
35:18Is that an unfair advantage that you go, oh, now I'm ready to go.
35:22Boy, I'm awake right now.
35:23What's the reason for banning smelling salts?
35:25They've been around for decades.
35:27Forever.
35:28So what happens?
35:28So when a guy gets knocked out, are we not allowed to bring him smelling salt now?
35:32Like, what is this?
35:32This is the most ridiculous thing.
35:34I have no idea why they would.
35:36Does it give somebody an edge?
35:38It only lasts like 10 seconds, Donnie.
35:40Like, I don't understand what's going on here.
35:43Yeah, there's some super powered, like smelling salts out that I've seen.
35:46But I've never been a youth, like, all throughout the football career, never took smelling salts,
35:49never got knocked out.
35:50So I didn't need smelling salts to come back to life.
35:51But we've all smelled smelling salts.
35:53Like, wow.
35:54Like, it really just blasts your brain quickly.
35:57Like, resets the track.
35:58They're going to the NFL.
35:59We'll see you in the NFL.
35:59We'll see you in the NFL.
35:59We'll see you in the NFL.
35:59We'll see you in the NFL.
35:59We'll see you in the NFL.
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