The Chivalry Chronicles
We discuss topics such as Brotherhood, Masculinity, and Fatherhood. A modern manly approach to chivalry.
Or better yet, Guys Stuff that Guys Do, Cuz We're Guys.
The Chivalry Chronicles
Episode 055 (Chivalry After Hours) - "2026 NFL Preview"
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Leo and Jaime provide an NFL Preview. They will discuss the upcoming 2026 NFL Season, new NFL Rules, and go through as predict each Division winner for the AFC and NFC.
- Issue a Verdict.
If by some chance some stroke of luck or some act of God you have stumbled upon this broadcast, you are listening to The Chivery Chronicles with your host, Dr. DLA. David, we're gonna bring the team to not drink during the podcast. Yeah. And me, Jaime. They need to make uh podcast equipment a lot more expensive to get some of these clouds off the air. Gather around, as we discussed, a modern manly approach to chivalry. So I hope you're ready, because I know we are. So let's get into it. And we're back. There we go. Look at that. It's what's the day? It doesn't matter, right? Because by the time y'all listen to this, it'll probably be two weeks from now. But we're doing Chivalry After Dark. We have our NFL correspondent since Tony Romo just got pulled over for what was it? It wasn't DWI. It's operating while under the influence.
SPEAKER_02So since they downgraded it to no, that's what they call it in Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_01And so since he can't join us, yeah, since he couldn't join us, we got uh we got Lel. We got Lel, our our NFL correspondent, the the the know it all for NFL. How's it going?
SPEAKER_02Hey, it just it it depends how many beers down on because in our rivalry podcast, I forgot that we have played Washington in the plano. Nail me to the cross, I forgot.
SPEAKER_01Well, the it it's it was easy, right? It's easy to forget because we haven't seen it. It was somewhere like in the 70s, yeah. So yeah, we hadn't seen it. So it you know, forgive us for not knowing in my head, yeah.
SPEAKER_02In my head, it was we've never beaten Washington, and I've never seen it. That turned into we've never played. So my bad.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the them them beers were were hitting. But you know, it's you know, the the summer's rounding out, training caps are starting. This is you know, there's only two seasons, right? There's the there's the regular season and the off season, you know what I'm saying? Like there's some playoffs too. But to me, I could talk about football anytime, but because training camps started last week, you're starting to get a lot more uh movement. You know, you start hearing about Aaron Donald. Is he gonna play? He's practicing, he's gonna match up with or he's gonna pair up with freaking Miles Garrett and just be this all-world duo, which kind of sucks for everybody. Yeah, Von Miller's. How about Von Miller? Yeah, he's thirsty for uh to sign for the Cowboys, you know.
SPEAKER_02Take society.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, uh, and I and I don't have a problem with that. I I'm like, yeah, go get him, go pick him up. So let's do let's do a bit of a little a little bit of house cleaning, right? A little bit of house cleaning before we get before we get going. Oh, what what do you got?
SPEAKER_02No, because Clowney just went back to Houston and a decent year with the Calony.
SPEAKER_01No, he had an excellent year, and I was hoping that they would look at him again, but with the new defensive coordinator, you you kind of worry about does it fit the system? Is he you know so that that's what you kind of kind of figure since they didn't sign him right off the bat that it had to do with whatever Christian Parker wanted to wanted to install. I'm fine with Von Miller, you know. But anyway, before we get started, here's a couple of things just for you football fans out there, for your NFL fans. I know college is coming. Yes, you know, for all the college people, yeah, great, cool. I'm gonna watch the Aggies, yeah, I'll watch the big games, but you know, college isn't really my thing. I'll watch it, you know what I'm saying? But what gets what gets my blood flowing, you know, it's this DNFL. And it's always been that way. I don't know why. That's just the way it is, you know. What is what is what is indie navarete is like, whatever, get over it, you know?
SPEAKER_03It's like the NFL's king.
SPEAKER_01It is, it is, and and yeah, argue with your mama. So uh there's a couple new rules for this year. So in 2026, I think two new rules that I saw. One was you can challenge uh the challenge flag can be there's a proxy rule now. Under the new altered rule, a designated member of the coaching staff can now share the responsibility of of of throwing the the the red flag, which I thought was kind of cool. So it doesn't just have to be the coach, you know, and like what if Belichick had it stuck in his sock and shit, and you see him over struggling, trying to get it trying to get that red flag. Other people just have it in their back pocket, so now you you can do it by proxy. The other one, it says disqualification oversight, league personnel stationed off the field now have expanded authority to intervene during games. Off-field league officials can directly contact and devise an on-field officiating crew regarding player action that may warrant disqualification, even if a flag wasn't initially thrown for the infraction on the field. So, this kind of reminds me of the first game last year with the Cowboys and the Eagles, where there's like a spit gate, or I don't know what they call it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right before the kickoff, right?
