NFC South 2026: Every Team's Ceiling, Floor & Breakout Player (Ep. 2045)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 3 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jun 5, 2026
Published
Fri, June 5, 2026
20
Player insights
15
Players mentioned
Topics
Baker MayfieldBryce YoungChristian WatsonAlvin KamaraBrandon AiyukBucky IrvingChris GodwinChris OlaveChuba HubbardDrake LondonJa'Tavion SandersJonathon BrooksKyle PittsMichael Penix Jr.
Player analysis
Player insights
Alvin Kamara
NegativeInjury0:42
Alvin Kamara's rushing ability has significantly declined, and there are concerns about his future with the team, including potential trade rumors.
Insight pageBaker Mayfield
PositiveProjection0:49
If Baker Mayfield can stay healthy, he has the potential to lead the Buccaneers to win the division, as the offense is good enough to succeed.
Insight pageNegativeRole0:58
Baker Mayfield's performance last year was disappointing, and there are concerns about his ability to lead the Buccaneers effectively this season.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:59
Baker Mayfield's odds for comeback player of the year are not favorable, as he is not even in the top 10 for the award.
Insight pagePositiveProjection1:00
Baker Mayfield played all 17 games last season, which may affect his eligibility for comeback player of the year discussions.
Insight pageBrandon Aiyuk
NegativeInjury0:42
Brandon Ayuk is currently facing legal issues with a warrant for his arrest related to a video from December, which raises concerns about his availability and focus for the upcoming season.
Insight pageBryce Young
PositiveRole0:26
Bryce Young has shown improvement over his three years in the league, but the Panthers are not committing to extending him, indicating they may be looking for a better option in the future.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:26
With the addition of new weapons like Chris Brazel, Bryce Young has the best supporting cast of his career, which could help him become an average-level quarterback.
Insight pageBucky Irving
PositiveInjury0:54
Bucky Irving's health is a concern, but if he can return to form, he has the potential to rush for over a thousand yards behind an improved offensive line.
Insight pageChris Godwin
PositiveRole0:56
Chris Godwin, if healthy, can still be an effective receiver and a solid check-down option, especially with the pressure off him as a depth piece.
Insight pageChris Olave
PositiveRole0:37
Chris Olave has been a key target for Tyler Shuck, showcasing his importance in the Saints' offense.
Insight pageChristian Watson
PositiveRole0:29
Christian Watson is expected to be a central figure in the Packers' offense alongside Jaden Reed and Matthew Golden, moving away from a rotation approach.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:33
Christian Watson has been signed to a four-year, $110 million contract extension, reflecting the Packers' commitment to him as a key player despite his injury history.
Insight pageChuba Hubbard
NegativeUsage0:32
Chuba Hubbard has not shown explosive runs and may be dealing with injuries that limit his effectiveness, raising concerns about his role in the Panthers' offense.
Insight pageDrake London
PositiveValue0:56
Drake London signed a four-year, $141 million extension, indicating the Falcons' investment in him as a foundational player.
Insight pageJa'Tavion Sanders
PositiveRole0:26
Jatavian Sanders is expected to be effective in the middle of the field, providing another option for Bryce Young in the passing game.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveInjury0:30
Jonathan Brooks has shown promise but comes with injury concerns, having previously torn his ACL and other ligaments, which raises questions about his durability.
Insight pageKyle Pitts
PositiveRole0:39
Kyle Pitts is expected to bounce back this season, contributing significantly to the Falcons' offense.
Insight pageMichael Penix Jr.
PositiveRole0:57
Michael Penix is in competition for the starting quarterback role with Tua Tagovailoa, but his injury history raises questions about his readiness.
Insight pageTua Tagovailoa
PositiveRole0:57
Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Falcons, but concerns about his health and performance persist.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks.
0:03Guava and passion fruit flavors with mango pineapple flavored pearls.
0:06Yeah, that feels like summer before you even taste it.
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0:12Start your summer rhythm with Starbucks. Try the new tropical butterfly refresher from Starbucks.
0:17Park it right here everybody it's time for the tailgate it's me Joey P, Joe P, Pisapia, with me two of my
0:23best friends Scott Bogman and of course Andrew Erickson is your big pod energy and today we're breaking down the dirtiest south in the NFC.
0:30That's right. It's gonna be a good time here.
0:33We're gonna go ahead and tell you what we think is really gonna happen with some of these teams in the south
0:39and who knows where the show is gonna go from there.
0:42But we got to talk about some things happening first because we've been talking about where Brandon Ayuk is and apparently not even the police can find him.
0:50We got to start there because apparently I don't know what was going on here.
0:55I don't I don't have too many details. This is the best I've got to go on right now, but I want to start here.
1:02There's a warrant for his arrest because of a video recorded by Ayuk in December.
1:06And I think it's June just just play on a long time for this to wait.
1:11All right, we're burning that you I guess is speeding past Levi's stadium.
1:15Now the question is Bogman. Was he giving the finger at the same time to the stadium that he was speeding by it?
1:21Because I'm I'm not gonna lie. I wouldn't be shocked twice myself.
1:25Yeah, I think he's just trying to get away from that electrical state station so he doesn't get hurt again.
1:31Maybe that's why and that should be legal if you ask me.
1:34So I guess even the police have a hard time finding Brandon Ayuk Andrew Erickson.
1:39That's it's not surprising. I mean, I don't remember.
1:41I mean, we've seen some pretty fast deteriorations in the NFL.
1:44It's not quite Antonio Brown, but it's it's certainly in the conversation.
1:48Well, it's it kind of it's it's feels eerily similar of Deontay Johnson.
1:52Where things just kind of like, OK, like he has a bad year in the face.
1:56Yeah, but Deontay Johnson got other chances or other teams.
1:59I don't think another team is going to take you.
2:02And then and then the Ravens were like, you got to go in the game.
2:06He's like, no, man, too cold. I'm not going in the game, man.
2:10Like, that's not me. I'm taking this jacket off.
2:13I'm not stepping away from this torch here. Yikes.
2:15No, thank you. All right. Well, so Brandon Ayuk will we'll see what happens with that other headlines before we start getting into some other stuff here.
2:23We also had the the Cardinals say they're not dealing Josh Sweat.
2:27So, Andrew, we should be expecting a Josh Sweat trade any minute now, I assume.
2:31Yep. Guaranteed. The first thing that happens before every trade is X player is no a player that we are shopping and trade every single time.
2:39Yeah, that's not happening. You're going to have to pay us extra for Josh Sweat, not just take.
2:44I think we are not trading Josh Sweat. There's a big, giant wink for those of you listening.
2:49And if you're watching, you're here on our YouTube channel.
2:52So subscribe right now to Tailgate NFL. That's what we want you to do.
2:56We want you to drop your comments below because you could win cool stuff like our latest giveaway, the Jamar Chase jersey.
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3:25never miss content like this because this right here, this is the content you need.
3:29That's for sure. Other news in the NFL, too, just flying through some headlines.
3:33Russell Wilson retiring. Great career. Ten Pearl Bowls. Super Bowl.
3:36A couple Super Bowl appearances. And I got to tell you, I am thoroughly unexcited to hear Russell Wilson breaking down games.
3:43I can't think of a personality that I would like to listen to less potentially do this job.
3:48Scott Bogman? I don't know. What do you think about Russell Wilson moving to the booth or moving to the studio?
3:54I mean, it's fine. I think he has the perfect type of attitude that you want for a person in the booth, too.
4:01He's going to be relentlessly positive. You know, I think he's fine for the booth.
4:05I think that it was destined for him to step away from playing and go into the booth and talk.
4:11So is it the booth or is it the desk?
4:14Which one is he doing? I think it's probably the desk.
4:17But I think he could do anything, really. I think he could be a play by play guy and he would be just fine at it.
4:24He's just, you know, people think he's corny, but TV loves that.
4:28So I think that it's perfectly suited for him.
4:30I don't know, man. I mean, we already had the let's ride moment.
4:34I can't imagine like some of the cringy stuff is going to come out of his mouth on that desk.
4:40I mean, maybe I actually should turn my tune on this.
