Schefter's Season Preview of All 32 NFL Teams for 2026
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
57 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 8, 2026
Published
Tue, September 8, 2026
42
Player insights
39
Players mentioned
Topics
Chuba HubbardKenneth Walker IIIPatrick MahomesAlec PierceBo NixBryce YoungC.J. StroudCaleb WilliamsCam WardDaniel JonesDeshaun WatsonGeorge KittleJ.K. DobbinsJadarian Price
Player analysis
Player insights
Alec Pierce
PositiveInjury21:48
Alec Pierce is expected to play for the Colts on Sunday against the Ravens after being cautious with his health during the preseason.
Insight pageBo Nix
PositiveInjury31:52
Bo Nix is fully recovered from double ankle surgeries and is ready to lead the Broncos after missing time last season.
Insight pageBryce Young
PositiveProjection44:20
Bryce Young faces a massive year for his future as he enters his second season, with the team expecting a significant step forward from the former number one overall pick.
Insight pageC.J. Stroud
NegativeProjection27:05
CJ Stroud faces a huge year for the Texans; while he had a dominant start to his career, his performance slowed down recently, and he is currently seeking a contract extension.
Insight pageCaleb Williams
PositiveProjection50:31
The source predicts Caleb Williams will become the first 4,000-yard passer in Chicago Bears franchise history this season.
Insight pageCam Ward
NegativeProjection18:59
Cam Ward had a lackluster preseason, but there is internal optimism that he will perform well under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, following a season where he was sacked 55 times.
Insight pageChuba Hubbard
PositiveRole44:06
Chuba Hubbard is described as a warrior who will be available to play, and the team intends to utilize a 50-50 split backfield with him and Brooks until one player establishes himself as the lead back.
Insight pagePositiveUsage72:39
Chuba Hubbard is described as a 'warrior' who will be part of a 50-50 split backfield role until another back establishes themselves.
Insight pageDaniel Jones
PositiveInjury22:03
Daniel Jones is back for the Colts following a torn Achilles; he showed no signs of physical limitation during summer workouts or recent activities.
Insight pageDeshaun Watson
NegativeRole13:35
Deshaun Watson is the starting quarterback for the Browns in the regular season opener, though the organization is also looking toward the 2027 draft class for a long-term solution.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
PositiveInjury48:21
George Kittle is tracking to be ready for Week 1 despite concerns regarding his recovery from a tourniquet injury.
Insight pageJ.K. Dobbins
PositiveUsage32:30
J.K. Dobbins is part of a three-pronged running back committee for the Denver Broncos this season.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveRole50:25
With Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet on IR, the Seahawks are leaning on first-round pick Jadarian Price, whom the team believes can be a special back.
Insight pageJayden Daniels
PositiveProjection49:11
Despite the Commanders' difficult schedule and personnel losses, the source believes Jaden Daniels is capable of elevating the team's performance if he plays at his best.
Insight pageJayden Higgins
NegativeInjury26:47
Jaden Higgins suffered a torn ACL in the preseason, which is a significant blow to the Texans' offense.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
PositiveBreakout46:52
Jeremiah Love is tracking to play Sunday and impressed in the preseason opener with 14 carries, drawing comparisons to Adrian Peterson for his low-to-the-ground running style.
Insight pageJoe Burrow
NegativeInjury12:08
Joe Burrow is entering a critical season for the Bengals; his health is the primary concern, as the team went 1-8 without him last year and he has a history of injuries.
Insight pageJordan Love
PositiveProjection58:23
The Packers need Jordan Love to play at an MVP level to secure a playoff spot and potentially win the division, as the team has strong surrounding weapons.
Insight pageJosh Allen
PositiveProjection3:24
Josh Allen enters the season with 299 touchdowns over nine seasons, the most by any player in that span; the Bills are looking to leverage his production in a new stadium and under a new coaching staff to finally reach the Super Bowl.
Insight pageJosh Jacobs
NegativeInjury53:54
Josh Jacobs' legal situation remains a major uncertainty for the Packers, with a court date moved to September 10th; the source questions the team's public support given the nature of the allegations.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
PositiveProjection40:12
Justin Herbert has received high praise for his performance during training camp, and the source views him as a top-five to seven quarterback capable of leading the Chargers on an extended postseason run.
Insight pageJustin Jefferson
PositiveProjection60:44
Despite quarterback instability, Justin Jefferson is expected to continue his streak of 1,000-yard seasons with Kyler Murray at the helm.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveProjection35:08
The Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker to bolster their run game, and he is expected to have a big year alongside Emmitt Johnson.
Insight pageNegativeInjury50:18
Kenneth Walker will start the season on injured reserve, forcing the Seahawks to rely on other options in the backfield.
Insight pageKirk Cousins
NegativeRole37:21
Kirk Cousins is confirmed as the starter for the Raiders' opener against the Dolphins, but his long-term hold on the position is uncertain and depends on early-season performance and team wins.
Insight pageKyler Murray
NegativeProjection60:23
The source views this season as a critical 'last best chance' for Kyler Murray to prove himself as a franchise quarterback within a strong offensive system in Minnesota.
Insight pageLamar Jackson
NegativeProjection17:33
Lamar Jackson has a lot to prove this season; his contract remains unresolved, and he faces the challenge of adapting to a new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle.
Insight pageMalik Nabers
PositiveRole45:03
Following the release of Darius Slayton, the Giants are expected to feature Malik Nabers in the lineup for the Sunday night opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveSleeper57:29
The source suggests Marshawn Lloyd could be a very effective player for the Packers, though he lacks significant NFL experience.
Insight pageMichael Penix Jr.
NegativeRole65:50
Michael Penix is nearing health and is expected to receive an opportunity to start for the Falcons at some point this season if the current starter struggles.
Insight pageMike Evans
PositiveInjury48:16
Despite being sidelined during training camp, Mike Evans is expected to be available for the 49ers' upcoming games.
Insight pageNico Collins
PositiveUsage26:57
With Jaden Higgins out due to a torn ACL, Nico Collins is expected to see an increased target share in the Texans' offense.
Insight pageParker Washington
PositiveBreakout24:50
Parker Washington emerged during training camp as the Jaguars' apparent number one wide receiver.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
NegativeInjury35:32
Patrick Mahomes is cleared to play Monday night against the Broncos despite tearing his ACL late last season; he plans to adjust his playing style to run less.
Insight pageNegativeUsage35:45
Patrick Mahomes is cleared to play Monday night against the Broncos and intends to adjust his running style to avoid taking as many hits, though he has not missed any practice time this summer.
Insight pageSam Darnold
NegativeProjection50:53
Sam Darnold enters the season with questions about his ability to win big games despite a strong performance in the previous Super Bowl, leaving his narrative and level of belief uncertain.
Insight pageTravis Hunter
PositiveRole24:02
Travis Hunter is ready for the season and is expected to play significantly more at cornerback than at wide receiver for the Jaguars.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
PositiveProjection25:04
Trevor Lawrence is expected to continue his high level of play under new coach Liam Cohn, building on his performance from last season.
