Week 8: Surprise Guest Cohost

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the Point after show with Kyle Maurer, Marshall heslaw, and Ian DeWitt. This is the show where the guys attempt to pick the winners of the weekly NFL games, along with some healthy debate about current topics. Let's go, [00:00:12] Speaker B: let's go, [00:00:13] Speaker C: let's go. [00:00:14] Speaker B: What up, my bro? [00:00:15] Speaker C: Hey, [00:00:15] Speaker B: welcome back to the studio. [00:00:17] Speaker C: You know we got somebody new today. [00:00:18] Speaker B: We do indeed. On the line, in the. In the studio, virtually [00:00:27] Speaker C: first time, longtime caller. [00:00:29] Speaker B: You know him. You love his takes. You love his misery. [00:00:33] Speaker C: Yes. [00:00:34] Speaker B: You look forward to episodes dropping just so you can hear the updates, the latest. You're watching the football games on Sunday and saying, I need to listen to the Point after this week to hear what Justin Matson has to say. [00:00:45] Speaker C: Give it up for Justin Matson, everybody. Come on, let's go. Justin, how the heck are you, my friend? He's over here doing the skull chant. For those of you that are not on ZOOM with us, Justin, how goes it? [00:00:59] Speaker D: I'm doing well. How are you guys doing tonight? Happy to join you. Thanks for having me. [00:01:03] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you for joining the Point After Show. Justin, this is a real treat, [00:01:07] Speaker C: so questions of the day. We're gonna do a little rapid fire just to get our listeners to get to know you a little bit. We know you're a Vikings fan, but we know that you've also gone through a lot of traumatic times as a Vikings fan. Does that mean that you believe in ghosts, Justin? [00:01:22] Speaker D: I believe in ghosts about as much as I believe in curses, which is about as much as I believe in pigs that fly. They. They do not exist. [00:01:28] Speaker C: They. Curses do not exist. You don't believe in curses? [00:01:32] Speaker D: No. [00:01:33] Speaker C: Okay. [00:01:33] Speaker B: I thought you were making a Sam Darnold joke right there. Wow. With the ghosts thing. [00:01:38] Speaker C: No, I wasn't. We're going to talk about mono next, though. Kyle, what question you got for him? We're gonna go back and forth. A little table tennis here. Back and forth. [00:01:47] Speaker B: We want to get to know the real Justin Matson. This is an intimate show. This is about personalities and people at the end of the day. So you listen to the point after for that. And when you hear the name Justin Matson from henceforth, for the many seasons, we have to come in the point after. You're going to have some perspective, listener. You're going to understand who this man really is. So, Justin, you have kids? [00:02:07] Speaker D: I do. I have two kids. [00:02:08] Speaker B: Two kids. Tell us their ages and names [00:02:10] Speaker C: and Social [00:02:11] Speaker B: Security numbers. [00:02:13] Speaker D: I'm. I will go with. I'll go with ages. I've got a Seven year old and a four year old. [00:02:19] Speaker B: Wow. Seven. Four great ages [00:02:21] Speaker C: fighting to become Vikings fans, right? [00:02:25] Speaker D: Sadly, no. They have both fled their allegiance to the team in Detroit. [00:02:31] Speaker B: Wow. Team in [00:02:32] Speaker C: Detroit doesn't even. That's like the team [00:02:33] Speaker B: down 7 and 4 year old have just defied you and chosen another team at that early age. Astounding. [00:02:41] Speaker D: Oh, yeah, yeah. We have a close friend who has season tickets and has a bus that is decked out in blue pictures, jerseys, whatever, hanging in the bus. [00:02:54] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:02:55] Speaker D: And that has made a lasting impression on them. [00:02:59] Speaker C: Everyone wants to have fun on a bus. Literally. They have a song called the Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round. [00:03:06] Speaker B: I don't know that one. [00:03:07] Speaker C: I'll sing it to you. [00:03:08] Speaker B: Okay. [00:03:08] Speaker C: Justin, you a coupon or coupon guy? [00:03:15] Speaker D: Growing up, I always said coupon. But Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone left a lasting impression on me enough to where I later said coupon. [00:03:23] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:03:24] Speaker B: Oh, wow. I always [00:03:25] Speaker C: thought of coupon from Andy Milanaka show where he brought out like an old woman that said I am a coupon and was just holding a [00:03:32] Speaker D: coupon [00:03:32] Speaker C: sign. Andy Milonakis show. You ever watch that, Kyle? [00:03:35] Speaker B: No. [00:03:37] Speaker C: After your age, is that like our sweet spot? [00:03:39] Speaker B: Anytime you say anything I don't get, I just assume it's. It's just an age thing. [00:03:44] Speaker C: I'm giving you grace unlike any time you've ever seen me not see something. So take notes. [00:03:49] Speaker B: Right. Justin, do you have pets? [00:03:51] Speaker D: All time theme song. [00:03:54] Speaker C: What's [00:03:54] Speaker B: an alltime theme song? What? [00:03:56] Speaker C: The Andy Milanaka show is an alltime theme song. [00:03:59] Speaker D: All timer. [00:04:00] Speaker C: For sure. For sure. [00:04:00] Speaker B: Okay. [00:04:01] Speaker C: And Justin, I think you. Did you hear Kyle said, do you have any pets? [00:04:05] Speaker D: Yes. We've got a black lab, [00:04:08] Speaker C: A hunter as well. Am I right? [00:04:10] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. She's a retriever. Yeah, she does a good job. [00:04:13] Speaker B: Did you go graduate from college here somewhere in Michigan? [00:04:17] Speaker D: Yeah. I actually graduated with Marshall at Spring Harbor. [00:04:22] Speaker B: Oh. Hence the. Hence [00:04:23] Speaker C: how we know each other. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Wow. [00:04:25] Speaker C: Justin and I are like the people who went to college, talked to each other here and there at college. And then we left and we're like, I actually. You're a lot cooler than half the people that I knew there. Way more than half. Well, 80% at least. [00:04:37] Speaker B: That's incredible. [00:04:38] Speaker D: What's funny is if like every time I was doing my grocery shopping, I would run into Marshall while he was doing his distributing with Pepsi. [00:04:45] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:04:46] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:04:46] Speaker C: Yep. The good old days when I. [00:04:48] Speaker B: Very good. [00:04:49] Speaker D: Without fail, I would walk in there and there's Marshall with a pallet of [00:04:52] Speaker C: just dying. Mountain Dew. Just people clearing it out. 10 for 10, 11, 3. Hated my life. [00:05:00] Speaker B: Do you have a go to breakfast cereal, Justin? [00:05:06] Speaker D: A Go to. Man, that's rough life. [00:05:10] Speaker C: Oh, [00:05:10] Speaker B: I like that choice. Actually. That's a [00:05:13] Speaker C: good choice. Emma's cinnamon toast Crunch. That's [00:05:14] Speaker B: kind of in my vein. Yeah, that's [00:05:16] Speaker D: probably a little [00:05:17] Speaker B: too sugary for me at this point. [00:05:19] Speaker C: Yeah, I can get [00:05:20] Speaker B: that. I go golden Grams for me. But life. Life rocks. [00:05:23] Speaker C: You're an old man. Last question we have for you, Justin, if you were to have crime. [00:05:32] Speaker D: Is this football show. [00:05:34] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. This is my last question for you. It's actually football related. If you were to take anybody