4:43Maybe this is going to be better than I think.
4:46Yeah, but doesn't TV love that because everyone will talk about it then?
4:50I guess, but it's got to have the right breaks of people.
4:53No bad press, right? Do you remember all the subway commercials that we use?
4:57Oh, yes. Mr. Unlimited. Yeah. Mr. Unlimited. I mean, I would say, too, with Russell Wilson, and I feel like this has
5:04happened with some of these other older quarterbacks. They've kind of popped around from team to team.
5:09We can't forget in the prime of his career, Russell Wilson was.
5:12He was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
5:15Really, really, really good. And I think that it's worth just watching some old highlights of Russell Wilson because the let Russ cook era.
5:22Dude, like that was a lot of fun when he was cooking and let him cook on one last play.
5:28He's got two Super Bowl rings. So, yeah, one less play cooking would have been good just in retrospect.
5:33Also, some extensions were divvied out. We have the Packers signing Christian Watson to a four year, one hundred and ten million dollar contract extension.
5:41Erickson, I assume this is what, like ten million per game he's going to play.
5:45Like, I don't know, how does this work in your opinion in terms of we get this out here?
5:50Make all the jokes you want, Joe. Christian Watson is a baller.
5:54He is a baller. I love Christian Watson. He's just never there.
5:57He finished the second half of the season last year when he came back.
6:01I mean, the fact that he came back from his ACL injury was, I mean, I had him dead on arrival where
6:08it was like this guy who came and drafted in fantasy last year.
6:12And I couldn't have been more wrong about a player that coming off a late season ACL injury immediately hops back into the lineup halfway through the year.
6:20He had an all pro vote last season because of how effective he was in this Packers offense.
6:25So I'm just happy the Packers are giving up on this rotation BS.
6:29And it's Jaden Reed, Matthew Golden, Christian Watson. Those are our three wide receiver sets with Tucker Crafts tight end.
6:35Enough of this. Oh, we got to get Savion Williams involved running routes like now.
6:39Like give him his bubble screen touches or whatever behind the line of scrimmage wildcat touches.
6:44But keep the receivers. Keep those three guys going and let Jordan Love cook.
6:48Just because Fitzy has a vote for the all pro doesn't mean that we should listen to it.
6:53I'm just putting that out there. Boggs, what do you make of this extension?
6:57I like Christian Watson a lot. He's a very he's an explosive player.
7:01He's a big playmaker. He's going to be crucial to any success that the Packers have this year.
7:06But it is a good chunk of chains for a guy who has not necessarily put full seasons of big productivity together.
7:12Yeah. And my bad. He played 10 games last year, by the way.
7:16But yeah, availability is the best ability. It's one of the old scouting tropes, right?
7:20Like Watson was great this year. We've seen honestly an all pro half of a season from him last year.
7:26I don't know if he's going to be able to play enough games to make up for this lengthy and substantial of a contract extension.
7:33So it's not something I would have done. But he is a really good weapon.
7:38You got to pay him at some point. So I get it.
7:41Do it before a big turn or whatever. And these guys can be making even more.
7:46But it's just not something I would have done.
7:48He's great. But he can't stay on the field.
7:51Well, it's funny because if I was Drake London, I might have asked for a little more.
7:56It's too bad that he signed his extension before, which brings us to the Atlanta Falcons and the NFC South.
8:02So let's start with the Falcons. Drake London, four year, $141 million extension.
8:06And we are now in the Kevin Stefanski era and Ian Cunningham as GM here.
8:10They were eight and nine for two consecutive years, missing the playoffs for eight straight years now.
8:15That's a need of a reset. Now, the question is here with the Atlanta Falcons.
8:19This is a team that has invested and reinvested and they can't seem to figure out things and get things right.
8:25It seems like they had that moment in time and that Super Bowl against the Patriots.
8:30They let it slip through their fingers and they've been kind of trying to claw their way back ever since.
8:36Is Kevin Stefanski the right guy, Bogman, to take the Falcons back into relevancy?
8:40I don't think so. But you had to get Stefanski out of Cleveland, right?
8:44Like Cleveland is a poorly run organization. Atlanta hasn't been that much better.
8:48So more success, of course. But I don't know.
8:50You know, you look at what Atlanta was last year and they have to the biggest thing that they have to do is improve the run D, right?
8:58Like they're really bad in run D. The special teams was miserable last year.
9:02They were dead last, according to PFF in that grade.
9:05And they were just middling in everything offensively. And that is not going to change until you find a quarterback.
9:11Is two of that quarterback? I don't know. Is he better than Penix?
9:15Probably. But again, availability is the best ability. How long is two are going to be out there?
9:20Takes one bad hit. I do like having two lefties out there.
9:24It means you don't have to change blocking schemes when you go back and forth and all that stuff.
9:29So a good fit. I think Stefanski is better than what they've had recently, but I don't know if Stefanski is going
9:35to be the savior of the Falcons organization here.
9:38I would say I doubt it. It's interesting to see the two left-handed quarterbacks.
9:42It's not something that happens every day. But the fact that they call it competition and they're giving you all the coach
9:48speak here this early before training camps in August and all that stuff.
9:52I mean, two is the better quarterback here. I mean, Andrew, this is not rocket science.
9:57It would be a genius, I think, to figure out that two is the guy.
10:01And I think what hurts them potentially is if they drag this charade on too long where they don't give two enough
10:08reps with the first teams and they split too much a little bit.
10:11And then eventually they get off to a slow start.
10:14And then eventually that leads them to a negative opening to the season, which ends up being a losing season, which ends
10:21up eight and nine again for the third consecutive year.
10:24Is that the path they're going to go down here or can they just kind of, you know, have that come to
10:30Jesus moment where they go, look, two is the quarterback.
10:33Penix, you're the backup. And let's just see how it plays out with two is health.
10:37Why is two better than Michael Penix? What about last year?
10:41About two is suggest that he's better. Not last year necessarily.
10:44I think everything fell apart for the Dolphins last year.
10:47But I think historically speaking, two has done enough in the NFL.
10:50Two had a run a couple of years ago that was pretty damn impressive.
10:54I mean, he has taken some massive head injuries, which you have to take into account.
10:59I'm sure the emotionalness of that and getting back on the field and then all the physical stuff that goes along with it.
11:06But I think just in terms of pure skill, we're talking about a guy who was the, you know, number one quarterback, right?
11:12In his class and all that stuff. He's played in big games.
11:16Like, I don't know, man. I like Michael Penix, but I don't think he's Tua.
11:20So tell me why I'm wrong, because it seems like that's what you're telling me without telling me.
11:25Well, I guess Tua to me is the more accomplished quarterback.
11:28Of course, he led the NFL in passing yards a couple of years ago, but he also had like Tyree Kill and Jalen Waddle.
11:35Now he has great weapons in Atlanta, and I don't disagree that the week one starter is probably going to be Tua.
11:42But how much of that is, well, he really is the best quarterback or it's what Michael Penix is rehabbing from his
11:48fifth season ending injury dating back to college? What's the benefit of Tua playing well in this offense, putting up some stats
11:55that we like for fantasy football for this Falcons team?
11:57Is he going to be their quarterback next year?
12:00Yeah. Isn't this all a bunch of nonsense until they draft someone next year?
12:04That's what I mean. Probably. I feel like you benefit more from what if Michael Penix can be the guy?
12:10Like, theoretically, he has less wear and tear on the tires, although he has, like I mentioned, five season ending injuries on his resume.
12:17So for me, it's like throw out the quarterback that makes you lose more games, to be totally honest.
12:22And you know what doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy?
12:26Yes, they are both left-handed quarterbacks. It's really fun that you have two Southpaw quarterbacks.
12:30You know who the right tackle is for the Atlanta Falcons?
12:33Jamar Taylor, or Juwan Taylor, who was with the Chiefs last year and who was terrible at right tackle because Caleb McGarry, injured reserve last year, recently retired.
12:41It's okay, though, because Juwan Taylor gets to step three steps back behind the line.
12:46You know what, man? Which is nice. Does that not drive you crazy when you watch Chief games?