Insight pageTua Tagovailoa
NegativeDepth Chart5:02
The Dolphins are moving on from Tua Tagovailoa as part of a major rebuilding effort that includes 10 rookies on the roster and a record $182 million in dead cap space.
Insight pageTyler Allgeier
NegativeRole47:17
Tyler Allgeier is considered a good running back who entered the season with the expectation of being the lead back before the team drafted Jeremiah Love in the third round.
Insight pageZach Charbonnet
NegativeInjury50:18
Zach Charbonnet will start the season on injured reserve, creating backfield uncertainty for the Seahawks.
Insight pageZay Flowers
PositiveBreakout17:20
Zay Flowers is in line for a big year with the Ravens, potentially unleashed by new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
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0:25Welcome back to the Adam Schefter Podcast and welcome to the 2026 regular season.
0:30It kicks off Wednesday night in Seattle in a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
0:36And we'll go all the way until, if you haven't heard, Valentine's Day, 2027, the Super Bowl in Los Angeles on ABC and ESPN.
0:44We've got five plus months of wall-to-wall football. Get ready for it.
0:48And to help us get ready for what should be a tremendous season, we welcome back my friend, my colleague, the co-host
0:55of the Pat McAfee Show, Ty Schmidt, for this week's Six Pack, which is brought to you by ZipRecruiter.
1:02Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash Adam. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter.
1:06Ty, welcome back. Thank you very much, Shefty. Great to be back with you guys.
1:11Hey, we did it. We officially did it. Listen, we don't have to fill the void with any more BS or any
1:18other stuff that seems important that's not important. We had a great little appetizer with week one of the college football season.
1:25And now, here we go. The NFL season starts tomorrow.
1:29I'm so jacked up. I mean, I know we say it every year, but it really does feel like Christmas Eve and tomorrow is Christmas Day.
1:37And Ty, to help us get ready for the start of the season, we're going to do another what we call All 32.
1:45A look at all 32 teams on the eve of the season.
1:49Some of the bigger issues, storylines, nuggets, whatever it may be surrounding that particular franchise.
1:54We'll have something on everybody in this podcast, so we might as well get started with it right now.
2:00Absolutely. Then let's start with the AFC East, Shefty, and the Buffalo Bills.
2:04Well, this is all about Josh Allen. He has 299 touchdowns in nine seasons, more than any player has ever had.
2:11And they fired their head coach to get this man who has more touchdowns than anybody else over nine seasons to the Super Bowl.
2:19They have 91 wins in seven seasons and nothing to show for it.
2:23And so now they go into a new stadium with a new coaching staff, with new goals.
2:29And it is time for the Buffalo Bills to make their stand to see if they can get their quarterback to the
2:36spot that they've been unable to get to. The Chiefs have stood in their way.
2:41The Bengals have stood in their way. Other teams have stood in their way.
2:45Let's see if Josh Allen, in the first year of the new Highmark Stadium, can make some of those meaningful wins count later in the season.
2:54New coaching staff, new stadium, same expectations they've had for the last several years.
2:59All right, Shefty, let's go to the new look Miami Dolphins.
3:02Well, this is going to be what we call a rebuilding job.
3:06They're going to have, I believe, 10 rookies on the roster.
3:1010 rookies. They're going to have $182 million in dead cap space.
3:14The largest dead cap charge that any team ever has carried into an NFL season.
3:19Now, the Denver Broncos were able to overcome that when they moved on from Russell Wilson.
3:24We'll see if the Dolphins can overcome that by moving on from Tua Tungabalo.
3:28But when a team claims seven players, seven as the Dolphins did in the final cutdown day, that tells you that they
3:36are in need of a lot of help. And we're going to see if they can come up with some of that
3:43help this season and begin to develop the young guys to contribute in future seasons.
3:48All right, Shefty, let's go to the New England Patriots who last night re-signed Christian Gonzalez to a massive new deal.
3:55Well, Ty, we talked about on the show Monday that the two sides were nowhere is what I said, right?
4:01Yep. Well, where they were was over the last couple of weeks, there had not been a lot of conversations.
4:08Nobody had moved on anything. And both sides were pessimistic that a deal was going to get done.
4:14It was strained enough at one point that there were conversations in the Patriot organization in recent days about whether or not
4:21they should pull the offer that eventually Christian Gonzalez signed off on after the Patriots arrived in Seattle late Monday night.
4:28Those conversations, I believe, went into the day on Monday after we talked about whether or not they should pull the offer.
4:35Now, the Patriots team flight left. They decided not to pull the offer, which was the right thing to do, because when
4:42you get this close to the season, there's a little window for everybody to revisit it and to see where the talks go.
4:50And in the end, the Patriots raised the average price per year to $33.75 million.
4:55That's where the change on Monday came with the Patriots upping the average price per year to a record number to make
5:02Christian Gonzalez the highest paid cornerback in NFL history.
5:05And when they landed in Seattle, Mike Vrabel wanted to talk to Christian Gonzalez, go over it man to man, get a feel for him.
5:13And the deal gets done, loved what he heard, and the deal gets done early Tuesday morning, a record deal for a cornerback.
5:21But again, this was not a simple deal to get done.
5:24We heard on August 25th, Christian Gonzalez complain about the offer, but the offer pretty much was the same until the end
5:31when they upped the average per year. And basically agreed to the deal while they were in the air, once Vrabel spoke
5:39to Gonzalez, once both sides felt good. And fortunately for the Patriots, they did not have to pull back the offer, which
5:46was actually a school of thought at one point in time in recent days.
5:50Well, yeah, that's, that's huge. And that's good to know because this kind of seems like, I mean, after the off season,
5:58they had bringing in all the new players and AJ Brown and Romeo Dobbs and kind of revamping that entire offense.
6:05This was the one storm cloud hanging over new England.
6:08And now that this is, you know, kind of, uh, in the rear view, this is a team that expects to go
6:15compete to win a Superbowl this year. And I think everyone else does as well.
6:20All right, Chifty, let's move on to the New York jets.
6:24Well, this is a situation where they have now gone 15 seasons without a playoff appearance.
6:29It is the longest drought in the NFL. I think it might be the longest drought in football.
6:35Their last playoff appearance, and it's hard to imagine this, was in 2010 under Rex Ryan.
6:40Can you imagine the guy that we work with on Sunday NFL countdown, Monday getup, who I love being with on the
6:47weekend and beating his fantasy teams each week. And he's going to love when he hears that.
6:53That is the last time the New York jets won a playoff game with Rex Ryan as their head coach.
6:59Now with Aaron Glenn as their head coach, they're hoping to win again.
7:04We'll see if they can get it done, but that's the situation as it is.
7:09Yeah. And I think a lot of people probably say, Hey, you, you don't want to win a couple, but their, their
7:16eyes are on the 2027 draft class and getting a franchise QB, which they haven't been able to do for quite some time.
