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The Halfway House Podcast
You'll hear sports talk, opinions, and other things that might be relevant today & done tomorrow. If you're looking for that talk that isn't quite the network talk but is better than a lot of your barbershop talk... then you're home.
The Halfway House Podcast
Episode 048: Failed Agendas
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Ladies & gents, the city of Metropolis has fallen into the hands of the bad guy, aka my co-host, Mr Andra Lewis. Well, okay, maybe that's a bit much. I am stinking up the joints in NFL Pick'Em; more on that during the show. But in this episode, we talk about some updates from the NBA Health Care Scheme by former NBA players, other NBA news, NFL News & Pick'Em, and more.
Timestamps are as follows:
Intro Music-00:00
Opening Banter-00:30
The NBA Health Care Scheme-02:25
Draymond Green-17:36
Zach Lavine-29:55
The L.A. Clippers-35:57
NFL Talk-48:12
The Buffalo Bills-56:34
The Cincinnati Bengals-1:03:21
Deshaun Watson-1:07:57
NFL Pick'Em-1:09:26
The Wrap-Up-1:46:51
Outro Music-1:47:28
Got something to say? Let’s hear it.
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The show on Twitter @thehalfwayhous2
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Thehalfwayhouse8@gmail.com
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, welcome back again. It is another episode of the Halfway House Podcast, episode 48. And I am your host, Ben Phillips, with a very failing agenda, but we'll talk about that shortly, along with my co-host whose agenda seems to always be thriving. Not sure exactly what he's doing in his life, but I'm not doing in my life. Our co-host, my co-host, Mr. Undre Lewis. How are you, buddy?
SPEAKER_02I am good. You you gotta live a stressless life. You hear that? Too late.
SPEAKER_00Too late for all of that. Too late for all that.
SPEAKER_02I have a gym listening to flutes. You gotta listen to flutes.
SPEAKER_00Speaking of that shit. Yeah, shout out to Andre 3K. Dropped an album. I hear it's fantastic. I'll get around to listening to it at some point. Um, but again, this is episode 48 of the Halfway House podcast, and we're gonna do a little NBA talk, and not even just well, it's NBA talk, but it's more the grander scheme of NBA talk along with some other NBA talk. We'll talk, we'll also have some NFL discussions in there as we recap week 10 as we go to week 11. And on top of that, we'll kind of look back and look forward. Man, how how how much of a difference does four and five days make? But we'll talk about that as we get to NFL Pickums and how my agenda seems to be falling apart at the seams. It's not even just about the record anymore, it's just bad across the board. No matter where you look, it's just bad across the board. But again, episode 48 of the Halfway House Podcast with my co-host Andre Lewis on Ben Phillips. And like I said, we're gonna we're gonna just get straight into it. We got some NBA talk and we got some grand scheme NBA talk. A story that we have not actually talked about on the show. I don't even know if we've actually talked about it live, but I do think it's worth mentioning is a story that has kind of been taking place for the better part of five years and an investigation that has been going on a little bit over two years, is the NBA Health Care Fraud Scam involving multiple former NBA players and some names that you would recognize, some names you won't necessarily recognize. We'll just talk about that. So, long story short, ladies and gentlemen, there has been a number of former NBA players who you would think made pretty good money, but hey, we're not here to count their pockets, who have been involved in a NBA healthcare fraud scam scheme that lasted about three years from 2017 to 2020. In total, $3.9 million worth of I can't even read my own handwriting sometimes, false claims were submitted. $2.5 million of those claims were actually paid out, and over $230,000 were uh paid in kickbacks. So, co-host, before I take back over, I'm gonna just throw it to you real quick. As I sent this story to you, what were just your original thoughts on what you had seen? And maybe some of the things maybe you had even read or heard about it.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I feel like I don't really have that many thoughts about it because it seems pretty straightforward. Like any article you read on is like what three paragraphs. The healthcare plan is this, they did this, they going to jail. That seems to be the whole thread of Terrence Williams. Probably, I think he was apparently the ring leader. He's getting like 10 years, so I mean, it just you know, good old classic fraud. That's what one of the people running the catch was saying. Like some of these, and first of all, I hate this. This is a separate conversation. He said, you know, some of these guys might be star, but they was doing regular day fraud. You know, that's also true. But I don't, I don't like when you know how like uh like oh man, something happens in sports, and then people outside of sports want to talk about it, and they'd be like, oh man, NBA star is doing this. I wouldn't say it's a star in this group, which is the reason why these guys probably were doing that. They might have needed some money, or it might be greed. I would feel like I assume Glenn Davis probably made decent money, but I would think that'd be the biggest thing, is these players probably needed some money, thought this would be a way nobody would miss it. And oh, people was like, no, you cannot commit wire fraud. So I don't think it's much more to it than that. I mean, they got caught, you get caught, you gotta deal with the consequence.
SPEAKER_00So, uh, ladies and gentlemen, my calls were referring to Ronald Glenn, Big Baby Davis, who, according to estimations, made over $32 million. Of course, I think that's of course pretext, if that matters to you, if you that, you know, uh into the details in his career. He played from 2007 to 2015. Played for three NBA teams. Of course, he was part of the 2008 uh uh NBA champion Boston Celtics. He had a Peloton role on that team. I think the thing I found so fascinating about this was the fact, and and this might be something for you to check out um after the fact, there were uh schemes being committed. There were claims being uh uh filed on guys who were literally uh playing games overseas day of. Like they were literally filing claims and decided to uh go play a basketball game. And I guess I don't know if they think weren't nobody paying attention, if nobody was really you just again paying attention, seeing exactly the things that were going on. That's the thing I found fascinating to me. Some of the things that take that took place and some of the claims that were filed, it just it's hilarious on the face when you think about you did you think you weren't gonna get caught? Did you think you were smarter than the system? Did you think people were not paying again close enough attention? Just kind of it fascinates me to when when you see people do things like this and act like I guess they won't get caught. You know, it kind of, you know, go into a different sports. I don't know how aware you are of the Michigan scandal going on with Coach Harbaugh, you know, the former Michigan staff uh Connor Stallions, but it's just like to be so blatant about it, I guess, is the thing that got my attention. Like, you weren't even really trying to hide. And that's the thing that probably just threw me for a loop.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I was listening to The Right Time of Bomani Jones, and he was talking about the Jim Harbaugh situation, and he made a point that I hadn't thought about before, where he said people, when it comes to crime, they focus too much on, especially like when you look at more gruesome crimes, like the brutality of the crime, whereas that doesn't really have as much impact on actual results. Like if you shoot somebody or you decide to do something in a more personal way, it's like that person is still dead. I feel like when the whole Michigan situation was like, oh man, how could y'all be so blatant or so cocky or arrogant or whatever? But I was like, but at the end of the day, does it even matter? It's the same thing with this. If you're doing the fraud, I mean, yeah, you should be smarter about it, but a lot of people probably don't think they're gonna get caught. There's probably a bunch of players who did this and never got caught. These boys probably just did it on a scale where it was like, okay, y'all tripping. So, um, I don't know, man. It just was not a good look. And I feel like I would have more sympathy or more understanding if it was like the NFL. Then I feel like the NBA has a pretty good balance of power between the players in the league. So for them to even have a plan where you could just submit a claim this easily, um, yeah. They they they slipped up and they're gonna pay the consequences. That's crazy, though. 10 years, it wasn't worth it. For them to only get, I think they said it was like they only got like 5 million, I think, as a group. Like that wasn't worth it. That wasn't worth it.
SPEAKER_00So the number being reported is 3.9 million worth of claims that were submitted. 2.5 of those of that 3.9 was actually paid out. So you did mention the ringleader, uh the bandit Terrence Williams, who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Uh, part of his plea deal is that he will pay $2.5 million, the total amount that was paid out in restitution to the NBA uh players' health and welfare benefit plan and forfeit $654,000 as part of the deal as well. You know, they said again the scheme, depending on the dates that you look at, anywhere from 2017 to 2020, 2021. Also found that Williams threatened one of uh the healthcare providers who created fraudulent invoices for him and threatened a witness after he was charged and arrested last year. Pretty much like the scheme. Again, we're talking about 18 players. It was over 20 individuals who were charged in this thing. And here are some of the names that you might recognize who were also charged as well. Of course, Terry Williams, who was a first-round pick back in 2009, the ring leader. You had Anthony Allen, aka Tony Allen, all who was a part of six to was part of six all-defensive NBA teams, also part of the 08 uh NBA champion Boston Celtics team. You had his wife, who was charged. You had Will Bynum, who played for three teams, most notably with the Pistons. We talked about Big Baby Davis. You had Darius Miles, who was the third overall pick in 2000, who was also on the uh the Cavaliers team that with LeBron James rookie year. You had a high school phenomena Sebastian Taylor, who was also a part of it. You had Shannon Brown, who was a two-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers in 2009 and 2010 with Kobe Bryant. So some names on that list might not necessarily be star, superstar players, but you're talking about role players who had impact on teams. Um and it just again, it was so fascinating just seeing this story play out and to have it go on. And it was just I again I I I find it fascinating just when you see things like this take place. And like you said, people may feel like they might not get caught, but when you see players just so blatantly do it when it's unnecessary, like I really would like to know what would be behind Big Baby. Like, what would you really think? Like, what was the reason? What was the reason? Um, there were some other convictions that came down because again, earlier this week, Big Baby Davis and Will Bynum were actually found guilty on a few different charges. Like I said, we'll talk about the story more in detail on another day, but I did just kind of want to talk about it and get your thoughts on it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, it's just weird, especially with some of those players who were more prominent role players. I'm pretty sure Glenn Davis, I'm looking at their career earnings, and Tony Allen made both over 30 million in their career. So I don't know what they were thinking, but it's just with this kind of story, I feel like I don't have the same fascination you have with it because it's like I feel like we we say it and you like all these players did it, but then I feel like we gain nothing from it. You know what I'm saying? As far as it does nothing to when you have an incident with like when we talking about the running backs when they're complaining about their pay, that leads into a conversation about how the system isn't properly paying running backs or this or that. I feel like with this story, it's just they broke the law, they're going to jail, and we're just listing players who broke the law. And I'm not as interested in that kind of stuff, just because I feel like what do we learn from this? What do we gain about the NFL's NBA healthcare system? If there was a larger story, like we were they don't do enough for the players in post-retirement, that'd be one thing. But just saying they broke the law, I feel like this doesn't lead into the game enough for me to care. Maybe if it was more sensational, that'd be one thing. Like when we talked about uh Michael Orr, it was like, okay, that's a whole system problem with players being taken advantage of, and that deals directly with the NFL and a lot of things, but these guys just were greedy. I'm not interested in greed as much when it's rich people being greedy, you know what I'm saying? Like go go spend the money you made.
SPEAKER_00Well, maybe that was the thing. They spent the money they made, and they just wanted more because you know you you you know the whole story about being how athletes the percentages are a lot higher than people may realize of athletes, you know, two, three years after they're done playing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I feel you, but I don't think that's the case with these guys.