in the NFL in the past that has retired and put them on the Vikings, that isn't an all time great quarterback. So they could be a good quarterback, you know, somebody who's retired, who would it be? Donovan McNab. Right. [00:05:55] Speaker B: Just. [00:05:56] Speaker D: Sorry, I'm. Bills and Vikings is on right now and Jefferson just may have made a ridiculous. That's a catch. [00:06:05] Speaker C: Oh, [00:06:06] Speaker B: yeah. [00:06:06] Speaker C: I hope the people are listening to our show and waited to listen to [00:06:10] Speaker D: the [00:06:10] Speaker C: game later. [00:06:11] Speaker B: This is great, actually. That's [00:06:12] Speaker D: helpful. [00:06:13] Speaker B: That's helpful, Justin, [00:06:14] Speaker D: because you wanted me to put someone from the past who's retired but not an all time great on this year's. Thank [00:06:19] Speaker C: you. Great multitask. I don't care what they say, men multitask. Well, [00:06:26] Speaker D: not an all time great. [00:06:28] Speaker C: Yeah, I'll like. I'll give you that if it's a all time great. [00:06:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Get into your bag, Justin. [00:06:35] Speaker C: Yeah. If you're thinking like I'm gonna pick Joey Harrington, I'd allow it. [00:06:42] Speaker D: All time great. That's an all time. I [00:06:44] Speaker C: was talking about him in Oregon. He was great in Oregon. [00:06:47] Speaker D: Okay. I'll give you that, man. All time great. Not all time great. Sorry. Now all I can think about is the. Is the all time greats. Right, [00:06:56] Speaker B: Right. [00:06:59] Speaker D: I guess I'll go with like a one season type of guy. [00:07:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:03] Speaker D: Is. Shoot, this must have been like the 2016 Carson Palmer on the Cardinals. [00:07:13] Speaker C: I'll allow it. [00:07:13] Speaker B: Okay. [00:07:14] Speaker C: I'll allow it. My line was [00:07:15] Speaker D: I would take that version of Carson Palmer today. [00:07:18] Speaker C: I like that. That's pre ACL injury [00:07:20] Speaker B: y. [00:07:20] Speaker C: Carson Palmer. [00:07:21] Speaker B: I respect that. [00:07:23] Speaker C: All right, so our mailbag. Today we're gonna have a short little mailbag. Justin, you got a take from your brother, am I right? [00:07:29] Speaker B: Bring it in. [00:07:30] Speaker D: Yeah. My brother in law. Shout out Aaron. [00:07:33] Speaker C: Shout out Aaron. [00:07:35] Speaker D: He. He has a hot take that Jared Goff is not getting Enough chatter as a tier 1 QB and not get enough chatter in the MVP conversation. [00:07:45] Speaker B: Wow. [00:07:47] Speaker C: Can I just ask what your immediate take on that is, Kyle? And then we're going to go over to Justin because I think I feel like him and I align a little bit more on this. Justin. Let's hear what Kyle has to say. Kyle. Jared Goff. Let's talk tears. I love a good tear talk. [00:08:00] Speaker B: Enough chatter. I mean, we've been here before season after season. Now it feels like he's a perennial top tier quarterback performer who's a little bit disregarded. And I attribute that to in. To a few factors. In one hand, I think that to his detriment, he is surrounded by talent. Jameer Gibbs is like basically the lifeblood of that offense and it has amazing years season after season and he's throwing two fantastic wide receivers pretty consistently. And I think that that just kind of like gives a depiction of a team that is not being carried by their quarterback where other quarterbacks appear to be elevating the team around them more visibly. I will concede that I think Jared Goff needs a little more recognition that he does. The wins have to be there. The MVP award really does only go to the quarterback of one of the best teams in the league. And the Lions have every bit of potential to get there. With only two losses on the season, but there's still third place in their division, let alone the conference. They'd be a wild card seed right now. You don't get MVP with that sort of seating in the playoffs. So they'd have to win more games for him to enter that conversation. [00:09:22] Speaker C: Well, if they keep playing teams like the Dolphins, they're going to have more of those wins. So, I mean, I looked at yesterday and just didn't. I wasn't really impressed. I feel like the Lions play down to their competition pretty darn consistently. I think that is something that takes away from an MVP candidate. And to me, Justin, I think the big thing that separates him among some of those other quarterbacks, it's the thing that Ian hates doing. Like take this quarterback and put him on this team, put this person and put him on that team. I think there is something to be said for that because every description you just gave Joe Burrow is the same thing. And Joe Burrow at least got to a Super Bowl. Well, Jared Goff did too, but that was, I don't know, a team ago, a decade ago, back when we thought he was going to be a great number one pick on a team perennially only for the rest of his career. Justin, what would you say? Would you say that he's in the tier with the Lamars, the Josh Allens, the. [00:10:15] Speaker D: No, I think he's good. I, I don't think he's great. I think if you're going to win the mvp, you have to be great. And I also think that if you are the mvp, you also need to be probably the MVP of your team. And I can name a handful of players on that team right now that are, that are better than him and that he's just kind of a product of the environment. I think that St. Brown is a better player than he is. I think that Gibbs is, you know, the best running back in the league. So if you're going to give the MVP to somebody on the lines, it's probably going to be the guy who's scoring all the touchdowns, which would be Jameer Gibbs. But I do think that Jared Goff is good. I just think that he's a product of his environment. I don't love the term system qb, but I do think that, you know, if you put, you know, you put that many top tier offensive weapons around somebody, you know, it doesn't really matter who you throw out there, as long as they take care of the football, you're going to win games. [00:11:11] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I can agree to that. On, on a different note, my younger brother Jamie Hussle writes in who is the Avengers in the NFL? So I'm going to go just based on og. Okay, so like, [00:11:23] Speaker B: okay, [00:11:25] Speaker C: got Hulk. Who is the Hulk of the NFL? Is it anyone other than Aaron? Aaron Darnold, [00:11:33] Speaker B: Donald and [00:11:34] Speaker C: Donald. [00:11:34] Speaker D: Sorry. [00:11:36] Speaker B: I mean, I'm making [00:11:38] Speaker C: up for Ian not being here. [00:11:39] Speaker B: Miles Garrett just. I don't know if you, I'm sure you tuned in, but Miles Garrett had a heck of a welcome back [00:11:45] Speaker C: game. He had a Euro step for a sack. I don't get that. How's that a thing? [00:11:51] Speaker B: Yeah, that guy is a monster. So yeah, those [00:11:54] Speaker D: are two names that came to my mind too. Was. Was Donald and Garrett. [00:11:59] Speaker C: All right, well, we'll set. We'll settle on either of those two. Now the next one is who's Hawkeye? So they're not really super important to their team. They're kind of like sneaky, athletic. They're kind of like a pinpoint person. Whether it's like catching things, throwing things. Like who. It's hard to be put someone who's not that great that could be on an Avenger that throws things really well. Like, like as a sharpshooter. Because that would only be quarterbacks. Maybe you can make it a kicker. [00:12:27] Speaker B: Yeah, I kind of like it. It's [00:12:29] Speaker D: got to be a quarterback. [00:12:30] Speaker C: What about Dicker the kicker? That's a good name. We want. We want that on the team. [00:12:35] Speaker B: I [00:12:36] Speaker D: don't think that you want to charge her on any team right now. [00:12:38] Speaker B: It's all about precision and aiming distance, etc. Yeah, I think. I think the kicker works. [00:12:44] Speaker C: Who. Who's. Who's the best kicker in the league? [00:12:47] Speaker B: Brandon Aubrey. [00:12:49] Speaker C: But Aubrey missed a kick yesterday for the Cowboys. He can't be the best. [00:12:53] Speaker B: What about the. Who's the Jaguars kicker? He's really good. [00:12:56] Speaker C: Can't be good. Oh, is it Little Gregory? Gregory Little. [00:13:02] Speaker B: Let's see. [00:13:03] Speaker C: Well, Justin's already. He's done with the kicker idea. Who is your pick? [00:13:08] Speaker D: Well, I was gonna say if you're going with a quarterback, someone who's sneaky, athletic, who's accurate with the football. My brain went to Brock Purdy. [00:13:16] Speaker C: Oh, [00:13:16] Speaker B: okay. [00:13:17] Speaker D: You know, I [00:13:17] Speaker C: can get behind that. Actually [00:13:19] Speaker D: should be in the MVP conversation. [00:13:22] Speaker C: I could see him almost getting his leg cut off by a snowblower as well. [00:13:25] Speaker B: Yeah, he's [00:13:26] Speaker C: from California. Doesn't really know how to work him. [00:13:28] Speaker B: Huh. [00:13:28] Speaker C: I get that. Okay. Scarlett Johansson obviously has a big butt. We're talking about Larry Fitzgerald. That's the only right answer. Am I right? [00:13:37] Speaker D: No brainer. [00:13:38] Speaker B: Okay, [00:13:38] Speaker C: thank you. That was an easy one. And then our last two. These are the. Yeah, I'm really. I really had this question. [00:13:44] Speaker D: He did not play tight end. [00:13:46] Speaker C: Oh, God, you're right. Actually, we might need to come up with a tight end. That was good, Justin. [00:13:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:13:54] Speaker C: How about rdj? So we need an Iron man and we need a Captain America. Who do we got? [00:13:59] Speaker B: And [00:13:59] Speaker C: then we'll finish with Thor. [00:14:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:03] Speaker C: So these are our three. Last three. Any. Any candidates you see out there for us, Kyle? Someone who's bringing the lightning. [00:14:10] Speaker B: Oh, Thor. Yeah, you're right. Yeah. Okay. Three more characters. You say now the lightning. [00:14:15] Speaker C: I'm gonna go an all time. I'm gonna give Jared. Jared Allen for Thor. [00:14:21] Speaker B: Bring it down. [00:14:22] Speaker C: I think he just look. Yeah. What? I wasn't his celebration that he would go like this after every sad. [00:14:28] Speaker D: He'd rope him up. Yeah, [00:14:30] Speaker C: I like that. And I feel like that would be totally. And I feel like it was one of those things where it almost looks like thunder up. Like what happens before thunder? A little lightning. Like. I feel like that'd be sick for him. [00:14:42] Speaker B: Okay. [00:14:43] Speaker C: All right. Now we have Iron Man. Iron Man? Really? Gadgets. Well, who's the guy that's got the most gadgets around him? We might have just said Jared Goff. [00:14:52] Speaker B: Oh, [00:14:55] Speaker D: we just talked about somebody who had all the tools and weaponry [00:14:59] Speaker C: could go, could go. Joe Burrow. [00:15:02] Speaker B: Yeah, he has also, because [00:15:04] Speaker D: he's also flush. He's also flush with cash. [00:15:07] Speaker B: That's, that's kind of why I was like, thinking Kirk Cousins. [00:15:09] Speaker C: That was Kirk Cousins, actually could be the answer. That's a good call. [00:15:12] Speaker B: He's got the money. [00:15:13] Speaker C: You know, I had a debate yesterday with my dad over dinner, and we debated on whether Kirk Cousins is a Hall of Famer. [00:15:23] Speaker B: He's a Hall of Fame bag getter. [00:15:25] Speaker C: Hall of Fame, bad getter for [00:15:26] Speaker D: sure. Hall of Fame stat. Patterson. Just not the, not the QB wins guy and not the, I don't know. I watched enough football with him to know, like, that's not who I want my team to be led by. Down. Did you watch, did you watch [00:15:44] Speaker B: the comeback game, though? The ultimate, the record breaking comeback. Did you watch that [00:15:49] Speaker D: game? About that. I, I, I won a lot of money. [00:15:55] Speaker B: That's a great day [00:15:56] Speaker C: for you. It was a great day for you. All right, how about, I think Kirk Cousins, maybe you chew on whether you think he's a Hall of Famer. Maybe I want you to think about that a little bit more. But in terms [00:16:06] Speaker D: of [00:16:07] Speaker C: I like him being Tony Stark. How about our Captain America? So, like, Mr. Do no Wrong? He's pumped up swole. He could hit somebody with a shield or a helmet. That's why I thought Miles Garrett would be him, because, I mean, I can literally attack somebody with a helmet. [00:16:26] Speaker B: Yeah. I feel like the Burrow and Allen are the guys that no one can say anything bad about. Oh, [00:16:32] Speaker C: Alen's a good one. Yeah. Yeah. Nobody says anything. No one has [00:16:35] Speaker B: a criticism. He seems like a very well liked guy and his play on the field is basically impeccable and, yeah, seems like a suitable candidate. How do you feel about that, [00:16:47] Speaker C: Justin? Smiling. [00:16:48] Speaker D: I, I love Josh Allen. I, I'm a, I'm a big fan of Josh Young. I've never had that. Yeah, that's, that's who I was going to choose for Captain America. [00:16:58] Speaker B: Love it. [00:16:59] Speaker C: Wow. Pretty aligned right here. [00:17:01] Speaker B: Okay. [00:17:01] Speaker C: Shout out to us. [00:17:02] Speaker B: Yeah. We did it, guys. [00:17:03] Speaker C: Ian, we miss you. It's been too much laughter and, like, cohesiveness. Like, me and Ian, you know, spark each other [00:17:11] Speaker D: too much. Kumbayak. [00:17:12] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. Me and, me and Ian, like, leave and we're like, we good. But I like that. But I like that Ian we miss you. Let's go to our games. I got a couple my game. I think you guys. [00:17:27] Speaker B: Ian sent in some commentary that we did not. [00:17:31] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, let's hear from him. [00:17:32] Speaker B: I got a message from Simon Reedsma who said he's listening to last week's pod. He is with Ian. Who won the most touchdowns receiving all time. Guess with his 109 guy going for 90. So he. He was in agreement with Ian's contention that going slightly over a hundred should count as the smaller gap, even though you were off the board. So that's a listener who has spoken. Thank you, Simon, for commenting. [00:17:58] Speaker C: Simon always wanting to play the game. Maybe Simon's gonna be our next one that's gonna come in here and play. Play around or two with us. [00:18:05] Speaker B: Ian sent in a take or two or three from Tim DeWitt, Ian's dad. Simple question. Halfway point through the season, list your top five teams. And Mr. DeWitt did as well. San Francisco, Jacksonville, Chicago, Kansas City and Buffalo. Those are his top five. Justin Marshall, do you disagree? Top five teams in the league. Best super bowl odds, you might say. Any changes to that list? [00:18:36] Speaker C: So San Fran, I think, is the one that stands out to me because I just don't see them going long term with the amount of unhealthy people they have on their team. Chicago's looking scarier every game they play with Jeffrey on their defense. That is a team that went all in for right now. [00:18:53] Speaker