7:23All right, Jeff, let's move to the AFC North and the Cincinnati Bengals.
7:28Listen, you heard Joe Burrow talk about the fact that this was the best roster that he's seen.
7:34And it feels like there's a real vibe and buzz about the Bengals that they're going to be back this season.
7:40They've got a lot of things going for them, including Burrow's presence.
7:44They were one and eight without him last year.
7:47And he's had so many injuries throughout the course of his career.
7:51He has to stay healthy. He has to stay on the field.
7:55If he does, they're going to win and they're going to win a lot.
8:00If he doesn't, there's going to be a lot of questions, a lot of losses, a lot of criticism, and a lot
8:07of questions and discussion about their future. Critical season in Cincinnati.
8:11Let's see how the Bengals handle it. What about the Cleveland Browns?
8:15Listen, this is all about a quarterback in 2027.
8:18I know we had a lot of questions about who's going to be quarterback this year.
8:23And they're starting Deshaun Watson on Sunday in the regular season opener at Jacksonville before they play at Tampa.
8:29And we all think at some point in time, Shador Sanders very well may get his turn this season.
8:35And they may even have a package of plays Sunday for the rookie quarterback, Talon Green, to run, who looked dynamic and athletic during the preseason.
8:44So lots of quarterback questions now. But I still think this organization, in its own mind, has been thinking about 2027 when
8:51it's got two ones in a quarterback-rich draft. And, of course, the Browns are going to fight for everything this year.
8:58They're not giving up and conceding anything. But I still think with this team, the most important question surrounds the quarterback they'll draft in 2027.
9:06Couldn't agree more. All right, let's move to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
9:10Listen, 19 straight years of Mike Tomlin no longer there.
9:13Mike McCarthy is back home. It is hard to stress emphasize how much it means to him to be back in Pittsburgh.
9:20When he gets back there, he's like living in the house where he was raised with his parents until he can get established and set up.
9:29Now he's on his own. Now the team is on its own.
9:33I don't love that it's in a division with what I think is going to be an improved Bengals team and an improved Ravens team.
9:41And it's been a long time since Pittsburgh won a playoff game, since they've become postseason relevant.
9:46But that is the job and task now at the hands of the new head coach, Mike McCarthy.
9:52Yeah, and we spent a lot of time with Coach McCarthy last year.
9:57Everyone's happy for him. And I, you know, the Steelers will be a tough out.
10:02But like you said, that's a much improved division.
10:04We'll see what happens there. Let's move to the Baltimore Ravens.
10:08Lamar Jackson missed four games last year to injury.
10:11They had 30 sacks on the season. The second fewest in the NFL.
10:15Lamar can't be missing games and they can't not be getting to the quarterback.
10:20Like when is the last time the Baltimore Ravens team had that fewest sacks in a season?
10:25I think this year they get Trey Hendrickson. He is going to be in a great spot.
10:31He sounds rejuvenated. He sounds happy. He sounds like he's going to bring the pass rush that Max Crosby was supposed to, that they didn't have last year.
10:40And it also sounds like Zay Flowers is in line for a big year.
10:45They paid him a certain way. And with the new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, I think that could unleash Zay Flowers for a big year.
10:53Lamar has a lot to prove. His contract still isn't done.
10:57If I'm guessing now, I don't think it'll be done by the start of the regular season.
11:02Let's see. Although, again, I didn't think Gonzalez on Monday when we spoke and then they stepped it up.
11:08Let's see if Baltimore and Lamar step up anything.
11:11Although it's hard when Lamar is his own agent and he's focused on the season opener against your Indianapolis Colts.
11:18Well, and we'll see because what's the stat that Lamar Jackson won an MVP in Greg Roman's first year as OC.
11:25He won an MVP in Todd Munkin's first year in OC.
11:29So we'll see what Declan Doyle does this year.
11:31Albeit, this will be his first time calling plays.
11:34All right, Chefsy, let's move to the AFC South and the Tennessee Titans.
11:39Look, this is about Cam Ward. And if you watch him in the preseason, it didn't look great.
11:45Like, I kept waiting for more. Now, what I want to see is were they holding back?
11:50Was the new offensive coordinator Brian D'Abel from New York holding back?
11:54And we're going to see a different Cam Ward come Sunday against the Jets.
11:59I tend to think that's the case. There are people I know who know Cam Ward, who swear by him, who swear
12:06he's going to be great, who swear he's going to do great things.
12:10And I want to see that. So let's hope that he plays well.
12:14They had six wins over the last two seasons, the fewest in the NFL.
12:19He was sacked last year 55 times. And what's strange is, if you look at the first five games last year, he
12:26had eight touchdown passes and one interception in the first five games.
12:30And then it, like, went south. So I think we want to see the real Cam Ward, the good Cam Ward, stand
12:37up, take hold, show that the franchise is in good hands.
12:41And we'll see if we start to see that on Sunday.
12:45Yeah. And I think if nothing else, just having a little stability there, you know, that you got two guys who have been head coaches before.
12:53Last year was kind of such a show in Tennessee.
12:56I don't know if anyone could have succeeded, but you're right.
13:00This all hinges on whether or not he makes a big jump.
13:04So we'll see. What about the Indianapolis Colts? Well, it sounds like they're getting back Alec Pierce on Sunday.
13:10All those questions about whether or not Alec Pierce would play.
13:14He's going to be out there against the Baltimore Ravens, which is encouraging.
13:18They have, I think, that offense was so much better last year than people thought.
13:23And Daniel Jones, I know he's coming off the torn Achilles, but like Patrick Mahomes, didn't show any signs of any letup
13:30in work over the summer, was throwing more. So Jones is back.
13:34Pierce is back. The rest of the offense is back.
13:37Plus Keenan Allen. Again, should be pretty good. I'm expecting good things from the Colts.
13:42You? Yeah. I mean, we, a couple of us in here played in these, in a celebrity softball game a couple of
13:50weeks ago, you know, Tyrese Halliburton put it on and Daniel Jones.
13:54He was my team's captain. And yeah, you wouldn't be able to tell that he tore his Achilles or broke his leg.
14:01He was, I mean, again, we saw the Malik neighbors video from, you know, when everyone went crazy when he was at his softball game.
14:09Daniel Jones was moving laterally side to side. He was able to run.
14:13Like, it didn't look like anything was bothering him.
14:16And Alec Pierce, he didn't play, but same deal.
14:19You know, after talking to him and everything, he was like, we're just, we're kind of just being cautious, but I feel good.
14:27I feel ready to go. So I think if you're a Colts fan, you can kind of breathe a sigh of relief
14:34because it does look like both those guys are ready to go.
14:38Good for them. Yeah, absolutely. All right, Chetty, what about the Jacksonville Jaguars?
14:42Sounds like Travis Hunter's ready to go. And it sounds like he's going to be playing a lot more cornerback than wide receiver.