SPEAKER_00I'm not saying it's the case, but it's just we we know what the numbers say.
SPEAKER_02I'm talking about like a Glenn Davis and a Tony Allen. When they talk about the statistics of players, and this is the the why that's always a kind of that stat is like skewed, they're talking about the entirety of the league from top to bottom. The players you never heard of, the players with a 10-day to the players who played 15 years in Hall of Famers. If you just take all the people who made as much money as Glenn Davis and Tony Allen and went up and see the percentage of players who are broke, that percentage is probably extremely low. Yeah, if you're not doing your money right, that's one thing. But it's just it's just greed, bro. It's like I'm not having no, it's one thing having sympathy for a player who's not being paid correctly. I'm not having no sympathy for somebody who made $40 million and just decided I wanted two million more dollars. Like, get your money together at a certain point. Like, these guys are like what? They both gotta be 40 or at least late 30s. When you was a kid, you came into the lead, that was one thing. You had two, three contracts. On one of them contracts, you should have learned how to do your money properly. So, bro, it's just do better.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm gonna say I don't think I think Tony Allen might be pushing for it, but I don't think Big Baby, I think he's like 37. But again, point being is you know, handle your money better, like you said. I I I I think depending on where the story goes, and as more convictions potentially come down, and once we hear about the sentencing of uh both Big Baby and we're buying them, we we may revisit this story in a you know short form, but I did want to talk about it because like I said, it's something that I've kind of been paying attention to, you know, on a on a small scale, on a small scope. But I did just kind of want to mention it and get your thoughts on it because, like I said, when you have this many guys, this many people involved, it you know, and here's another thing that I I didn't mention that I just now that I'm talking out loud and I'm thinking about it, it is hard enough to get a small scale of guys to do something um collectively and keep quiet about it. When you're talking about having to involve this many individuals, it's like you just know something's gonna leak out eventually. That that that's kind of my overall thought about it, too, as well.
SPEAKER_02Well, you just need proof of concept. That's all this case shows me is proof of concept. Parents probably was going around and was like, I did this so many times and I did got away with it. He showed people how he did it, how he got away with it, and they was like, okay, I'll do it. Once you show people you can do something and you do it multiple times, they will believe that you can do it. To me, that's all this case was. If you could prove how you think organizations, any any organization from criminals to just your local school club, how do they all start? I show you that I can do this and then I do it, and then people believe me. So that's that's what this was. It's it's it's sad though. It's it's it's sad seeing people that, especially you grew up watching, possibly facing jail time. But I mean, it is what it is.
SPEAKER_00You really they gotta make their own choices, be better human beings, make better decisions. But speaking of money and shenanigans, Draymond Green is in the news again. And usually when Draymond Green is in the news these days, it's not necessarily for the right things or things that people may agree with. But before I move forward, Draymond Green was in a scuffle earlier this week with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he ended up being suspended five games because he decided he wanted to put the made up.
SPEAKER_02He was part of scuffle with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was gonna scuffle with Rudy Gobert. The Minnesota Timberwolves wanted no part of that scuffle.
SPEAKER_00Well, Rudy Gobert plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. There you go again, one decides you want to be Mr. Technical.
SPEAKER_02Uh, you wouldn't you wouldn't know he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves the way nobody helped him. Carl Towns right there, Anthony Edwards. Nobody jumped in to help Rudy. That meant him in a thunder choke.
SPEAKER_00Let's move on. I was gonna go with the million dollar dream or just the old-fashioned sleeper hole, but hey, take your pick of what you want to call the smith shoe. So uh maybe a minute into I don't even know if it was a full minute and a half into the game, Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels are pulling jerseys, they are going up and down, they they they are not happy with each other, they are not satisfied, right? Before you know it, Rudy Gobert is involved, and before you know it again, Draymond Green is involved. What were your thoughts on when you saw what Draymond did and the just overall response to it?
SPEAKER_02Draymond, he should be ashamed because that they had nothing to do with that fight. Draymond been waiting on this. He already was mad at Rudy when Rudy was crying in the All-Star game. He don't like Rudy as a person. I don't think they like each other. This man was like, hmm, an opportunity. You know what I'm saying? You know how you're playing and you're running through the grass on your new Game Boy SP you just bought, and it's like and while Pokemon has appeared. That's why that's what Rudy's neck was to him. He was like, I've been trying to get at Rudy for years, and this is the perfect chance, because Rudy got in the middle of that scuffle to stop it. He was like, Come on, guys, let's let's not, you know, I can't do a French accent, but you know how he was. And during my choke that man, um, yeah, it wasn't it was not good. That was a long choke, and we gotta have um this is an overrated thing though. I kind of hate it because it happens too often, these player-only meetings, they're starting to get on my nerves a little bit. But they need to have a player-only meeting. If I'm rude, I'm calling me. I'm like, oh, so ain't nobody see me in the chokehold? Ain't nobody see me in the chokehold. Somebody gotta no, no, somebody gotta take a three-game suspension. I understand everything ain't go perfectly last year. I understand we was struggling. I know we had a little sideline scuffle. Them boys, that was that was crazy. Did you see what Draymond was doing? Did you see the Warriors? The Warriors was acting like Draymond took three blows. They was with him. They gotta fix that. That's that's uh uh that's a chemistry issue. But yeah, man, Draymond, what you want me to say? This is Draymond. This is what he does. He puts his hands on people. That's not a great character um trait. Um, but I guess it's more suitable to playing sports. So I don't know, I don't know what else to say about it. Like, Draymond got suspended. Rudy Gobert went about his day. But what caused the initial scuffle with Klay Thompson? That's the only part of this whole story that I don't get. Because that was the main thing.
SPEAKER_00I think it was from because if I'm not mistaken, they they had played a game earlier in the week in Golden State in San Francisco, and it might have been some words back and forth then, and it just kind of carried over because I don't think Minnesota and Golden State have played at that time had played anybody in between you know the the last game they played against each other. So that's what I think it was. Well, I could be incorrect about that. Uh but it just like it was a carryover effect, I believe. So I you know, it just it it just it kept going. It kept going. So yeah, I'm I'm correct. So They play the game on Sunday and then they play the game again on Tuesday. Of course, Tuesday is the one where they got into it. So that like they play the game on Sunday, Minnesota wins 116, 110. And I guess there was some carryover from that game, but that led to the actions that happened on Tuesday. So that's that's kind of what happened. But again, Draymond has been suspended, or at least been suspended five games. He's gonna lose a little bit over $700,000, almost close to eight for his actions. So just it it it's it's the thought, man. Like to me, and this is probably a separate conversation. I got no problem with you defending your teammates. But the whole Draymond antics thing just overall to me is extremely tiring, but we we are so far down the rabbit hole it's really too late to uh turn back now because like when when it was more about the passion and you were more helping your team win games, yeah, I understood it, but it's like it's it's more of an antics. Now, and I I don't know how much you paid attention to, but one of the big things Rudy Gobert said was when Steph doesn't play, Draymond is trying to find his quickest way to the exit. Now is that entirely true? No, but there is some evidence to back up that case recently that when Steph decides not to play, Draymond is trying to find his way to the showers. There's some evidence there.
SPEAKER_02So I I wouldn't Right.
SPEAKER_00I'm not saying you should put a whole lot of thought into it, but there's a little there's a little there there, as someone would say.
SPEAKER_02Nah, I just feel like Draymond isn't the player that he used to be.
SPEAKER_00That's true.
SPEAKER_02I feel like he's overcompensating with being more aggressive when you're not quite as fast, you're not quite as agile, you know what I'm saying? He you have to do more stuff, you know what I'm saying? Draymond was always doing the most, but he was always there. Like Draymond was a great defender, anticipation, all that kind of stuff. When you can't actually do all that stuff at the same level, maybe these antics are his way of overcompensating, or at least having some of that more warrior spirit because people don't look at the warriors like they used to. Like when people run into play them, it's not the same energy. And so he might be trying to get some of that back. But that's definitely gonna hurt his team, him getting suspended at that time. It's just not the same words, man. I feel like this would never happen to the Warriors this 2016. Because Draymond is doing more to overconversate. I feel like people are trying them this year, especially a team like the Timberwolves, who think they're on an up and come up, especially if you're playing next to somebody like uh Anthony Edwards, who's having a breakout year. It's just like, I'm just gonna try these boys and see what happens. It's the same thing with Klay Thompson. Like, people, I hate is this is one of the things in sports I hate, but it's just it's just the natural state of order that the young eat the old. And they will try you when you're older and act like you're that's the part I don't like. You can go after somebody who's older, but they will try you like you're the same person and then say, look at me. I feel like that's the whole Klay Thompson issue. If this was young Klay Thompson, I feel like that would have never gone down. It's just he hasn't been playing well either. It's just a diminished team, and when you're diminished, you have to find ways to survive. And I feel like that's what this whole situation is. Um the Timberwolves gonna have to figure this situation out, though. Because if I start, if I fight, you shouldn't be fighting anyway. But if somebody pulls up to Rudy and push them or something, and y'all don't defend them, people are gonna start looking at your team a certain way. People are gonna forget this one because you got Anthony Edwards and he be eating Pope Pies, and people like him. You ain't got too many more of these, because in the playoffs, when it really comes down to it, and I gotta see you the next day and the next day after that, and I remember that you ain't you don't like your homie, that's gonna be a problem. So that's something they need to fix. But yeah, um, it's an ugly situation. That's crazy, though. I don't know how they let him show Rudy for over 10 seconds, though. That was a long time. That was a long time. And Rudy is what, 7'2 or something? His body doesn't even naturally be that low that you know, his head hasn't been that low for 10 seconds in a minute. So I know that hurt.
SPEAKER_00Well, let me read you a quote that probably uh not necessarily feeds, but kind of you know brings up the point that you brought about the Warriors being a diminished team. This is from uh Kurt Hilling from Twitter from uh NBA on NBC. The Warriors have long have long walked, well, the Warriors have long walked a line with Green. His intensity matters. The Warriors don't have four rings without him. However, as he's aged and his skills have diminished, the Warriors as a team have aged and the margin for error has eroded. The Warriors can no longer afford this, those type of actions that when he's over-emotional, as you said, overcompensating for his actions.
SPEAKER_02Look at me. That's what I said, but that was way more thought on and well put.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I just man, look, I I kind of been thinking about it. I I felt like we are seven years too late. But I feel like when Draymond had that really, you may remember hearing about this, when Draymond had that really fiery outburst at halftime against a game, I think it was an OKC against the Thunder when Durant was still for the Thunder. To me, that was a point you should have really had a conversation with Draymond. And if not then, probably before then, or definitely after the 2016 final. Like, dog, we we can't have you acting the way you act, but we we are so far again down this rabbit hole, it is far too late now to kind of really try to overcorrect and turn back now because of who he is and what he's been allowed to get away with. I also blame the the overall officials for letting Draymond get away with the things he's gotten away with, because there is probably not another player that can do what he does and get us away with it, you know. But hey, I mean he's just do what you can, right?
