The Wildest Saturday Ever? + Jalen Hurts' Blood Clots Leave Eagles in Turmoil

"I don't believe what I just saw!" You said it, Jack Buck. My fellow football Americans, I abide by a strict no-jive policy that requires me to tell you this. I'm hungover, not from booze from football. Okay, and a little bit of booze. What did I just saw, though? On Saturday and Sunday, I mean. The double-digit underdog Arizona Cardinals won in Sofie? BYU over the Irish? The left sideline over the Indiana Hoosiers. The SEC's mediocre teams over the SEC's good teams. Spoiler alert, they're all mediocre. The refs over the seminals. Matter of fact, refs over our collective gift of sight. ESPN and the SEC forcing a 2014 playoff, J.J. Watch Ball Security V. Jim Nance's peanut punch. And now, Jalen Hurtz is out for the rest of the season. Shish. Oh, and we've still got a Monday night game featuring commies. We have a moment to spare. Let's start the show. Yes, hi, and hello, my fellow football Americans. Welcome, Dan F.L. Week 6 review. Welcome to Football America, presented by Draft King Sports now in all 50 states. Get in there, make a comment on YouTube or wherever you find your audio podcasts or wherever you choose. We'll find it, and we'd love to react to it. Not nearly enough of you dropping us a line at this point. We have much to get to Nick Costos on the way, very quickly down in Miami, Florida. They had a week off of having to watch the Miami Dolphins. Congratulations on that. It's episode number 92, which player in NFL, they in all of sports history wore that number 92 best. Hello, buddy, Bidowsky and Gina Fuentes. Hey, what's up there? What's up, Nick? Nick's back there. Yeah. We'll say hello to him in a minute. Yeah. Let's go to the script. Okay. Okay. Red you white. Michael Strahan, James Harrison. I know that's near and dear to your heart, Dave. And hello, DiNata, who's not near and dear to your heart, Dave. No, he's not. But James Harrison belongs in the Hall of Fame already. It's a little weird. I know he had some weird behavior that maybe has distracted some of the voters. But okay. Like I say, among the wildest Saturdays legitimately, I know people like to say that after a big upset or two, but really one of the craziest Saturdays that I can recall. And then Sunday was weird too. So let's jump into it, shall we? And talk about the entire weirdo weekend of football with our guy. You know, I'm from you better. You bet Monday through Friday, nine to noon. He's Nick Costos. What's happening, fella? How are you? I'm feeling especially patriotic today, my friend here as a football American. And I will just add my personal favorite number 92 scored the series ending goal back in 2018 against your Pittsburgh penguins on a pass from Alexander Ovechkin. Of course, Evgeny Kuznetsov would be my personal favorite number 92. It's great to be on with you, my friend. I mean, that's how you start things off. It is. Talk about it. I could have talked about how terrible your beard looks and how you look hung over. But but but here I am talking hockey with again, again, with the attacks, they make no sets. All right. Listen. That's the late breaking news and we want to go through the big games that we circled going into the weekend and how they turned out and how they impact the standings going forward and speaking of which, let's do it this way. Let's try to look at the big map and then we'll we'll we'll narrow it down as we go along here. So 32 NFL teams macro to micro. You take them around the house, right? You're better on the house from me to you. Yeah, I got you. Get up what I'm laying down that the one 32nd of the NFL 3.125%. That's one team out of the 32 Nick Costos and the gathered gang here, but hold the NFL standings, which team of the 32 in your book six weeks through is in the most stunning spot. Obviously, chargers are old for the Rams or two and four. The Eagles are two and four. There are undefeated teams that I don't think anybody or a lot of people thought Vikings are 49ers, you know, the lay of the land here, Costos. How say you? Yeah. I'd love to give you like a curve ball of an opinion here. I just don't know how the answer is not the Los Angeles Rams because like, yes, it's surprising. The chargers are 0 and 6, but I never debuted the chargers as a legitimate Super Bowl contender or even the best team in their own division. The Rams, while I pick San Francisco to win the Super Bowl before the year, I thought Seattle would be a playoff team. Also, the fact that the Rams are in last place in the NFC West Arizona, just beat them in their house yesterday. So I didn't think the Rams were going to go 15 and two or 14 and three. I didn't think they would make the playoffs. The fact that they are in last place and people can do whatever fuzzy math they want to. In no way, shape, perform are the Rams 50% or better right now to make the playoffs. Like the math does not work out. There are too many teams in the NFC right now, including every team in the NFC North has a better record than the Rams. The Cardinals currently are ahead of the sandings of the LA Rams. I don't think they're making the playoffs so we could talk about the five and all Vikings. We could do the Cowboys or the Eagles. I don't know how the answer is not. I don't know if we have the Vince, the Vince Young sound bite here, but dream team Nightmare status LA Rams last place NFC West. It really is. That's sort of the math is like when you try to build a super team, it never works out. I know the Patriots with Revis had their run, but really it's bizarre how paradoxically that works against you. And by the way, I don't want to be a prisoner of the moment right now, but we spent the whole offseason. What was the biggest story of the offseason? It was Miles Garrett to the Rams, right? Remember that miles Garrett is on the LA Rams. It's bizarre. I do think there's a decent chance that we're ringing our hands and they're six and four in a month from now. There's the schedule. They just lost Arizona. So the idea that they're just going to snap like we can't play the schedule game because this was the schedule game home against Arizona near to touchdown favorite losing. I don't think we can play that game and just assume they're going to win these games. And McVeigh can say whatever he wants in the post game and make it like Dave like, oh, we have to stop making these mistakes. I don't know. I watched the game. Look at the box score. It felt like a game played between two evenly matched teams and the Cardinals played better. And I think Matthew Stafford's fallen off a clip, but that can be another story. That is the undercover element of the Rams. People are trying to figure out what's going on there. Stafford has not played anywhere close to the MVP form that we saw last year. The other one that people sort of hope that everybody just forgets whatever their bad takes. And I'm kind of sort of in this group. I didn't think the chiefs were going to be bad this year, but that all of a sudden they're five. And I was like, oh, yeah. Yeah. Of course. Of course, Sandy Reed is Patrick Mahomes. What did you think was going to have? Who tried to tell you? Who tried to tell you that the chiefs would be fine. Mahomes would come back and play at a high MVP level like he did before the injury. Who tried to tell you all off season? Don't count out Patrick Mahomes. Don't count out the chiefs. And guess