14:50And they're pretty loaded at wide receiver. Parker Washington, obviously, was the talk of camp emerging, what seems to be as their
14:57number one receiver in a good group. We've got Brian Thomas Jr., we've got Jacoby Myers, we have Travis Hunter occasionally filling in.
15:04Again, Trevor Lawrence stepped up last year, and this shows the value of coaching.
15:09Liam Cohn steps in there. Trevor Lawrence plays like the number one pick that he was out of Clemson.
15:15And again, I would expect that to continue with this team to be good.
15:20Also, again, a tougher division than you'd think. Like, Houston, I think, is good.
15:24Indy's good. Jacksonville's good. This has been a down division in other years.
15:29This arrow pointing up on the AFC South. Yeah, I agree.
15:32And let's go to the Houston Texans, who are a trendy Super Bowl pick for a lot of people.
15:39Well, you know, Ty, I can see that with the way that they play defense and the way they run the football.
15:46But what they're going to have to overcome is that they're 0-7 in their past seven divisional playoff games.
15:520-7. They get to that round, they lose. It doesn't work.
15:56They have to improve their pass block rate. Last year, they were 30th in the NFL.
16:01So they're getting great pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but they're giving up a lot of pressure against their own quarterback.
16:07And obviously, losing Jaden Higgins was a big blow.
16:10He suffered a torn ACL in the preseason. He had really come on, was poised for a big year.
16:17And without Jaden Higgins, that just means more Nico Collins.
16:20But that defense is so good right now. I mean, they were scary last year, weren't they?
16:25Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, I think CJ Stroud would probably admit it too.
16:30If he plays up to the level that he's capable of and not as poorly as he did against New England, I
16:38think there's a good chance they win the Super Bowl because their defense was just so dominating.
16:43We talked about it all offseason with him, whether or not he's going to get a big extension in Houston.
16:50It's tough to imagine that he won't. But it has been weird because those first two years, he came in with his
16:57hair on fire and it was like, man, is this guy the best rookie quarterback, best young quarterback ever?
17:03And he's kind of slowed down a little bit.
17:06And you've got to strike while the iron's hot because that defense is so good.
17:11Eventually, you're not going to be able to pay all those guys.
17:15You're going to start losing guys. Now, I think the scheme is good enough, but we'll see because I think a lot
17:22of people were disappointed in the way that the Texans season ended last year.
17:27And a huge year for CJ Stroud, who, again, we'll see if they get a deal done by Sunday, a last minute push a la Christian Gonzalez.
17:36But it sounds like that won't happen. Of course, sounded like Gonzalez wouldn't happen.
17:40It did. You never know. But quarterback's different. I don't know how much risk you are there.
17:46So if CJ Stroud doesn't get that deal done by Sunday, huge year for him.
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19:06Call 1-800-GRANGER, clickgrainger.com, or just stop by. Let's move to the AFC West, Shefty and the Denver Broncos.
19:12Bo Nix is back. And I don't know if people realize this, Ty, but I know he was out there in that
19:19preseason game a couple of weeks ago. He was ready a month before that.
19:24He's raring to go coming off these double ankle surgeries.
19:27And they've got Jalen Waddell now. There's a real feeling in Denver that they're going to try to take care of the
19:35business that they didn't get done last year when they lost Bo Nix and lost the AFC Championship game to New England.
19:42Feel pretty good about this team. We'll see if they can respond.
19:46But Bo Nix is back. Sean Payton is as hungry as ever.
19:50They've got the running game that I think is going to be three-pronged with J.K.
19:55Dobbins and R.J. Harvey and the rookie Jonah Coleman, who I think will be a factor at some point this season.
20:01So there's some reasons to be optimistic in Denver.
20:04Yeah, and Davis Webb, first time calling plays again after Sean Payton gave the reins.
20:09Oh, yeah. He'll be a guy who, if they have a similar year to what they did last year, he'll be one
20:17of the hotter head coaching names when that carousel starts because I think he interviewed with the Raiders and a couple other teams.
20:24So he's kind of bided his time. And if Sean Payton is kind of seeding play calling to him, obviously he trusts him and believes in him.
20:33So I think a lot of people are very excited about what the Broncos can be this year.
20:39What about the Kansas City Chiefs? First missed postseason last year since 2014.
20:43So we talk about unfinished business, redemption. That's the Chiefs as well.
20:47I mean, just Ty, hard to imagine this team went to the playoffs that much and then missed out last year.
20:54But that was the deal. They were one and nine in one score games.
20:59So this is a team that didn't win, didn't get to the playoffs, didn't win in the clutch.
21:04Like, that's not what Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey are ordinarily about.
21:08And they go out and sign Kenneth Walker. Obviously, they're going to dedicate a lot of resources already have to the run game.
21:16I would expect that to continue in season. I would look for Kenneth Walker, Emmitt Johnson to have a big year.
21:23And we'll see if the Chiefs can bounce back and make it back to the playoffs after missing it for the first time in over a decade.
21:32Yeah. And we'll see how Patrick Mahomes is because I think a lot of people forgot, you know, how late in the
21:39season last year he tore his ACL. And that's not even, that's not even a story right now.
21:45Isn't that amazing? Like, Micah Parsons is on PUP and Mahomes is going to be out there Monday night against the Broncos.
21:52And he says he's going to adjust his running style and playing style, not going to run as much.
21:58But it's fascinating because he hasn't missed anything. He's been cleared for everything.
22:03I've had some doctors wonder to me, can this be real?
22:06Is he going to be impacted, handicapped at all?
22:09We'll see if he's the same. We'll get the first glimpse of it on Monday night, but he hasn't missed anything this summer.
22:17He ain't going to miss Monday night either. No.
22:20So yeah, exactly. If you're a Chiefs fan, you have to be feeling pretty good about where they're at right now, especially
22:27with, you know, people are probably picking, most people are probably picking the Chiefs to finish third in the division this year.
22:34So we'll see. What about the Las Vegas Raiders?
22:37I think that this team has begun to put itself back together.
22:41And I know Kirk Cousins is starting Sunday's opener against the Dolphins, and we'll see how long he holds down that position.
22:48I think that their early season schedule is difficult.
22:51And if you look at their bye later in the season, which I believe is in week 11, if I'm not mistaken,
22:58let me get up my schedule chart. Their bye is in week 13.
23:03Right after the bye, they have three straight home games, Chargers, Broncos, Titans, before at Arizona and at KC.
23:09So if you're looking for a spot, a natural spot before the season to start Mendoza, I would think it would be
23:16after a bye when you've got three straight home games.
23:19Like that would be logical, but Kirk Cousins has got to go out early, perform.
23:24They have to win some football games. Looks like Mike Washington will have a role there backing up Ashton Gentry, who I
23:31think is going to be fine for the opener.
23:34We'll see the injury report later this week, but it sounds like he's got a real chance to play against Miami.
