There are the odds
to win the AFC West Chiefs, the favorites of plus 170 Charters,
not too far behind Broncos and plus. 300 if you're looking for
Value folks if you're in a jurisdiction where this kind of
stuff is officially legal or
if you just happen to have a guy
if you're in one of the states where it's not legal yet and
you know, a guy who can take a little action 621 for
the Raiders, I kind of like that.
I kind of like that that stands out to me. Not that I'm
predicting them to win the division. But it just seems to
be value inside here you odds. Yeah. Here's what we're going
to do. We're going to predict the order of finish in the AFC
West and they have it set up
to go from fourth to first. I think it's more interesting if
we flip it.
I think, I think it's more interesting if we start first
and work our way down
because I think it's going to get harder
as we get to the bottom,
then it is for other divisions. As you get to the top, or you
with me on that, I'm sure. Whatever you think, whatever
you think, I don't know. I mean a lot of people are picking
the Chargers to go to the Super Bowl and all that too. So
I don't know if it necessarily any harder, either
way, I think it's a
very good conversation, this division altogether.
Do you not have the chiefs as your first place team? I got
the Chiefs going to the Super Bowl again. That's full
transparency. I already laid that on T my pocket there
without they can get there without one. Yeah, I'm taking
them to go number one. Now, I don't know. The Chiefs to me,
I look at. I don't think the offense is going to miss a beat.
I'm picking them to go. Number one,
they have retooled their team on the defensive side of the ball.
There are going to be I think more athletic
and just a more violent group, on that side, a more talented
group than they've been in a few years. And that's where I'm
excited about the chief. So the Chiefs our team is I look at
that that got
better and didn't play their best football last year and
still were in the AFC Championship game. I still
think they're the kings of the FC
to the extent that we are
focusing today and we did earlier in the program on
actual, or perceived slights indignities insults.
The Chiefs can, they'll have to make anything up? No, they
don't. Chiefs of the ones that can look around and say, well,
what the hell else do we have to do
to be regarded as a serious threat to get to the Super Bowl?
And Win it. We've been the conference Championship game.
Four years in a row. We got to the Super Bowl
twice, the other two times we could have made it. We almost
made it
and one was flip of the coin. The other was they, they
screwed up, they played not to lose in the second half against
the Bengals. So they continue to be
a great team and I'm with you, I think they win the division.
We haven't done our official pics, yet it PFT. I got another
day to change my mind. 50 times before I take my hand off to
Occur but I revive you them. As a serious threat to get to
the Super Bowl and win it this year. I definitely think they
win the division. Yeah I'm with you there there's just there's
too many positives. It's just it's it's you know, arguably
the best
player in the game, you know, me and my homes and Allen to
me, are in a little bit of a different class offensive line.
To me is
best past protecting conversation and football when
it comes to that weapons are still very good across
the board some no-name guys that I think are going to jump out and
surprise some people.
Good running backs secondaries better and more. Talented
little Justin reads. An upgrade for Tyrann Mathieu. Frank Clark
had a down year last year. I don't expect that to happen.
They got some other rookies that are studs.
I just, I Mahomes looks great.
I'm with you. Mike. I just to me
people are sleeping on the Chiefs. I look at them and just
go out what's not to like I know there's no Tyreke as
the only thing and they still got a lot of damn good pilot players
playing receiver.
Is it because we just have this desire for some new flavor of
ice cream? I don't understand.
I don't. And then again, the Chiefs have to be very happy
about it. Number one, you don't get a big head. Number two, you
put a chip on your shoulder. Yeah, sure. For Andy Reid that
this is what's going on, all right. Who do you have in
second place? I'm gonna go.
I'm gonna go Chargers here, I'm gonna go Chargers, I am
in awe, there's some things that question, I'm a little
scared of Brandon Stanley and some of the game management
stuff, there's no doubt to me. There's a few games last year
where again, I
know They won because they were aggressive but I certainly can
go back to a feeling though. They lost because they were
aggressive to, they wouldn't have been in some of
the Situation's. They were late in the game. When I go they would
have had three or
six more points, or nine more points
and still would have won.