SPEAKER_02Well, it's also how you feel about Draymond. Draymond is doing nothing different than somebody like a Kevin Garnett was doing. Yeah, I don't know about that, but but go ahead when you hear about what Kevin Garnett was doing and what he was saying out there, that was crazy because Draymond always gets called, they call files on him, they do stuff on him, they suspend him. He got suspended in the finals. Like just because he keeps doing stuff, that doesn't mean it's only officials. I could tell him, don't do it. You don't think Steve Kurt say Draymond, you tripping? I can't make this man not do something. The only way you can do that is to get him off the team, and they don't want to do that because he brings the energy to him.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think I think they could definitely hold him more accountable than they have, though.
SPEAKER_02You can't hold a grown man accountable. Well, we're gonna disagree on that one, but uh you can you could all you could do is this you could say this is how I feel, da da da, don't do this. And if they don't do it, you either could just accept who them who they are, or you can move on from that person. You can't force somebody, and this is just a life lesson. You can't force somebody in your life to change who they are if they don't want to. If we was doing this podcast and every week you was insulting me, and I was like, don't do that, and you just didn't, and you just kept doing it every week. I either gotta stop doing it or I gotta just accept it. That's the thing with Draymond. They said is we gonna accept Draymond for being Draymond or we gonna put him on another team. And they've decided to accept Draymond. That is the choice they've made. So you can't be mad at him for keep doing the same stuff that he always did.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but it gets old.
SPEAKER_01It can get old, but that is who he is.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I guess I I we we're gonna disagree on that. But uh, speaking of other things taking place in the NBA, have you seen? Well, of course, you know about the news regarding James Harden. We'll talk about that shortly. But apparently, someone for the Chicago Bulls is I ain't gonna say he's interested in the trade, but he's open to a trade. And one of the individuals that is open to a trade is Zach Levine. Before you say anything, you see why I don't deal with this. Do you see now why I don't put up with this, why I don't put up with the Chicago Bulls and their fooler, the tongue fooler, their shenanigans. You see why you see why now why I don't deal with the Chicago Bulls again. Zach Levine is open to a trade. The question is, will anyone make the move? Probably so, but it's just a matter of when, right? You know, so there's a couple of teams who might make the move, but it's just kind of like I guess what are you willing to give up for him, right? The thing is, especially with I was about to say Draymond, but especially with Zach. A couple of things. We know he's an extremely talented player, right? We know that he has made himself more of a s an all-star, superstar-esque, if not a a bona fide star as well. But what do you make of the Chicago Bulls just in general before we move forward?
SPEAKER_02Not good, bad organization, bad roster construction, holding on to players too long. Kind of the East Coast Trailblazers. That's how I feel about them. Um gotta be gotta be one of the worst run organizations, probably in all the sports. I feel like the only reason they had any success since Jordan is because they drafted Derrick Rose and he was such a revelation. It's bad, man. You were never gonna win with this roster, and I feel like they're just trying to be like, yeah, but we can win with it, so let's try to change some things up, bro. You're not winning with Zach Levine and um Nicole, DeMar. That's not a winning, that's not a winning roster. So it's just, I don't know. And Zach Levine is probably not just open to the trade, he's probably dying and praying for a trade. It's just that's how the boys put it out. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00Well, according to sources and determining and deciding who you want to believe, Zach Levine has never gotten over the fact when he was benched last year by Billy Donovan. I think this was early in the season against the Orlando Magic. Uh, so he has just again, according to who you believe, he has gotten over that fact. So you kind of have to make do with what you got, right? And then so you just think about Zach Levine's numbers this year. He's averaging 21.7 points a game, uh, about two turnovers, three assists, four re about five rebounds, right? If you want to round up right. So he's played all 12 games, he started all 12 games. But again, like you said, this Bulls is not a they're not a good team, they're not a good organization, even though they might like to fool themselves into thinking that they are. Uh some of the teams apparently interested in Zach Levine are the Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers. No. Just just just to everybody.
SPEAKER_02No. I don't know, man. I don't know what to make. Um, I don't know what to make with Zach Levine. Zach Levine has had injuries, but I just feel like he never fully became the player that you would hope he can be. So I don't see where he I guess Miami could work. I feel like maybe a team like Indiana, maybe they always are trying to just get somebody because no one wants to go to Indiana. And so he could actually go there and probably thrive, especially with having to play Mercury or like Halliburton there. But it's just I don't know what you do with him because I feel like you have to put him in the right situation. Like the problem was he was never gonna be that star number one guy for Chicago. So you have to put him with some people where he doesn't have to do that. But it's like him and Jimmy Brother, I just don't see. Um maybe the Lakers do work because maybe you have another person when those guys start to miss some games to help. But I don't know. Maybe you can move D'Andola Rosso on that deal. I I I don't know. He's not like Bradley Bill, where it was just like I can see him working a lot of places. It's like I don't know what Zach Levine will look like on another team. So I'm kind of skeptical about any team who trades for him, to be honest with you.
SPEAKER_00So the thing about it is, based on the the Zach Levine that you get, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, right? It'd have to be a team that's ready to win. Now, the problem, especially if you just want to look at the Lakers standpoint, is the players and pieces you might have to give up to make it work, or that the Chicago Bulls might want. So if I'm the Lakers, I I stand pet. I make no serious move. The only two people I may be willing to give up that I think makes it work from a salary standpoint. I think it works. I don't know because I don't typically involve myself in the NBA trade machine, especially this early in the year. If you want to move Gabe Vincent, D'Angelo Rosa, and maybe a first-round pick, I do that. But I'm not moving Rui and I'm not really touching Austin Reeves either. So I'm not giving up my whole depth just for Zach Levine. No bueno, boss, no bueno.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, um, I don't know. The Zach, the Zach Levine trade rumor doesn't move me because I'm not sure that him going anywhere kind of meaningfully increases title chances. I'll say that. That's how I'll sum it up.
SPEAKER_00Speaking of title chances and another team involved in Los Angeles, let's talk about the trials and tribulations of the LA Clippers. The LA Clippers, as of now, as of this conversation, are 0-5 since the trade for James Harden. They've struggled mightily. Their last loss was to the Denver Nuggets against you know, no Jamal Murray. But no, but uh the Joker was out there. James Harden has played. He's still getting himself, I guess, acclimated, of course. Wasn't really ready to start the year. Of course not. But he, of course, he is now a member of the LA Clippers. Russell Westbrook has accepted a role to come off the bench. What do you make of the Los Angeles Clippers, my friend?
SPEAKER_02I mean, they're just not good right now. But it's just this is the thing. James Harden will say something, and people be like, man, I'm tired of James Harden. But what he be saying does be true technically. You it's just people don't like the way he came about it. James Harden is not in shape because he didn't have a training camp. Now he didn't have a training camp because he didn't go to training camp. But it's still true that he didn't have one. The Clippers, they got James Harden in the middle of the season. I mean, it's not the middle of the season, but I'm talking about they got him during the season. When you see other players who went to new teams like a Bradley Bill, they had they were there the whole offseason for the most part. If you just drop a player in the middle of a team, of course it's not gonna work out from the start. We've seen that time and time again, from now to Miami with LeBron. That didn't work out perfectly at the beginning either. The thing is, this also that Russ piece is a big piece. Bro, that was never gonna work. I understand you trying to play with matchups in Tyloo. I feel like he knows what he's doing. He's trying to play with some things and trying to see what would work. You was never, I could have told you you weren't starting all four of them. Russ, James, Kawhi, and Paul George, they don't even go together. You was gonna have to have one of them coming off the bench, and I guess Russ was just like, I'll do it, but they have to figure out what this team is gonna look like. And when you're doing that in real time, you're gonna lose a lot of these games.
SPEAKER_00Man, you know, I I I I think you pretty much agree with me for the most part. I told you it wasn't gonna work from the start because it's just like, man, he's so far behind. By the time he really catches up, it might be January. Now, I don't think they're gonna be like, you know, 9 and 24 or something like that through the first 30 games. I don't think it's gonna be that bad. I think they're gonna win their first year game just because of star power, right? But like this whole thing trying to figure it out and being ready for the playoffs, and yeah, I just think that this is a this is gonna be a slow burn demise, and it's gonna be another fail stop for James Harden. But that's the point we'll see as we get there. I I just man, I'm looking at it and I'm like, the matchups just don't work. The matchups just don't work for what you think you might get in James Harden or what you think you may be able to get out of him, it just it is not gonna work. The whole Russell Westbrook thing is just not gonna work, you know. The matchups simply just do not work together, even with I think Russ coming off the bench. It might work for a little while, but once these guys actually get going, I just think James is gonna show you exactly who he's always been. And there's been a player who just is not a I ain't gonna say not just a winner, but he's he's just not the greatest postseason player. His his game is just not conducive to winning playoff game.
SPEAKER_02Well that's unfair. You've been unfair on James for a while because I feel like you take anything James do in the current moment, either where it's Brooklyn, whether it's Philadelphia, or it's anything, and you take that as an indictment andor as a confirmation of the player he was all the way dating back to Houston, which I think is unfair because especially if you look at it this point, it's no way you're gonna say, even if James isn't exactly the guy he's supposed to be in the playoffs, how is that on him when he's supposed to be the third guy behind Paul George and Kawhi? He's not supposed to be the number one guy. So for you to put that on him is unfair. That's like saying the Warriors lost in the playoffs, and instead of blaming Steph, we're gonna blame Draymond. That's the first point on that. And the second point is that's just it's just disrespectful. You can't, if James Hart in Houston had Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in Houston, them boys was gonna win the title. And there's no way you could tell me they weren't. So for you to say if they struggle in the playoffs because of James being a diminished version of himself, it's evidence that he was never a winner, that's unfair.
SPEAKER_00Well, I'm just simply looking at the fact of when he had an opportunity to do it and he couldn't get it done. Now, again, we've had this conversation, so we don't have message again. I'm not looking at the loss in 18 to the Wars with KD. Not looking at the see, I'm looking at the ones when there's no reason that you should have lost to the Spurs in 17 or that you should have lost to the Warriors without KD in 19.
SPEAKER_02But my question is, what does that have to do with him being on the Clippers now?
SPEAKER_00Because I think it's overall, is it the it's the same guy, same player? No, same guy, yes. It's gonna what I think what what I am saying is he is going to reveal himself again to have those same playoff struggles. And will it be necessarily all his fault? No. I just think his style, long story short, is not conducive to winning. But that's been my that's been my consistent point this entire time. So that's not a new story. I know you say it's unfair and it's somewhat disrespectful. I just don't believe that's necessarily the case. But we have never always hold on, hold on, hold on. We we have not necessarily always agreed on James Harden either. So that's that's another point as well.