23:41And I think the Raiders will be better. The problem is they're in a division with three really good teams.
23:48Yeah, absolutely. Yep. I think you hit the nail on the head there.
23:52All right, let's move to the Los Angeles Chargers.
23:55I really like this team this year. And I don't know.
23:59It feels like I like the Chargers a lot of years, but if you're getting back Rashawn Slater and Joe Walt, and
24:06you're getting Mike McDaniel to run the offense, you got some factors there that are really working in your favor.
24:12And people have spoken very highly about the camp that Justin Herbert has had.
24:17I didn't love losing Tyler Biotic in the preseason to the knee injury, but they have a second round draft pick, Jake
24:24Slaughter, ready to step in at center. And if he's pretty good, I think they're going to be pretty good.
24:31I think they're going to be pretty good anyway.
24:34I think there's a dangerous team capable of an extended postseason run.
24:38Yeah, I mean, I think with Harbaugh at the very least, you think they're going to make the playoffs and now it's
24:45just, can they take that next step? So we'll...
24:48And they haven't in a while, right? Like they just haven't.
24:52No, for whatever reason. And a big part of that is they've been banged up at the wrong time, whether it's on
24:59the offensive line or last year, you know, I mean, we're talking about Herbert playing with a broken hand, you know, late in the season and getting...
25:08So they've run into a bit of bad luck, but listen, it's the NFL.
25:12Every team is hurt, so you can't really fall out.
25:15And when you have a guy as talented as Justin Herbert, I mean, we've heard Jim Harbaugh gush about him, you know,
25:23at some point, you have to take that next step and you have to be, you know, one of those top five
25:30to seven quarterbacks in the league if you want to win a Super Bowl.
25:35All right, so that closes the door on the AFC.
25:38Let's move to the NFC, Shefty, and start with the NFC East and the Dallas Cowboys.
25:43Ty, I like the Cowboys this year. I keep saying it.
25:47Everybody does. I keep saying it. I think the defense is going to be much better.
25:52We know the offense is good. And if the defense is much better and the offense is as good as we think,
25:59why wouldn't they have a great year? Now, I don't love losing your old pro guard, Tyler Smith, in the week of the opener.
26:07He's having thumb surgery today, going on injury reserve out four to six weeks.
26:12And you see that right away, you're like, oh boy, here we go.
26:16But even that, I think, I mean, that'll be a blow to the run game, pass protection, all that.
26:22But that team has enough talent, I think, to have a memorable, memorable Cowboys season.
26:27Yeah, I do too. And I like Brian Schottenheimer.
26:30He's very easy to root for. And everything we've seen, you know, the clips that come out from the Cowboys, I like the direction they're moving.
26:39So I agree. You just, you always get worried because I know every year, this is the kind of tenor of the Cowboys going into the season.
26:47But this year, it does seem different. It does seem a little bit more real than it maybe has in years past.
26:55What about the New York Giants? Well, we're going to start to see them at home.
27:00The new regime under Jim Hart, John Harbaugh, opened Sunday night.
27:03And the fact that they moved on from their longest tenured player on Monday, releasing wide receiver, Darius Slayton, to me, was
27:11a sign that we're going to get Malik Nabors' return on Sunday night football against the Dallas Cowboys.
27:17I know Nabors has been noncommittal about his return, but hard to imagine they're moving on from Slayton and then wouldn't have Nabors in the opening game.
27:25So sounds like Malik Nabors is tracking to play in John Harbaugh's debut for the New York Giants in a great setting on Sunday night.
27:34And you know what? They better win on Sunday night because week two, they go to Los Angeles Monday night football at the Rams.
27:42And to start a season 0-2, boy, that's a tough spot to be.
27:46You feel like you're playing catch-up all year long and they come home.
27:50And by the way, the flip side is, of course, if they could find their way to win one of those games,
27:57then they come home for Tennessee and Arizona before going to at Washington home from New Orleans.
28:03Like, there's the potential for a strong start if they can make it.
28:07The strong start starting Sunday night against the aforementioned Dallas Cowboys who we both happen to like a lot this season.
28:14Yeah, and the Giants are a trendy playoff pick this year as well.
28:18You know, a lot of people think they're going to be a lot better, so we'll see.
28:24And hopefully Jackson Dart can stay healthy. That's a big part of it.
28:28What about the Philadelphia Eagles? You know, the question here is always the offensive line.
28:33I know we keep talking about the offensive coordinator there, Sean Mangan, but if Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson and Cam Juergens
28:40aren't healthy, then I don't care who's the offensive coordinator.
28:44I don't care if it's Kellen Moore. They're going to have a tough time at that point in time.
28:50So to me, it's about the health of the offensive line.
28:53If they could be on the field, great. Also, not so sure that Jonathan Garnard is going to be ready for the opener.
29:01We'll see what they say this week, but sounds like he's not going to be out there.
29:07We'll see how much time he winds up missing, and they were counting on him delivering some significant pass rush.
29:13They'll have to make do in the opener against Washington without him, it sounds like.
29:18Okay, well let's go to the Washington Commanders. You talk about a tough schedule?
29:23At Philly, at Dallas, home for Seattle to start the season.
29:26You're doing this with questions at left tackle. You made Laramie Tunsil the highest paid offensive lineman in the offseason.
29:33He goes down with the torn tricep in the preseason.
29:36Brutal loss in a critical year for the Washington Commanders.
29:39And, you know, it just feels like, Ty, every team has good vibes and bad vibes, right?
29:45The Dallas Cowboys, despite the loss to Tyler Smith, good vibes.
29:49Washington, not feeling those vibes right now. We'll see.
29:51Now it's up to Superman, Jaden Daniels to change that.
29:55And if he's gonna go play his best, then he is capable of changing that.
30:00But that's a lot to ask of him. Yeah, it's a massive year for them.
30:05You know, two years ago going to the NFC championship, last year kind of, you know, regressing a little bit.
30:11Like they need to, they need to have a good year this year and Jaden Daniels again, hopefully he can, hopefully he can stay healthy.
30:19We'll see. Let's move to the NFC North and the Chicago Bears.
30:23Last back-to-back trips to the playoffs. 2005, 2006. Been a long time since the Bears went to the playoffs in back-to-back years.
30:31Caleb Williams, last year, 3,942 passing yards. We're still waiting for that 4,000-yard season from a Chicago Bears pass for the only
30:38franchise never to have a 4,000-yard pass. I'm going to call it right now.
30:42This will be the year that the Chicago Bears will have a 4,000-yard passer and end the drought, the Billy Go drought,
30:50that they have never had a season with a 4,000-yard passer.
30:53Caleb Williams gets that done this season. Yeah, I agree.
30:56I agree. I mean, I think, you know, and Ben Johnson saying that he wants to be the highest-scoring offense of all time going into the season.
31:05I don't think you just say something like that if you don't have supreme confidence and belief in your group.
31:12So, yeah, I expect the Bears to be very good again this year.