12:51Every time. I'm watching these games with the Chiefs the last couple years, man.
12:55And I watch it, and I can literally almost say a Mississippi where he's gone before that.
13:00And they never call it. They never call it.
13:02I've never seen anything like it. Why is that?
13:05You're talking about him getting out of his stance.
13:08I'm just talking about him in his stance. I'm talking about him getting out of his stance.
13:13A full half a second before the ball snapped on every single play last year.
13:17It was stunning. And I just watch it all.
13:19And I'm like, how? How? What am I? Why don't they see it?
13:23That's why they signed him. I get it. Well, look, you know what?
13:27Good on them. They're going to need it. They're going to definitely need it on this.
13:32But it's not like Penix isn't coming off an ACL, Andrew, too.
13:35I mean, let's talk about health for a second here.
13:38Penix has an injury of his own he's returning from.
13:41So, look, you've got two left in at quarterbacks, and maybe you have two left feet here.
13:46Because I don't know if he's going to be walking in circles.
13:49He's the fourth easiest schedule in the NFL, according to the strength of schedule right now.
13:54But Boggs, that's every year with them. Because they play in the same—they play in the NFC South every year, and they do the exact same thing.
14:02The Saints are easier. The Saints have the second easiest because they play the ball.
14:06With an easy schedule. They've always had all these loaded weapons on offense.
14:10I mean, it's not like they haven't had B.
14:13John Robinson. They've had Drake London. They remember they had Kyle Pitts last year on the team.
14:17It's an interesting team, right? I think there are a lot of interesting pieces here, but I don't know that Stefanski is the one to put in together.
14:26If we look at what he did in Cleveland, it was a decent failure.
14:30It was fine at the beginning with Baker, but talents on the field.
14:33And they have talented players in some spots. You have Drake.
14:37You have Pitts. You have B. John on offense, right?
14:39So you have good playmakers on defense. You have Pierce.
14:42You have Walker. You drafted last year. Watts was a great pick.
14:46They signed Jesse Bates. It's there are pieces to this team that are very good, right?
14:50I think they need to figure out the quarterback.
14:53And I think what is going on with James Pierce?
14:56We need to figure that out as well. And for the long term, you need some depth.
15:01You need to be able to stop the runner else.
15:04You're going to get run over and you can't keep turning the ball over like the Falcons did last year.
15:10So I think that this is this is a budding team, but they need somebody to lead this ship.
15:15And I don't think the quarterback that will lead them is on this roster right now.
15:20Well, they do want to play in the Steelers in week one.
15:23Who do you want the quarterback to be against the Falcon or for the Falcons in week one against your Steelers?
15:29Penix. I want Penix to be the starter. Yeah, that's going to be the case.
15:34I think it's going to be to it. Doesn't matter.
15:37They're both statues. Steelers should. Steelers should get to might injure one of the quarterbacks.
15:41And it's a strange situation, too, because you look at the weaponry they have there.
15:45They have B. John Robinson, this whole world. They have Kyle Pitts on the bounce back season.
15:50Drake London, I know, had a miss a good chunk of time with injury, but he's a great wide receiver.
15:56Like there's a lot. If you had if you had the right quarterback dropped into this situation, you'd be in a good spot.
16:03The problem is, I don't know if either one of these quarterbacks is enough to kind of transcend where they're at right now.
16:09That's that's problematic. And then if one of these guys gets hurt, you're down to the John Dotsons and the cases of the world and guys like that.
16:17I don't know if that's it. Let's talk about the defense, though, because you didn't mention one of the defensive players here.
16:24So new coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich comes over here. So what do you make of where the Falcons defense is right now?
16:30Box? Well, I mean, they they did bring in a lot of depth, which is nice, right?
16:35Christian Harris to add to this linebacker core, along with Kendall Daniels, which is very it's very interesting inside linebacker core of Harris Diablo Daniels, Anderson.
16:42They also drafted Harold Perkins, who was a five star prospect before getting hurt and kind of being labeled as a tweener.
16:49So there's a lot of upside there with this group at linebacker defensive ends.
16:53They fixed last year. Pearson Walker worked, but Pierce is facing what looks like a lengthy suspension for domestic violence incident.
16:59And the run D, you know, they traded for Mason Smith with Jacksonville.
17:03They did that for Rooko Roro. And then they signed to Sean Hand, Chris Williams.
17:07So they're they're increasing the rotation in the middle, which is good.
17:11I do question the edge rushers now because, you know, you go out and you get Abucon, but you got Abucon because
17:17Pierce is going to miss a decent amount of time as he's usual.
17:21Larry, right? I think the secondary is really good.
17:23Watson Bates are a great safety pair. Yeah. AJ Terrell and his brother Avion, who they drafted in the second as well.
17:30They went out and traded for Sidney Brown as a backup safety.
17:33Mike Hughes was OK in there, too. So I think the secondary is OK.
17:37Maybe corner is a little weak. The safeties are better.
17:40But this defense is pretty good if James Pierce plays.
17:43But he's looking at a big suspension. Yeah, I would say.
17:46And again, when you move draft picks to move up to take a guy and that guy ends up doing what Pierce did, it sets back your organization.
17:54You know, you not only need that guy to play well, you just need him to play, you know, and when you
18:01make these bad decisions, it's just time and time again.
18:04That evaluation. It's almost like signing a quarterback to a big contract and drafting one.
18:08Stefanski knows about what happens when you trade all these picks for a player that doesn't play on your team or is available to you.
18:15Yeah, it really does. All right. Let's talk about some of the stuff on betting pros here.
18:20Just out of curiosity, what Vegas thinks of the Atlanta Falcons.
18:23We can pass up the Super Bowl in the conference winner.
18:26Division winner plus 450. Anyone? Bueller? No? I'm a hard pass, too.
18:30I'll pass. Yeah, I think we all have them.
18:33To make the playoffs, yes, plus 310. No, minus 250.
18:35So Vegas is telling you that the Falcons are not a playoff team this year.
18:40I would agree. Yeah. All right. So last one here is the win total.
18:44You want to guess what that is? Six and a half.
18:47Erickson? I'm going to go seven and a half.
18:50Seven and a half it is. That is correct.
18:52So let's go. I win, Scott Bogman. I guess Bogman's thinking about under hard then.
18:57Yeah, but what do you get on the under?
18:59Maybe I win. Minus 120. Not so bad. Not so bad.
19:02Minus 120 is about the threshold. I'm going to go for a full year.
19:06Give me double up or nothing. All right. Boy, boy.
19:09Plus 115 for the over. You have to invest your money for the whole year.
19:14I think it's the under. I think that this defense is really hinging on James Pierce Jr.
19:19being available or not. Because last year, and even if you look at some of the projections, this was totally shocked to
19:25me when I looked at it on Fantasy Pros.
19:28If you guys had to guess, where do you think that Falcons are projected for sacks this season?
19:33Among all defenses. Ooh. 12th. The way you're saying it, you're setting it up for 20th.
19:37Surprise. No, I think it's going to be high.
19:40I don't know. Where are they? Second. Okay. Second?
19:43Wow. They were second last year in sacks. Right.
19:45Because I'm assuming Pierce was great. I'm assuming Pierce isn't playing.
19:48That's what I mean. But that's what I mean.
19:51And he matters so much. He was the reason that they actually had a pass rush for the first time since John Abraham was on the Atlanta Falcons.
19:59Sean Abraham. Yeah, there's a name. Name another. Vic Beasley?
20:02Yeah. Vic Beasley! This is why you subscribe to Tailgate.
20:05Vic Beasley conversations. It's been all interior guys. It's been all Grady Jarrett's.
20:09Yeah, the Grady Jarrett's of the world. And the ones down there.
20:12Down south. Dirty south. Vic Beasley. All right. Let's move on to the next team here.
20:17The Carolina Panthers. Before we do, shout out to Hard Rock Bet.
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20:24And I told everybody, I was so proud of myself.
20:27Stayed awake for the whole game last night. Boggs, you're proud of me?
20:31Of course, it was hard to sleep. You told me to go to bed, but you stayed awake.