SPEAKER_02My thing is this, I feel like with James Harden, you only look for confirmation bias or confirmation, like no that makes your point become true because this is my thing. That's like saying, I don't like sausage, and then we go and get some Mexican food and we eating tacos and we got bean burritos, we got chicken, quesadillas, we got beef flogs, and you like, I don't like sausage. It's like what they gotta do with us eating Mexican food. Like, I feel like for us, it's it might be to you, but it's not to me. Because what you're saying is I see James struggling in the playoffs. We're at the beginning of the season. We ain't even talked about how the team is gonna match is Kawhi and Paul gonna play. You went straight to I don't think James is gonna be able to do it. You every time we talk about James, you talk about what he did in Houston. He hasn't been in Houston in years, so it's like you put it, you have to be putting all of Brooklyn on him, all of Philadelphia on him.
SPEAKER_00It's like no, well, hold on. Now we we know for a fact I didn't put all of Philadelphia on him. I I I I took both him and Joe Joel on this very show to tag, both of and Doc Rivers on top of.
SPEAKER_02So it's not just all him, but to say to say 2017, you think it makes it 2016. That's not fair because that has nothing to do with the current day. That's what I'm saying. You say James Harden didn't do this, and so when it comes time on this team, he won't be able to do it. James Harden is not in that role. That's why I said to me, that doesn't even make sense to bring that up because it's not the same James Harden. You can't say James Harden was able to lead a team to the finals and then say they're gonna lose in the finals because of James Harden. He's not the leader, he's not even the second guy on this team.
SPEAKER_00Don't worry, I'm going to blame them all, but I just think he's gonna play a significant part in why this thing won't work. I then that might have been a better way to say it. That might have been a better way to say it to keep up. The point. I could have been more concise and more clear on my point that I think James is going to be one of the reasons it doesn't work. But again, it will come down more concisely and more importantly, it will come down to what Kawhi and Paul George do and whether or not they're available. That does that will be a definite factor because over the last couple of years it's been one or the other who hasn't been available for the Clippers, whether it's been Kawhi or Paul George. But I just think it's gonna it's gonna be a three-headed monster when it comes down to it. I think that all three will have to effectively take the blame. And in due time, I think as that happens, we'll once we get there, I think that'll that'll you know surface, and I think it'll show itself.
SPEAKER_02Why the three gotta take the blame?
SPEAKER_00Well, they're the other three leaders, right?
SPEAKER_02No, because you're not putting nothing on Russ.
SPEAKER_00Well, no, I don't okay. So so so again, I didn't I didn't mention his name. So collectively, all of them can take the blame. If that if that helps, all of them can collectively take the blame. Because at some point I believe it will all they will all share faults for one reason or another. Does that help? Because I yeah, because again, I I I just I as I said before, I just don't think this will work. But hey, give it time. I I can definitely be proven wrong. I could definitely be proven wrong. I just don't think I will.
SPEAKER_02I guess I don't I don't just want to stay on this topic too long. My only thing is it seems like this. It seems like when James Harden makes a move because you don't like his style of play and you never liked it, you go into that situation blaming James Harden, or it seems like you almost are wishing that he fails to be proven that he was never the person you thought. That's what it comes across as. Because when we started this topic, we talked about nobody but James Harden and about all the Clippers' woes. And it took us into the very end to talk about Kawhi and Paul George. That's where I think it's unfair. You cannot like James Harden, you cannot like him forcing his way to other teams. It's a lot of things you cannot like his style of play, but to constantly, when he makes any move to say, look at this, point at James Harden. Like that guy who did that thing on the Mavericks, where you were talking about James Harden, you did this and that. That's you, but you just didn't do that.
SPEAKER_00Well, I didn't think I I didn't think I had to do that because I thought it was already a given we had blamed uh PG and Kawhi for their failure. I thought it was already a given we had understood that they have not risen up to the challenge.
SPEAKER_02I didn't necessarily say what he said was he was saying, James Harden, you're the problem and you keep blaming other teams. That's one sector. But what you do is you say, James Harden, how you played was never going to win a title, and on all these teams, it proves it. So it wasn't just Houston. When that's not fair because it's not the same James Harden. If you if James Harden would have been able to move from 2014 to 2018 to all these different teams, the results would have been wildly different because that would have been a wildly different James Harden. That's my only point. I feel like we're talking about the Clippers on this show because you wanted to talk about James Harden. That's what I mean.
SPEAKER_00That is both true and not true. But again, he is the constant mover in this, is he not? The other guys have at least been there. Like he he he's the new guy in the building. So that's why I think we're talking about him. And also for the fact, if if the Clippers had been successful, it would have not been another talking point because it would have been proven, and they still might. That's the thing. I I I I don't come into this thing until after some results have been proven. I think I didn't just completely dog walk James, you know, the first time Philadelphia didn't get it done. I think we had to wait till we got another result. But again, like I said, we'll we'll talk about James, we'll talk about the Clippers as a whole as the season moved forward and if they become successful or not. Fair? Yeah. See now, see that we we didn't have to fight so much about it. But you know, again, that's we we feel completely different about James Harden, as you all may already know. But as we move on to the National Football League, man, as I mentioned right as we were getting this show started, my agenda in one way was starting to succeed, and in the midst of four days, it just about almost has fallen apart. But we'll talk about that again as we get into it. Let's talk about things we saw in week 10, buddy. What were some of the things that caught your eye in week 10 last week for the NFL season?
SPEAKER_04Uh well.
SPEAKER_02I really wanted to say something uh uh Thursday night, but that's not week 10, that's week 11.
SPEAKER_00We'll we'll get to that shortly. You'll you'll have your moment. Relax.
SPEAKER_02I mean, something that I really liked was yesterday stood out to me. Um uh we'll get to your boys a little later. What stood out to me the most out of the whole week was the Raiders.
SPEAKER_00You can't help yourself, can you?
SPEAKER_02The Raiders. I'm just saying the two games that stood out to me, and you could tell me which one you want to dive into first. The games that stood out the most to me was the 49ers game and the game.
SPEAKER_00Listen, so let's do this quickly and move on, shall we? Please. Okay, the San Francisco 49ers showed us you you know how I don't know, maybe you had this situation with your brother. Uh, I had it definitely with my cousins. You know, when your brother thinks he was ready to hop on the sticks and he he thought he was ready to play you in Madden to play you in 2K, and you had to show him that there was levels to this that he wasn't quite ready just because he may have finally beaten the computer.
SPEAKER_02You went to the games. I thought you were talking about them hands, but you know, you you always say as when I put their hands on you, it's over with. So I just I didn't grow into that when I was younger. You wasn't thinking of that because you know, you know, you know, you they get it up, you gotta put your hand on the head and push them into the flow and let them know it's different. Like I got three years on you for a reason. I've grown in that time. No, I didn't have that whole video game experience. My brother was a prodigy from a baby, he was different, but yeah, I had to put his head in the pillow.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so I I guess that might have been more of the one that you would have preferred. Anywho, you know, when he when you just he gets to start to smelling himself, thinking his shit don't stink, you know. So you you had to kind of step up and show yourself. That's what San Francisco did to Jacksonville in Jacksonville on uh on Sunday. The thing that thought that I kind of this is real old school, but you know the one that kind of came to mind, the one that I heard doing the um that I heard on TV as you know I'm a big PFT guy, no surprise there, right? Is when Chris Sims was talking about the 86 Giants in '85 when they played the 85 Bears. They thought they were a pretty good team in 85, right? And then they played Chicago, and then they realized there was another level to this. That's kind of how I looked at the game between, you know, uh San Francisco and Jacksonville. I think Jacksonville is a contender, but I think they have they realize, especially with a healthy team, yeah, but it's gonna take you a little bit more than this. You're gonna have to reach, you're gonna have to reach down a little bit deeper. You're gonna have to dig a little deeper before you're ready to play these boys on this level. They're very important game. And that's what I think happened as far as the first game.
SPEAKER_02They got dog walked. It was a problem. Because it's like with Trevor Lawrence, it's like I expected him to be more of what I expected him to be. Like I had an idea what Trevor Lawrence was gonna be. I don't think he's fully there yet, but I also think that the 49ers was living next to him. It was like he could have whole conversations with them boys, how they was in the backfield. It was like they were closer to him than his own offensive line for a lot of the game. So that was some situation. I just feel like they had a point to prove. This is the thing with the 49ers that's weird, because they had lost the last couple weeks. I think the 49ers, when they're playing at their top level, is could is the best team in NFL. I think they look the best. Like in the beginning of the season, when we were watching them play, we was like, man, I don't know who could beat these, beat these guys. And then they had a couple slip-ups, but when they're really firing on all cylinders, the problem is they have so many injuries every single year. But it's hard for me to see. And also this, I feel like people are starting to come down a little bit on Brock Purdy. I feel like because he didn't have to do as much, that game looked a certain way. I think people really thought he could be a certain caliber quarterback, and I just don't think he's that much that guy. But he doesn't have to be with his team. The problem is if you go to the playoffs and you have to play another team, and then it comes to the point where you lost because you didn't have your guy at quarterback. I I don't know what you do at that point, but if they play like this, you might not have to, you know, worry about that. But yeah, man, that was that was bad. I didn't expect that. I thought the 49ers were gonna win, but I thought it was gonna be close. That was not close at all.
SPEAKER_00Right. There there were moments early in the game where it felt like it was like 10-3 or 13-3, I believe, and then it was 20. Like there were moments where it felt like the Jackson wheel was about to get back into the game, but every time that was about to happen, the 49ers said, Nope, nope, not happening. Not today, not today, not on your best day, maybe on your best day, but not but today ain't your best day, so that's what happened. The other game you said you wanted to talk about was Sunday night football. Why would you like to talk about the game between the Jets and the Raiders? What is so important about wanting to talk about the Jets and the Raiders? I know why you want to talk about it, but but tell the world.
SPEAKER_02Don't be playing with Antonio Pierce. Even came through, and y'all was like, Well, he's just gonna be a placeholder. We still gotta see how the season goes, but they still have a chance to make playoffs, being five and five. And this is the biggest thing that I want everybody to notice. You saw Devontae Adams, what he was doing, smiling, dancing, cigars, they have I didn't even know the Raiders, you would never know they enjoyed the game of football when Josh McDaniel was there. But with Antonio Pierce, it's a whole new thing. This is the thing people don't talk about because it's just like, oh man, these are tough guys. They can do whatever, they should be able to play through anything, they should be professionals. If you're not happy, you're not gonna perform well. If you're not having a relationship, you can't give your whole stuff to that partner. If you're not happy at your job, they're not getting 100% of you, whether you want to give it or not. And that's the same thing that was happening with the Raiders, man. This is a big indictment on Josh McDaniels to me, the fact that they've come out this two games and seemed the way they seem. Because I don't think they're gonna like go on a stretch where they win like five in a row. But for them to come out and just look like a completely different team, that shows that a lot of that was him and the culture he was trying to set. Everybody, like, bro, you you can't be bringing that Patriot weight to all these teams. And Antonio Pierce has showed you that when, you know, with a little bit of culture difference or at least a little bit more acceptance of players, and maybe it's because he was a player, he understands a little things at a different level. But I I'm just happy to see the Raiders coming out from under that funk that they were in. Because I never thought the Raiders was going to be like the best team in the league, but I thought they were definitely underperforming at the beginning of the year. Oh. So, I mean, you really got to give Mark Davis a little bit of credit because I was like, it was kind of hasty in my opinion, but it seems to be working out, and that's all that really matters at the end.