B: Right. [00:18:54] Speaker C: Kansas City. Until I see them go trade for George Pickens, I don't. I'm not buying it. Like he'd fit in great there. A team that doesn't have much morality. George. George Pickens would fit in great there. [00:19:05] Speaker B: Great. [00:19:05] Speaker C: The Bills. There's never been a team that has a defense that's been that bad. [00:19:10] Speaker B: It's going all the [00:19:11] Speaker C: way. That. That's one at all. Never. [00:19:12] Speaker B: Right. [00:19:13] Speaker C: So I look at it and I see Jacksonville and Chicago are my number one and number two, I'd go either order in that and then I'd probably go Bills and then Kansas City and then San Fran. [00:19:23] Speaker B: Is there any. Justin, do you have any comments on this list or is anybody. You pull out, anybody put [00:19:28] Speaker D: in you haven't. Yeah. There's a team you haven't talked about yet. A couple teams I haven't talked about yet. Is first of all Cincinnati. [00:19:37] Speaker B: Oh. [00:19:38] Speaker D: I think has gotten okay bounds better over the past few years. I think it's. It's probably just because they're. They're healthy right now. [00:19:46] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:46] Speaker D: But they're scoring a Lot of points right now and their defense is actually keeping them in games versus it felt like the past few seasons if Burrow and that offense didn't score 40 points, they were going to lose the game. [00:19:57] Speaker B: True. [00:19:58] Speaker D: And then another team is just. I know that it's. I'm not a super team guy, but I do think that the LA Rams are on the opposite end of the trajectory where now they've, they've gone through the adversity of losing the football games. But now that remaining schedule looks pretty favorable and football is a game of momentum. And so if you can get around the track where you write the ship, I do think that they could could go back to the. The odds that they had in the preseason to be the team to win it all. [00:20:27] Speaker B: Yeah, I like where you're coming from, and I think that Mr. DeWitt, your list is pretty decent, but to what you guys both mentioned, there's a few that I think are glaring omissions. I think the Rams belong in that conversation. Their super bowl odds should pretty decent. The way the way I see it, I think that there are a handful of teams. I could probably add probably four or five more to this original list of five where it wouldn't shock me if we ended up saying, yeah, the first half of the season was a little bumpy, but they figured it out and now they're going on a run. We've seen that before. Do you remember the season with Tampa Bay where Tom Brady and the Bucks won the Super Bowl? We written that. We had written them off because the first half of their season was pretty rocky with a lot of surprising losses. And then they just went on a run and tore through the playoffs and beat everybody. They figured it out and teams like the Rams are well within their ability. The Seattle Seahawks could figure it out and could return and be contenders in the playoffs again. There's a couple of teams, I think, in the NFC north who absolutely could kind of find their footing, stay healthy. You know, the packers, get Micah Parsons back. You know, we could see some improved quarterback play from Minnesota. The Lions could kind of like settle their defensive problems just a little bit. Any of these teams, obviously, we mentioned Chicago already. There's a couple of those teams who could kind of figure them. I think I'd even put the Houston Texans in this conversation who have been kind of surging of late. [00:21:55] Speaker C: Houston Texans, look, they look pretty darn good. [00:21:57] Speaker B: They had a rocky start to this season, but they're kind of finding their groove a little bit. And if that continues last season they did kind of end their regular season with a bit of a hot streak and entered the postseason as of the strong contenders. [00:22:10] Speaker C: And in every one of their losses this year, we've, we've said it's not Stroud's fault. Like he's [00:22:15] Speaker B: currently playing some of the best ball of his career. [00:22:18] Speaker C: I think that's one of my dark horses for mvp. Between him and Jordan Love are my dark horses of MVP this year. [00:22:25] Speaker B: I like that. [00:22:26] Speaker C: I know we didn't get them in there. And it's kind of funny. You kind of sat out hearing the Vikings in any of those, in any of those circles right now, Justin. So the one thing I'll throw your way, the, the rumor mill, the Internet, the gossip circles are talking. Do we get a quarterback in the Chargers going to the Vikings [00:22:44] Speaker B: trade deadline? It's coming. [00:22:46] Speaker D: Can I, can I rewind a tape for you guys for a little bit? [00:22:49] Speaker C: Yeah, [00:22:50] Speaker D: let's, let's think back to early, you know, in the mid-2000s, NFL football. [00:22:58] Speaker C: Ah, the good old. [00:22:59] Speaker D: There's a struggling Chargers team that could make the playoffs and then also in the same year could, could just miss out on the playoffs. [00:23:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:12] Speaker D: Abandon the. Their quarterback. He goes into free agency. Granted free agency, not a trade, but then goes on to have a first ballot hall of Fame career. What if Justin Herbert goes on a Drew Brees type trajectory? And I know that I'm just getting my hopes up here. I know what Vikings quarterbacks are. I'm. That's, that's not lost on me. But what if [00:23:40] Speaker C: I like a good what if? [00:23:41] Speaker B: Oh, what if. [00:23:42] Speaker C: So would you rather have Justin Herbert and give up the draft capital or have a, have C.J. carr as the 24th overall pick? [00:23:52] Speaker D: Buddy. Oh, man. Okay, I, I think for the short term, having the, the rookie quarterback deal is so enticing, but I've, I've seen, I don't know, I've seen the for sure product of Herbert. He's in the same category that I put Goff in. He's good, he's not great. But his, his floor is the, the known commodity and I would rather have that than the unknown in a current state of Minnesota Vikings football that is not patient with the quarterback position. [00:24:39] Speaker C: There's a lot of places that aren't patient. And you know, I think we'll get into some of our mailbag in a little bit. We have about 10 minutes left with Justin before the zoom cancels you out. So we're going to move on to our game and then finish up with some more of Our mailbag. Is that good with you, Justin? [00:24:54] Speaker D: Works for me. [00:24:54] Speaker C: All right, perfect. I got the say the Same name as Me game. Oh, boy. I got 10 of them. They're new. [00:25:01] Speaker B: All right, hit us [00:25:02] Speaker C: some of the past ones. Just as our past listeners, I'm going to recap our last round. I'd add a current starting quarterback. C.J. stroud, an all time wide receiver with great hands. And Juan Bolden, a famous injury. Alex Smith, a retired linebacker. Zach Thomas. Okay, so we're working in new categories. I got a couple in here that maybe may make you just smile. We're gonna see if Justin, first time, long time guest on our show. [00:25:31] Speaker B: Right. [00:25:31] Speaker C: Knows me better than you. All right. All time Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver. And Justin, you can just throw your answer because you have a little delay on the zoom. So throw your answer out there. As soon as you got it, [00:25:45] Speaker B: we can say it at the same time. [00:25:47] Speaker C: T.J. hushmanzada. [00:25:49] Speaker B: Chris