20:36I see how you are. Actually, your constant Instagram messaging of me and sending me reels, that ding, ding kept me awake.
20:42That's what kept me in the game. Oh, yeah.
20:45Well, you're welcome. You got to see the next one.
20:48I got to see Jalen Brunson do good things.
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21:42Hello, hello. This is Malcolm Glabal from Smart Talks with IBM.
21:45Today we're diving into a fascinating conversation with Stefano Pallard, head of fan development for Scuderia Ferrari HP.
21:50Your pronunciation is strongly American. It's more Scuderia Ferrari.
21:53I'm still working on rolling my R's. But what I was able to learn from Stefano was the importance of engaging the
21:59Tifosi, the Ferrari superfans in the digital age. Ferrari fans and superfans want to be part of something, want to belong to something.
22:06So they want to be part of a community, and ultimately they want to be part of a winning team.
22:12You've got Ferrari, which has a long history, design history.
22:15And now you're interacting in a kind of digital space.
22:17I'm curious how you balance those two traditions. When it comes to fan engagement, it's really digital technology and digital channels are
22:24being able to create a deeper connection with our fans.
22:27To learn more about how Ferrari and IBM are using technology to build deeper connections with fans, visit ibm.com slash Ferrari.
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23:23Since 1900. Carolina Panthers. Playoff team last year. Team that pushed the Los Angeles Rams crazy.
23:28Just pushed them to their limits. We were watching that game live, Joe.
23:31That's right. We started that game live, you and I.
23:34Oh yeah, I remember that. And I finished it at a bar with a friend of mine.
23:39Yeah. And we were watching it. We just like, we couldn't believe what we were seeing.
23:44It was just like, this is going to be the most exciting game ever.
23:48And if I recall, I believe you guys both took the Rams at the points.
23:52100%. Or you took the Rams against the spread.
23:55And I was like, no. Yes, we're human. Yeah, yeah.
23:58We're people that live in the world. And who covered the spread?
24:01Your Carolina Panthers. I don't know why you say you're a Patriots fan.
24:05Because you're clearly a Panthers fan. I don't know why you even.
24:09Well, I mean. I do. I probably have a Cam Newton Patriots jersey somewhere around here.
24:13Yeah. All right. Well, Carolina Panthers. Who do you root for in that Super Bowl in Houston?
24:18Yeah. He was Jake Delhomme. Legendary. Little Jake DeLone there.
24:21Jake DeLone. Moose and Muhammad. Moose and Muhammad. I was like, good news.
24:25The guy was the slowest player ever in Madden to play wide receiver, I swear.
24:29He was. Oh my God. 75. Like 70 speed.
24:32Someone look it up in the comments. Let me know.
24:35What was Moose and Muhammad's speed in Madden 2003?
24:37It had to be. Was that Steven? Who was the running back for that team?
24:42Was that Foster? No. No. No. No, no. It wasn't.
24:44Lendell White? No, no. Lendell White was. No, no.
24:47It wasn't Lendell White. D'Angelo and Deshaun? I want.
24:50D'Angelo Williams, Deshaun Foster? Deshaun sounds accurate. I'm going to have to look.
24:53I'll look it up after I see. Was it Steven Davis?
24:57I know that was Steve Smith, though, in his prime prime.
25:00Yeah. It was him in his prime. It was Jake DeLonge.
25:03I can't remember the running backs. It feels like D'Angelo Williams, but I don't know.
25:07They used two guys. They always used two guys.
25:10It wasn't D'Angelo Williams. Yeah. All right. Do you want to talk about the current Panthers or do you just want to keep talking about the- Keep reminiscing.
25:18I mean, the 2003 Carolina Panthers were a fun team.
25:21Oh, and I'm like, what's a big Chris Jenkins in the middle?
25:24Oh, beast. Now I'm putting in 2003 Panthers running back.
25:27All right. Here we go. 2003, Steven Davis, Deshaun Foster.
25:30So. Steven Davis. It was Steven Davis. I was combining different running backs like D'Angelo Foster, Deshaun White.
25:35Oh, no. What are you, Madden creative player? Who is this guy?
25:39This is your 2029 season in Madden. My name is Arian Davis.
25:42Billy Delholm. Here he is. DeFluvius Jackson. Let's talk.
25:45Miss Jackson, wax and flex. Sorry, boys. Let's talk about Dave Canales and the Carolina Panthers.
25:50Fourth year now. Look, it's still pretty, you know, he's a young coach, young team.
25:54Canales I always liked as a coaching prospect. I think, you know, he's done a good job there with a tiny quarterback.
26:00Clearly, things have gotten better for Bryce Young. Are they great?
26:04That's what I don't know about. Andrew Erikson, let's start there.
26:07Let's start with the difference between improving and the difference between difference making, because I feel like that's kind of where we're at with the Bryce Young experiment.
26:15You know they didn't want to extend him, right?
26:18So they're not giving him a big extension contract, which means the Panthers understand, like, this is as good as it gets
26:24right now until we can figure out something better.
26:26I would agree with that. Bryce Young has played better all three years of his career because they've been adding weapons.
26:33And I think that getting McMillan last year was a major boost for Bryce Young.
26:37Getting a true number one alpha wide receiver. I mean, get Xavier Leggett off the field, please.
26:42Enough. I was reading a report of him dropping passes yet again at OTAs.
26:46Bryce Young calling them out and be like, dude, you've got to catch the freaking ball.
26:51So getting him off the field, making three receiver sets, Jalen Coker, Chris Brazel, the rookie that he drafted in the third round from Tennessee.
26:58He's a burner on the outside. T-Mac. This is a fun three wide receiver set between these guys.
27:03And I think it's the best weapons Bryce Young has had in his NFL career.
27:07So I think that he could be an average level quarterback.
27:11And he has shown at times where he's been able to push the ball a little bit more downfield.
27:16And I think getting a player like Brazel really helps fit that type of deep threat that they really have been lacking.
27:22So lukewarm on Bryce Young. I don't think that he's going to be the reason why they repeat, though, as division champion.
27:29Because I think that his ceiling, just based on his stature, based on his physical abilities, I think he has a limited ceiling in the NFL.
27:36Andrew, I just want you to know, I think you've uncovered the greatest fraud in the history of Madden.
27:42Because Muhsin Muhammad's speed that year in Madden was 88.
27:45And that's nonsense. He was not 88. I can tell you, I remember that game very well.
27:50There's no way. There's no way. I mean, so was Devin Hester's speed like 900?
27:54It was 102. 102. He was the first one they ever did triple digits for, was Devin Hester.
27:59As he should be. What's your take on Bryce Young here?
28:02I mean, obviously there's still things that are lacking in his game.
28:06But it's hard not to say with Ted O'Reilly and McMillan that there were pluses last year.
28:11Like, there were definitely things that started to go.
28:13Made the playoffs. Right, made the playoffs. And competitive against a great team in the Rams.
28:18A team that was the Super Bowl contender number one.
28:21I would rather have Bryce than the guys in Atlanta.
28:24I don't know if that's, I doubt that's a hot take.
28:27I don't think it's probably somewhat normal. I think you win more games with Bryce Young.
28:32I think so too. He's way more, again, he's a point guard, right?
28:35Yes. And that's when he was best at Alabama.
28:38And now he actually, I mean, if he actually wasn't in Atlanta with all those weapons, he'd probably appear pretty good about Bryce Young.
28:45I think he was better than a point guard at Alabama.
28:48But for whatever reason, he has been a point guard for the Panthers.
28:52So I think that that's what he continues to do.
28:55But I agree with you wholly and completely here, Erickson.
28:58I think Leggett has been an abject disaster. He graded 124 out of 128 gradable wide receivers last year.
29:03I think what you're going to see, specifically because Coker, Coker's another really good wide receiver, but I kind of see him
29:10in the vein of Christian Watson as far as staying on the field.
29:13Two years in the league, he can't get past 11 games.
29:17He's had the same quad injury in both years.
29:19There seems like there might be something chronic going on with the quad.
29:23So I'm not as excited long term for Coker as other people are.
29:27But I think you get Brazel to stretch the field.