what happened? The chiefs are five and oh, and they are as good. Look as good as they ever have. That's a parade for buddy who who circled the at least I was listening Dave 21st century. When you're only right, sometimes, you know, you got to take the victories where they come. All right, then, Nick Costos, next one, one of 32, one team that you're most confident is playing on championship Sunday. I'd love to take the Niners who are my Super Bowl pick before the year. I'm just going to keep saying that because it makes me look really smart as it stands right now. I actually think the answer, though, is buddies Kansas City chiefs. And the reason why I'll say the chiefs, if we look at the balance of power right now in the AFC and there can be a broader conversation to be had about the Texans Jaguars game yesterday, which was a fantastic game. And I do think that both of those teams, if they're able to reach their ceiling, could absolutely play on championship Sunday or represent the AFC and the Super Bowl. But I think both have fatal flaws right now for the Texans, a defense with an inability to hold a late lead. And they tried numerous times yesterday to choke the game away before Liam Cohen choked it away himself. And that's what I'd say for Jacksonville, like this defense is not any great shakes. I think they need to make a move for a past pressure to help Heinz Allen and Trevon Walker. Like, I don't know what the point of Liam Cohen is Dave. If he's going to send out Cam little for a 60 yard field goal, like they could have kept Doug Morone and Doug that like Urban Meyer could have sent out the field goal unit. Gus Bradley would sexually fantasize about sending out Cam little for a 60 yard field goal. Liam Cohen supposed to be like this offensive innovator, like 60 yard field goal and give CJ Stroud 100 seconds when he's been shredding you the entire game. I thought that was insane. So there's two contenders. Cross him off the list when it comes to Kansas City. Baltimore's got their issues right now. And last one here, Dave would be the bills who played the same game every single week. It's just are they going to score more points than the opposition? They're five and one right now. We get to January. They're going to lose to Patrick Mahomes and the chiefs. I'll take Kansas City. Yeah. I hear you on that. But as it sets up right now, Buffalo's in great shape. And sort of as we dip into our three most consequential games of the weekend, we can blend these two conversations. Buffalo remains mostly drama free, which then results in for all the buzz around Josh Allen having an MVP career. Except for Sean C. Gardner Johnson spitting at Brock power. Is besides for that. Well, okay. Two Shay, but also that shuffle pass for a touchdown pass. More logo superhero stuff from from number 17 and all of that. But the one thing I will say is their secondary stinks. Talk about how you got to tune things up in time for the playoffs. I do think that's the limiting factor on these bills. But your Super Bowl pick in the preseason. The Niners are really in better shape, especially we pen tonight's result, but let's assume that they win that game. They're in the best shape of anybody. I mean, they have a three game lead who could have possibly talked about stunning that the sea hawks and the Rams are both where they are. So the Niners are in great shape, especially with a victory. We'll get to our pick there. I do think as we dip into the bills and Raiders yesterday, the Raiders, I think we can just about stick a fork in them. It was a fun little story for a month. I think they would do well to start the new air with Fernando. And by the way, here's something that I, I, I'm not fully accustomed to yet cost us because it's only really been happening for what the last eight or 10 years in pro football in season trades. I know her shall walk or happen and all that, but you, but those were, those were anomalous. It used to never happen even like and you're, and you're probably what like 20 years older than me. Ah, so even when I was growing up, it wasn't happening. This was not happening. And I'm 43 years old. So this is, is a recent turn of events here in the NFL. I, I am 73 years young. You've nailed it. So, uh, yeah, wait, 43. So 63. I'm 63 years young. I can't do math. I'm seen aisle as well. But it is interesting to talk about Kirk cousins. What, what do you do with Kirk cousins? Cause you should, I mean, start with Fernando if you're the Raiders. They go Rams, which again, it's not a game. He given the way the Rams looked into go at Jets at San Francisco Seattle and at Denver. So the future short term is not bright in their next five games. Um, but Kirk cousins, maybe he makes sense to Philly and let's jump in there with the big news of Monday, Jalen hurts out for the year. And as a reminder, Michael Robinson on ESPN this weekend, sort of tip toe or didn't even really dip his toe into the conspiracy theory water. He just flat out said like I think he just doesn't want to be out there in a sinking ship. How say you Nick Costos on this mess? Well, not only, I'm like, I don't want to like take shots at Mike. I don't know. Michael Robinson at all. I'm just pointing out what he said. I think he's he's doggin it so that he doesn't have to play. Well, it looks like the diametric opposite because not only does it look like Jalen hurts was trying to avoid playing. It looks like he was willing to play and potentially risk his own life in order to play. I, I think Dave and I'm a die hard sports fan and I've been watching sports on an obsessive basis since 1990. I've been in sports media for 25 years. I think this is the single most. Can I curse here or no? Please. This is the single most batshit story I've seen. In my 36 years of watching sports, 25 years in the sports media. And the way that it's been framed like how badly does Jalen hurts want to play is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life. Like the NFL and the Eagles are lucky that this guy didn't die on the field in London. The fact that they told him to stay awake for 36 hours, like not to play in Philly or Jackson ville or Orlando or ever the Jaguars play in London overseas. And then I have to take a flight back home against Josh Heinz Allen to define the Jaguars. There's no one think this is crazy. Like there's no adult in the room. Big Dom can't put the cheese steak down to tell Nick Serionie or how he rose been like maybe we shouldn't play the quarterback with a blood clot in London against the Jaguars and then take a flight home. It's like he could their lucky he didn't drop dead on the field. Is a total organizational irresponsibility. I do not think you're being histrionic or hyperbolic or any H. Y. Word. I think this is or H. I word to yeah, it's crazy. And really who whose responsibility was this was this a serionie because then that's the last nail and not to be grim. But you talk about that that that's got to be it for serionie. This is outrageous. I know it's it's hysterical that he trolls his own fans in games and he makes faces and all of that. And he's kind of like. I agree. I agree. This is an organizational failure. Yeah. It's top down. Lloyd Roseman has to take some of the fall here like everybody we're going to find out. I imagine Jeffrey Laurie the owner should do an internal investigation to figure out just how this fell in line and who was responsible here. But