Collinsworth. [00:25:50] Speaker C: The answer is T.J. are [00:25:52] Speaker D: you [00:25:53] Speaker C: one to nothing? All right. A player Marshall hates. [00:25:58] Speaker B: That's a long list. [00:26:00] Speaker C: Very long list. [00:26:03] Speaker D: Josh Allen, [00:26:05] Speaker B: Kirk Cousins. [00:26:06] Speaker C: I have a Buffalo Bill shirt at home. I don't have a Kirk Cousins one. But the answer is Tom Brady. All right. In the former coach in the NFC North, [00:26:16] Speaker B: Jim Schwartz. [00:26:19] Speaker D: Lovey Smith. [00:26:21] Speaker C: Matt Patricia. All right. An all time Bears defensive player. [00:26:26] Speaker B: Brian Erlocker. [00:26:29] Speaker D: Lance Briggs. [00:26:30] Speaker C: Lance Briggs was my second pick. It's number one is Peanut Tillman. I've been saying that I picked him solely based on the fact that, you know, they're talking about potentially the peanut punch being outlawed because people are missing it and punching the person in the face. [00:26:43] Speaker D: Yes. There have been so many guys go to the blue tent from a missed peanut punch. [00:26:48] Speaker C: Yeah, I just. It's great. It's a great sentence. It's a great sentence. All right, how about a cinematic football player? [00:26:56] Speaker B: Cinematic? [00:26:57] Speaker C: Yeah, somebody from a movie. [00:27:00] Speaker B: Oh, [00:27:01] Speaker D: Orenthal. James Simpson. [00:27:02] Speaker B: Dan Marino. [00:27:04] Speaker C: What? Dan Marino. Ace Ventura. Pet Detective. [00:27:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:27:08] Speaker C: No, the answer is Willie Beeman. Willie Beeman. How about a Vikings all time player? [00:27:15] Speaker B: Randy Moss. [00:27:19] Speaker D: Yeah, that's the. You [00:27:20] Speaker C: gotta think, am I gonna throw out? Like, I don't have the deep cuts like you, Justin. So, [00:27:24] Speaker D: yeah. Chris Carter. All he does is catch touchdowns. [00:27:28] Speaker C: My second pick was Percy Harvin, but my first pick was Brett Favre. [00:27:32] Speaker B: You're just doing. Why are we. All [00:27:35] Speaker C: right, how about great hair in the NFL? [00:27:37] Speaker B: Okay. Okay. [00:27:39] Speaker C: This is a fun game. Justin hasn't not smiled. Play [00:27:41] Speaker B: Matthews. [00:27:42] Speaker C: Great answer. [00:27:43] Speaker D: I'm gonna go with Troy Palomalo. He Was the. I think, the original head and shoulders commercial guy. [00:27:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:27:48] Speaker C: My answer is Charlie Whitehurst. [00:27:50] Speaker B: Okay. Okay. [00:27:51] Speaker C: Great. Football Jesus. Clipboard. Jesus. How about an all time Notre Dame player in the NFL? [00:28:01] Speaker B: Good Lord, [00:28:02] Speaker C: Kyle. Come on. You know ball. [00:28:05] Speaker B: Jeremiah Love. [00:28:06] Speaker C: Jeremiah Love. Oh, I am a Cardinals fan. [00:28:08] Speaker D: All time, huh? [00:28:09] Speaker C: All time. I like that you went all time. Who you got? Justin [00:28:13] Speaker D: Smith. [00:28:13] Speaker C: Harrison. [00:28:14] Speaker D: No. Yeah, yeah, [00:28:17] Speaker C: I won. Zach [00:28:18] Speaker D: Martin Love, Notre Dame. I [00:28:19] Speaker C: do like a good Harrison Smith, [00:28:21] Speaker D: though, for a minute. [00:28:22] Speaker B: Okay, [00:28:22] Speaker C: I'm going back to one category that I feel like it might just become a staple of this game with me. It's famous injuries. [00:28:29] Speaker B: Okay, [00:28:31] Speaker C: who's the famous injury that I'm thinking of? [00:28:34] Speaker D: Joe Theisman. [00:28:36] Speaker B: Oh, let me think, let me think. Carson Wentz. [00:28:42] Speaker C: My answer is jpp. Jason Pierre. Paul Lopez. Fingers. [00:28:46] Speaker D: That's not a football injury. [00:28:47] Speaker C: Oh, I just said injury. I just said injury. All right, and the last one I have number 10, Kyle. Just so you know, it's one nothing, right? Get on the board. [00:28:55] Speaker B: Okay. [00:28:56] Speaker C: Someone Marshall would vote to be president in the NFL today. Since we're talking politics last week, I figured I'd bring this one on. [00:29:02] Speaker B: You would vote him to be president? [00:29:05] Speaker C: Yeah, he'd win the popular vote for sure. [00:29:09] Speaker B: Yeah, there's probably a bunch of guys. Shoot. I have, like, a top three. I'll pick from them. [00:29:17] Speaker C: I kind of want to hear all [00:29:18] Speaker D: three. [00:29:19] Speaker C: You say Quentin Williams. [00:29:20] Speaker D: Okay. [00:29:25] Speaker B: All [00:29:25] Speaker C: right, let's hear all three of yours, and I'll let you pick amongst them. [00:29:28] Speaker B: Okay. Is [00:29:29] Speaker C: Josh Allen in there? [00:29:30] Speaker B: No. What? [00:29:31] Speaker C: He's Captain America. [00:29:32] Speaker B: You would vote for. Maybe you'd vote for Jameis Winston. Maybe you'd. You'd probably vote for Antonio Brown. [00:29:40] Speaker C: Antonio Brown Wouldn't vote for him. But I did go to a Kanye concert. [00:29:45] Speaker B: Chris Brown you'd vote for? [00:29:47] Speaker C: Yes, that, too. [00:29:49] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I guess I need a better guess. Michael Strahan. [00:29:56] Speaker C: Okay, so amongst those three, take your pick. [00:29:58] Speaker B: I know. Just tell [00:30:01] Speaker C: us. It doesn't work that way. [00:30:02] Speaker B: Just tell us. [00:30:03] Speaker C: I'll give you a hint. One of those three is correct. [00:30:05] Speaker B: Really? So [00:30:06] Speaker C: you have to pick. Okay. [00:30:07] Speaker B: Jamis. [00:30:07] Speaker C: It's Jamis. [00:30:08] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:30:09] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:30:10] Speaker C: Wow. All right. We're gonna go off to a standoff. I didn't think I was gonna have to do this. So we're going over time. I'm gonna go to a. A bruiser of a running back. I have an answer. I'm writing it down right now. Go ahead. All time. Bruiser. Running back. [00:30:29] Speaker B: Jerome Bettis. [00:30:31] Speaker C: That's a good answer. [00:30:32] Speaker D: T.J. duckett. [00:30:33] Speaker B: Oh, I like that. [00:30:34] Speaker C: My answer was Jamal Lewis. All right, the last one. If nobody gets it, you don't get it. And that's okay. And we end with a tie. We live for ties. Some coaches were like, ties get us both in the playoffs. And other ones are like, let's call a timeout and screw over the other team and then they'll get a touchdown. [00:30:49] Speaker B: Right? [00:30:49] Speaker C: All right. My favorite player in the NFL. Go [00:30:59] Speaker B: right now. Active player. [00:31:01] Speaker C: Yes. [00:31:05] Speaker B: You should know this. [00:31:06] Speaker C: Come on, it's easy. [00:31:07] Speaker B: Who would it be? Who would it be? Marshall's favorite player. [00:31:13] Speaker D: Jeremiah Love. [00:31:16] Speaker B: Yeah, it was Marshall's [00:31:17] Speaker D: Cardinals. [00:31:17] Speaker B: I know. I didn't want to. Marshall's Cardinals. Yeah, Marshall's Cardinals. [00:31:21] Speaker C: Reedsman's Raiders. Marshall's Cardinals. Got another. You got another guest. Think you'll [00:31:28] Speaker B: no top that? That's probably. That's a great guess. Like, who else could even. It's got to be a Notre Dame guy. [00:31:34] Speaker C: It's gotta be. [00:31:36] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:38] Speaker C: All right. What [00:31:39] Speaker B: was the. Who was the other. [00:31:41] Speaker C: You sound really enthused about this right now. [00:31:43] Speaker B: No, no, it was the other running got drafted out of that class from Notre Dame. [00:31:47] Speaker C: Jadarian Price on. Oh, [00:31:49] Speaker