29:30You can play Leggett and Coker over the middle.
29:32I think Jatavian Sanders is better over the middle with a lot of space to work with.
29:37And obviously, Tett is going to lead your team in targets and receptions.
29:41So I think the offense has good enough skill positions.
29:44Now, Iquanu going out in that game, in that playoff game, and they signed Rasheed Walker to play most of left tackle
29:50for them this year is tough, specifically for Bryce Young.
29:53He doesn't really manipulate the pocket very well. And the run game took a hit, right, with Rico leaving.
29:59So now you have Jonathan Brooks, who a lot of people are excited about.
30:03And I'm a Texas guy. I like Jonathan Brooks.
30:05He had a great year for the Longhorns. But it was one year of really big production.
30:10And he's been hurt twice. Same ACL. He tore his knee in college.
30:14And then the same ACL tore multiple ligaments. Now, all the reports are great.
30:18But who knows what you get out of Brooks?
30:21So the offense has massive question marks. I think the defense is improving.
30:24I think this might be the year where the defense is better than the offense because they went out and they got Jalen Phillips to rush the passer.
30:33They went out and they got Devin Lloyd to lead this team in tackles by a wide margin.
30:38And he will. Still questions it's safety for this team, right?
30:41I'm not the biggest fan of Nick Scott and Trevon Morig.
30:44But no, but Derek J.C. Horn or two. Not not the Derek Brown here.
30:48He's the worst player. He is. I mean, he makes it.
30:51He is the leader of this defense for sure.
30:54Yeah, but they went out and they got Wharton to help the run D and he has a neck injury now.
31:00And who knows when he's coming back? So they did, you know, draft Lee Hunter, who's a good run stopper on the interior.
31:07LaBray Allen has a lot of experience in there, too.
31:10So I think that I think there might be bigger questions on offense than there are on defense now, which is surprising
31:16in the recent years of this franchise. The running game.
31:19First of all, the Aquano injury rise is massive.
31:22I mean, that that is not to be understated when it comes to this team.
31:26And it's one of the reasons why I think that ultimately they get held back a little bit here.
31:31But that run game and the depth of it, too, is what's troubling me, Andrew, because, you know, you have the Trevor
31:38ATNs, you know, you have like guys like that's not that's not what you need here.
31:42You know, and Chuba Hubbard. Joe Mixon's still a free agent.
31:46But so is Nick Chubb. Oh, man, Nick Chubb just makes me depressed.
31:49Like Nick Chubb was so good, so good. I just hate for his career to end the way it did.
31:55It's just sad. But but look, when you're starting to look around here, Brooks is there.
32:00ATN's there. A.J. Dillon's there. Chuba Hubbard goes now, man.
32:03There's a big question mark of who kind of steps up in that void.
32:07Yeah. And the fact that Hubbard last year, I think I don't remember who I was on a fantasy show talking about
32:13Chuba Hubbard and no explosive runs at all last year.
32:16I think he played a whole year hurt. Maybe.
32:19Honestly. But this has been his. He happened in 2024, too.
32:22He got banged up in the second half of the season.
32:25So he is starting to show that maybe you should be loading this guy up with 250 plus carries every single season as your bell cow.
32:33He's starting to show some tear on his body.
32:35And I agree. The running back room is really thin.
32:38Jonathan Brooks, I think, can be a guy if he's healthy.
32:41He's only 20. He's turning 23 years old. So you'd hope that the youth will help him heal and recover from these
32:48devastating injuries and that he still has an NFL career ahead of him.
32:51But it's all a projection. We could look. He might be like Javante, where the first year back is ugly.
32:57Yes. And then. Yeah. It took forever for Javante to get back to what he looked like as a rookie.
33:03And Jonathan Brooks, I mean, the sample size, he has eight career touches or something in the NFL.
33:08It is a very, very small amount of most of his touches actually came as receptions and targets out of the backfield.
33:15So. Yeah, I do think that I agree with Boggs about the defense, adding those Jalen Phillips, Devin Lloyd, big key pieces.
33:21This team has like good roster or good player personnel at all the spots.
33:25They don't like it's like, oh, this team has this glaring need.
33:29It's like, I think that they filled in all the spots correctly.
33:32But how good are all those spots end up going to be, especially knowing that they're facing a much tougher schedule because they won the division last year.
33:40It's like, congratulations. Now you have to face a much tougher schedule.
33:44Good luck. And that might be tough for them.
33:46And hardest in the division by a lot. Yeah.
33:49All right. Well, let's talk about how that impacts here.
33:52We'll skip Super Bowl and conference division winner plus 325 Boggs.
33:55There you go. You want three to one odds on something?
33:58You got it. You want it? No, I don't know.
34:01Say, careful what you're for. Yes, plus 280. They really do not like the Panthers.
34:05Lightning doesn't strike twice. Minus 250 on the no.
34:08I don't think I'm good. Give me the win total, boys.
34:11What do you think it is? I'll say seven and a half.
34:15I'll go eight. I'll go eight and a half.
34:17Six and a half. Seven and a half. Oh, you can actually get a six and a half in a couple of spots right now.
34:24Now the six and a half is juice pretty heavy.
34:27It's minus 160. But the under on the over on the six and a half is minus 160.
34:33The under is minus 125. So depending on what you like there.
34:36I'm a hard pass on the Panthers because I think there's, again, one of these ranges of outcomes here with this kind
34:42of team because they do play good defense. So they will be competitive.
34:46They'll probably be an eight win team somewhere in that.
34:49It could be the year Chuba stays healthy and Brooks just looks better than we think.
34:54Do you think the Panthers, Panthers fans that are watching this, do you think they're better off?
34:59Bryce Young just totally tanks, poops the bed this season and then they get a draft quarterback.
35:04I think if you're long term. You get Kenny Pickett starts.
35:07Yeah. Kenny Pickett starts. He's the backup. I didn't even realize that.
35:10I will say you. I'll tell you this. I think if you're a Panthers fan, it was fun that you made the playoffs last year.
35:18But I think you recognize the rest of this team is pretty decent.
35:21You're missing the quarterback and they're not committing to Bryce Young.
35:24So to that point, if things went south in the south for the Panthers, I wouldn't mind it so much if I
35:31was a Panthers fan because this is the year to do it, right?
35:35This is the year where if you're going to be bad, be bad because theoretically you've got a lot of quarterbacks to choose from.
35:42So yeah, I think you're at peace with it because you had house money last year.
35:46It was a really fun run. You took the Rams to their limit.
35:50You beat them in the regular season. Like, that's cool.
35:53And now it's like – but I don't want to fire the coach.
35:57That's the problem is I don't think the coach should get fired here because of that.
36:01And that's my concern is if they don't play well, then they fire the coach.
36:06And I don't think it's his fault necessarily. I'll begrudgingly agree because I think most of the time you want your –
36:12like, let's just have this quarterback play great, right?
36:15So of course you want your quarterback to succeed because then you don't have to spend a high pick on a quarterback.
36:21But at this point, Bryce Young's career, you're talking about extending him if he looks good and he's looked bad for three years.
36:28And then you extend him after this year if he looks good and you pass up on what are potential quarterbacks in this class.
36:35So I would say for the long-term future, it probably is better.
36:38If Bryce Young is going to be bad, just be bad again this year.
36:42Is Bryce Young ever going to be a quarterback that you win because of?
36:46Or is he a win-with quarterback? I think he's a win-with quarterback, not win-because-of.
36:50Yes, 100%. I agree. If you don't have a win-because-of, then you should be looking for another quarterback.
36:56I think that we're all actually excited about, and it's the New Orleans Saints.
37:00That's right. The New Orleans Saints, everybody. A team that maybe if they had started Tyler Shuck a little bit sooner, I
37:06just snuck in the back door of the playoffs of this division there.
37:10So obviously it was all about the development of Tyler Shuck last year, Kellen Moore proving that he could be a good head coach.
37:17I think you got both of those things. So you got coach, you got quarterback, you got a chance.
37:22That's what I always think. Boggs, what did you make of the Tyler Shuck ascension?
37:27Because there were a lot of people. They were very negative.