SPEAKER_01Before anything that anything happened, they're out there just on the field, and then Jalen Carter gets ejected, and you're like, what the hell? I had never seen anything like that.
SPEAKER_02No, that's crazy. Real quick on the challenge clock. Remember, Jason Garrett had a nice talk, you know, you know, former quarterback.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He he does he flick the risk.
SPEAKER_01He flicked the risk on it and stuff. He's he was he was pretty good at it, dog. Pretty good. Let's see. So uh another thing that that's kind of weird about 2026 NFL season is it starts on a Wednesday. And I thought that was odd because I don't remember the season ever starting on a Wednesday.
SPEAKER_02It's kind of Yeah, it's Thursday, right? Thursday seems like the new kind of uh new night.
SPEAKER_01Yeah to start the season. Yeah, and it and it's it it usually starts on Thursdays. This and it's and it's the it's the real it's the real weird Sunday night football on Wednesday and shit. You know, it's like what?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So you know, so for you fantasy football fans, just remember set your rosters on Memorial Day, and then you'll be good. You'll be good for it. You know, don't don't don't get caught, you know, with your pants down and shit, and you didn't even set your roster, and it's the Patriots and the Seahawks, so it's gonna be a big game. It's basically what the Super Bowl rematch.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and like I told you, they're they keep inching the beginning of the season back in the Super Bowl, they keep pushing it out. Before you know it, it's we're just taking over. NFLs are taking over the whole year. Yeah, they came for Christmas, NBA, sorry. Yeah, they're coming for everything. Like what's his name in the social network, Andrew Garfield. I'm not coming back for whatever percentage. I'm coming back for everything. That's the NFL.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. No, they and and they they know they they can push their weight, and and I mean it's it's one of those things that I'm I'm here for it. I I I could watch the NFL every day of the week. Like right now, I guess we won't have it the first week, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, and Saturday, but you know, then we'll have Sunday and Monday, and then it's it's back on. So we mentioned fantasy football. Fantasy football is huge. I used to play a lot, like I started playing right after I graduated from college. I got invited. One of my fraternity brothers, or when Ike, one of our fraternity brothers, invited me. I joined his league, and then from then it was just like I joined, I don't know how many leagues. I think I stopped playing like four or five years ago. I had like seven teams, and when you get to seven teams, it just gets ridiculous because you're setting rosters, you're you have players, you you have pretty much the whole NFL playing, right? And and so I quit playing. I was like, man, that's seven is ridiculous. I I want to be able to watch a game and not to worry about points. And am I going against this guy? Oh, that guy's on my team, you know. So I just quit. I was like, you know what? Right, whatever.
SPEAKER_02I like the old the old the old commercial where everyone's watching the game, and you know, the team loses, the field goes good, and then one guy's here, and he's like, that guy's from my fantasy team.
SPEAKER_01Remember that? Yeah. So so this year, this year, I I got a call from from from a friend of mine. Actually, he used to be our client, one of our clients. But then we, you know, we kind of started hanging out, not really hanging out, we go play golf and stuff like that. But he calls me and he's like, hey, um we need a we need a we need a tenth guy to be on this fantasy football. And I was like, uh, I don't know, bro. And then, you know, we were talking. I was like, you know what? Let's go. It's time to get back in. And so then I was like, you know what? My son's old enough now. He's gonna be a sophomore in college, and he's got his buddies. I was like, I'm gonna create a team where it's just Joaquin and his buddies, and then me, and then uh your brother Sir Mashalad always joins any league that I that I create. He I always get him to join. You know, I'm like, you're joining, and he's like, Cool. You know, yeah, you know, but you're just like, okay. So I got him and then all our nephews. And then I was like, okay, we need another one. So then I called you, Lel, and I was like, hey, you need to join. It's everybody, it it's it's all family. You know, there's there's a couple, there's another brother that that joined, but even he was like, Man, get get uh get Leo to join. And so you finally joined the fantasy football league. How tell me what that's about. What what do you what are you gonna do? What's your strategy?