But I think all in all,
you know, I like their offensive system,
I like Brandon Staley and what he does on the defensive side
of the ball I think he's got the right players to play his
defensive system now and yeah, I think they're a team that
I look at to be in the playoffs and
And dangerous and I'm picking them to be number two. Yes, no
doubt about it.
I am not,
I am not. This is where you going, Raiders, huh? And for,
as much as I'm a is
accused of hating the Raiders.
Sorry, people who think I hate the Raiders. I've got
the Raiders ahead of the charters and I want to focus on
the Chargers, the Chargers to me.
And this is not a timely reference by any
stretch of the imagination. It goes. Back to the early days of
Saturday Night Live. There was Character played by Gilda
Radner called Roseanne, Roseannadanna. And one of her
catchphrases was,
it's always something.
And with the Chargers to me,
it's always something. There's always something, icky, injury
at a bad time, a bad decision about the ball of this, that
I there's always something that is holding them back and you
and I both love Brandon Staley
and he may be an excellent head coach
in his second stop, but he's going to aggressive his way out
of a job. You better watch Chargers. Sure. Because, look,
I Add this to Peter King on Friday and I don't know if he
just wouldn't listen to me if he disagrees. Maybe was being
polite.
I am a firm believer
and look I'm not looking to alienate the analytics crowd
this early on
a Tuesday morning or any morning for that matter. But
some of these
razor thin margins
that they use to decide the right thing to do. Well, you
know, you got a forty six percent chance of winning if
you go for it, but you only have a 44 percent chance of
winning if your punt who the hell cares about 2%.
In a situation like that, it informs your decision, it
doesn't make your decision. And once you have decided that I'm
always going to embrace Go For It, Go For It, Go For It. Go
for it.
You'll become predictable.
As a team, you become predictable as a coach. The
best way to be
is unpredictable, you want to be willing to go for it?
You want to be willing to not go for it. You want to have
that guy over there on the other side on with a headset on
wonder, I wonder what the hell this guy's going to do because
I really don't know. We got to be ready for anything.
That's The Sweet Spot. That's the Bella check
with balichek, you never quite know what he's going to do
you. There's an element of mystery that keeps the other coach
on his heels. There's no mystery with Brandon Staley,
you're ready for it. You're preparing for it. We got to
have extra
fourth and short plays, we got to have extra goal line, plays
got to have extra two points, Persian defense ready because
we know what he's going to do. We know what he's going to do,
that doesn't help him.
And I feel like I'm talking to a wall when I say that. And I'm
going to keep talking about wall because eventually I'm
going to be proven, right? That wall is going to fall down.
Yeah, I hope it doesn't continue that way. I mean
I think what you're talking about is being tactically aggressive
and that's not what they are. They are consistently
aggressive, which is there recklessly I closely
aggressive. That's the way to say
really aggressive. Yeah, the to
and I know it's, hey, we're going to play. Civ and
hey it's you know we got this quarterback and that's all
great too. But but I would hope like things change from
the adjustments. You made this offseason with your defense to
where
you have more confidence in your defense this year.
You know, I know last year they weren't very good, so hopefully
that changes things because the way they played last year did
not give their defense
like confidence to go.
Well it's another situation in man. We don't trust the defense
who cares? If it's 4th and 8th in the middle of the We're
going for it
and I'll because our Divas are probably let them go down
the field and score anyway. So we might as well try to score
right here and I don't find that to be a recipe for
Success. Let alone
to be, you know, recklessly aggressive and this is where
I think you get in the New England thing where, you know,
tactical as far as reading that game out itself,
reading that game out would be huge. I go back to that Chiefs
game. At the end of the year in Los, Angeles, and go, wait.
We're going to go for it on fourth down.