37:30A lot of jokes made at Tyler Shuck's expense.
37:32I was one of them. You are the biggest one.
37:35Tyler Shuck's an old man. He's older than Joe P.
37:38Zappia. He can stay up later than Joe P.
37:41Zappia. That's how old he is. So talk to me about Tyler Shuck.
37:45At least he likes my reels. He can get a rated R movies all by himself.
37:49Right. I like your reels. You've gone down a very, very dark algorithm the last two days.
37:54And I told you it was because of all the Robitusson you were on.
37:58Yes, it probably was a lot of cough medicine.
38:01So my voice can be pretty for everybody here.
38:03But look, Tyler Shuck was great. There's no other way to say it.
38:07He was really good down the stretch. And I thought this was kind of, okay, we're the Saints with cap problems.
38:13Right. So we need to have an option at quarterback because Spencer Rattler was just garbage.
38:18But we need to have one that if we get rid of him in a year, no one's going to be like, oh, what are you doing?
38:26So we can't go spend a first round pick on a quarterback in last year's class.
38:30So we need to get one at some point.
38:33So they got Shuck. I don't think they were really planning on playing him that much this year.
38:38But Spencer Rattler was that bad. So let's just see what he has.
38:42And he had it. And that was great. You know, kind of like if Bryce Young turns it on this year, we'll be singing his praises.
38:49Right. But he was great. He really was good.
38:52And he didn't have a lot of weapons to work with either.
38:56It was really exclusively Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson.
38:58Yeah. And yeah, they traded Shahid away. And they traded for Bailey.
39:02Right. That was their big move. So it was they really didn't have a lot of, you know, help for Shuck.
39:08And he was great. And then they brought in help this year with Jordan Tyson, with Travis Lance and Travis Echen and Noah Phan.
39:15And I know that Debro loves Oscar Delp more than everybody else.
39:18So more than anyone should. Maybe. Probably. But there's more help for him this year.
39:22The old line. Kelvin Banks. Has gotten better. And everyone was doubting Banks being able to play tackle.
39:28Everybody thought he's going to have to move to guard.
39:31He was great at left tackle. So I really the offense is good for the Saints.
39:35The defense is old and has no depth. So I'm very concerned about the defense of the New Orleans Saints this year.
39:42But Tyler Shuck was great. And he deserves way more respect than I gave him last year.
39:47Andrew Erickson, let's talk about that offense and what it looks like this year, because clearly there's better weaponry around him.
39:53But we've also seen a lot of quarterbacks sometimes regress in year two.
39:56Do you have any concerns that you're going to see that from Tyler Shuck as the league maybe starts to make some adjustments to him?
40:04Yeah, I think my opening feelings about Shuck heading into this offseason where, okay, last year, no expectations, right?
40:09To Boggs Point, all the old ageist jokes about Tyler Shuck, the bar was very low for him to do anything.
40:15Second round pick, played in college for six seasons, was famously or infamously Justin Herbert's backup at Oregon.
40:20Justin Herbert's been in the NFL for a multitude of seasons.
40:24That all being said... I think it was Jake DeLonge's backup too.
40:27What I overlooked with Tyler Shuck and what I'm trying to be better at with some of these prospects coming in is
40:34with the NLI, with guys playing more with the COVID years, the guys that have a lot of college experience hit the ground running faster.
40:41Bo Nix was another player that kind of ridiculed for playing so many years in college and what happens?
40:46Well, it doesn't take him that much time to cut up to speed.
40:50It's the old Bill Parcells rule, isn't it, Erickson?
40:53Yeah, a certain amount of starts. Well, but that's the funny thing too.
40:56It's like everybody wants to take these quarterbacks and get them in there and stuff like that.
41:01But then when they get too many reps, right?
41:04We all have quarterbacks that get reps, but not too many reps.
41:07I mean, you can't get everything. Why wouldn't they come out when they were immediately eligible?
41:12This is crazy. You can't win. Yeah. Every player is different too in terms of do I learn by sitting?
41:18Do I learn by getting reps? I think playing is ultimately the best way to get better at playing the game.
41:24You would think. What the goal is in the long term.
41:27But I see a lot of parallels to Chuck taking a Bo Nix type of leap in his second season where he is experienced.
41:34He has seen a lot of NFL and he has a competent play caller offensive mind, Kellen Moore, akin to Sean Payton.
41:40So I feel comfortable about him actually taking a step in this offense, especially what he did last year.
41:46He's one of the best passers throwing at the intermediate level.
41:49Number one in completion rate on intermediate throws that tends to be sticky year over year.
41:54He's also really good on third downs. Now that's a little bit less of a stickier stack, a little bit more volatile
42:00because you can do a little bit more push past the sticks on third downs, but still it shows, hey, play making ability.
42:07And last year too, Saints could not run the ball whatsoever.
42:10Right. 31st in EPA per rush. That usually kills young quarterbacks when there's no run game and you have to drop back and do everything on your own.
42:18Chuck delivered in those opportunities. But now you actually have an opportunity for a run game because you added a running back like Travis H.
42:25And it's not the corpse of Arvin Kamara running out there for two yards in a cloud of dust.
42:31Like Kamara's rushing is sapped elite as a receiver out of the backfield, but the rushing has fallen off the last multiple seasons.
42:38And actually, he's a guy we should probably talk about too.
42:41Is it Alvin Kamara? Is he A on the roster, B on another roster, or C in Cancun when week four rolls around?
42:47I'm going to say B. Another roster? Yeah, I do.
42:50I think he gets traded before the season starts.
42:53Because I think there's enough teams that are looking.
42:56I mean, certainly Green Bay Packers might want to add some running back depth, I would think.
43:00Definitely a couple of teams that I think would like to add some running back depth.
43:05Carolina should be looking. Well, you're not going to trade him in the division though.
43:09That's a problem. I know. But you're adding a player that has very- That would be a release revenge moment for Kamara,
43:16but I don't think you're getting that either. Yeah, it's a very niche skill set because why are you getting Kamara if you need a rusher?
43:23He's not a- No, no, no. How much rushing do you have?
43:27You're not wrong. You're not wrong. You're right. So I don't know if he really fits Green Bay.
43:32Green Bay loves to run the ball in between the tackle.
43:35Like him and Josh Jacobs, to me at this point in their careers, couldn't be any more different.
43:40You're not wrong. He's a perfect compliment to Josh Jacobs.
43:43Yeah, exactly. But what I'm saying is if you don't have that internal guy, then you might as well change up what you do.
43:50Because you might not have a choice. I would just rather take a salty veteran that knows how to play football.
43:56It might have a little something left in the tank and something left to prove.
44:01As opposed to just, give me another guy who's like a yard in a cloud of dust.
44:06Like I don't need that guy anymore because I don't know what else you're going to find.
44:11Erickson wants Jordan Love to lead the league in pass attempts so bad.
44:14I think James Connors is the guy for the Packers.
44:17Yes. James Connors has got to get off Arizona.
44:20Please. Oh my God. Get this guy off the Cardinals.
44:23Oh my God. The Arizona running back room is like- I want to see him in Detroit.
44:28Detroit, honestly. I feel like he fits that culture so well.
44:31He'd be a perfect compliment to Gibbs. Get him to Detroit.
44:34What about the defense here? Boggs or the Saints?
44:37Where do you rank them in your mind? I don't like it that much.
44:41You know, really it's the depth that I hate.
44:43And it's old, right? You have Carl Granderson and Chase Young as your primary edge rushers.
44:48Anthony Jennings, Tyree Wilson just haven't shown us enough for me to be very impressed.
44:52The linebackers are fine. I like Ellis and Pete Warner.
44:55They're okay. Don't like the backups. You have Danny Stutzman and Isaiah Stalberg.
44:59Not great there. The interior is probably the best.
45:02Brisee, Godshaw, Shepard. They drafted Christian Miller in the second round to pair him with Broughton, who they drafted in the third round last year.
45:09But they lost to Lante Taylor in the secondary.
45:11The starting free safety is Julian Blackman, who just hasn't been good.
45:15And behind him, it's Lorenzo Stiles, who barely had any snaps.