SPEAKER_02I don't know. I've never ever done this for like never joined uh any kind of fantasy sports, any of that's a yeah the close the closest thing to me for me is like uh I used to play MLV beat the streak. You know what that is?
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02It's like you choose a hitter every day, and if you can beat the 57, the longest hitting streak of all time is 57, you can beat the streak, you win X amount of like that was like actual streak fake X amount of millions of dollars or whatever.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02And that was fun because it was just like and I would just take Rangers. Yeah, because you know for Rangers fans, I'm like, oh okay, I know how these people are training, and I know what's going on and Facebook was unpredictable. I remember my long streak of like I was like number one on the leaderboard one. But never any kind of like people don't believe me one thing never even understood what we followed. Um I guess like quarterback, running back, yeah, one receiver, maybe another one receiver, right? And a defense and a defense. Right, right, yeah, a defense. Oh, I don't know. This is all new territory for me. Like I I know people always talk about it, like I've always seen people complaining about like how they suck at their friends. Like I'm laughing. It's like, oh, the bet is if I'm laughing, I have to do blink. And if I win, blah blah blah belt, I got a championship belt, I got a trophy. You know, there's money on the line. Arling has money on the line, that's okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, and it's it's it's family, it's a family game. It's $20. You know, you got a bunch of college kids, so then it's not like they're rolling in the dough. And uh all I know is I better get that money before school starts, you know, because when school starts, then motherfuckers are gonna be spending that. So I need to get them twenty dollars. So I mean it it's it's a very low, low stakes. I know that one buddy that called me a month ago or so, his was $100, which I was like, okay, cool. I've been in leagues that it's been like $175 and 200, and it's like it just gets kind of crazy after that. And if you're in six leagues, no, it can add up.
SPEAKER_02You know, it's like uh why am I doing this? When we when you said, you know, we we need X amount of players. I was I was just texting brothers and they're like, sorry, bro, I'm I'm in four leagues.
unknownI'm like, what the hell?
SPEAKER_01Bro, you know, like yeah, six, seven leagues. I it I did that for several years, and then it just it's it's crazy.
SPEAKER_02So I don't know how all of this passed me by. I just you know, like I just never did it, so it's gonna be fun. We'll see how it goes. When I win, I mean then we'll see.
SPEAKER_01Okay, calm down. Let's go ahead and calm down. So for the fantasy football players, remember, starting on a Wednesday. So make sure you set your rosters September 9th. Get all that squared away. I usually I've ran you know a couple of leagues, and I usually try to make the the draft night like the Sunday before the season starts. I want to push it as close to when the season starts as possible. I hate when people make the draft night like two weeks before the season starts because you have injuries, you know, during preseason, and here you drafted somebody and now he's hurt and you don't you didn't know. You know what I'm saying? You you can't predict that. So I try to push it right up against, and usually the Sunday before memorial, no, Labor Day. Labor Day, right? What's yeah, Labor Day, whatever that that whatever that holiday in in September is. So I try to push up against the the season just just for injuries, and and that way that you know kind of saves you a little bit. We could we could have a whole podcast on that. I mean, and and I know I guess Leo get his feet wet and then we'll discuss it after the season.
SPEAKER_02But because go ahead. It's just something about like uh when people are watching the games like, yeah, I have so like some brothers who hate the cowboys, they're like, but I got fucking CD Lamb. Like, okay.
SPEAKER_00I got George Pickens. How's he doing?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, like I hope the Cowboys lose, but I got freaking Brandon Aubrey. It's like, okay. All right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I thought I told you about the Javante Williams, you know.
SPEAKER_02That was Joaquin. Joaquin told you. You know. So that's that's that sounds like a lot of fun, but I don't want to be invested in what the hell whomever, like I don't know. So it it it's gonna be interesting. It's we'll see what it goes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I know it's always fun, and plus you get talk a little smack, and you know, especially with these kids, they they love to get mouthy, so it's always good to well, assuming you win, you know.
SPEAKER_02No, and and these young kids, they don't they don't follow teams, they follow players, so it's perfect for them, right?