31:16What about the Detroit Lions? Few questions here stand out to me about the Lions.
31:21First of all, the questions at center go on and on.
31:25They go out and sign Cade Mays after Frank now retires, Frank Rag now retires, Cade Mays is now hurt.
31:31They're going to rely on Juice Scruggs at center, questions at left guard, Christian Mahogany, like some big questions up front for
31:38the Detroit Lions, not to mention the fact that they're missing both their starting safeties, Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph.
31:45So, here's a team that I look at and I say, great team, really talented team.
31:50I do think they're capable of going to the Super Bowl, but they also have some significant questions that they have to answer here early in the season.
31:59They've got some players that are incredible, but they've got some holes that we have to see addressed before we're anointing them as NFC champs.
32:08Yeah, and we always talk about the 49ers, you know, kind of in this breath, but like they are another team that
32:15has kind of just been snake bit by injuries at the most inopportune times, but I agree.
32:20I think everyone believes in the Lions and their offense and we'll see what happens this year.
32:26What about the Green Bay Packers? Well, they're your team.
32:29Yes. I'm curious to know your thoughts, but again, you know what's interesting to me?
32:34Last week that Josh Jacobs' court case date was moved up to September 10th this week.
32:40So, I'm just telling you they have publicly supported and backed their running back.
32:44I don't know why they're doing it, but they feel like they should be backing and supporting him for whatever evidence they've seen.
32:52Now, we also know from the criminal report that there is a video that the DA's office saw and apparently in the
32:59criminal report it's corroborated that the DA's office says that the woman said this, we saw it on the video.
33:05So, I'm trying to reconcile the Packers' belief in Josh Jacobs, the DA's statements about this alleged incident and figure out what exactly is the truth here.
33:14And the fact that Josh Jacobs moved up the court case to September 10th tells me that he wants to get this
33:22moving and get the clock running on it because he believes that he could be playing football at some point this year sooner rather than later.
33:30Yeah, I don't know what to think about it because anytime someone gets put on the commissioner's exempt list, you assume that
33:37it's a very serious, and obviously it is a very serious deal, but like you said, the Packers have publicly supported him.
33:44Allegedly, I read somewhere and I don't know if this is true, but I read that they haven't seen the video yet,
33:52so maybe that has something to do with it.
33:55They said that, right. Right. Which, to me, seems very fishy.
33:58I mean, in the NFL, you think they haven't seen the video if a guy they're going to rely on heavily is
34:05being accused of these type of things, but I agree when you see that the court date gets moved up like that,
34:13I'm thinking that he wants this over and done with and then whatever suspension he's going to have to serve, he will serve it.
34:21It's weird. I really don't know what to think about this whole situation, and it is kind of the one thing that's
34:28just hanging over the Packers right now, you know, a couple days before the season starts.
34:33And again, let's see how it plays out, but it got my attention that they moved up the court appearance date to September 10th.
34:41Yeah. So, and by the way, like, so they're waiting on him, and in the interim they have Marshawn Lloyd, Caleb Johnson, Chris Brooks.
34:49Let's see what those guys can do from a football standpoint here, right?
34:53Like, I think Marshawn Lloyd could be really good, really good.
34:57Yeah, yes. But he also has not played very much at the NFL level, so we don't know yet.
35:03No, and I think the big thing, you know, I would say that they need Jordan Love to play like an MVP this year.
35:11That's, that is the key. You know, they need to fully take the reins off and give him control of everything because
35:18they really like their wide receiver group. They like Tucker Kraft.
35:22If he can play like an MVP, they will be just fine.
35:26They will make the playoffs, I believe. I think they have a good shot to win the division, but if it's another
35:33one of those things where at the end of the year, we're looking at his stats and, you know, you go the
35:40analytics route and it's like, well, you know, he was the fourth best or third best quarterback in the NFL based on
35:47all these different analytical measures like that's not going to cut it.
35:51He needs to play like an MVP. They need to tread water early until Micah Parsons gets healthy and gets back because
35:58he obviously is everything to their defense. So there are a lot of questions for the Packers going into the season and we'll see.
36:06They take on the Vikings on Sunday, so I think a lot of people don't know what to expect.
36:12Speaking of the Vikings, what are your thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings going into this year?
36:18Again, we come back to the quarterback position so often, but this one's such an obvious one.
36:23Is Kyler Murray this year's version of Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Daniel Jones, is that what Kyler Murray is?
36:30This, I don't say it's his last chance, but it's certainly his last best chance to redeem himself, prove himself, and show
36:37that he's the quarterback that some people believed in him when he was the number one overall pick back by the Arizona Cardinals.
36:44He's in a great offensive system. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hawkinson, Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, like they have weapons around him
36:52and Justin Jefferson despite the quarterback uncertainty and instability, set six straight seasons of a thousand yards.
36:57It feels like he's due to have another good year with Kyler Murray at the helm.
37:02Yeah, and I think you're probably right. Probably his last chance to be a starting quarterback.
37:08If it doesn't go well, then he's probably bouncing around and getting spot starts here and there, but I think you're right.
37:15I think this is the last time he gets the keys to the car.
37:19And if it does go well, I would think he's going to sign a long-term deal with Minnesota and stay there and be the quarterback for a while.
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38:49states and Washington, D.C. who are 18 plus at time of and full official rules.
38:54Visit www.espn.com slash sblxi. Void where prohibited. All right, Shetty, let's move to the NFC South and the Atlanta Falcons.
39:01They've missed the playoffs eight straight seasons. We talked about the Jets at 15.
39:05The Falcons are at eight. And we'll see whether or not they can turn around.
39:10That's the second longest drought in the NFL behind the Jets.
39:14It's up to Kevin Stefanski. It's up to Ian Cunningham, the general manager, Matt Ryan, new head of the front office, executive,
39:21president, whatever his title is to get this team back on track.
39:25They've got some great skill position players, but man, James Pierce suspended for a while now.
39:30We have Jalen Walker, their former first round draft pick, torn ACL out for the year.
39:36Like, they're missing some players now on the defensive side.
39:39And so, I think it's a tough challenge for this team to get it back on track with the quarterback questions they have.
39:46Tua is going to start the opener on Sunday at Pittsburgh.
39:50Michael Penix is close to being healthy, but not there yet.
39:54And if Tua plays well, they can keep riding him.
39:57And as soon as he doesn't play well, struggles, they don't win.
40:01And Michael Penix is healthy. I think Penix is going to get a look.
40:05Penix is going to get a look at some point this season.
40:09I'm sure it's going to be sooner rather than later.
40:13And we'll see how that works out. And if neither one steps up, then the Atlanta Falcons are back in the quarterback
40:20market in 2027 in the draft, which is hard to imagine considering all the money they spent on Kirk Cousins and the
40:27high pick they use on Penix, but that very well may be where they are.
40:32Yeah, they need to know about Penix. And, you know, I mean, it wasn't exactly a vote of confidence for Tua.