SPEAKER_00Don't worry, this this Raider uh streak is about to come to an end very shortly. That's number one. Number two, the Jets are infuriating to watch on for many different reasons. The defense is not one of them.
SPEAKER_02You know, you a hater. I know you know that, but I want you to know that's one of the keys of hater. Anytime somebody says something real quick and then say that's number one, that means that first number one was some hater stuff. He said, all the way I said all this empty stuff. You said, first of all, come to the end. That's number one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I just want you to know that. I just want you to know that the jets are infuriating to watch because they they you talk about a team that likes to shoot themselves in the foot. They like to do that. That's number one. Here's a game, too. Here's a game I want to talk about. Let's talk about Monday night football, and let's talk about your Buffalo Bills, who decided it was time to move Ken Dorsey to the unemployment line. You want to talk about a game that wasn't fair to me. Say that again now.
SPEAKER_02That wasn't fair to me.
SPEAKER_00Unfair to you.
SPEAKER_02I'm saying that wasn't fair for them to fire him, tip.
SPEAKER_00Oh well, he wasn't doing a good enough job, but that that's that that's a different reasons that you know that's right. You're talking about yeah, yeah, I'm talking about the former OC Ken Dorsey. Um what would you like to say about your Buffalo Bills who are now five and five?
SPEAKER_02It's not Ken Dorsey's fault they're not performing. That's why I say it's unfair.
SPEAKER_00I say he's not the as you said about James Harden. He's far from he he it's part of his he's part of the reason, but he's not the only reason. He's not the he wouldn't be the number one person on my list, but he wouldn't be far down in this. But again, what would you like to say about your Buffalo Bills?
SPEAKER_02He it's not his fault because you keep saying that. No, because this is the thing when you're deciding who is at fault in any situation, you have to first see what the fault is. You have to see what the fault is, and I just feel like it's never been the plays they're running, you know what I'm saying? It's never been the positions they've been put in. I feel like the players aren't performing well, and I don't think that's on him. Like Josh Allen has 19 touchdowns, but he has 11 interceptions. That is too little of a gap. And in a year where they really went off, I feel like he wasn't throwing that many interceptions. And since that year, where they went to the AFC Championship game, I feel like he's come back down to the guy he was where he was throwing a lot of turnovers. You can't, he threw two interceptions, man. It's like that's not all on the OC. They're not playing well.
SPEAKER_00And I think they had four turnovers overall, if I'm not mistaken.
SPEAKER_02That's bad. Um when we are talking about the Bills, because the Bills definitely they're they aren't the team they they're supposed to be. At least in the team, I thought they were their 500. But when you talk about the Bills, I can't how can I say this? If you think that the roster was poorly constructed, that's one thing because but I don't see that. I don't think the Bills are losing because a poorly constructed roster. You might think that's a part of it, but for me, it's a difference between the Bills and like the Panthers. The Panthers can't win it because they're not good enough. You see what I'm saying? I feel like a lot of times you'll watch some of these really bad teams and they're performing up to the capability that they can, it's just not enough. I don't think the Bills are performing at that level. If the Bills were playing as good as they could and they were still losing, that'd be one thing. They're just not playing great football to me, especially from an offensive standpoint. You gotta stop turning the ball over. It don't matter how good the roster is. If you're turning the ball over, it's it's over with. That's that's why I'm saying I don't blame the OC. I feel like it's a lot of execution problems.
SPEAKER_00Um, I will blame the OC, but I won't do it at, you know, I wouldn't let him off the hook like I feel like you are. But that's hey, that's just a matter of opinion. That's not gonna necessarily change, right? Not now, at least, considering that he's no longer employed. I will say this. I won't say that the roster is poorly constructed in the case of like a Carolina, but they were not like and I've said this before, now and I will keep beating it down. I think they may have stayed with this roster too long, and they just felt like they did not swing. It felt like they were hitting for more doubles. It was like, hey, we're gonna, we're fine with moving people on base. Like, hey, we're gonna hit a double, we're gonna hit another double, we're gonna hit another, then we'll get a single, and then maybe we get a pass. It that's what it felt like to me. I never felt like they were actually trying to be like your Texas Rangers. It felt like your Rangers was trying to hit everything conceivable outside, out of the yard. That's how it looked, how it felt to me. Like they were they were trying to play small ball a little bit too much to me. And they were trying to put way too much on Josh Adams, because as I said this last week, if Superman doesn't get the job done, Metropolis falls into the hands of Lex Luthor, time and time again. And I feel like that's what has happened. Because again, as a reminder of what the Buffalo Bills have left on their schedule, they have the New York Jets at home, they go to Philadelphia, then they have the bye. They realistically could be five and seven. Seven and five seems unlikely. Six and six seems more realistic, right? Then they go to Kansas City, they play the Dallas Cowboys, they play they go out to Los Angeles against the Chargers, the New England Patriots again, and then Miami Dolphins. As I said, I don't believe the Bills will make the playoffs because I don't know how many wins they're gonna get in the next seven games. But hey, we'll see. Maybe they find a way to turn it up, right?
SPEAKER_04But that's it.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm. Let's see. And then that that that may, you know, have in question what you do with Sean McDermott. The the big thing as you said, the turnover, man. Josh Allen, I think, has had a uh interception, like I think the last six games. Um and it's just it's a lot, a lot of like you're not talented enough to overcome all the turnovers. You're not talented enough to be in a in a position to where you just think you can out-execute everybody. You you need to have the guys to go do that, and unfortunately, they just don't have the guys to go do that. So we shall see what happens with your Buffalo Bills moving forward, as I told you before. And unfortunately, you may, as of the last couple weeks, had the realization that this team just simply isn't as talented as you thought they were early on, especially with the injuries that they've had to this team, especially some big players on the defense. It's starting the the chickens are starting to come home to roost, and you know.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna tell you I'm letting you get off this your Buffalo Bills. I promise you, let the Bengals lose a couple more games. We're gonna be talking about your Cincinnati Bengals.
SPEAKER_00Speaking of the Cincinnati Bengals, I was feeling good last week. My team was five and three. The agenda seemed like it was agending, it seems like it was flourishing.
SPEAKER_02Your team is two and eight.
SPEAKER_00Well, let that team has decided not to play football for the rest of 2023. That team has decided to take us battle, as I told somebody else. That team is not playing football for the rest of this year. We've come to that. Now that we've come to that agreement, again to my Cincinnati Bengals. The Cincinnati Bengals were five and three going into let going into last Sunday, and in the midst of about four days, five days, depending on how you count your days and on the calendar. The Cincinnati Bengals are now five and five. They have lost two in a row. I believe they are 0-3 in a division. Yep, because they've lost both to Bal uh to Baltimore and they lost one to Cleveland. And Joe Burrow now has a spraying wrist. Let me tell you something before you say anything. I have been sad watching a few football games in my life. One of the sadder games I've ever watched was the NFC Championship game last year because of what happened to Brock Purdy and what I thought that what we talked that game up to be and what we ended up getting. Last, or at least Thursday night, Thursday night football was supposed to be one of these good games, right? And then we did not get that because there were some big-time injuries on both sides. On both Baltimore, Mark Andrews looks like he's gonna be out for the rest of the year. Joe Burrow has a spraying wrist, and that's gonna be a TBD. We'll see. I guess the one good thing that came out of Thursday Night Football is OG OBJ having his first 100-yard game since the 2021 NFC championship game. But you said you wanted to talk about Thursday night, right? Thursday night was one of those games I was sad watching because of what was starting to happen and what ended up happening. What would you like to say about Thursday night?
SPEAKER_02Um it's the Ravens division.
SPEAKER_00It appears to be the Ravens division to lose.
SPEAKER_02They how you say I feel like no team in the NFC. It's a weird division because no one is trash, but no one is great. I feel like the Ravens have the best chance to be great. They're just not consistent enough to do it. And with Mark Andrews being out, that's gonna even get a little bit harder for them. But they have that guy. I feel like that's a difference maker for them having Lamar Jackson down there. But I don't they have to. To be more consistent because he's not gonna be able to do it by himself. Like the fact that they're 8-3, and we're skeptical about them says a lot. Because I saw a lot of people saying where they've proven that they're at that upper echelon where they could be competing for a Super Bowl. I just don't see that because I don't know. They keep losing games they shouldn't lose. Every game they lost, I was like, you shouldn't have never lost that game. The Ravens, that's a fine line between them being 8-3 and being undefeated, really. So it's kind of hard for me to criticize them too much, but I just want to see a little bit more consistency for me really to believe in them because they haven't shown us in the playoffs, you know, that they can do it. So for me to see them doing a little bit more and win some of those games they've lost can show me that they can do it, you know, at that because you in the playoffs, you want to play obviously tougher teams, so it only takes one loss for you to be out. So they they need to really clean some stuff up. But I like what I've been seeing from them. I'll say that.
SPEAKER_00Baltimore schedule uh moving forward. At the LA Chargers against the LA Rams, at the Jacksonville Jaguars, Monday night football, Christmas Day, at the San Francisco 49ers, against the Miami Dolphins, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. You, we, me, us, the NFL fans, will find out a lot about the Baltimore Ravens over the next month and a half. It's just that simple. We will find out exactly what we think of this Baltimore team who's 8-3, have a bye-week coming up after the LA Chargers game on November 26th. That's the, I guess, the one good thing about having the Sunday to Thursday game, you have practically the 10 days before your next game, after that in most cases. So we will find out about the Baltimore Ravens real quickly in the next month and a half. But speaking of a team that seemed like things were getting ready to go in the right direction, and I guess we'll talk about this at another time as we talk about NFL Pick'ems. Deshaun Watson is out for the year with a shoulder injury and also a high ankle sprain. Cleveland just can't have nice things, my friend. Why can't Cleveland have nice things?
SPEAKER_02I don't know if that was a nice thing to begin with. It's just, I don't know, man. I feel like he hasn't played the whole year anyway. Does this even matter?
SPEAKER_00So, I mean, he played six games a year ago. He's played six games this year. I think he's been good in three games, two and a half. The Browns are six and three. Um, they upset the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday, but they'll have to get it done without him for the rest of the year. So that'll be the interesting thing, I guess, as we move forward on the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Stills, aka the entire AFC North.