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02No one they're not like I'm a Cowboys fan or I'm whatever fan. They're like, I love Patrick Mahomes, I love freaking whomever.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they're they're definitely more kind of like basketball, right? They they follow they follow the uh they follow players. And I don't know, you see these kids wearing all kinds of paraphernalia. You saw a lot of Seahawks, you know, several years ago, and now that they won the Super Bowl again, you'll probably see it again. I don't know. It's kind of weird.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_01You know, they they just depends on what they want to wear at the time. But since I have you here, Lel, and you're the the NFL correspondent, I thought we'd go through the divisions, and then we'll start we'll start in the AFC. And then what I'll do is I'll give you a division, you tell me who you think is gonna win, and I'll tell you who I think is gonna win, and then we'll let the rest, you know, the rest of the team sort themselves out. But we'll just pick division winners for 2026. What do you think? Okay, okay. All right. Let's go. So let's start. AFC East. If you don't know, AFC East is the Patriots, the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets. So who are you picking for the division winner in the AFC East?
SPEAKER_02I mean, we got the defending defending AFC champs, right? The Patriots. Correct. But a weak, very weak division. I think it's now and ever for Josh Allen. It's been like it's almost seems like it's now and never for Josh Allen. I'm gonna take Buffalo. The M allowed. Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Jim Kelly, all of them pools. Biscuits. He loves biscuits and shit. Steve Caster, all of them pools. Wait, who won who won this division last year? Let's start with that too. Who won the division last year? Patriots. Patriots won the division last year. I'm gonna take the Bills to win it this year. I think, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay. AOC East, I agree with you. I'll I think I'll go with Bills. And I think you're right, uh Josh Allen, every year is his, you know, it's like make or break year. And he's played well, and they've tried to get him help, and you know, it's just not enough, I guess. But it's just shaping up it that it looks like it should be, it should be getting close to this year, man. And so I I picked them to win also. I mean, we could do the rest of the the now. You know what? Let's just pick division winners. Let's just make it make it real easy. Let's go to the AFC North. And for you, for all the kids out there, AFC North is the Steelers, the Ravens, the Bengals, and the Browns. All right, and who won it last year? Was it Baltimore? No, last year the Steelers.
SPEAKER_02The Steelers, oh famously, right? The Met Field goal changes the course of everything. John Harbaugh is now in New York. Yeah. None of like does Joe Burrow make a comeback? But the the Bengals are just they don't play defense. Their goal line is not great. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's why Joe Burrow 32nd in the league last year, or right around where the Cowboys were. As far as defensive rankings.
SPEAKER_02And then Lamar ASC back. Um Pittsburgh doesn't have any of that Aaron Rodgers. Oh, wait, did Aaron Rodgers come in?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, he's with Pittsburgh. You got you got Melissa McCarthy over there coaching the Steelers?
SPEAKER_02Melissa McCarthy. Okay, I'm thinking of Raven.
SPEAKER_01So you're sticking with who?
SPEAKER_02The Ravens and AFC Deck.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Let's see. You're right. People are thinking Cincinnati might make a push, but you know, they got rid of their best defensive player. They didn't really replace him with anybody. They have a they're kind of they're kind of the AFC Cowboys from last year, you know. The really strong offense. Really bad defense. The Cowboys, I think, short up their defense. I don't think the Bengals did, so I don't really see them doing much. The Steelers, uh, because one of the teams I really, really hate, and I've always hated my entire life. I wish failure on them. But aside from that, I I do think that the Ravens are the strongest team there. And I think they'll take the division, even though the Steelers are just, I mean, they they fired their coach too. That's what's crazy. Like you got new coaches on both the Steelers and the Ravens.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay. I mean, right now, week one, who's starting at quarterback for Cleveland?
SPEAKER_01Well, Deshaun Watson threw 12 interceptions the other day at training camp. So I don't know. I I think it's gonna be Deshaun Watson, just as you know, let's throw him out there because we're paying him fifty billion dollars or whatever they're paying them. But you know, at some point Shirdur's gonna come in there and screw it up. It doesn't matter. It they're they're gonna be a terrible team. So all right. Since you did uh the east and the north, you went first. I'll go first with the AFC South and AFC West. So let's go with the AFC South for the kids at home. AFC South is the Jaguars, the Texans, the Colts, and the Titans. I don't really like the Titans. I have I think they have a stupid logo. It's one of the things that we're talking about.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and they huh? Isn't it like Oilers inspired this year? They changed everything.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it looks really silly. And the Titans the Titans changed their logo too. They took the flames off of their logo. It's kind of I think it looks better. The Titans have a more of a Houston Oiler look.
SPEAKER_02They went with that No, that's what I'm saying. Yeah. They kept everything, but they made it look like the Oilers.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So last year the Jaguars won the division. This year, I I think the Texans are gonna win. I think, man, that defense is ridiculous. And they were basically pulling that team along.