this doesn't happen without a complete organization organizational failure on the part of the Philadelphia Eagles. I don't want to throw. He's right. I had to go to sleep. But he can play in an NFL football game. It's outrageous to me that that was allowed to happen. Yeah, you you want to do like who's at the top of of the pie chart and all that kind of stuff. I without knowing many of us, I hate to recklessly speculate, well, I don't like I don't hate to do that. I like this is grim. But I mean, it's got to be medical staff thing and obviously medical staffs in pro football and in football in general have been in the crosshairs for any number of years, concussions and all of that. What's best for the team versus what's best for the individual and we thought we had to tune that up and the blue tent and we're watching these guys and we have a spotter objective up on high, looking at all this to avoid all that and so medical staffs that might be insented. The jam a guy into the lineup, but what the hell happened here? This is crazy stuff. And to your point, right, dying on the field was a legit possibility flying back and forth. Yeah. And so let's just say that, you know, let's give them the benefit of the doubt here and they felt like he was good to go and his life was not in danger. That's the fact that like we need you to stay up for 36 hours to play a game. Like no one said, like, maybe this is a bad idea. This is where like they lose me here and where I think it becomes like ridiculous. And like someone's got to stop the athlete. Like, Jalen hurts. That's right. That's right. Yes, because people that that will be I predict part of the fallback to soften it a little bit. It'll be like, well, Jalen really was insisting on playing what's it's not his decision. It shouldn't be his like adult, an adult has to say like we can all, we can think it's stupid. It is stupid for him to want to play, but we can respect where he's coming from, right? Like he wants to be great at his job. He wants to be out there for his team and for his teammates, et cetera. But at some point, like someone's got to say to him, hey, buddy, like let's take the week off and we'll, we'll readjust this. Isn't there's no way he should have played in that game. Isn't this the whole thing with concussions is Pete. There are people on the sideline independent doctors that are there to get in the players way and say, no, you're not going back out there. We're not letting you go out to play like I agree completely. Somebody's got to be there. Somebody has to be the last line of defense to tell the player if he really is that insistent about playing, even with staying up for 36 hours or whatever it may have been, somebody has to be the guy that says, right. There will now be league just as there is with, you know, since what happened in Cincinnati and Buffalo and a guy just about now, you know, emergency people are there with the paddles and all of that ready to go. They will learn from this league wide. But yes, in the moment. Did you think this is something that happened if they were playing locally in the United States, or is this something that was fed because of the fact that you're on an airplane and no one's maybe not the normal staff and the normal trainers and the normal oversight is happening because they're flying, you know, generally across the Atlantic Ocean. I don't know, man. And I don't want to speculate about that sort of thing. I can't imagine what flying across the Atlantic, how that would have impacted something skeleton medical staff or something like that. And I would say if it were Dave, if it were like the Bengals or just a team that's kind of known for being cheap, maybe you could maybe make that argument. I don't think we could say that about Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles. Out on the road, it's nice to have a partner who can help you make the most of your journey, a partner like the Loves Rewards app with Loves Rewards along for the ride. You save 10 cents on every gallon of gas every time you fill up at Loves and up to 25 cents on every gallon of auto diesel. That's why it's the best fuel discount program on the road. Download the app today, then watch those savings add up mile after mile. Loves Rewards, save and earn it every turn. Loves apply not available in all states. All right, I mean, yeah, dark stuff for Philly and in football terms, just reducing it down to that. The future ain't bright there. But we move on then to the Green Bay Packers hosting another NFC's team, the Dallas Cowboys. And the first thing with that game on Sunday night, football that sort of jumped out to me, Nick was that does it look to you based on the last couple of weeks, like the NFL Defense of Coordinators have figured something out about the Dallas offense because it don't make any sense. How bad it's been. But I what I said earlier today is, you know, I don't claim to be an all 22 guy. To me like mesh is the thing that causes me to walk funny when I'm wearing a bathing suit. Like a drag is something I take of a cigarette, not like a route on a football field. I don't consume football in that way. But I think just watching every Sunday for almost 40 years, they run like this, they have like the tech mobile playbook. It's like run up the middle with Javante, left or right with Javante, run a slant with CD Lamar George Pickens or throw the ball deep to one of those guys. And sometimes Ryan Flornoy or Jake Ferguson gets in the mix, but they do seem very easy to defend right now. I don't think there's any question about it when you can say accurately Jonathan Ganon coached the pants off Brian Schottneimer in last night's game Packers defensive coordinator versus Cowboys offensive play collar. And what I want to know as a result of this Dave, you know, a lot was made last week of, you know, Cowboys players only meeting on defense and Christian Parker, who I call atheist Parker, because watching the Cowboys defense will make you lose faith in religion. He's got, he gets banished up to the coaches box. Should Brian Schottneimer join him if this is how the Cowboys offense is going to look? Does the greatest offense there is led by Dak Prescott, which should be offense most likely to get a coaching staff fired. There is should Dak have to have a players only meeting this week because I'll tell you, the defense outperformed the offense last night. And the whole thesis for the Cowboys being good this year was top five offense with below average defense. And if this is what the offense is going to be, skip a fork in the Cowboys man like they're done. Like they're finished the season. The thing I was wrong about at least through the early portion of the season. and but is now rounding into shape. I said that the Cowboys defense wouldn't be among the bottom third in the league, at least it just had to be middle of the pack. And I thought it had a chance to be about top dozen actually given some of the pieces that they throw out there. They're never going to be 100% healthy. But as they get closer to that and with Joey Porter Jr. out there, you can see that that secondary has a chance of being halfway decent too. And up front, they're pretty good as well. But it's inexplicable what that offense is doing. It's not like the Packers are some gang up gangbusters defense. I'm like a Parsons. It's great Cooper's out for the year. That's what's weird. I can't