B: Jadarian Price. Okay, that's not my guess. That's my guess. [00:31:51] Speaker C: It's your. My love, Justin, Nice job. Nice job. Justin, our time's run out here. We have officially less than two minutes. Anything you want to leave our listeners with? [00:32:04] Speaker D: I was going to talk about the bills, but we're not allowed to talk about the bills anymore, so. [00:32:09] Speaker B: Good one. Good one. [00:32:12] Speaker C: That's amazing. All right, Justin, thanks for coming in. We'll talk to you soon. All right, [00:32:16] Speaker D: It's a pleasure. Thank you guys for getting me through so many tree stand sits every single fall. [00:32:22] Speaker B: Justin, you're amazing [00:32:23] Speaker C: sense of venison right over to Jackson. I'll have a. I'll have a bag waiting for him. [00:32:29] Speaker D: All right, much appreciated. Keep it up, guys. [00:32:31] Speaker B: Hey. Go Vikings. School. Yeah. [00:32:35] Speaker C: Oh, what a treat. That was. [00:32:37] Speaker B: That was great. Wow, that [00:32:39] Speaker C: was fun. [00:32:39] Speaker B: I'm delighted. We [00:32:41] Speaker C: have a couple questions and takes that came from some other listeners. Some of them are from Ian. Ian's got one more on his list and so does Mr. DeWitt writes in for us as well. He had one more on there. So you got those for us there, Kyle? [00:32:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So even when you no show for the pod, you still get to be on the pod. Oh, [00:32:56] Speaker C: yeah. [00:32:58] Speaker B: I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Let's get [00:33:00] Speaker C: our last thing from Tim DeWitt writes in how patient will the jets and Chargers owners be the next few weeks the Jets I think that there's a firm handshake agreement behind closed door that Aaron Glenn got one more year because they wanted a new coach to come in there with a new quarterback and a new team with three first round picks in the top 15 most likely [00:33:21] Speaker B: nobody has more draft capital than the New York Jets. Nobody. [00:33:25] Speaker C: They're going to they could flip a team really quick. [00:33:29] Speaker B: Yeah their rebuild is going to be tremendously interesting because they could be starting with a lot they could be starting with a very fresh, young and talented roster from what seems to be a strong draft class and a new coach and whole lot going on and a few pieces that are worth preserving throughout that already on the team. [00:33:46] Speaker C: The Chargers I think they could cut Harbaugh by the end of the season I mean before the season. That's crazy to think a guy like him could be fired by the end of the se before but [00:33:55] Speaker B: truly is one of the top stories for a team that went 11 and six two seasons in a row prior to this it was everything was worth their defense was phenomenal. The Jesse mentor defense in San Die in I keep saying San Diego the Chargers defense was just outstanding and now it's atrocious. The defense is trash. I can't stop anybody and the offense is just I don't know what else we have to say about it. We've already talked about this as it's truly it's stupefying. [00:34:31] Speaker C: I mean when you make the Michigan offense look good comparatively to the Chargers offense you're really saying something. And Michigan just fired their offensive coordinator. So Mike McDaniel your your days may be numbered as well my friend. [00:34:43] Speaker B: The Chargers are one of the biggest stories of the 2026 season. Without question. No one has a great explanation for us. It doesn't make sense. [00:34:51] Speaker C: Ian DeWitt writes in Miami remind this just made me partially roll my eyes and partially go. You're right. Miami reminds me of an early Dan Campbell Lions team. Scrappy and plays tough but lacks a talent for winning. Lions came out slow but you could tell they can play all four quarters as they got better in the second half. [00:35:13] Speaker B: Yep. [00:35:13] Speaker C: Classic NFL jargon of playing all four quarters. Like not many teams don't chuck up the four at the end of the end at the end of the third quarter and say fours fourth quarter guys lock in But I definitely agree that the line that those teams mirrored in terms of like they didn't have the talent. [00:35:34] Speaker B: Right. [00:35:36] Speaker C: I'll say that the thing that I would also agree goes in Ian's proportion or in Ian's take is that the Lions and the Dolphins hit on their first draft in that rebuild. Like it was a very, very evident that all of those picks are moving in the right direction. And for the Dolphins that's the same. Malcolm Rodriguez has looked phenomenal for them late running back from Texas Tech who was actually in the Heisman race last year. [00:36:02] Speaker B: Wow. [00:36:03] Speaker C: And somehow got drafted way later than what many thought he would. [00:36:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:08] Speaker C: But I, I think that that's there but I think the thing that really just throws me off is like this Dolphins team, it's like they don't have a, the Dolphins have a bridge quarterback right now. Malik Willis is not there for the future. Jared Goff was there for the long haul. Yeah. I mean I feel like people thought he, he could play on that team and be quarterback for a long. [00:36:30] Speaker B: They had an out some seasons ago. What it wasn't a foregone conclusion that in the year 2026 they would still be sure trying to drop out under center. But to your point is well made. The, the, the, the Dolphins are in an interesting position and I just marvel at the position of the live and Lions are in because I, I feel like this has never been experienced by this franchise before. The position that they are in right now. They have a loaded, talented and right now fairly experienced team that seems to believe in itself, consider itself a winning team, have a reputation across the league as a winning team that they've only ever for all of our lives and many decades prior at best become for like one off seasons a spicy team you gotta watch out for. [00:37:18] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:37:18] Speaker B: You know that [00:37:19] Speaker C: word that you use the best? I'd like to hit on a little bit more reputation. I use that word a lot with my students and the joke I use with them is that your reputation is built over time. It's not like it's like a six pack. You know, you don't earn a six pack by doing seven sit ups one night. [00:37:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:33] Speaker C: You do it by doing it every night. Even when you don't want to, even when no one's looking more than you think you could and then doing it again and again and again. [00:37:41] Speaker B: Right. [00:37:42] Speaker C: This team has built a reputation in this franchise has built a reputation of not being the team that had paper bags over their fans heads at games. [00:37:53] Speaker B: Yeah, [00:37:53] Speaker C: like that doesn't happen anymore. That happens at a Chargers game. [00:37:57] Speaker B: Yeah, [00:37:58] Speaker C: that happened last night at a Chargers game. So like I think that is really important when you look at the Lions and their reputation. But [00:38:07] Speaker B: this stuff does matter. It really does matter over the long haul when you look at the future, because we talk about Windows and like, you know, the success that they had under Dan Campbell in recent years and. But [00:38:19] Speaker C: it is really hard. [00:38:20] Speaker B: Fans, you know, a lot of Lions fans especially like trying to, oh, maybe we, we missed it. But building that winning culture is a big