00:00Let's start with the Indianapolis Colts. Their win total is seven and a half. Great start for
00:05the Colts last season and a horrendous finish. Oddsmakers are telling us this is not going to
00:11be a great year for them. We know that they're going to have quarterback issues at least to
00:16start the season. I don't know how they'll finish the season. What did you make of anything in terms
00:20of scheduling that came out this season? And do you think that this is a pivotal year for the Colts?
00:27I do think it's a pivotal year for the Colts, Craig. I mean, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard are
00:31facing a lot of pressure to deliver, but I'm just not sure it's going to happen for them. I mean,
00:36you've got Daniel Jones coming off the torn Achilles and yeah, he might be ready for week
00:40one, but we've seen among all injuries in the NFL, torn Achilles, especially for a quarterback,
00:45is one of the toughest to overcome. And do they have an easier schedule on paper than most teams?
00:51Yeah, I think they have, they rank about eighth or ninth in strength of schedule, but that start to
00:55the season is pretty brutal. I think they have the Ravens, the Chiefs, the Texans out of the gate,
01:00the commanders, if they're healthier, could be better this year. So I'm not sure if the Colts could,
01:05you know, stumble out of the gate, maybe not win their first three games and end up in a situation
01:10where like, Hey, they're suddenly behind the eight ball. They've got a quarterback still trying to get
01:13into a rhythm. So I just don't like the situation for the Colts this year. I think it's a tough
01:18spot for
01:19them. So I'm going to be going under on their win total. I think they have some good personnel,
01:23but their weaknesses with the quarterback uncertainty and their lack of proven pass rush
01:28just scare me off enough to say that, Hey, this could be a surprisingly bad season for a team that,
01:33you know, we all thought was going to make the playoffs last year before Jones got hurt.
01:36Yeah, definitely. So. And hopefully for Jones, he ends up coming back, cashing in once again,
01:41maybe on a long-term contract. Okay. So the lions, that was a real big surprise for me last season,
01:46just seeing them fall as fast as they did. I thought the lions could have been a super bowl
01:50contender, but they definitely were not the case. They've tinkered a lot this off season,
01:54very specifically with protection of Jared golf, which they just could not do in those losses last
02:00year, their win total 10 and a half. Of course their schedule comes out. They get a lot of primetime
02:07games and national games, Jacob going into the 2026 season. Yeah. Craig, I couldn't believe this.
02:14When I looked at the lions, they have the easiest measured strength of schedule for the upcoming
02:19season, despite playing in the NFC North. And that just makes it so that, you know, last year,
02:24obviously a disappointing season, but it was a blessing in disguise for them to finish as the
02:28last place team in that division. Cause they drew three easier matchups with their non-rotating
02:33last place schedule there. So the lions are going to have a, an upper hand on a lot of the
02:38non-divisional
02:39teams. They played the NFC North games are always going to be tough. They're always going to be back
02:42and forth. I feel like the teams almost always end up splitting those series is what it feels
02:47like. But you look at what the lions have done to that offensive line, signing a solid center
02:52in Kate Mays, spending a first round pick on an experienced right tackle, Blake Miller to help
02:57Panay Sewell shift to the blind side. I think the blocking is going to be better. I think the
03:01offense is going to be operating better than it was last season with, you know, that was their first
03:06year without Ben Johnson and the John Morton pairing there didn't work out. They're going to give
03:10Drew Petsing a shot as their offensive coordinator, but I like what the lions have done. And I think
03:15this schedule is going to allow them to get a lot of wins. So I'm expecting a bounce back here.
03:19I'm
03:19going to go over this win total. I think there are an 11 or 12 win team that should be
03:23in the hunt
03:24for that NFC North title once again.
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