45:18He was drafted really to be a special teamer in a project.
45:22So I like the like the starters, as they said, are pretty good, but they have no depth on this defense.
45:28And I think there's questions on offense. So I'm not going to be very high on the Saints this year.
45:34The schedule is very easy, though. I think it's like the second or third easiest, isn't it?
45:38Second easiest. Yeah, second behind the Browns. The Lions week one and the Ravens week two.
45:43So it's not great. You got to buy the dip.
45:46So they got two road games to open the year, which brings us to some of these numbers here.
45:51Now, to win the division is plus 280 for them, which I like.
45:55But I'm also really curious to see after week two if it's plus four.
45:59So I might like bet it now and then bet it again kind of thing.
46:04You guys feel me on that? You know, just kind of double dip on there.
46:08Yeah, I like that approach a lot because yeah, I I don't I think they're going to be going to and teams
46:14that start going to our historic week three. Absolutely terrible.
46:17The rates of those teams going on to the playoffs are having any type success.
46:22But in this particular instance, knowing that, yes, the first two weeks are going to be terrible.
46:27Maybe they still play well in those games and they don't look overmatched, but they end up losing just because it's really too at Detroit at Baltimore.
46:34Like those are just really too hard draws to open the season.
46:38But then after that, it's smooth sailing. It's it's coasting and maybe being oh and two.
46:43OK, it backs against the wall. Let's get going.
46:45And you can see the Saints go on a run from there on out.
46:49Same thing with the to make the playoffs. It's yes, it's plus 200 minus 215 for the no, but I'm on the yes.
46:56So again, I would wait to see if I can even juice it more.
47:00And then the win total boys, what do you think the win total is for the Saints?
47:05Eight and a half taking the over. It's seven and a half, seven and a half minus 110 right now.
47:11Boom. Under plus 105. So I think they can win eight.
47:14Look, you need to win nine games wins this division, boys.
47:17We know that. No more, no less. No more, no less.
47:20That's what you need. Which leads us to one remaining team, maybe a bit of an enigma.
47:25It's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that lost not one, but two captains.
47:29They lost Mike Evans. They lost the Vaughn to David.
47:32So now they're in a position where when you lose that kind of leadership, I think in a in a clubhouse, in
47:38a locker room, whatever you want to call it.
47:41I think it has an effect on guys. Now, Todd Bowles is kind of in a precarious situation.
47:46You know, Todd Bowles is a guy that inherited a really good situation from Bruce Arians.
47:51And I think we could all look at that and go, OK, we had some success, but it's been kind of spotty the last couple of years.
47:59This is kind of an intriguing spot because you also have Baker Mayfield, who looked like an MVP for six weeks.
48:05Then injuries really just on both sides of football, just kind of crushed this team.
48:09So Boggs, when you look at the Buccaneers, I feel like this is only two ways.
48:14It's either going to get much better real quick or it's going to be one of those situations that gets ugly fast.
48:20And then I think Todd Bowles might finally be out.
48:23I don't see there being an in-between here. I think you're right, but I'm on the positive side of the Bucs here.
48:29And to me, it goes back to what Baker Mayfield can do.
48:33And Baker Mayfield was hurt basically all year last year.
48:36He probably should not have played after he hurt his collarbone or whatever it was.
48:40And he came back too soon. And we know that's just the nature of Baker being Baker, right?
48:45He wants to be on the field constantly and all the time.
48:49They are huge losses. Evans way more important than Levante David at this point in their career.
48:54I mean, Levante David was on a podcast, I think, earlier this week saying, my teammates were getting on me for loafing.
49:00And they were like, but you weren't doing that.
49:03You're just old, right? He's like, no, I was probably loafing a little bit.
49:07I think it was probably time to hang him up for me.
49:10So, you know, losing Levante David, although he has been in the face of that defense for years and years and was a very great player.
49:18I think that probably is overall a good move.
49:20Alex Anzalone is younger, faster, a lot of experience.
49:23They got a guy in Josiah Trotter. That's way better as well.
49:27And, you know, losing Mike Evans, of course, hurts.
49:29But you lose a player from the best room in the league, basically, a wide receiver.
49:34So you go from Mike Evans being your main to Agbuka being your main.
49:38I think it's fine, specifically when you still have Chris Godwin, you had Jalen McMillan off the injury, Ted Johnson looked good, and they drafted Teddy Hurst.
49:46So I think the offense is going to be okay.
49:49But it all relies upon the health status of Baker Mayfield.
49:52If Baker can play all of the games, I think they win this division without much of a problem, even though they
49:58have a harder schedule than I believe it's the Saints and the Falcons.
50:02So I think this team is just better, specifically on defense, than almost every other team in this division.
50:07And I think if Baker is healthy, the offense is good enough to win this one going away.
50:13The best team doesn't always win. I feel like the team that plays the best wins, Andrew.
50:18My question is, do you think the Bucs are the team that's going to play the best football in this division?
50:24Yes. I think they have the capability of doing that.
50:27To your point, when you first outlined the Buccaneers, make or break, boom or bust, that is what this team really feels like to me.
50:34But I always go back to, when do you want to bet on Baker Mayfield?
50:38When people are doubting him. Sure. Every single time.
50:41Baker Mayfield has an underdog. Baker Mayfield on the road.
50:44That's why they were so bad down the stretch, because they were favored every single week, and they lost every game outright.
50:50And they were terrible against the spread, because Mayfield wasn't himself.
50:53And this is his problem, right? It happened in Cleveland.
50:56He came back, he played hurt. And they were like, see ya, we don't want to play with you anymore.
51:02How good would the Browns be if they had Baker Mayfield, by the way?
51:06Like, it's just, someone has to protect him from himself sometimes.
51:09Be like, dude, you're injured, you can't play, we're sorry.
51:12Because it really affects how you actually do play on the field.
51:16But he's a warrior, and when he's an underdog, I want to bet on him.
51:20Unfortunately, I don't know what the markets are for the Buccaneers.
51:23I know when we talked earlier in the offseason that they were still favorites to win the division.
51:28So, I still don't like that. There are people on the Buccaneers, like Boggs, talking about them being a bounce-back candidate.
51:34If the offense is healthy, offensive line, if they get their guys back.
51:38Tristan Wirth's back and fully healthy. Agbuca taking a step in year two.
51:42I mean, there's still a lot of talent on this roster.
51:45And then, the draft, getting Reuben Bain. So good.
51:48What a great move. In terms of just, like, smash home run picks.
51:52That one where the Buccaneers were probably doing mock drafts all offseason.
51:55Thinking, okay, well, Reuben Bain's never going to be there.
51:58So, we don't even really worry to consider him.
52:01He's on there when they're picking at 15. And just one of the easiest picks they could make.
52:06So, if he ends up being, like, a superstar player from day one.
52:09I think that he could really help this defense that we've seen be very boomer bust in Todd Boll's scheme.
52:15Young secondary. They let Jamel Dean walk to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
52:18How does that affect their defense? So, yeah, there's a lot of ways you can paint the picture of this being a really good team.
52:26Also, Baker Mayfield's playing on a contract year. So, going back to, hey, I want to get paid one more time.
52:32I'm going to ball out. So, I'm, like, afraid to fade the Buccaneers even though I can see a path where things
52:38could crumble again if Baker doesn't stay healthy. Talk to me about Bain and the rest of this defense toolbox.
52:44How you see them performing in 2026. Bain, so, to peel the curtain back, Joe and I owned a 32-team IDP team, right?
52:51Because we're crazy people. Joe tried to ruin it and then left me.
52:54I did. So, it's fine. But my first pick was Ruben Bain.
52:58I need an edge rusher there. And I think he's going to be on the field almost 100% of snaps to start
53:04because they don't have great pass rushers. But they need that one dominant one.
53:08They need Ruben Bain to be great. Yaya Diaby's a good edge rusher.
53:12But he needs someone on the other side for that push end to get the double teams to get him one-on-one coverage.
53:18He's going to have that in Bain. Bain is great.
53:21So, I like the depth that they added on the interior as well.