deal and you've established something and there is a lot of reason to hope that the future could be very bright. And we've seen a lot of other franchises across the league who build that winning culture, who find their guy to captain the ship like a head coach that can be there for a long time. You know, throughout our life, a lifetime, there's been a number of teams that we could each name where they've had for the most part the same coach for going on decades and won a lot of games, a lot more of the games than were lost and super bowl appearances and wins throughout that you could probably. There's probably half a dozen guys that I can think of and the Lions could be in that sort of territory right now where they have changed the attitude for everyone in the building about what it means to be a Detroit line and play for this franchise and, and what the potential is and what we expect of ourselves and, and how we'd never count ourselves out and we played to the fullest potential all the way to the end because we expect ourselves to win and so on. Those things really do make a big difference and makes a more attractive place for other people to come and work and other people to come and play. [00:39:36] Speaker C: The thing that I don't get and maybe you can educate me. And this is my fandom of being a Notre Dame fan. I was like, if they don't win it all, it's a failure of a season to me. And that's probably really irresponsible for me to say. It's probably asinine to say an unrealistic. That there can only be one champion. And you know, I don't know. I struggle with that. I struggle with like, was this a successful season if we didn't win? I don't know many seasons that Notre Dame said that. I don't feel like it was that. I do feel like it was a success. We have not won, [00:40:11] Speaker B: right? [00:40:12] Speaker C: Like, is there something to be said for like steps we're moving forward? You're building this culture like you're talking about. Or should it be? We need to have more first time winners like the NBA does, where they have nine in a row, unique champions. [00:40:33] Speaker B: This is. It's an interesting fan perspective. And I. This is. It's something that's so personal, the way that everybody approaches fandom. And I think a question for you. Why. Why do you watch anything except for the championship game? If that's. If that's all you care about, why do you watch the rest of the season? [00:40:54] Speaker C: I'm just addicted to them. I think it's the sentimental value of a team, what a team like that does. So [00:41:00] Speaker B: what do you experience? What do you experience when you watch them not competing in the championship? [00:41:06] Speaker C: God bless the woman who ever asked to live with me and watch a game with me. I want to fire and hire everybody. Like in the first quarter. [00:41:14] Speaker B: Yes. You go through a lot, [00:41:16] Speaker C: all the whole range of [00:41:17] Speaker B: emotions, [00:41:17] Speaker C: everything [00:41:18] Speaker B: good and bad. [00:41:18] Speaker C: Not even just. I'm like. Not even just a bad fan or just. I'm like everything. But [00:41:23] Speaker B: it's not the championship game. Why does it even matter? How could you. Why do you care about it? [00:41:27] Speaker C: Well, every game feels like a championship when they play to me. [00:41:30] Speaker B: Okay, [00:41:31] Speaker C: that probably sounds really corny, like mad corny. [00:41:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:34] Speaker C: But every game feels like a championship to me for them. Like, I couldn't imagine not watching them. That's kind of romantic. How could you not be romantic about baseball but insert football instead of baseball? [00:41:45] Speaker B: That's what I understand. So you go, you go through it. That's. These are profound experiences, non sports fans. But [00:41:51] Speaker C: I don't feel like. I don't feel like that isn't your fandom. [00:41:55] Speaker B: That's not really what I'm getting at. But it. Well, to an extent. But my point is more like you're talking about this. This. The fact that it's zero sum and that it really just doesn't matter if there isn't a championship or you call it like a wasted, wasted season without the. Without the trophy at the end. But is it? Think of what you're experiencing throughout the year. [00:42:23] Speaker C: They did just beat number one, Miami. [00:42:26] Speaker B: Oh, I was hoping that they would. I saw some of that game and it was looking pretty good. [00:42:29] Speaker C: I was a happy, happy camper. So [00:42:32] Speaker B: you were happy. But was. Does it. Is that erased at the end of the year a different team wins the championship? [00:42:39] Speaker C: I'll tell you, as I've gotten older, there's really only one game that like stood out to me, that stood the test of time even in a loss of a season was when they beat Clemson during COVID and they stormed the field. And I FaceTime with my parent, with my dad and my brothers. And I remember like a picture we have of that, but that's my sentimental Marshall. I don't know. That's just something I'm curious to hear. Kind of what our fans are of. Like, do they feel like it's a loss because, like, Ian is, like, he's the closest thing to what I am. [00:43:06] Speaker B: Right. [00:43:07] Speaker C: But I also. I think I might be. Ian turned up a little bit when it comes to them. When it comes to Notre Dame. [00:43:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:43:14] Speaker C: I don't know. It's. We're. We're different, but we're maybe both vegetables, if that makes sense. You know, like, we're both, like, in the same food group, but we definitely have a different taste [00:43:24] Speaker B: for sure. [00:43:25] Speaker C: How about. [00:43:25] Speaker B: I know I. My fandom, I think, is weirder than yours. Yours is your. Seems more typical. But I think the point that I was making about it is that I think that there's. There is something to that experience that you're still having. Because when you. When you step back and introduce the conversation, you're talking just about the championship, like, that's all that matters. And yet you're very emotionally invested throughout and experiencing a range of emotions throughout. And is that. Is that truly valueless? Is it. Is there nothing, Nothing about that that matters? Is it all just erased when the final verdict is known about the season? [00:44:07] Speaker C: I don't think it could be valueless because I think that I watch every game, whether it's just me watching it or like, obviously I keep going back to it. It has to have some value. If I keep going back to it, it wouldn't have it have none. [00:44:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:24] Speaker C: You know that. Then I wouldn't go back. [00:44:26] Speaker B: I would say that I look back on my years of. And watching and enjoying the packers play. A lot of good years of that. Now, as you know, there was a period of time where I was really not watching sports at all. And they did go and win a Super bowl during that time. God. So I've never actually watched a team that I truly care about win the trophy. But that. That's not really the point. The point is when I look back on the years prior to that where I was tuning in and the years after that where I was tuning in, I look back on them very fondly. Like, I have very positive, warm, fuzzy memories of bonding with friends and family, of watching exciting games, of marveling at peak Aaron Rodgers delivering. And even like, he's. He's a strange character. Both of them are strange characters. Both of those quarterbacks are strange characters. Because everything that [00:45:26] Speaker