SPEAKER_02And if they were the 2000 Ravens last year, right? That's what Aaron told me.
SPEAKER_01And if your boy doesn't throw what was it, like four interceptions, or I don't know how many interceptions he threw in two games. If he doesn't do that, I think they make it all the way to the AFC Championship. I think they I think they kind of they they they sniffed the Super Bowl dog, and then I was not liking that at all. I was like, Yeah, take this team down now, please.
SPEAKER_02You know, like no, and Drake may had a ri also a really bad game in that yeah in that playoff.
SPEAKER_01But CJ Stroud last year, he regressed like a mofo after everybody told us how great he was as a rookie and blah blah blah, and look how many playoff wins. I go, but I mean that's his rookie season. Now they're gonna get all this tape, they're gonna figure you out, and then you're gonna have to get better. And he did it. So that's yet to be seen what he's gonna do, but I still think that defense is freaking strong as hell. So I'll say the Texans take take the division. What do you got?
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna take Jacksonville again. I'm a Trevor Lawrence believer. Really? I think yeah, I think he's he's gonna be good. It's just he's in this he's in Jackson, though. Like if he were anywhere else, you know, like I don't think that we would think of him as so you know forgettable, mediocre. I think he can do it. I think he can do things. They had some collapses. Wasn't necessarily his fault. I I still like Kerbal.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm thinking. Okay. And they won it last year, so that's not a bad pick.
SPEAKER_02And then the Colts. I mean, the Colts wouldn't they start like 9-0 last year? 10-0 or something. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01They started I don't know. I all I know is that they ended the season with with seven losses. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02I want to say they got shot out of a cannon. The Texans started really bad off as well. The defense was carrying them, like you were saying.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. But yeah, I mean, they those top three teams, the Titans, the Titans are gonna do anything. I don't think they're gonna do much. But those top three teams, I mean, you could I mean you could you'd have an argument, and any one of these three could win the division. I'm going with the Texas just because that defense. So all right, so now we move on to the West. For all the kids out there, the AFC West is the Broncos, the Chargers, the Chiefs, and the Raiders. And just for your just for your edification, the Broncos won last year, the division. And I think they won it again. That's just a strong team. I mean, they probably should have made it to the Super Bowl if if the quarterback doesn't get hurt, right? I mean, it they were just yeah, that defense is ridiculous. You know, Patrick Zertan, and uh that you know that that that was one of the things that I kind of like about Christian Parker is he worked over there with the with the secondary with the Broncos there for a couple years. So I and that defense is tough. And I know the Cowboys played him, and they could not move the ball against that.
SPEAKER_02That was that was embarrassing.
SPEAKER_01It was yeah, it and it started off pretty good. There was a pick in the first play, second play of the of the of the game. Cowboys got a pick, and then it just went downhill from there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, me and Martin watched the first few games, and it was like, okay. I don't know where I don't know what's going on here. Yeah, Denver is really good. That's it was our takeaway line. And then, you know, the injuries happen or whatever, and then who knows what happened.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so who do you have?
SPEAKER_02I don't I don't know what's gonna become of your boy Mahomes, Kermit, after the injury.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna pick the Chiefs, even though like your beloved Broncos look pretty good.
SPEAKER_01I mean, you can't ever count out Mahomes, right? And then they went and picked up the running back for the for the Super Bowl winning Seahawks, I believe. I mean, I don't know. Uh they traded away their corner, I think, but I mean you do have Mahomes, and that's pretty much all you need for that team.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I wouldn't I wouldn't count them out just because of that, but your beloved Broncos look pretty good.
SPEAKER_01And they got that the the cornerback from LSU, Delane, in the first round, I guess. I mean, he was uh it was a top-rated corner, so I wouldn't I wouldn't bet against them. I mean, I'll go with the Broncos. All right, so you went with the Chiefs on AFC West.
SPEAKER_02Slight and on the Chiefs.
SPEAKER_01Okay, all right. So uh we're gonna write these down, and at some point we're gonna come back and figure out what we did wrong. All right, so let's move on. So now we move on to the NFC East. And for the kids at home, the NFC East, the Eagles, the Cowboys, the Commanders, and the Giants. So go back to you, Lal. What do you got as a division winner for the NFC East?
SPEAKER_02I mean, I got the Cowboys. Oh, sorry.
SPEAKER_01I gotta do it.