SPEAKER_02But ladies and gentlemen, it's just weird that that division has like what 25 wins?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I I keep waiting on this voodoo to run out for the Pittsburgh Stills, but it's just like I guess they're gonna really push this thing and they really gonna make it a contest late, right? Somebody gotta take your Buffalo Bill spots, I guess. Somebody. Alright. It is now time for NFL Pick's. Ladies and gentlemen, we are at that time of the year where I didn't have a bad week, but anything that's not a good week is a bad week. I went seven and seven. My co-host went nine and five. His brother went five and nine. So because there was only such a slim margin in the contest between my co-host and his brother, and I'm looking at the wrong week, I'm looking at week nine, now I'm looking at week 10. Going nine and five, and five and three in the head to head between him and I, he went 94 and 56 going into week 11. His brother is 91 and 59, and I am 79 and 71. And if you just listen to those numbers, you know I am behind and it's I'm well behind. Maybe it's just about pride now, ladies and gentlemen. But as we head to NFL Week 11 Pick'ems, I still believe there's a chance. Whatever that might be, there's still a chance, there's still hope. And that's all I have for you. But again, let's go ahead and let's talk about NFL Week 11 pickups and let's get my thoughts along with my co-host thoughts on who we think are going to win these games on Sunday and Monday night. We got a couple good ones. I will say that. But this is not the week where I believe I'm going to make up a lot of ground just based on the schedule. And first up, first out is the Dallas Cowboys going to Carolina to play the Carolina Panthers. Co-host, I'm gonna let you go first. Tell us why the Carolina Panthers will keep this game close and win.
SPEAKER_01Hello, radio station. Is this Andre?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know what I want to hear again and again. Oh my god. What you thinking? Over under uh nine and a half sex. I'm gonna go under, but they might be knocking at the door. The fact that you had you that that slight thought lets you know all that you need to know about the game. You paused. Nine and a half. Oh, this is gonna be bad. Oh my god. Oh my god. See, this is the game that's gonna make people be like, oh man, we was wrong about that. Not even he got played better. He just might get six touchdowns slipping playing against this team. This team is not good. They don't have anything. Their quarterback isn't playing good. He's still young. He doesn't have anybody to throw it to. You know his number one receiver is Adam Thielen. Adam Thielen wasn't the number one receiver when he was young. This is gonna be a problem. Mm-mm. Mm-hmm. Man, I wish Trayvon D's was healthy. He might get three interceptions in this one. Oh man. Oh man. Boy, look at the Cowboys, but we're having some good games. Giants, Panthers, Dan Commanders. What a dream. Uh you you was right. Things is looking up for me. Look at this.
SPEAKER_00So you're picking Carolina?
SPEAKER_02Never.
SPEAKER_00Oh. So you're picking Dallas. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I don't think I ever picked against Dallas this whole year.
SPEAKER_00No, you didn't. I was gonna say against 49ers, but you didn't pick them then. Yeah, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going with Dallas as well. Um, pretty much I'm going to repeat a lot of things my co-host said. It won't be a close game. It's gonna, it might start off kind of close. They they may keep it competitive early, but after a while, the 49, not the 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys will bludgeon these Carolina Panthers, and they will make them another loss closer to having. Well, Chicago has their first round pick, so just another loss closer to the Bears potentially, locking up that uh number one overall pick in next year's NFL draft. Up next, we have something that may truly be considered a pick'em. We have the Pittsburgh Steelers with Kenny Pickett going into Cleveland, playing the Cleveland Browns with Dorian Thompson Robbins. I like what I'm seeing from the Cleveland Browns. I like the fact that they were able to pull off the upset as I predicted last week in Baltimore, and I am going to go with the Cleveland Browns again this week because at some point I'm a believer that this voodoo magic that the Pittsburgh Steelers has will run out. Now, as I toss it over to my co-host, he's gonna tell us who he thinks will win. Who did you pick? I picked Cleveland.
SPEAKER_02This is I hate this. Why can't one of them be traced? What is wrong with this division? I don't like it. I don't like it.
SPEAKER_00Um as a reminder, not that you need help, but we both picked Cleveland uh the first time around, go around and Pittsburgh won. So I don't know if that helps with your decision making or not, but just according to the wise information.
SPEAKER_02I just don't know what to think. I'm gonna I'm gonna pick the Browns. I don't think Deshaun Watson being injured matters. I just think the Browns' defense will carry them. I don't believe it's just what you gotta think. I'm looking at Kenny Pickett, and then I'm looking at Miles Garrett, the prototype for what that position. He don't even look real. He looked like you made him. I'm gonna go with the Browns. I just trust their defense is gonna carry them through this game. I think the Steelers can win games, but I don't think it's to a point where they can like. I feel like if they go against a real defense, I don't think they can put up more than like 14 points. A lot of games where they put up a lot of points, they were playing teams that I don't think were at that level. Now, when they played the Steelers earlier, they did put up like 20 something, but I think the Browns, I mean the Browns, when they played the Browns earlier, I think the Browns have kind of rounded to form since then. So I'm gonna go with the Browns as well.
SPEAKER_00I was almost for certain this was gonna be a game you picked the Steelers just because you know you wanted to high step on my grave just a little bit longer. So, but you decided not to. But let's move on to the next game where I know the team that you're gonna pick for this one. It's the Chicago Bears, and I guess I can stop it right there, right? Because it doesn't even matter who's on the other sideline, or is it not that bad?
SPEAKER_02Never picking the bears, just mark me down for the other person.
SPEAKER_00But they are going into Detroit and playing the Detroit Lions.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, that's surprising. That's definitely a loss. I wouldn't pick the Bears to be well, let me think. They probably would beat Washington, but I don't know if they could beat Ohio State. That's how I think about the Bears right now.
SPEAKER_00That's why I think disrespectful.
SPEAKER_02Huh?
SPEAKER_00Don't be disrespectful.
SPEAKER_02Them boys not beating Georgia, they ain't getting 100 rushing yards on them.
SPEAKER_00That's that's ludicrous. That's ludicrous.
SPEAKER_02No, ludicrous was a great rapper. The Bears are awful. I'm going with the Lions.
SPEAKER_00I'm also going with the Lions. Because why not, right? The Bears, Justin Fields might be back this week, you know, if that's worth anything to you. So he's not 100%, as he said, but hey, I guess how many more games do you have to try to prove that you're the guy for the future, right? And if that decision hasn't already been made.
SPEAKER_02It ain't up to him. It's up to the people at the top. They need to, I wouldn't even play him. Lose, keep losing, get the number one pick. Tell you this, y'all better get it. It's some competition. Y'all, Cardinals, Giants, any of them could lose any week. You better get them. Y'all need to stop winning these few games in between. If you want the number one pick, it's time to go all in right now.
SPEAKER_00Up next, the LA Chargers at the Green Bay Packers.
SPEAKER_01Terrible.
SPEAKER_00The game or the team. Well, no, we had questions about one of these teams, and that was being Green Bay because we just didn't know exactly what we were going to see early on in the year. I feel like the Green Bay Packers have fallen and can't get up. The LA Chargers were in a shootout with the Detroit Lions a week ago, but they couldn't get a stop. And that's why they lost 41 to 38. This is on me, correct? So I am going to stick with the pick that has cost me some angst and agony this year. And that is the LA Chargers.
SPEAKER_02I'm paying the Chargers too because the Packers aren't good at all. And the Chargers is just mediocre. These teams have disappeared. No, I knew the Packers weren't gonna be good. I didn't know that. You know what I'm saying? It's like I have questions about them. Chargers, I thought, could do something. I didn't think they was gonna win the division, but they have, oh man, this is bad. It's really, really, really bad. The whole team, I'm questioning from now on. The Chargers have to next year. I'm not talking about the Chargers, they're gonna have to prove it again. They at that point now with me. They are awful. I I can't believe it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man. The turnovers and everything like that, it's just not working. But hey, maybe Jordan Love can play himself into, you know, being the quarterback of the future. He still has a couple games. He still has a chance. May not work, but you still got a chance. So, but he is going against Joey Bolson, Khalil Mack this weekend. That ain't really the tandem you want to be going against after you just had to go. It's TJ Watt a week ago, right? But up next, I smell a trap game. Could this team be on upset alert? We got the front runner for rookie of the year, and maybe someone who's even going to be in the MVP conversation. You have the Houston Texans who are at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona, who Kyle Murray made his return a week ago, beat the Atlanta Falcons. That says a lot, and then it says nothing at all. Who do you have winning this game, sir?
SPEAKER_02When nine said, Oh, you win platinum. Yeah, that's nice. Let me see you do the same thing twice. Kyle, you're gonna show me you can do that again. I just don't believe it. We don't believe you. You need more people. I was surprised how good he looked, but he was playing the Falcons. Falcons are not good. Falcons have the most talent with the worst roster, like the worst roster performance. I don't think they are as bad as four and six. I just think they have bad coaches and they have bad roster construction. Um, they don't know how to use, but they have. I don't think he's gonna beat the Texans. I think the Texans are well coached. I don't think they have everything they need, but I don't think they that far. The Texans are as far away from being a legitimate like division winner as I thought they would be coming into this year. Kyler Murray got to show me he's better than CJ. I think Kyler Murray is a better quarterback than CJ Strauss, like before the injury, but CJ has been on fire. You don't have to prove that you're gonna outplay him. He just outplayed Joe Burrow. I'm going with the Texans. It's not a specific quarterback versus quarterback thing for me. I just think the Texans are a better team. And just because the Cardinals came back and beat the Falcons, that says nothing. You have to show me that you can do that on a consistent level. And if I'm the Cardinals, stop it. What is wrong with these teams? Stop trying to win. This is the thing. Sometimes it can be a culture thing. Let's win because if we keep losing, that's our identity, and we can never get there. That's one thing. Y'all are y'all culture is awful. Nobody believes in y'all, they don't trust y'all. Well, no, the Cardinals do be fighting, but they already got that fighter spirit. Go ahead, lose, wear them down a little bit, and next year come back with a new spirit. You know what I'm saying? Lose, stop winning. I am tired of these teams being two and eight, and then they end the season like with five wins when you could have had the number three pick, and now you got 11, and your team not as good as it couldn't be because you really needed that defensive end, but he was going at two, you know what I mean? You can't trade it up. Stop doing this to yourself, stop doing this to Arizona.
SPEAKER_00Lose. I'm gonna try my luck again, buddy. You know, I got it right last week or Arizona.
SPEAKER_04Don't do it.
SPEAKER_00Don't do it. I mean, well, what do I have to lose at this point, right?
SPEAKER_02That's true.
SPEAKER_00You know, outside of my, I guess, my pride. I mean, look, here's the thing. It's it's it's the true definition of a trap game, right? If if Houston were to win, if they were to win, they're in position to possibly take first place from Houston Texans in week 12 because they play each other. I just don't think they will be in position to do that. And I am going to go with the Arizona Cardinals as well. No, not as well. I'm going to go with the Arizona Cardinals because I think they're just that's scrappy. They're gonna fight, gonna keep it close against this team because that's what they do. They keep it close. And I think Kyle Murray will go 2-0 as you pick Houston. I'm going with Arizona.
SPEAKER_02So You mean the Texans play the Jaguars next week?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's what I said. Week 12. Who did I say?
SPEAKER_02The Texans.