I don't know how many times it was seven times in that game.
Maybe 876
something like that. They only made it one time I believe and
in that that time, what was it Mike? The chiefs were
the hottest defense and football, right? For like, six weeks in
a row.
There was nobody better
than no. They were,
you couldn't score on them. They were creating turnovers
and that's how they played.
And yet, they held the Chiefs to some field goals, and some
issues like that to where they're demons hung in. That
night but because they didn't take their points,
they ended up losing the game and it affected the way. They
had a coach the game at the end because they were behind by
a margin of that they shouldn't have been behind by so that's
where. Yeah, I don't necessarily agree with with
their
overall consistent aggressiveness either.
I know life is a lot easier
when you don't have to make big decisions.
You've already pre-made the decision. I remember there was
a story not that long ago within the past 5, 10 years
about a coach. I think it was a high school team. They always
We did an onside kick always,
there always went for it on fourth down and all we did
an onside kick, always, always, always always always,
right? No, that doesn't work. You have to be ready to make
a tough decision. You have to be ready to make a decision. You
can't make all the
decisions ahead of time.
It makes it harder to win games, and hopefully
the charges of figure that out. So I've got the Chargers. Third
behind the Raiders. Yeah. Who do you have third behind
the chart? I'm going. Raiders there I am.
You know, I'm going the Raiders there, the Raiders,
I think. Coaching both sides of the ball is going to be you
know
different better. I think the offense will be better
I think the defense will be creatively different and better
as well Mike you know when my thoughts are with them a little
bit I just worry about do they have the right pieces and
and place to play some of their defensive schemes? They want to
play, you know, do they have enough defensive tackles to to
Gap and, and beat and do the things that Patrick Graham
wants,
their own line is, certainly questionable.
I They're going to put up a lot of stats throwing the ball.
I think they're going to be a pain in the butt. I'm picking
them third for sure.
I think more of the story is the fact of
the Broncos forth and and I feel very good about that.
Actually if you want to get into that, somebody's got to be
fourth in the toughest Division and football Broncos fans. I'm
sorry
it pains me to do it.
I'm excited by where this team is heading.
But look at the changes that have accumulated in this
organization
in the 18 months. Yeah, new general manager, right? New
head coach, right? New quarterback,
new owner, new everything, everything.
So, how do you expect to compete when you are dropped in
with the likes of the Chiefs, the Raiders, and the Chargers
given where they currently are? I I just
I know they've got big aspirations and that's Russell
Wilson's Mantra. I don't you know, if he was looking for
a place where the deck is stacked for him, maybe it's going to be
stacked in a few years. It sure is Selling the stack now. Chris
know, it's like we see potential but there's too many
ifs and what's and candies and but it's like
you're talking about
this isn't the same as like
Stafford to the Rams, are Brady to the Bucs where we go, wait,
everything's in place. These teams are awesome. These
coaches have been here and lay down a foundation of way. Like,
hey, this could be got a good here. We just need
the quarterback. This is you, like you said? It's a whole, it's
everything. They've redecorated the house, completely
then Thank you. Add that on to okay. Russell Wilson's learning
a new system Nathaniel hackett's the first time head
coach, the offensive lines middle of the road,
the receivers. Yes, there's potential. But Courtland sudden
is he going to return to the guy before the ACL, kg ham
Larry hasn't done anything yet. Jerry Judy.
You know, we see little glimpses and then he got hurt
last year, the defense like, what sort of write home about
and the front seven?
Secondaries good. I like that Justin Simmons,
you know, Patrick shirt.
Pain Ballers, no doubt. But I just look at it go.
I think all the new pieces like you're talking about all
the moving parts and then just to me and roster that,
you know, is definitely not as talented as the Chiefs and
the Chargers. Maybe maybe can rival the Raiders, but I just feel
better about the Raiders being a little battle tested and
a team that's been together for a little while. So
that's I'm with you Mike I'm going Broncos forth, all
the way here too.
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