SPEAKER_02I gotta do it. I think I think the commanders are gonna take a setback. The Giants are really bad, but who knows what the culture change is gonna look like over there.
SPEAKER_01With Harbaugh over there, yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know what? And then Jackson Dart and the idiots that's always doing backflips with his name.
SPEAKER_01Scatterboo.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And I think it's the Eagles are are just in there, like I mean, what are they won? Yeah. So they're kind of in there real, like they're in their bag right now. Yeah they're doing all the things, but the Cowboys have been loaded up defensively the Alphans. If the Alphans phase were like I don't know. I think it's gonna be really close, but I'm let's not be homers.
SPEAKER_01Right. No, and so I mean, if if we think the Cowboys are a playoff team, right? Which is give me another give me another give me another three weeks. You know? Oh, give me a month, right? Because of the we're we're like a month away from the from the season, and there's still some some playoff, I mean some preseason games to play.
SPEAKER_02But if we think the cowboys are we could have just turned this into like, let's just go down the cowboys schedule, right? And the Giants, you know, commanders, Baltimore again. They have a tough schedule. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because they play the Ravens, they play the Niners, they play the Packers, they play the Texans. I mean, that whole first six games, I mean, they they better win against the Giants and the Commanders to be 2-0 because after that it's it's a murderer's role, basically, of teams. And then they end up playing Seattle, the Rams, you know, and it's like, damn, like can they get a little break and shit?
SPEAKER_02Because commanders, Titans, Bears. They got the Rams, I don't know, man. Like it counts as you know, November, December.
SPEAKER_01Correct.
SPEAKER_02But you don't want to lose you don't want to lose these winnable games.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and so what I was saying is like if if you as a Cowboys fan, if you think the Cowboys are a playoff team, they have to win a division. Because I don't think two teams are coming out of the East because the NFC North is pretty strong, the NFC West is really strong. The NFC South, you're gonna get one team and that's it. The NFC South is a terrible division. But the NFC West, you have Seahawks, Rams, Niners, you know, those three teams are gonna kill each other, but you're gonna think, you know, two, if not three, make it out of that division. You know? And and the NFC North, you have the Bears, the Packers that are gonna vi be vying for you know the North supremacy, and you knew it, you're gonna think maybe both of those are making to the playoffs. So really, if you want the Cowboys to make the playoffs, they they have to win a division.
SPEAKER_02And then every year there's just one team like, where the hell does this team come from?
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02And that happens too.
SPEAKER_01And it's just I mean, you can go back decades, you know, and that's like Minnesota. That's just the way it is.
SPEAKER_02Minnesota, was that last year or the year before?
SPEAKER_01That what?
SPEAKER_02The Sam Darnold Vikings, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, Sam Darnold was with the with the Seahawks last year. They won the Super Bowl, but the Vikings, I mean that was probably like three or four years ago because Sam Darnold was with the freaking Niners there for for a minute.
SPEAKER_02Remember that Vikings team there was like, what the hell?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, no, it's it's pretty crazy. So so I'll say, you know what? I'll go ahead and be a homer too and see the Cowboys win the division. Only because I really believe in this this defense. I think they're gonna do something. I think they're they they I I think the the D line is is pretty stout. Uh drafting Caleb Downs in the first round is gonna show up the the the safeties.
SPEAKER_02I mean you're wearing that jersey right now, aren't you?
SPEAKER_01I'm wearing it right now.
SPEAKER_02No, I haven't gotten a year.
SPEAKER_01But if I think they're at their playoff team, which I do I right now, I mean, give me another month and maybe I'll change my mind. But as of right now, I mean they just had a scrimmage game with the Rams, and I think they gave a run for their money. And the Rams, we know are a really good team. Yeah, I'll I'll say the Cowboys. But I think it's between the Cowboys and the Eagles. The the commanders and the Giants, they're just gonna be down there and fortify wins or whatever they do, they're they're gonna suck.
SPEAKER_02And so I expect the Cowboys to beat them for no against the other thing for me is um Jack Prescott, man. I was telling you about Bill Simmons talking about how if Jack Prescott your fantasy quarterback that you want like fantasy fantasy, like you want him on your fantasy team, but you don't want him on your actual team. Like the stats are there.
unknownUh uh.
SPEAKER_02And Jalen, you know, and and then Jalen Hurts is somewhat of you know, like he's won a Super Bowl and people don't think of Jalen Hurts as the screen quarterback, but he gets the job done. And Dak I don't know. Yeah sometimes I gave the Dak, what are we in year nine?