figure out. I think you're right. It's a rudimentary offense. We talked in the preseason, the Nate Tyson, who is an all 22 guy. And he said, it just isn't expectation that CD lamb and George Pickens are better than your guys. And they'll be able to to vanquish them over the course of 60 minutes. It does seem like they're trying to ride with that philosophy because it is very straightforward. What they're, you're right. I mean, they're maybe a little bit of motion out of Pickens here and there. But right, for the most part, they're just lining them up, lining them up on either side and expecting those two guys to win, manned up against the defense. And they're not doing that meantime. The Packers, all of a sudden, La Floor two weeks ago, very different conversation about how it was time for La Floor to go. And here we are with the four and his staff outcoaching two, two NFL staffs, two weeks in a row. Where are you on the Packers? Here's what I'll say about them. If you ever been, and I'm guessing that most of most of human beings have, like driving in your car, like in a big storm. And you have this moment right where whether it's snow or rain, whatever, and you have this moment where you think like, I could be in a little bit of trouble here. Like can't see through the windshield. It's dark. I might have to pull over. I might have to pull over on the side of the road. Well, well, in the NFL world, you don't get to pull over unless you have a bite week. You have to keep playing. So eventually you keep driving and you keep your head down, not, not tech, not literally because then you crash into something. You know, the storm breaks and maybe you see a ray of sunlight. And it feels like the Green Bay Packers have made it through the storm to start the year. And just because I don't think we can say this enough, Matt LaFloor needs to send Aaron Glenn, the fruit basket of all fruit baskets for Christmas. Because if not for Aaron Glenn's comical mismatchment in week two, the Packers would have started oh and three and maybe his seat would not have just been, you know, being kissed by flames, but would have been engulfed in a towering inferno. Because remember where this team was after Thursday night in week three. Michael Penex comes off the scrap heap and immediately the Falcons look like a juggernaut and they bully the Packers at Lambo Field. Everyone kind of left the Packers for dead. And since then you be Jalen Daniels in the bucks and his first start, okay, but then you, you, you punch the bully bears in the face and then you take care of business last night. And not only are they foreign too, but I would do my Mrs. Doubtfire voice here. Help is on the way, dear. Because Josh Jacobs is coming back not that he's Emmett Smith, but compared to the likes of Marshall and Lloyd and Chris Brooks and Caleb Johnson and Pierre Strong, he might be Emmett Smith. And by the way, one of the five best players in football, Michael Parsons is going to be back soon. So I think if you're a Packer fan right now, you almost can't believe you're good fortune that this is where you're at day after the way week three ended on Thursday night against the Falcons. And honestly, I think the MVP of the Green Bay Packer season might just be Aaron Glenn, because they should have started oh and three. Well, you're, it's funny because the story for the Packers ends when Michael Parsons got hurt. That defense was, I mean, to a, to a weird degree was really built around one guy when he got hurt. That was, uh, that was a wrap on their chances of making a run in January. But now if you inject him back in there and he's anything close to what he was or he builds up to that by December, all of a sudden now the Packers are a real factor come January before you get to then to there though. I, you know, the Lions, it's not like I have written them off kind of I didn't in July, but it's not like they're one in five or anything or one in four. I mean, they're still sort of in the mix, but above them are the undefeated Vikings and Caleb Williams reminded everybody that the team is better when he's in there versus case Keenam or Tyson Badgent. So who do you have winning the NFC North? Nick Costas. I'm going to stick with my preseason prediction, which was the Minnesota Vikings. And I was really encouraged. And look, everyone that said and myself included when they were four. No, it's a bad team, maybe not a bad team, but certainly not a great team. They had scored what one offensive touchdown in those three wins. And then in the Saints game before the buy, if you look at the final score, it only says Vikings 23 Saints 13. Like I watched that game. The Vikings beat the piss out of them in that game had to turn over some plus that could have been 37 13. And I thought Kyler looks really comfortable. Remember, Addison didn't play in that game. Jefferson did and Kyler had that awesome touchdown in the end zone where Jefferson is one of like four aliens on the planet with like Chase and Smith and Jigbaugh and maybe a couple others that can make that insane catch Brian Flores. I think is the best offensive coach alive. Kyler looked like he came to life to me in that game. So I'll stick with the Minnesota Vikings here to win the NFC North. And I will say Dave, I'm going to stick with my last place team also. I think the Lions will come in last place in this division when it's all said and done. Yeah, I stuck a fork in the Lions before the season even started. And I like you parked my car in the Vikings garage. What's crazy is, if you talk to Vikings fans, they are thoroughly unimpressed with Kyler Murray. They consider him to be the limiting factor of this team, but he was good in the last game. Like he looked better against the Saints. He was 24 of 30 for like two. I'm pointing up now. Sorry. Two. Oh my god. 229 and a touchdown in a 109 passer rating. So yes, he was a lot better. Speaks buddy nervous. No, no, no, I just pulled up and then I and then I exited out because I thought we were moving on. Aaron Jones also ran for 113 yards in that game, which if they can get him going and have something to remember, something to remember about that is that Jordan Mason's coming off on an off I R and he'll be probably the battering ram running back this week. Jones will probably go into more of a secondary role and they're playing the Colts on Sunday, who sees in a circling the drain here. They just fired Chris Ballard. I would expect the Vikings to win on Sunday and go to 610. By the way, the X factor identified in August and why the Vikings would win the division is blind Brian Flores. That defense is legit. There are other three defenses in the NFC North or not. And that's why the Vikings I stay and buy my preseason pick are going to win that division. You mentioned Jalen Daniels and then you mentioned the Saints. I'm only human. Of course, I now have to talk about the game down in Tampa or Saint Pete, whichever one of those two town understand when people do that. The same thing up in Minnesota. We just talk about the Vikings. Why can't you just come together? Why do you have to be difficult? And you'd be no, no, you're your own thing. We just call it the twin cities. Can't you be one city either way? What did you make of the late push? I mean, let me tell you, let me tell you, man, hold on a second. I really enjoyed that. Your thing on twins. There was like, where's he going with this? The twin city should be one city is a fantastic. We should call it the Xiaomi city. Why do we? That's exactly right. That's how they want us to perceive them. Have you ever looked? Well, have you ever looked into the two guys when you opened the Guinness Book of World Records? I've never opened it. It's, it's well, it's you never have the it's a actual book that they used to put out every year. I don't know if it's now I used to read the NFL record in fact, book body, like a real red blooded football American does. I did too, but I'm not, I'm not on one track mind, apparently, like Nicositos. That's true. Yeah. The two brothers that were Siamese twins is now politically incorrect by them. Is that true? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's all news. Oh boy. I don't know. It's I think it's offensive on some level. Okay. Call them again. Now, buddy, what's the appropriate? What are you coming to me for? I have no idea. Connected. I know. Can you join twins? I can join twins. I legitimately didn't know that if that I have no idea. I had no idea either. I can't think of their names, but they were in the Guinness Book of World Records and they moved over from I can't remember. I think China, but somewhere in Asia they came over and they became plantation owners. This is right plantation owners in in the American South, but they also were conjoined and they both were married and I think they had a grand total of I could be wrong. I think they had 19 total children and they would live in one house with one wife and all the kids for one week and then they would go next store that two houses were next store and then they would live with the other family. But I, you know, the baby making obviously both prolific lovers given their yield. What was the third guy do? What was the extra person doing? Wow. Yeah. I haven't answered to that question, but I'm not sure it fits a family friendly show. Well, we'll move on, but it's a fascinating thought experiment. But okay, Rodgers, I mean, let me tell you as a, have I mentioned before I root for the Pittsburgh Steelers if I haven't I want to once or a thousand times. So I was, so I was watching that game focusing in on I bet on them. I was watching it too. I didn't think that was a good idea going in. I tried the warn people don't bet on the Steelers and this one and I was looking smart. If sad as the game wound down and then they made a late push and somehow improbably rallied the win that one against the backup QB and a bum team that only has one win on the season. But nevertheless, they did. And I think they kind of the Steelers. Am I crazy? The Buccaneers aren't good, but Todd Bulls is good. I felt like if you were sweating that one out, hoping for a victory, then you were probably locked into it kind of felt to me like Aaron Rodgers. And that often figured something out with the quick pass. I know he's intent on doing that period in his 40s. But there was something about the distribution of the passes that was hard to manage if you were on the other side of it. Because I think Jeremy Bernard gave them a legit second option out wide. And then mixing in some inside screens to Jalen Warren and the tight ends. All of a sudden, it looked like this offense could be kind of hard to stop if you are getting the ball into DK Metcalf's hands to make plays and then from there pivoting to the other pass catching options. How's say you? Yeah. So I agree. And I'm very happy that the Steelers won the game. I will say that their possession at the end of regulation after the Jamel Dean Interception was one of the most brain dead possessions I've ever seen. And if they almost, I don't want to say this because I wanted to win my bet. Part of me like felt like they deserved cosmically like to lose for that horrible possession that resulted in like no time coming off the clock. And I agree. Who do you blame? Rogers. I agree. I mean, there's no question. And well, and McCarthy gets up at the podium. And I would say 80% of the of the of the Pittsburgh Steelers fans out there on social media and otherwise while that was going on was like, what's McCarthy doing? Like do you think Mike McCarthy is insisting on throwing the ball? By the way, dangerous throws. Drill in one to Darnell Washington. Also like Rogers. You think he cares what Mike McCarthy's calling. He's doing whatever he wants when they get up to the line of scrimmage. It's crazy. I mean, yeah, to me, it was pretty obviously. And I think Mike McCarthy was plainly at the podium after the game. Kind of sort of acting confused to cover because it's embarrassing for him. Yeah. The the the court quarterback doesn't listen to me. Um, he just does what he wants anyway. It's not a great spot if you're McCarthy either. But anyway, a nice victory for the Steelers. And by the way, that division is weird too, because the the bungles didn't play. And they're in last place at three and two. All the others are four and two. I got to go back because you're a well, we'll jump in right here. The giants we can do with let's talk about your giants. I give you underrated Steelers thing quickly. You could first off, like Rogers really trust Bernard, um, just as a side note, yeah, whenever anyone says his name, I think about the way Eddie Vedder says the word Jeremy and the classic Pearl gem song, uh, Jeremy Spoken and and that great catch yesterday. We love that. Also, I was kind of thinking maybe they're going to cut Chris Boswell when he missed that kick early in the game. And then he redeemed himself big time as a Steelers fan. You have to love that. Please continue. I apologize. How great is that? So he makes a 58 yard field goal. You know, he made it twice in the referees, like, but yeah, they say, Oh, no, two minute warning. I mean, obviously could make me two and a half with the Steelers. I was screaming at the TV. Please make this. I couldn't, obviously, couldn't make a 58 yard field goal period. But I really, really couldn't make it. If I made a 58 yard field goal and you're like, yeah, sorry, that one doesn't count. I'd be like, that's all the food. No way. I can make make it again. Even if I'm a professional kicker, my wiring is like, not again. That's right. Now this is an inhuman task. We need to do that again. But okay. So we go off of the cowboys and the Eagles kind of seem cooked probably except that when you look at the standings, the giants are three, two and one. They're cooked. They're going to try. I think they're going to trade everybody. I think we're there with the Eagles. Yeah. Okay. So who wins that division? I want to, I don't know, man, like Dallas kind of sucks. I want to say that is it possible? The commanders might be the best team with Jayden Daniels, healthy. Well, we're going to get to our pick in just a little bit there with that game. But yes, if the commies get right and win in San Francisco, which you cannot say is impossible based on the results we just saw this weekend, obviously everything is possible in football at this point. Yeah. I think it's, I think it's conceivable. All right. So I think it's going to be the cowboys. This is my answer. I they're so bad right now. And the vibes are so bad and look like Dallas is better than the giants. Like the cowboys are better than the giants. I don't think Brian shot and I'm just making it to next season. Now, I don't think Jerry will fire him in season. Like he's only done that