SPEAKER_00So I said the Texans play the Texans. Well, maybe they do play themselves next week. But they have a chance to be uh to get first place in week 12, potentially, or at least put themselves in a better position because they already have the tiebreak over beating Jacksonville the first time. But I don't think it will matter as much because they'll beat that they're gonna play Arizona, but I think Arizona's gonna win a close one, real close.
SPEAKER_02But the fact that that's him with um arm's length of them is impressive.
SPEAKER_00That is true. That is true because you thought they you said you thought they could win six games. You thought that so they're right around that marker. I thought they you know they might not win another game once I started to look at their schedule, but hey, they went and beat Cincinnati, they outplayed them, they kept them, they they kept them at bay and then the turnovers. They shouldn't have won that game, but they did. Hey, so doesn't matter as long as you do what you got to do. Up next, the Tennessee Titans at the Jacksonville Jaguars. We know you love the Titans, so why will they win?
SPEAKER_02Man, if the Jaguars lose this game, it's over with. If the Jaguars lose this game and the Texans win, Jacksonville pay go back to London. No, I'm not talking about this. If the Jaguars lose and the Texans, you're talking about next week.
SPEAKER_00You're talking about next week.
SPEAKER_02No, I'm talking about this week. If the Texans win and the Jaguars lose, it's over with for the Jaguars. Because the Texans are gonna run if they are coming off a win and you just lost two games in a row, it ain't no way you're gonna beat them next week.
SPEAKER_00And they play they play the Titans this week, but this is what I'm saying. I know what you're saying, but I I I asked you, I said they were playing the Titans, and you kept repeating the text.
SPEAKER_02I know what you're getting at, but if they lose is over with, they gotta win this game. Okay, I'm gonna go with the Jaguars.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say you you got room for error now if you really wanted to be frisky. That ain't never your style.
SPEAKER_02If they lose, I'm gonna be highly disappointed. This is a big game for them because if they lose a division, I'm looking at y'all differently. I really am. It wasn't supposed to be this close.
SPEAKER_00Well, they got time to widen the gap, but maybe you would prefer it widener, you know, a lot sooner, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they had them slippers at the beginning of the season that's throwing them off now. Um yeah, I'm gonna I'm going with the with the Jaguars. The Titans, though it's time to hang it up. They're done, done. It's time to hang it up.
SPEAKER_00You've been wanting to say that one for a while.
SPEAKER_02I've been saying that, but I feel like now it's obvious. Like yeah, you came home from the wedding. Take that suit jacket off. It's done. You're not wearing it again for a while.
SPEAKER_00Up next, the Las Vegas Raiders.
SPEAKER_01Oh, wait, who did you pick?
SPEAKER_00Pick the Jags. Maybe I didn't say it, but yeah, I'm picking the Jags as well. The Las Vegas Raiders at the Miami Dolphins. I'm picking the Dolphins. You want to pick the Raiders? No.
SPEAKER_02They should have changed the schedule and let them play somebody else. This ain't right. Oh, oh, oh that's messed up.
SPEAKER_00This means your agenda can't flourish, huh?
SPEAKER_02No, that's messed up because they they should have let them, they should have switched, they should have flexed this game. You know what I'm saying? Let them play the dolphins later on in the year. They should let them play. Who they play? Who the Raiders play next week? Let me see. The Chiefs. Oh, oh God. They gotta play the Chiefs next week, too. Who they play after that? Okay, they gotta buy. This ain't good. This is not good. Okay, they play the Vikings the week after that. They should let them play the Vikings this week. The Raiders are not gonna win this game. But if they win this game. Oh, you sound like me. No, no, no, because this is what you say. They ain't gonna win, but it's gonna be close. I'm thinking 22-21, but it's gonna be a blowout. Me, this is what I'm saying. I'm saying there's no way the Raiders are gonna win. But if they surprise us and win, you gotta hire Antonio Pierce after that game. You know why? Because for him to beat those two teams and then to go and beat the Dolphins, it's gonna do a disservice for you to have to say, I gotta, because if he beat the Chiefs too, that's something different. But for me to do that, if I go into the Chiefs knowing that this is gonna be my coach and my guy, I'm gonna play the Chiefs differently. You know what I'm saying? I feel like with these three wins, that would show to you that he has to be the person to hire. So I don't think they're gonna get it done, but if they do, that shows you that this is a whole new Raiders squad because there's no way I would put I would even consider the Raiders having a victory. Now they have like a 3% chance.
SPEAKER_00I picked Miami, right? Yeah, picking Miami. I don't even yeah. Who pick was it? Was it your pick or my pick? I forget. Oh no. It doesn't matter, right? Because your agenda can't flourish. What's my agenda? The writers and thinking that I they're gonna go on this magic carpet run. You just ain't said that out loud yet, but I but that's what you that's what you're thinking.
SPEAKER_02Well, we talk about the Raiders. I said they're not gonna win five games in a row, but I said they look different.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. All that. But if they win, okay, all right, all right. As if I don't know that playbook when I hit it.
SPEAKER_02It's crazy for you to be a Giants fan. I can't hating on Antonio Pierce.
SPEAKER_00I'm not hating on Pierce, I'm hating on the Raiders. Yeah, yeah, right. He just he just happens to work for the Raiders. That's unfortunate for him. Up next, the New York Giants at the Washington Commanders.
SPEAKER_02Boy, what a what a what a barn burner.
SPEAKER_00Is it my pick? Does it matter?
SPEAKER_01Go ahead and pick your boys.
SPEAKER_00I got Washington. Oh, why? Because the Giants stink. Hey, who y'all quarterback? Tell me the veto. I show what's funny about that.
SPEAKER_01It seems like a generated player. You know how you play Madden, they got the new rookie.
SPEAKER_00You said this already. Come up with new material.
SPEAKER_01No, it's classic. It will always be classic. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_00The Giants did beat the commanders 14 to 7 in their first match. Who the the Giants?
SPEAKER_01How do you say it?
SPEAKER_00I'm not sure. Do you remember?
SPEAKER_01It don't matter. If they win all the games, I don't think it's the number you said.
SPEAKER_04The Giants.
SPEAKER_01They sue. They gotta change their name. They ain't been towering over the league so long. It's trash. Saquon. Look, Saquon, like man, I'm I'm happy I got the one-year deal.
SPEAKER_02I can't do this. Daniel Jones hurt. Oh my god. Um imagine the guy behind Daniel Jones having to play.
SPEAKER_00Well, no, that would that would be Tyrod Taylor, who's hurt.
SPEAKER_04Oh, these are two. I forgot about Tyrod.
SPEAKER_02This has been one of the greatest draft seasons of all time. Oh, it's just been hilarious. It's like it's not real. They have two wins. I know you was like, oh, that probably has six wins by that. They got two. At max, they might win four. Like, how do it feel? And this is your problem.
SPEAKER_01You always talk about oh, I don't like when people talk about the draft.
SPEAKER_02It's too early. How you know who to pick? You need to be looking at them college games because you know you're getting one of them. Like one of them guys people talking about. See, I'm gonna get somebody that I don't know until it's time, and they be like, okay, the cowboys picked him, he's gonna fit in like this. You're getting one of them stars. So go ahead, start looking at them. Let me go ahead. Let me go ahead and pull up mock draft for this year. Uh mock draft for the NFL, and let me see one of these guys. Because you're getting one in them names. Let me see. Is Marvin Harrison Jr. coming out this year? That could help y'all. Y'all might get Caleb Williams. Yeah, y'all might pick a quarterback. I don't know. Are you finished? If I was y'all, I'd pick one. Are you finished? Oh man. I'm finished, but the Giants are as well.
SPEAKER_00So you're picking the commanders, is what you're saying.
SPEAKER_02Explain in uh one word how you feel about this Giants season.
SPEAKER_00No. That's my one word no. Oh man. Up next. We got the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the San Francisco 49ers.
SPEAKER_02You know what I want to hear. Your gamers again and again. Or the 49ers finna, they finna start smoking everybody. It's over with. They like the anti-Giants. So you know they're gonna win every game from now on.
SPEAKER_00So why are you picking the Buccaneers then?
SPEAKER_02Boy, stop it. You the Buccaneers is your team. You the one who said Baker Mayfield was the MVP.
SPEAKER_00I did not say that. I don't know why you have to lie so much. It's not necessary. It's so unnecessary.
SPEAKER_02I'm also picking I'm also picking about 15 touchdowns apiece. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin.
SPEAKER_00I'm also picking the San Francisco 49ers because this is just not going to be that type of matchup that the Buccaneers can score enough points, and I don't think they can keep the 49ers off the board enough. They might do it early, but I think they're gonna stretch it out late. So I'm also picking the 49ers. Up next, we got a game of two teams whose season very well might be on the line. The New York Jets at 4-5 and the Buffalo Bills at 5-5. This game is in Buffalo. They said the weather might be bad. Also, also, the New York Jets won a game miraculously against the Buffalo Bills to open the season. Who you got, sir?
SPEAKER_02Boy, the Bills are gonna smoke these boys. They not the Bills I thought they were, but they better than the Jets. Now, if they lose to the Jets, I'm gonna be real disappointed. Because at least the Broncos had a couple wins where you was like, okay, they beat the Chiefs, even though it wasn't the Chiefs for real. Then they beat the Bills. And Russell Wilson is not playing as bad as you think he would, but Russell Wilson's actually playing pretty good this year. Um, the Jets don't have that guy. If they lose to the Jets, it's over. Pack it up. I'm a pack it up guy. If you didn't notice from this pickup set, I'm a pack it up guy. Don't make the playoffs if you're not winning the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER_00You remember how this works.
SPEAKER_02But you remember y'all? Y'all, you see, y'all did it. Y'all an anomaly. A trans team winning the Super Bowl, that'll happen all the time.
SPEAKER_00As if you know what that feels like.
SPEAKER_02Let me tell you something. Get to get to three wins before you start talking. Get to three. Get to three wins. Then say something to them.
SPEAKER_00You get to an NFC championship game, and then you come holler at me.
SPEAKER_02Three wins.
SPEAKER_00I ain't worried about that. Then we'll need to win another game. This shit ain't that what you said earlier. Stop winning. Stop trying. Who told you that? You old school. Who told you that? If you ain't no good, what you trying to be good for?
SPEAKER_02No need to be in our I'm thinking the bills. If the bills lose, pack it up. The Jets, pack it up. Because I'm gonna tell you this. Stop with Aaron Rodgers, sit down. Stop saying you coming back in December for what? Y'all gonna be four and eight. Sit down, wait until next year. Go out there, take Garrett Wilson or whatever these quarterbacks do, take them to Hawaii, take them to the volcanoes, take them to the bottom of the ocean. Do something like that and get ready for next year. If Aaron Rodgers play in December and get hurt again, and the Jets are only got five wins, that's stupid. Stop doing stuff off of pride and do stuff off of strategic planning. It's over this year.
SPEAKER_00And it's also the last stand for the New York Jets. I'm rocking with the New York Jets one more time. Just out of sheer pride.
SPEAKER_02That's all it's about time for you to do the opposite of what you've been doing.