C: Matt Flynn, [00:45:29] Speaker B: Farvin Rogers post prime packers years, I couldn't say much really great about but both of them gave me something positive. I look back on that and and will always have like an affinity for them for what I think I got from it which was the enjoyment of getting to watch them play and win a lot of games. A lot of exciting games. Both of them at the peak of their powers were virtually unrivaled in the league and it was just a sight to behold and there was hugs with the family and celebrations and and just a lot of joy even though there wasn't a Lombardi to go with it. I look back on those years is great and I'm thankful. I'm thankful for all the years that Aaron Rodgers played at the packers and brought a lot of wins and a lot of celebration and high fives to us and don't it isn't diminished by the lack of Super Bowls or what occurred after. [00:46:37] Speaker C: I think NFL has the best amount of hope trafficking of any sport. Like hope is being sold more than anything when it comes to the NFL that your team can turn it around, that your team can flip the division for last to first make it in the playoffs more than any league in the world. [00:46:59] Speaker B: Maybe. Maybe. [00:47:00] Speaker C: Ian also writes an NFC north is just a scary division and I hate that the Lions finally are a competent organization just for everyone else to also be competent. Black and blue division is most certainly back, but will that translate to playoff success, do you think? My. My part of this question that I take is do that you think three teams make it into the playoffs from their division. [00:47:27] Speaker B: I would consider it likely at this point. Yeah. [00:47:31] Speaker C: I think there's a way they can get four. [00:47:33] Speaker B: It is. It's. I think. I think still if the playoff started today, Rams and Seahawks would be out and four NSC north teams would be in. That was true last week. I'm. I'm pretty sure it's still true today. [00:47:43] Speaker C: I think the reason that I like that's so unlikely to happen is because they're all going to play each other a lot more as the season winds down. They end a lot more with divisional games, but that would be a little Bonko, can I. Could I right now or what? Eight games into the season, nine games into the season. [00:48:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:03] Speaker C: Rank. Your rank. Your four [00:48:05] Speaker B: rank. [00:48:07] Speaker C: Yeah. I don't care about the records. [00:48:09] Speaker B: I'm [00:48:09] Speaker C: going to go top as unlike most likely to win the Super Bowl. Bottom as least likely. [00:48:15] Speaker B: I'm going Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota. [00:48:20] Speaker C: I'm going Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota. [00:48:25] Speaker B: Okay. Okay, [00:48:27] Speaker C: we'll switch. The only difference there [00:48:28] Speaker B: in the middle. Do you want to unpack that difference? Why do you have more faith in Detroit right now than you do in Green Bay? [00:48:34] Speaker C: To me, I just, I think the Lions have more of a long, sustaining running game. Okay. The playoffs are big [00:48:43] Speaker B: advantage. [00:48:45] Speaker C: A [00:48:46] Speaker B: terrible running game. That's. That's a major weakness of the Packers. [00:48:49] Speaker C: And I think that if Josh Jacobs wasn't a terrible human being, was there playing, that might be different. But I also think their offensive line isn't really built to run black. [00:48:57] Speaker B: Even when he was on the field, they didn't produce. [00:49:00] Speaker C: No, but I'm saying, I mean, it doesn't help that he hasn't been playing the entire season with them either. [00:49:04] Speaker B: Right. [00:49:05] Speaker C: So there's no cohesiveness on what their offense is as a whole. [00:49:09] Speaker B: Right. [00:49:09] Speaker C: It's just how far can. But the one thing that does, like, make me smile is Jordan Love has the most passing yards of any quarterback in the air. Of any quarterback in the NFL. And there's some quarterbacks who still fling it. [00:49:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:49:24] Speaker C: And one of them's in his own division, Caleb Williams. Like, [00:49:26] Speaker B: oh, yeah, [00:49:26] Speaker C: that guy can fling it, too. And. But Jordan Love's got the deep ball going right now. [00:49:32] Speaker B: Sure does. [00:49:32] Speaker C: And also, Ian writes in Rams are back. I was waiting. I mean, [00:49:36] Speaker B: sure, [00:49:36] Speaker C: Ian had to talk about the Rams. I love that. What was your, what was your standout about the Rams game to you? Was it just having Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald back? [00:49:46] Speaker B: Well, it wasn't just the fact that they were back, but the. What Miles Garrett did in his first game back. [00:49:53] Speaker C: Yes. [00:49:54] Speaker B: Astounding. I mean, like, that. All Rams fans should be exuberant right now. Well, with the exception of the fact that Puka Nagua is going on ir, that's a big problem. A big problem. You already don't have Devonte Adams and now you're down one of the best wide receivers in the game, Puka. [00:50:11] Speaker C: But. [00:50:13] Speaker B: But your defensive force is back on the field and living up to the top billing. So there's a chance this is a team that can easily figure things out and handle their business. [00:50:27] Speaker C: Anything else standing out for you for the week there, Kyle? Anything else you want our listeners to hear before we skedaddle? [00:50:33] Speaker B: Wow, did we get through the whole pod already? The [00:50:35] Speaker C: whole podcast. [00:50:36] Speaker B: That's incredible. That was really fun. It was great to chat with you and get in the studio and I am grateful and feel privileged to get to do this show and grateful to all of our listeners. Simon Reedsa, thank you for writing in. Tim DeWitt, thanks for tuning in. And indulging us and bringing us your outstanding takes. I really love that. Thank you. Ian. I can't wait to get you back in the studio. [00:50:58] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. And I have one last thing that I need to say that's for you. Commission. Happy birthday, dude. [00:51:07] Speaker B: Happy birthday to the commission. [00:51:09] Speaker C: Commish. I didn't mean to crap on your 49ers. I just don't see the health there being long term. I worry about George Kittle being the only focal point of that offense not named Christian McCaffrey. [00:51:20] Speaker B: Brandon Iuk just got reinstated. It's a weird situation, but he might play football for them. [00:51:28] Speaker C: He's also being sued by the team to give him $13 million. So it's kind of like the jokes are wr themselves at this point, but. [00:51:35] Speaker B: Yeah, [00:51:36] Speaker C: yeah, that's. They're a unique. They're a unique squad, that's for sure. [00:51:40] Speaker B: I don't know what to make of them. Yeah, I don't either. Something [00:51:43] Speaker C: we'll keep an eye on. [00:51:44] Speaker B: I'm with you. Yeah, keep watching. They've got potential. [00:51:47] Speaker C: All right, guys. Well, take care. [00:51:50] Speaker A: Welcome to the Point after show. [00:51:51] Speaker C: Oh, that's our intro music. Ian, where are you at? Want to thank you for listening to Point After. Justin Matson. Thanks for calling in, listeners. If you feel like you have something that you'd like to share, like to call into our show. Hit us. Hit one of us up. We'd even love you to be on for five minutes and talk with us. We hope that you guys have a great week and we'll talk to you soon. Bye.