once. I think right with Wade Phillips and then promoted Jason Garrett. I don't think he'll fire him in season. But at this point, it's tough to like shotty to make it to next year. And say what you want about John Harbonne. We've set a lot over the years with his tenure in Baltimore. He's at least got the giants on the right track here. Now like yesterday was not great. Charlie Jones, Fumble on the kick return, changed the whole game at 10-3, Saints tie to 10, then score coming out of half. They scored 34 unanswered. J.J. McCarthy comes in and almost leads the miraculous rally. I feel, I feel like the giants have the best coach in the division. And in a crappy division, man, you, how do you disagree with that? Oh, you can, I've never been wild by John Harbonne. He is a, who's better in the division of PE teacher. He's an old leader in the division. I don't know. I'm not, I'm not wild by overseers. Who's better? But my question is, I'm not saying he's the best coach in the league. I'm saying he's the best coach in the NFC East. Okay. I'll buy that. I'm not going to give you any agree with me. Yeah. But I think the cowboys are vastly superior in terms of talent. And so that will end up winning the day. I mean, Harbonne's better than shotty, right? Yeah. But Dak Prescott is way, way better than whatever. I mean, have you watched act the last two games? Like I agree with you. Dak is, is that hurt? I don't know what's going on. But I, I'll take Dallas also, but I would not be shocked at this point if the Giants won solely because the division's terrible. I don't, I don't think they're good. If CD lamb doesn't fall down on the second pick of the first half, the, the Cowboys score there. And I think that game probably goes a little bit differently, but fell down. That was a horrible decision by Dak, the one that Javon Holland picked off in a week one. No. And then at the last night, he threw the last I got it. Yeah. What about we, we can, we can play this game all you want. The Cowboys are two and four. The Giants are three, two and one. I know. Well, we make fun of the South all the time. But the NFC sneaky bad supported or boosted up by the Philadelphia Eagles. The last decade. Oh, it's not sneaky bad. It's bad. Well, take the sneaky out. It does have a has had a really good team that probably is not real good this season. Who told you about that? Your old pal Dave Damishick told you about them. Philadelphia Eagles. Be on the lookout for them on their way down this season. Hey, you're sparkling conversationalist, Nick Costos. And I do want to get your thoughts on college football. And we got to talk about that. But quickly, I do want to do a couple of things here. Labat beer. I want to mention labat brood for the chirps, the salty jabs in your group chat hall of fame. And for that, one friend who hasn't changed his fantasy football team name since 2019. That guy is Kevin probably time for labat roast and toast. We all at labat know a thing or two about friendly rivalries born in Canada brewed in the US United by the sacred art of trash talk because the best kinds of friendships come with nicknames. You didn't approve stories. You can't escape and just enough roasting to keep things on a cell when your team is staring down third and long crack a cold one roast responsibly. And give a toast to the people who give you the hardest time labat brewed for the roast. And while we're not properly roasting or toasting anybody this week, I do want to say football Americans of the week, everyone associated with the now seven and no James Madison football program. What is in the water at J.M.U. there in Harrisonburg, Virginia head coach Billy Napier has him rolling just like the last J.M.U coach Bob Chesney did. He's now got UCLA undefeated. Both those guys and the program they ran or are running at J.M.U. Great at the game of football, better at the game of life. Those guys made the life of 10-year-old John Paul Macri, a little better these last many months, really made him a part of the team. His family too, his parents Nick, my old pal from college, his mom Katie and his brother Luke, listen to Billy Napier on Saturday after the victory and what John Paul Macri meant to the program. It can't help but think that we played with 12 today. You know, John Paul Macri, all the things that happened this week and the many people that that impacted, I know it affected our entire organization from top to bottom. But just in general, I can't help but think there. We start, we kick that thing off and the clouds go away. It's blue skies and it was a great day for the Diggs to play football and I know what man was up there having the best of time. Boy, they really did make them a part of the team. They let them run the ball into the end zone and boost them on the shoulders and I've heard John Paul talk about it and he really was a part of that team. His dad texted me the other day to say that they were convinced that their boy saved the game against Georgia's southern with a tying field goal. It felt short. They were sure that it was John Paul doing a little bit of blocking from the sky. Beautiful boy, John Paul Macri. We're thinking of his family today. Nice to know big time football guys who are not required to do that or doing it too. Great stuff there. Out on the road, it's nice to have a partner who could help you make the most of your journey. A partner like the Loves Rewards app with Loves Rewards along for the ride. Download the app today then watch those savings add up mile after mile. Loves Rewards, save and earn it every turn terms apply not available in all states. Now let's talk about the more mundane stuff. Top 25 college football and maybe a 2014 playoff Nick Costos. How say you after just really one of the all time insane Saturdays we've seen. So what do you want a couple takes on Saturday or you want to thought on the 2014 playoff? I mean, I don't even know what to say about Saturday because it's just now put them in a hat and shake it all up and how can you properly even divine who's number one. the team. Well, I will say this, the team that's number one in the country, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, so I don't think there was any chicaneery on behalf of the you, but man, a couple of real bad calls in OT to hand that one. Yeah. I don't know if you've noticed this though, Dave. I don't know if you've noticed, but officiating is just really, really bad in general. So I'm going to give you two big picture of thoughts on college football from Saturday. And then to take on the 2014 playoff, is that all right? Please. I was going to do it anyway. Um, first would be the, so a question for you. Do you believe you yourself and just like the football Americans that Notre Dame is a team that a gets a beneficial whistle and B is a team that college football looks at and tries to prop up, fair or unfair to say that generally that's what people believe about Notre Dame, that college football will give Notre Dame the benefit of the doubt and put Notre Dame in a spot that Notre Dame might not deserve to be in. Yes or no? Yeah. But I always talk about stale opinions that get outmoded by empirical evidence. And clearly the last couple of years at least the people have it in Kirk Herb Street on down, have it in for the Irish just spouting off about them. And as a reminder, they didn't make the playoff last year, which was crazy that