53:25A'shaun Robinson. Rakeem Nunez-Roaches on the linebackers. Like we said, Levante David out.
53:29Anzalone and Trotter in. They also signed Roseboom because Sarvasia Dennis was an abject failure last year.
53:34And the secondary's worse, like Erickson said. Jamel Dean gone.
53:37But I think McCollum was fine. Ben Morrison was fine.
53:40Jacob Parrish, who they drafted in the third round last year, will play more this year.
53:44And they have two of the best safeties in the league in Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr.
53:49So, I think this defense is good enough. They added depth at every position this year, which is big as well.
53:56So, really, to me, the whole team hinges on the health of Baker Mayfield.
54:00If Baker can go out there and be old vintage Baker from just two years ago, doesn't have to be at his
54:06absolute prime, but from a couple years ago, this team wins the division going away easy.
54:11I just ifs and buts and candies and nuts.
54:13What are we going to get from Baker? It's a big question.
54:17Well, what are we going to get for the run game, too?
54:20I don't want to undersell that. We do have a new offensive coordinator here as well.
54:25Zach Robinson's taking over. And to be honest, like the Bucky Irving health concerns me.
54:29Going to keep it real. So, I like I think you can take Bucky Irving all the way out and go with Gainwell and Tucker.
54:36I think I might have to. But it's just something to keep in mind there.
54:41You know, Bucky Irving's had multiple injuries, too. I like a book a lot.
54:45I'm not super concerned about the tail off last year.
54:48I think what we saw in the beginning of the year is rookie.
54:52Well, I think it was rookie wall, but also the injuries of the bigger Mayfield.
54:56You know, bigger Mayfield's limitations or limitations on the offensive line make it hard to work as a wide receiver.
55:02Andrew, do you have any concerns here? Or what do you I guess a better question is, what do you think that
55:08Zach Robinson is going to do with this offense?
55:11It might be a little different than last year.
55:13Instead of taking B. John Robinson off the field to put Tyler Algier, he's going to take the other running back and
55:20put Sean Tucker in at the goal line. Because for some reason, he just has like these touchdown vultures in his mind
55:26that he's just like ready to deploy to just piss off everyone in fantasy football.
55:30So that's going to be really frustrating and fun to watch.
55:34I am not as concerned about Egg Buka. I think that he also had injury last year and he came back from
55:40it after we thought he might miss a couple games and just never looked really the same.
55:45Did the Baker. Probably came back too soon. Came back too soon from his injury because the team needed him.
55:51And obviously losing Mike Evans is you can't replace that type of guy, especially locker room presence.
55:56But if we're being realistic, he didn't play a lot last year for the Buccaneers.
56:00I mean, he wasn't really there last year for them for a lot of the season.
56:05So I think Tampa Bay was smart to get ahead of it by drafting a Buka when they did with Mike Evans
56:11and Chris Godwin getting up there in injuries. Maybe you get a healthy season out of Chris Godwin.
56:16I know that he's obviously been devastated by injuries last couple of years.
56:20He is 30 years old. But Chris Godwin at the peak of his powers was still a really effective receiver.
56:26And if he's not being cast into the number one wide receiver role as a depth piece, I think he's still pretty solid as a check down option.
56:34As for the backfield, one thing I want to note too, Baker Mayfield has always kind of been one to also target running backs.
56:41If you think back to when he was in Cleveland, it was Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt that were both very, very productive guys.
56:48And even last year, the last couple of years, who's been catching passes out of the backfield for Baker Mayfield?
56:54It's been Rashad White with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
56:56So I think that there's a place for both Bucky and Kenneth Gainwell to have certain roles.
57:01And if you do get anything close to Bucky Irving from his rookie year, well, you're getting a guy that can rush
57:07for over a thousand yards behind an offensive line that is improved if healthy.
57:12So again, going back to you can paint the picture of this Buc off as being a top 10 unit if everything kind of plays out.
57:19But if you get Zach Robinson shenanigans and the Atlanta Falcons didn't keep him around, there are paths where you can see
57:25things kind of get off the rails. Opening of the season is a little weird for them, too.
57:31They start at Cincinnati. Then at home, they've got three straight games.
57:34Cleveland, Minnesota, Green Bay. Right. Revenge. Well, I'm just love that.
57:37Well, yes and no. But like, I mean, Cleveland defense is pretty good.
57:41Cleveland doesn't have Miles Garrett anymore. So they're going to be a pretty good.
57:45Oh, they still got Jared Versus and they still can run the football.
57:49I'm just saying, like, there's a scenario you can paint here where Tampa does not get off to a good start.
57:55And then they got the Cowboys on the road after that.
57:58Oh, yeah. I can see. Yeah. So, I mean, if they're one in four.
58:02Do they start to unravel again like last year?
58:05That's my concern about the Buccaneers. Yeah. This is just Joe being upset that he was so in on Baker for MVP last year.
58:12And then Baker got hurt and was terrible in the second half.
58:15This is Joe's revenge chore. All right. I think this might be a little bit of Pisa Pisa regret.
58:21What is the over under on that week one game?
58:24I'll let you know. First of all, 48. Dude, it's got to be in the 50s.
58:28It has to be in the 50s. Come on.
58:31Let's talk about. I don't know. Do you like the Bucs for the conference winner?
58:35Anybody? Anybody? Plus 2,500? No. Not the conference. Division plus 190.
58:39Not bad. It's not good. I'd rather wait for the Saints.
58:42That's close enough. It's close enough, but I'd rather wait for the Saints to tank for a couple weeks.
58:47And then buy on the Saints. I still think that's the best route in this division.
58:52What would Baker be for comeback player of the year?
58:55I saw it. Yes. He was hurt last year.
58:57I actually saw it. No, Joe's not betting on that.
59:00But what is the number for it? Why would I bet on that when there's other guys to bet for that that I think would be better?
59:08I will get that number. You hate Baker now.
59:11You want to know what the odds are? Baker playoffs.
59:14Yes. Plus 125. Interesting. You're getting plus money there.
59:16No minus 130. So they think the Bucs are going to win this division.
59:20So give me the season win total. What do you think that number is?
59:24Nine and a half. Yeah. I don't think it should be much different than the other guys or other teams in this division.
59:31So I would guess eight and a half is correct.
59:34Right now, eight and a half plus 115 on the over minus 125 on the under.
59:39By the way, Baker Mayfield MV, not MVP. Baker Mayfield, see what you did there?
59:43See what you made me do? Comeback player of the year.
59:46He's not even top 10. Well, did he miss any games last year technically because of his injuries?
59:51I feel like he did, but so that might be why he's not because they've been very strict with the being eligible.
59:58Here's one that popped up though. You have to be coming back from an injury.
60:02Donald plus 2200. That just came on the board.
60:05He's not. That is. That is. He will never win the award because he was not injured.
60:10Baker didn't miss any games, by the way. He played all 17.
60:13Yeah, he did play. Didn't Joe Flacco win that year he came off the couch?
60:17Yes. And yeah, that was wrong. And then they changed the rules for the award because they're like, we can't have a
60:24guy just come off the couch or coming back from sucking the year before.
60:28How was it not Phillip Rivers? It has to be.
60:31It has to be from an injury. Patrick Mahomes is at the top of plus 185.
60:35Heels, Kyler Murray, Micah Parsons, then Aaron Donald, Daniel Jones.
60:38I think there's a lot of guys ahead of Baker, man.
60:41Dude, Aaron. Aaron Donald. He's like this? Oh my God.
60:44It's Jane Daniels is the smart guy. I like Kyler.
60:47I like Kyler for a cue if Minnesota can get in the playoffs.
60:51Then I would just say that it's sell before October 23rd when, you know, you know what happens.
60:56Both of them run around like crash test dummies.
60:59So we'll see which one gets hit first. All right, everybody.
61:02So that's the landscape of the South and the NFC.
61:05Who's your pick to win? Drop your comments below.
61:07Let us know. And make sure you subscribe to the tailgate channel right here on YouTube.
61:12Tailgate NFL. We got to get out of here.
61:15They're kicking us out of the parking lot. We'll see you next time on the tailgate.
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