SPEAKER_01I think it's year ten, because he came in in 2016. Well probably year 11, shit, because it's 2016. It's year 11, I believe. No, I mean I I did this, I did this quick, what it wasn't quick, but I did this, I looked up all the quarterbacks that that made their first Super Bowl in what age, right? And and if you don't really know this, they're really young when they make their first Super Bowl, they're in their mid-20s. And the own there was like a handful of quarterbacks that won a Super Bowl past the age of 32, something like that. And I did this whole I did this whole spreadsheet. I was like, I gotta know. And I believe one was Jim Plunkett, which should be in the Hall of Fame for all the uh Hall of Fame voters out there. Put my boy in the damn Hall of Fame already. He won a Super Bowl past the age of of uh 32. You have a lot of you have a lot of quarterbacks that won the Super Bowl, but they had been to a Super Bowl before, or they had won a Super Bowl. You know, so so I narrowed it down to like John Always. John Ellen is probably the Well, he won a Super Bowl and he was like late 30s, but he had gone to a Super Bowl before that.
SPEAKER_02He had been to Super Bowl.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he he remembered he lost to the Redskins somewhere in eighty eighty eight, something like that.
SPEAKER_02Oh, he lost like he lost like three Super Bowls.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, so he had been to one. So the so there's certain players that Matthew Stafford never been to a Super Bowl, wins it at like 34. And that's a recent one. And so there's very few players that that have won a Super Bowl, that have been to their first Super Bowl and won the Super Bowl past the age of 32. And I picked 32 just because Romo at the time was getting close to 32. So damn it. Dak is at that age. The other the other stat that I know the ticket talked about is that if you're gonna win a Super Bowl, it's usually within the first four years of a coach's career at that with that team. So once Mike McCarthy had been there past four years, you're like, yeah, this is this is not looking good, right? The odds are against you. So those are your two that you're kind of with the Cowboys, right? Schottenheimer, this is the second year. Dak is about to, I think what is he, 34? So he's he's at the he's at the pressure. 33. He's 33, so he's right there. You know, he's he's already past the age of he's already pushing his luck, right? And so, yeah, it it it it's now or never, dog. And after this, I mean so I don't know.
SPEAKER_02What do we do? We knew we were gonna extend we we knew we were gonna extend this part of it to do some cowboys talk in inside of this.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this is this is this is breaking news for all the for all the uh for all our listeners, you know. You don't just gonna get this.
SPEAKER_02Cowboys corner.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you you're you're not gonna get this type of information, this in-depth reporting. I looked at these numbers. But anyway, we'll move on. We'll move on. Let's go to the north. NFC North. For you kids at home, Bears, Packers, Vikings, and Lions. Who do you got as your division winner?
SPEAKER_02One last year.
SPEAKER_01Bears. Remember, they just came out like gangbusters and freaking uh cra those crazy playoff games. Ben Johnson just went over and whipped them boys up and said we gotta go beat the Packers and ended up beating them twice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. The Lions progressed a little bit. This is the black and blue division, these the old NFC Central, right? Yep. I don't know if that's sustainable for home dude from the Bears. What's the quarterback friend? Caleb?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Caleb Williams.
SPEAKER_02And the Lions are kind of running out of steam. Like they're they're starting to wake up, like, where the Lions, right? They Oh shit. You know, like what are we even doing? Like, oh no, we should have beat the 49ers. That was the craziest playoff game. Remember a couple years ago?
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah, the NFC championship. When the nine the NFC Championship game.
SPEAKER_02They they should have won that game. Oh, well, I don't remember. I just remember the Lions were just and then the Packers. I mean Jordan Love is like a statistical Darling quarterbacks, right? If he if he's available in the in the draft, I'm gonna take Jordan Love. I'm just telling you right now. I don't want the Packers quarterback.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna take the Bears again.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Let's see. Man, I really want to pick the Lions because I think they're gonna make a comeback. And but I think I think you're right. I think it's between the Lions and the Bears. I think Minnesota, I don't I don't know what they're gonna do. I mean, they they they're gonna go with uh Kyler football, Texas Eddie.
SPEAKER_02Kyler Murray. I think they yeah, Texas Eddie. I think they did name him the starter.
SPEAKER_01They just did today, yeah. So I think, I mean, I he's better than McCarthy or whatever his name is.