Alabama, the one that people kept arguing was about the you or, or no, the team that didn't belong was Alabama last year. But you are not going to, like, like, like, like, you're right about that. Like Notre Dame was better than Alabama, but they were never going to talk about them are for losing in a conference championship game because then why would you ever want to play in a conference championship game again? Right. So like, you're right. Like Notre Dame was probably like the second best team in the country. By the time, you know, we got to the college football playoff, but you know what? Like, just just to say this, right? Everyone that wants to say Notre Dame gets a good whistle, et cetera. They got, and it's their own fault also got job last year against Texas A&M in week two. And then on Saturday night, this is back-to-back games college football Saturday night, Bama, Georgia, where an egregious, this is like Ram Saints in the 2018 NFC title. Right. That's a little. I've heard the first person I've heard say that. But no, is it not true? Yeah. It's not true. No, it's not true. It wasn't the same level of terrible call again. Absolutely is. They're both egregious passing or feelings calls that are not called in you. That's not. I'm just talking about the NFC title game. I'm not talking about the stakes. I'm talking about that was the worst call I've ever seen in my life. These are really bad. These were bad. Also, so Notre Dame got job twice. And I don't know if they even score from the one yard line, but they should have had the chance to score. That would be number one. And number two, you know, for all Steve Sarkeesey and wants to say, and he's wrong about this, but I respect where he's coming from, where he goes last week. He's defending his quarterback. If Arches, he didn't say it like this, but if Arches Manning's last name were Smith, he wouldn't be under this level of criticism. Well, we know that's bullshit because we remember Quinn Ewers and we remember Sam Ellinger and we remember Major Apple White. And we even remember Chris Sims and Sims might not be a name in football royalty. The way Manning is, but Sims is still a name in football royalty. So, so Sarke can say that Arches gets unfairly criticized and he can evoke the name Manning. He should be on his hands and knees today, thinking the college football gods that his quarterbacks last name is Manning because it's preventing him from getting the brunt of the criticism. And if Arches last name were Smith, he would have been benched already. Lacey would be playing and all the slings and arrows would be out for Steve Sarkeesey. And so he should be thankful today that his quarterbacks last name Dave is Manning. Yeah, but what happens when the the generation ahead of Arches collectively gets in Arches here and says like, we got to get you away from Sarke. You should transfer 2027 because you aren't doing yourself or Sarke's not doing your draft stock any favor. We need a fresh look to get you that top spot and time for 27. That's that's one thing. And and buddy Badowski's Gators. I mean, what an impact. I mean, but you can't, I know you're chomping at the bit buddy the way in here. But the the result to me is is that the middle class is about as good as the upper class of the SEC, which is to say none of them are all that great. Well, I don't I don't think that's the I think the argument here is what SEC fans have been saying forever is that it's the best and deepest conference, right? And that on any given week, any team can beat anybody. And that is what you saw this weekend. Florida, who lost to South Carolina and Missouri and embarrassing fashion. Those losses cannot be shaken. It's why we didn't jump Texas in the rankings. They go out. They go on the road with a backup quarterback and beat Texas who the week before lost to an unranked Oklahoma, Auburn, who lost to Florida earlier this year goes into Georgia between the hedges and beats Georgia, the number one team in the country. This is the argument we've been making all along is that you cannot take a week off in the SEC because it is the deepest conference. Sure, there's not the team. No one who believes this right now, man, there's the best conference. It is, it is the best conference. It's the deepest conference just because the teams at the top are not impenetrable monsters anymore, like Alabama and Georgia were five to 10 years ago. Doesn't mean that it's not still the most talented conference from top to bottom. You cannot have the most talented conference from top to bottom or the team that wins the national champion. Sure, the big 10 the last few years has taken over the majority of the high-end conference. You're not answering the question. I don't really care. The best conference has the national champion or has like the seventh best, the seventh best team in the SEC is better than the four best team in the big 10 right now. Right now the best team in the country is Miami and they're in the ACC who is by far the worst of the power for conferences. They're they're ranked number one, right? I don't know that they're necessarily the best team, but they're ranked number one. But my point is just that it's when you look down the levels, it's the deepest conference. There are no rolling over Illinois and Purdue's and Pittsburgh's and Virginia Tech's like, okay, fine, then go Clemson and Duke and whoever else. We're talking about the ACC. We're talking about the head. Okay, Mayor, do you think? Do you think I hold on? Do you think, I mean, this is the path that you sell to yourselves and then attempt to sell to the rest of us and the rest of us ain't buying me. Just say you're the second best conference. You're not let. No, it's I'm about to like, do you think that is that Iowa and I mean, some combination of of Iowa and Michigan and USC and UCLA, these are not these are not worthy teams. No, I'm not talking to those teams. That's not what I'm talking about. And also, I don't want to be running. I don't want to go. The SEC SEC guy, I just want to push back against the notion that this SEC is a bad conference or an overrated conference. No, the argument all along has been the deepest conference. These, these teams, you cannot take a week off in the SEC. Whereas Ohio State gets a roll over Maryland and Rutgers and Purdue and Northwestern and whoever else they play in their schedule. Sure, they have to play Indiana, which is obviously that game was incredible. That was a heavyweight belt. They have to play Indiana, by the way, I should, man, hold on. I do have to say, first of all, coach sig deserves a little credit. I know he gets a lot of credit, but it was like, uh, Josh Hoover, not as good as Fernando coming in. The story on Hoover was, man, he throws a lot of dangerous passes. He gets intercepted. A lot in big spots. Man, he was clean going into that game against Ohio State. And then he got hurt. And I don't know how much you can divine from that one. Both quarterbacks get hurt late in the game. But still they're throw away. And yeah, Hoover should have let him in bounds a little bit. March, he knew it. He kind of agreed that maybe he should have a better sense of where he is on the field. Then again, Hoover, you know, had all the room in the world. They've dropped that in bounds. Come on. You have to get one foot down. It's not even the NFL. You got to get one foot down there. Okay. Well, then neither one