40:39You know, when they named him the starter, it was Tua will start week one for the Falcons.
40:45You know, it wasn't some season long proclamation, so we'll see.
40:48But, yeah, I mean, they need to know what they have in both those guys, because if there is ever a year
40:56where you're going to have to dive back in and you need to draft the QB, from everything we're hearing, it's probably
41:03the 2027 class, so we'll see what happens there.
41:06What about the New Orleans Saints? I like this team.
41:09I like this team a lot. I didn't love that Jordan Tyson is shelved for the only part of the season, their
41:16first round draft choice with more hamstring issues. That's a problem for the Saints, but if you watch Tyler Shuck last year,
41:24he looked like the real deal, and Kellen Moore knows what he's doing, and so there's a team that I think is
41:31a sneaky team in the NFC South. Every year there's a team that rises up.
41:36Oftentimes it's with a quarterback in the second year, and the Saints have the traits of a team capable of making that jump in the second year.
41:45Let's see if Shuck, that quarterback, can get it done.
41:48Travis Achan, the running back that they brought in from Jacksonville, should have a big mark.
41:53Chris Olave signed to the extension. Again, you know what's funny?
41:57I'm talking about the Saints here, and I like them, and I like a lot of teams, and then the season starts,
42:04and someone's going to get hurt, and someone loses a game, and some events happen, and all of a sudden, it changes
42:11quick, and it's like, it ain't going to go great for 32 teams.
42:15As soon as we start the games here, that's when reality hits, and some of the drama starts.
42:21It's easy to paint all these teams in a positive light.
42:25Look, there are questions about many of these teams, but I do like this Saints team, Ty.
42:31Yeah, so do I, and I also think the NFC South, there's no team that's head and shoulders better than everybody else.
42:38I think you could make an argument for the Saints just as much as you could for the next team, the Tampa Bay Bucks.
42:46We heard a lot about the Baker Mayfield contract situation.
42:49Again, I go back to Christian Gonzalez again. I know he said we're not doing it during the season.
42:55I guess my thought would be I'll believe it when I see it.
42:59I think there's another run there. I think they make another attempt here before the regular season begins on Baker Mayfield.
43:06Let's see if the two sides can get something done there as we record this podcast Tuesday morning 930 a.m.
43:13He's obviously so important you want to keep him there.
43:16They like him and I did with the owners like oh what's that about right you're sitting with the owners at the
43:23sponsorship dinner like that's interesting to me like you take note of those little things and you see ultimately where they wind
43:31up yeah we were talking about a couple teams and like vibes kind of being bad a couple weeks ago that's where
43:38we were at with Tampa Bay it was like oh man Baker's not going to get done Vita Vey might get traded
43:45and he gets his deal done and then now yeah you see something like that with Baker and things have kind of
43:52calmed down a little bit with Tampa Bay yeah and you carries I believe to his name that's his body of work
43:59already has some general soreness in his body Chuba Hubbard is a warrior will be out there if and when Brooks can
44:07be out there I think they'd like to use both backs in a split roll 50-50 for each one until somebody can
44:14establish himself as the lead back Ted McMillan gained 20 pounds of muscle during the off for Bryce Young team did not
44:21sign to an extension we talked about CJ Stroud big year Bryce Young same draft class number one overall pick huge year
44:28ahead for his future with Bryce Young yeah and I think a lot of like you said massive year for Bryce Young
44:36we'll see what happens there all right Shefty let's close things out with the NFC West last year's Super Bowl champion this
44:43year's Super Bowl favorite let's start there with the Los Angeles Rams where do we start the Rams they are the largest
44:50favorite that any team has been in the NFL in a decade if you look at the odds that a team has
44:57had I was going over this with Hembo the statistician on get up last week there has not been a team with
45:04odds this favorable to win a Super Bowl compared to the next best team in a decade so I hope I explained
45:12that well but basically the Rams are the heaviest favorite that we've seen in the NFL to win a Super Bowl in
45:19the but when they get back Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald to match with the rest of this defense, oh boy.
45:26Like you forget about the fact that they traded for one of the best cornerbacks in football, Trent McDuffie, and signed a former cornerback running mate, Jalen Watson.
45:35Like that's four new defensive starters on a defense that was pretty good last year, but they get embarrassed at certain times.
45:42The offense we know is going to hum at a high level behind Sean McVay and Nate Sheilhouse and their offensive coordinator Nate Sheilhouse.
45:50They could lose both their coordinators to head coaching jobs after the year.
45:54Nate Sheilhouse, Chris Shula, both going to be in line to get head coaching jobs after the year.
46:00If, if the season goes the way that odds makers think.
46:04Yeah. And on paper, you know, you think, I mean, how often is it we go into a season and people are
46:11talking about, Hey, this team might go undefeated. And if they can avoid the injury bug, they're going to win the Superbowl.
46:18So obviously we'll see what happens. I mean, expectations are a hell of a thing.
46:23And when, you know, I mean, these guys are all pros, they've won a Superbowl before they know how to handle it.
46:30But when the expectation is you're going to go out there and beat every team by 10 to 14 points, like that
46:38can, you know, maybe start to weigh on you a little bit.
46:42And, um, let's not forget that a team in their division won the Superbowl last year.
46:47Uh, but first let's go to the Arizona Cardinals.
46:50Well, Jeremiah love is tracking to play on Sunday.
46:53And I will say this, they ran him 14 times in the preseason opener.
46:57And when I watched him in that game, that looked to me a little bit like Adrian Peterson, the way he ran
47:05load of the ground running over people. And we'll see how good this team can be with a new head coach, Michael Fleur.
47:12That's where some hope and optimism would come from, but Jeremiah love Tyler Algier.
47:17Tyler Algier is a good running back. He went to Arizona with the idea that he'd be the one until they use
47:24the third overall pick on Jeremiah love. That's some excitement.
47:27And Jacoby Brissett is the kind of guy you want on every team, veteran leader, Gardner Minshew is the backup.
47:34We'll see where the Cardinals like they're in a brutal division, brutal division.
47:38So it's going to be tough, but they have some pieces here that become interesting, relevant players.
47:44Yeah. And I think you just, you just want to see a little bit of progress.
47:49You know, you want Jeremiah love to stay healthy.
47:52You want to see a little bit of progress.
47:55I don't think, you know, again, we, everyone goes in every year thinking their team's going to win the Super Bowl, but
48:02I think you also have to be realistic. And I think they're being pretty realistic down there with how good that division is.
48:10What about the San Francisco 49ers? A lot of players coming back from injury here, Ty, a lot, right?
48:16Mike Evans was sideline during training camp. Sounds like he's going to be out there.
48:21George Kittle coming off the tourniquette, a lot of people thought he might not be ready for week one.
48:27Sounds like he's tracking to be ready for week one.
48:30Raheem Morris, the defensive coordinator already has said that Nick Bosa coming off his big knee injury will be back out there.