SPEAKER_00Well, see, that's the thing. At this point, should I really turn it around now? Should I turn it around now? See, you're not gonna give me any games.
SPEAKER_02So you need like five, you need like three 50, like 16 to 0 weeks.
SPEAKER_00I don't need 16 and 0 weeks, I just need you to start having bad weeks, but you don't believe in that. So, what do you want me to do if you're not gonna pick bad games? If you're not gonna pick some of these bad teams, what you like? See, you just gonna be the consummate professional here. That's not how this supposed to work, right? You gotta get all the differences right there. Yeah, but see, look, I realistically thought I had a shot at that last week. It just didn't work out, it just didn't work.
SPEAKER_02It's funny because our differences this year have like last year, I feel like it was either one way or the other. They're always like three and two, or like two and it's like it's always this one, this one, this one, and this one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that was at 0 and 5 with that hurt, and then that was you know, so um up next, the Seattle Seahawks at the LA Rams. Rams won the season open against the Seahawks. Can they make it two for two?
SPEAKER_02Stop it. They're not gonna make it two for two. Rams done. They're done, they done, and they don't got no pitch. That's why they're real done. They might be done forever. I'm gonna tell you this. I hate people who don't just do what they're supposed to do. I guess it's not my life, and I'm not in it, so I'm not feeling what you're feeling. Sean McVay should retire after they won a Super Bowl. I said it and I'm gonna keep saying it. Build your legacy. We're gonna be like, Man, I can't believe y'all remember Sean McVay. He was a shooting star of a coach. It's over now. Rams is done. Shout out to Aaron Donald, though.
SPEAKER_00Well, I'm also gonna pick Seattle because why not, right? Gotta get these start just for my own pride, got to start hoping these games start to work out in my favor more.
SPEAKER_02Just hoping that before we started doing pickums on the podcast, you were doing good. I it's hard for me to believe that now. I'm kind of because I feel like what happened?
SPEAKER_00Pride and you know, some things, you know. There was some moves out of spite. Oh, there was some moves that there was some bad picks out of spite earlier this year. Like, see, this year is worse because the gap is bigger, because some things really happened that I couldn't have told you I really didn't expect. So, but hey, that's life. It works out like that. But maybe there's always next year, right? I can't get fired from the pick'em segments, right? And maybe we have some more additional names and I won't finish last. I still think there's a chance I can catch your brother, but we'll see about that.
SPEAKER_02I feel like what you like 10 games behind?
SPEAKER_00I'm a lot. Let's just leave it at that.
SPEAKER_02A lot to make up.
SPEAKER_00It's a lot to make up, but I I'm not as far. See, he had the bad week last week, so it's not as bad as it looks overall. I just need him to have another bad week. So we'll see how it plays out. Up next. Oh, yeah, I said Seattle. Sunday night football, the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos. I am going to go with the Denver Broncos. Who do you like? Boy, I'm riding with them horses. They ride. Them boys have been playing 8.
SPEAKER_02Are you serious? Bro, the Vikings. Like I when I woke up this morning on my phone and said, Nobody believes in Josh Dobbs' success except if you know him. I don't believe he's gonna have to show me Russell Wilson looking like Russell Wilson again. I am going with them horses. Let me ask you this.
SPEAKER_00Can I change my pick then? I was for sure you would go. No, I'm not doing it. What Minnesota don't run the ball enough on Denver. I'm gonna stick with Denver.
SPEAKER_02Oh man.
SPEAKER_00And this is the problem you're gonna pick Minnesota.
SPEAKER_02If you this is the problem, if it's one more bad week, that's it for you, huh?
SPEAKER_00It might not like look. See, here's the thing it's just the fact that I like all these average weeks are not getting the job done. So it might not even be that, it might just be the count. Unless you decide you want to go like three and fourteen, no, well, that's that's too many games. Unless you decide nine and five, like, like, see, you could unless you go five and eleven or something like down the stretch, like three weeks in a row, it's gonna be tough. Gonna be tough.
SPEAKER_02So, wait, what you waiting to the last three weeks to just saying, Man, I'll pick the Giants to beat the look, look, listen.
SPEAKER_00I'm foolish, not stupid. You're gonna have to. No, no, you gotta go. No, no, no, no, no, no. See, see, see, that's that's see, that is insanity. Can't do insanity because you're gonna pick the other team, so it won't matter. It'd be different if you were picking the giants. You're not picking the giants, you're not picking the panthers.
SPEAKER_02If you pick the giants and they win, that's a win for you.
SPEAKER_00That I don't got and see, there ain't nowhere in hell they're gonna make up that kind of ground.
SPEAKER_02Well, we always say it, bro. Every week we say it. We talk about Nas, we talk about Drake. You gotta be faster than me to get to me. No one's done it successfully. You gotta do something to catch up. You can't keep being a neck and neck with me because you already behind.
SPEAKER_00I can rig the scoreboard, but then that throws out the integrity of the contest. But I can so so hey, I've already contemplated that. That doesn't work. That see, see, the records are in they're on they're in stone, they're on wax. I can't do that. So, what else I got? You are you just gonna decide you want to give me a week and make the contest close? If you're not gonna do that, then let's keep moving forward. See, you just seem so sad, like you just all hope is lost. I look, I I you know it's one thing not to win, it's another thing to be in last place. See, that's the thing that really got me.
SPEAKER_02You just get smoked, that's what it is. If it was at least three games, you'd be like, Well, I still got a chance because that's what you was doing all last year. I still got a chance to get it's like it's no chance.
SPEAKER_00See, last see, last year, that was like it was you was in first place, and me and Josh were going back and forth, and then I eventually got away from him. What do you say about this year, man? I'm the New York Mets. I spent all that money, and it didn't make a damn bit of difference, didn't make a damn bit of difference. That's life so Monday night football, Super Bowl rematch, the Philadelphia Eagles at the Kansas City Chiefs. Who do you like, Michael Padre? Man, when the last time we had a blockbuster, um well, we thought we were gonna get one on Thursday night, but uh no, that's that's not the same.
SPEAKER_02I'm talking about this is two teams that you know, like it's no debate if they are contending or not.
SPEAKER_00Well, Dallas, Philadelphia. Oh yeah, we did have that one.
SPEAKER_02Man, this is a hard game to pick. This is a hard, this is a hard game to pick. I'm gonna I'm going with Philadelphia. Yeah. See, look at you. Why you can't even let me pick Philly? I want to pick the Chiefs now, but I I just feel like Philadelphia, and see this what happened last year. In the Super Bowl, we was like, they got the boy, you know what I'm saying? They got the baby goat. Like, you already know. You see his eyes, they got the crosses on him. You know he's a goat, but they don't be having enough. Is that gonna be the same? Because this is the thing. I do not believe in the Chiefs' offense as a unit. I believe in Patrick Mahomes. Like, I like the Chiefs' defense more than the offense. I think you said that um last week. I have no questions about Philadelphia at all. There's nothing about that team from top to bottom that concerns me. Offense is good, playmakers everywhere. Defense is good, playmakers everywhere. Jalen Hurts just be. You know how it's frustrating it is when you play in the Eagles and you the cowboys, it's like, oh man, we got him, and Jalen Hurts do some Jalen Hurts stuff. He has been dealing with a little bit of a knee injury, but he doesn't have to do that. He just can. He doesn't have to do that kind of stuff. I gotta go with the Eagles, man. I just feel like it's more to him. Like they got AJ Brown, like their receivers are better. The only thing that the Eagles don't have better than the Chiefs is quarterback to me. Like, I'm not, I don't know. You can have a debate whose defense is better, but I don't think it's a gap that much where it's like it puts, I just feel like the Eagles are the best team in football. When we talked about last week with the midseason awards, I was like, it ain't even a player, it's the Eagles. Out of everything that we talked about, when we talking about the Ravens earlier, like how they did all of this and they have only three losses is impressive. The Eagles have one. One loss. It's crazy at this point in the season, man. I gotta go, I gotta go with the Eagles. They have to show, they have to um prove to me that they can't win these type of games before I just do it. I'm so disappointed in you. Man, pick the Chiefs. No, why I gotta pick the Chiefs. Go to all our differences and then pick who I and then add some more differences.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we got two differences this week. And that's it. That's it. Like, I like I realistically, I thought there was a possibility we could get five, maybe six. But when you uh but but when you picked Cleveland, I said, okay, all right, here we go. When you pick Cleveland, I was like, Yep, this won't be that week then.
SPEAKER_02So, what you need is for Joshua to have a bunch of differences so you can catch up to him at least.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. See, see, I'm I'm far I'm a little closer to him where if he has another bad week and I have a good week this week, it's well within range to be in second place.
SPEAKER_02Because I didn't know how many differences he had, because he was talking, I was talking to him, and he was like, Nah, it's gonna be bad for me this week. He said, I already I didn't count them up. I said, Man, you ain't even had no differences, and then he put five and I said, I guess he did. It was bad. I guess that's your only hope. But if he picked what we pick, it's over. Because how many weeks are left in the season?
SPEAKER_00Because it's it's more because like it's it's no, like there's weeks. The problem is you're too goddamn logical. No, I'm just conservative. Oh, yeah, you fucking Republican. I knew you were Republican. Don't do that, don't do that. You were Republican, no offense to my Republican friends out there. I do have a few of those eggs, believe it or not. Anything else you would like to add to episode 48 of the Halfway House Podcast?
SPEAKER_02No, my last thing. Don't be afraid to lose. That's my that's my key point to every team. At this point in the season, you are what you are. The only teams who still need to try to win is like the Raiders and the Chargers. Because if y'all keep losing, then uh we're gonna talk about y'all differently, and that's gonna mess up y'all's chemistry. Everybody else, pack it up. Giants, stop it. Bears, stop it. Commanders, stop it. Magic Johnson, stop it.
SPEAKER_00If you lose now, hold on, hold on. He only owns like four percent of the team. You you got to come up with it.
SPEAKER_02Magic Johnson, when they lost that game, came out and was like, we gotta do better. No, do better next year, lose. Everybody who is at the bottom of the barrel, we be like, Oh man, it's a playoff race. Can the Chiefs do this? Can the Ravens do this? Nobody ever talks about that race for number one. The person who gets Caleb Williams, they future will be different. Remember that. Anybody could be a bust. He's looking like a mini Mahomes down there in college. Get that guy and change the fortune of your team. Give your fans something to cheer for. I am tired of y'all winning and making y'all fans suffer. Lose. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Well, ladies and gentlemen, that will wrap it up for episode 40 of the Halfway House podcast. And I don't feel any better than when I started because I knew that was a feeling of desperation and just everything else going on within NFL. Life other than that seems to be great, but hey, let's just hope that Joshua decides to wet the bed this week with his picks. Other than that, in the meantime, and in between time, we'll see you next time. Also, there's no show next week. Not that you all were or that you cared, but there's no show next week. Thanksgiving. It's Thanksgiving. We're gonna enjoy our families. You all do the same.