was, was made, made a great play there. But the point is, I think, correct me if I'm wrong, 12 team playoff, the Hoosiers can afford one more loss now because they played Ohio State close enough that you say that's a hundred hundred percent. Here's the other one. Here's the one more at college football thing for you, Nick. If Notre Dame, the bad call in the end zone, the end the game, maybe gives them a little more grace, but if they lose to Miami, they're in it would have put. Listen, if they lose the, to the only two good teams, they played all season, what is the case for Notre Dame being in the playoffs? The case is they didn't make it last year and the NCAA basically like wrote like a handwritten note. They changed the rules. Like Notre Dame's going into the playoff. Like they're making it. That's right. But there would not be, it would be a logical to put them in though. Yeah. And I'm just telling you, 2014 playoff, so that this would never happen in Notre Dame again. Like right. I get it. I'm just telling you that reality should suggest it won't there's rationally rationalizing over living in reality. But if Notre Dame played two good teams all year and they lost to both of them, participating in those games is not should not get you into one of the 12 spots available to play for the national championship. All right. We're running out of time. Again, you're too delightful a conversationalist, Nick Costas. I really wanted to talk to you about the worst team names in sports, because we have I have a couple written down, which like rapid fire fashion. Go ahead. The nets are terrible. I shouldn't NFL team be be named the goalposts. Absolutely brutal. You and I agree on that. It should be about, it should be about like the basketballs. Like what we think can't be the balls. Okay, then like the rims. No, not any better. The woods were still not in the right way. Let's just go with nets. It's the lamest in the NBA. You're absolutely the Cleveland guardians. I don't know what they're guarding. I absolutely hate it. The Washington crackers. They're the guardians of traps. It's the worst game. It's the dumbest. name. They should have been the fighters. I think this is the, well, telekins is stupid. What is it? It's, it's a bird that eats fish. Wow. How fearsome. The worst name in sports is the Houston Texans, like what? The Miami Floridians, the New York New Yorkers. Like, I don't know how that one passed the smell test. So I would actually say Texans, worst name in sports Dave. I, who should be offended by that? Are the Dallas Cowboys and the San Antonias, are they not like, oh, you're claiming all the state you knew you now are basically insinuating it belongs to you? Cause we are the state. The Los Angeles Californians, like, what the hell? It's hard. A Texans is horrible. The Philadelphia Phillies. Yeah, but Phillies is cool. I don't mind that. I like the Phillies. I don't know if castos and buddy are ever going to get along. I, that's something I like Nick a lot because we get, he, he calls you out on your bullshit. So I like Nick a lot for him coming on here. All right, turn now buddies. Mike has to be turned off. Okay. Nick castos. Give us your pick on your way out the door Monday night football. Niners laying seven and a half 51 and a half is the total. I tease the 40 Niners. If I had to bet the game, small lean to Washington to cover George Kittle over receiving yards tight ends killed the commanders, Christian Kirk, Kirk Traylon Brooks anytime touchdowns. Excellent stuff is always there. He goes, everybody, you better you bet Monday through Friday, nine a.m. to noon Eastern, the great Nick castos, everybody. Look forward to Kibbutz and with you next week. I didn't think I mentioned it at the top. I think we're going to do this on the regular. You're a regular Monday morning. I'm looking forward to it. Absolutely. Let's do it, my friends. Excellent stuff from the great castos there. And let's wrap it up here with Monday night football. Castos. He's lean into the commies interesting there. I think I take them hard to make sense of anything in week six after the last 48 hours worth of stuff. So let's just move on here is the chill washes over me here. Why is it so cold? Yes, we're presented by Yager. Myster, servant cold or don't serve it at all. Yager, myster, damn, that's cold for more. Visit yagermeister.com drink responsibly. Now it's old news today's athletes are bigger faster, stronger than their predecessors. So it's vexing to me that the team names may have never been worse. And I don't just mean the low, the low, some self imposed grammatical scourge of our times. with singular names, heat, magic, thunder, they're 12 guys on the team. So the heat isn't good. The heat are good. And yet people continue to screw that up. And I've been complaining about this for a while. And I got to tell you I'm starting to think all my complaining is falling on deaf ears. And I'm definitely not interested in jumping into the very important. If nonexistent concerns renowned ball lover and his canter has with the W NBA, but of the league's 15 teams 10 have singular names or singular name. I don't even know how to say that. Now Caitlin Clark is the most famous person in the league. And she's on the Indiana fever. The fever. We're honoring sickness. But okay, this is a football show. So focusing there, I've previously shared my concerns about the enduring cell phone by the city of Buffalo, named for the majestic beasts that once roamed the planes up there, deciding then on purpose to call its football team, the bills and honor of Buffalo Bill Cody, who killed all the Buffalo. Okay, but that's old news. They have cursed themselves to the matter at hand. The Washington DC team is the commanders, aka the comies in our nation's capital. And apparently we're just sticking with that. Why didn't you just go with red hogs pay homage to the all-time most iconic iconic era for any DC base team ever? You still have heavy set fans in the stands dressing up like swine. At least I assume you do. I don't know anymore, which is part of my point. Red hogs reminds the world and your own fan base of what every new franchise in any long time embarrassing franchise, most desires, a tradition of success. So here's more good news for you. You can honor rigans and thighs man and those hogs by changing your name to red hogs. And you better do it soon because you're up against a rugged force of very tough guys who've already shot cans of beer because of commercial hurt their feelings. And they destroyed a movie because of who was in it. Okay, it's a movie that made a billion dollars in his is going to win the Oscar this year. But still and these same tough guys, they canceled football NFL a decade ago because a guy took a knee during a song. Well, I mean, I guess they attempted to cancel football because the NFL seems to have survived just fine. So maybe these tough guys are just ineffectual cry babies, but you can't be too safe. So name the team red hogs and quick before somebody in diaper signs an executive order to name the team after himself. Think about it. All right. And while you think about that, consider the fact that we'll be back on Friday to get your right in time for NFL week seven. Until then, for Nick Costos, Buddy Badowski, Gina Fuentes and everybody on football America. Thanks so much, my fellow football Americans. It's been a thin slice of heaven.