48:37Niners need all hands on deck starting Thursday night in Australia, Friday morning against the Los Angeles Rams, the uber talented.
48:44And then it's interesting because after this game in Australia, the Niners come back home for three straight home games, three straight
48:52against the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos.
48:55Now I wonder how being in Australia for an extra week will impact this team, whether they'll be able to recover in
49:02time for the vaunted Miami Dolphins, but that'll be an interesting experiment and something other teams look at playing in Australia.
49:09A favorable schedule ahead early in the season for the 49ers, especially if they could find the way to win Thursday night, Friday morning against the Rams.
49:17Yeah, definitely. And with the Niners, you know, it seems like we talk about it every year.
49:23How healthy are they going to stay this year?
49:26They've already been banged up a bunch in the preseason and training camp here.
49:31We'll see what happens once the season starts. All right, Jeffy, let's close things out with the defending Super Bowl champion who
49:38seemingly no one is talking about still, even though they've been on hard knocks, the Seattle Seahawks.
49:43Well, I think some of the questions around them just will be how they respond a year after winning the Super Bowl
49:51when they lose their offensive coordinator, Clint Kubiak, to the Raiders.
49:54When Brian Flory has to come in and take over as the offense, we don't know.
49:59Like he's never called a game at the NFL level.
50:03We don't know that. We don't know what that's going to be like.
50:07And that's an art. And that applies to a bunch of the offensive coordinators here.
50:12So that to me is a major question, as are the questions in the backfield without Kenneth Walker or Zach Charbonnet starting
50:19the season on injury reserve and them having to lean on their first round draft pick, Jadarian Price, along with George Helani and Emmanuel Wilson.
50:27Some key backfield questions. You know, Brian Flory coming from San Francisco is going to want to run the football.
50:34And it sounds like they think Price can be a special back here.
50:38So we'll see how that shakes out here coming up starting Wednesday night against the Patriots.
50:43Yeah, I just and from what we've seen, I trust Mike McDonald almost implicitly.
50:48I love everything he's about. We we know that defense is going to be nails.
50:53Sam Darnold, you know, it'll be interesting to see what the narrative is around him this year, because he ostensibly should have
51:00quieted every narrative there was about him last year.
51:03I mean, even going into the Super Bowl, it was still a I know Sam Darnold's one, you know, two playoff games already.
51:11But can this guy do it? Can he win the big one?
51:15I don't know if he can or turn over it.
51:18And then he played great in the Super Bowl, you know, same deal.
51:22So we'll see. I don't know what people's level of belief is on him.
51:27But again, maybe that's a good thing, too, that the Seahawks are kind of nestled up there in the Pacific Northwest, and
51:34they're not in New York or L.A. So they're not really being talked about.
51:39And I think Mike McDonald likes it that way.
51:42I think he I think he wants it that way.
51:45And I won't be shocked if, you know, come week 10, we're talking about like, hey, could Seattle repeat?
51:51Could they win another Super Bowl? I think that's very much in play.
51:55Let me just say this. Mike McDonald, for all the great coaches that are in the league, and there are a bunch of them.
52:03Mike McDonald is so impressive as a person like that guy.
52:07I've known him for quite some time now, going back to when he was defense coordinator in Michigan.
52:13Always even keeled, always reasonable and logical, always smart, always very felt.
52:17I mean, like, I'm not saying anything that anybody who watched hard knocks didn't see for themselves.
52:22But I just go back to that one encounter I had with him at the owners meetings in March.
52:28I'm like, so how has winning the Super Bowl changed your life and the way that people are looking at you?
52:35Like, I always remember people saying you come to the owners meetings after a Super Bowl win, and there's a certain aura around you.
52:43People are respectful and and you just feel the difference.
52:47And Mike's like, I don't know, it doesn't matter to me.
52:50Like, whatever, we won a game and and we're getting ready for the next year.
52:55Like, it was irrelevant to him. Truly, genuinely, didn't care, didn't matter.
52:59Like, he is such a down-to-earth, thoughtful, great guy.
53:02It's hard not to root for a guy like that.
53:05So we'll see if Seattle can repeat is asking a lot.
53:09Like, yes, but just have a great season again, like they did last year.
53:13Like, I think that would be the win. But again, I come back to this tie.
53:19We just discussed all 32 teams, right? The season is going to kick off Wednesday night, Thursday night, Sunday.
53:25And there's going to be things that happen that shift the course of events right away.
53:30Like, oh my God, this team just lost this quarterback or this team lost this running back or this team lost this game.
53:38How? Or I mean, that's why the league is as popular as it is.
53:42That's why we have jobs because very few things go the way we plan.
53:47And it's always some incredible reality show that unfolds in front of our eyes on national TV with everybody watching.
53:53What other jobs do you have where you get to watch these people do their jobs for three plus hours every week
54:01and to see how it impacts everything else? It's crazy, but it's also the absolute best.
54:06Yeah. I haven't really gotten there yet, but I can't wait on Sunday to, you know, get excited for something to happen.
54:13Like, oh man, I gotta, I gotta get Cleveland and Jacksonville in the four box here.
54:18I gotta see what's going on. So I'm going to have to, you know, I last weekend with college football was a
54:26nice little training exercise, you know, kind of getting the eyes ready back going to everything and trying to, you know, keep
54:33an eye on everything that's going on, but, um, I'll, I'll be ready for Sunday.
54:38I can't wait. I'm so excited that the season kicks off on Wednesday.
54:42We got Wednesday, Thursday, you know, great day, Saturday, Sunday.
54:45It's, it's the best. I can't wait. It feels like it's been such a long time.
54:51Um, and also not that long at all. I just, I'm, I'm so excited that we're back.
54:56I always say, and I mean this, we get done with Sunday countdown one o'clock.
55:01I love my last time. I'm usually done 1250, 1255 change into some casual clothes.
55:06I love walking in our building, going to the conference room where we go to watch games.
55:12Our lunch is waiting for us after we've been on air for three hours, sit down at those tables.
55:18You've got all these TVs on all these games.
55:21You sit down with people you love spending time with football in front of you, your fancy teams ready.
55:27Like those next seven plus hours. And if we're going to count Sunday night, 10, 11 hours.
55:33Yep. That's a great day, but, but, but that five, 10 minute period.
55:37When I sit down like 1257 to 103, we'll kick it off.
55:41And, and you think that your fancy team is going to conquer the world and you're going to see, and then all
55:48of a sudden, just like we're talking about teams going south, your fancy team suffers an injury, right?
55:54The guy goes out of the game. He's in protocol.
55:57Oh my God. Here we go. Right. It all starts again this week, Ty.
56:02Here we go. Love it. All right, Ty. Great job today.
56:05Great job by Dan Stanzik. Great job by you, the listener for tuning into another Adam Schepter podcast.
56:11We'll be back in this spot next week to assess week one and to look ahead to week two.
56:18Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to the Adam Schepter podcast.
56:21We'll see you again next week. Until then, enjoy.
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