SPEAKER_02JJ JJ McCarthy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think I mean he is better, just there's no there's no doubt on that. And they have Justin Jefferson over there, but I just I don't I don't think that they have enough. And you know, the Bears and the Lions are pretty stacked, but I'll go with the Lions. I'll say the Lions come back.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01All right, so we're gonna go to the NFC South, and I'll I'll do these two. I'll do my my prediction first. So the South for the kids at home, it's Panthers, Bucks, Falcons, Saints. And this one to me seems pretty easy, and I'll go with the Bucks because I mean all these other teams, they've just been meddling around, you know, under 500 for I don't know how long. You know, and I just think Tampa. I think la well last year Carolina won. Won a division. Yeah, but I think the Bucks, I don't know, Baker Mayfield is pissed off and I think he'll play well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01They lost Mike Evans, but yeah, crazy. Yeah, and he went over with the Niners where it's like, man. But yeah, it's I I'll I'll go with the Bucks.
SPEAKER_02Were the Panthers under 500? Were they nine and eight?
SPEAKER_01They were eight and nine.
SPEAKER_02They were under, right? Yeah. I couldn't swear.
SPEAKER_01Eight and nine uh with a two-game losing streak going into the I think this is an easy Tampa Bay, but maybe Bryce Young kicks that leak, right? Yeah. Well, I know that rookie that that rookie uh receiver with the Carolina lit up the Cowboys. You know, Cowboys with the horrible defense, but man, and uh the Cowboys looked at looked at him, was looking at him in the draft. What was his name? McMillan Tet. That fool there, man. He was so good. He just he torched the Cowboys. So that I mean it's not like they're yeah, the Falcons might be good too because Bijan just got paid. I mean, you have a pretty stout offense, right? You have your your receivers.
SPEAKER_02But this is a really weak quarterback division, NFC South, I think.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So I think Tam Bay they might be fucking eight and nine also or something to win that division.
SPEAKER_01I mean, it could be. I think last year, let's see what they were last year. Last year, everyone was eight and nine, except for the Saints. They were six and eleven. Yeah. And Carolyn.
SPEAKER_02Was it last year the Saints kicked our ass in like week two, or is that the year before?
SPEAKER_01That was the year before.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Remember the Saints are like, oh, the Saints are good. Good ones. This is beat down the crappy cowboy beat him.
SPEAKER_01With Micah Parsons.
SPEAKER_02I know exactly. We didn't even talk about Micah of something about the black and blue division.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah, they had they had Clint Kubiak, which is the whole Mike Shanahan tree. And Clint Kubiak went the following year went to the went to the the Seahawks and was the offensive coordinator there. And then he got rid of Geno Smith, right? Because he was with the Seahawks. And then and they win the Super Bowl. And now G and then Clint Kubiak now, I believe, is the Raiders coach. And guess who he got rid of with the Raiders? One Geno Smith. Geno Smith is like, damn, bruh. Man, where are you going next, dog? So I don't go there. But Clint Kubiak, I I really liked him as offensive coordinator. I kind of wanted the Cowboys to look at him. Like I said, he's from the Mike Shanahan tree, you know. Son, he he's the son of Aggie quarterback, uh Gary Kubiak.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, Gary Kubiak. You know what is it, Denver, your beloved Broncos? Everything goes back to your beloved Broncos.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. He was a back of a quarterback.
SPEAKER_02Also was a coach of and coached the Texans, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, coached the Texans for a little bit there. But yeah, yeah, Clinton. So Kubiak has two sons out there. And I believe both are offensive coordinators. But yeah, I mean, back to that, back to that that Shanahan tree. If you want any part of their stuff, you just go pick up one of those guys. But uh anyway, so we were at uh NFC South, and you went with the Bucks?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, gotta take the Bucs, I guess.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Man, Ron's gonna be mad at you. He didn't pick the Panthers, dog.
SPEAKER_02Hey, hey Ron, I'm sorry, man. But I said maybe Bryce Young. Bryce Young takes the the lead. Yeah. He played pretty well for most of the year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he did. And he won the division, so well, I mean that defense, man. That defense is strong as hell. I know the Cowboys were looking at the defensive tackle over there. Before they went and got Quentin Williams, they were looking for uh, I believe it was Derek Brown or Bobby Brown. One of those two. No, Bobby Brown was an Aggie. I think it was Derek Brown. I mean, that defense was I know the Cowboys had trouble with them, so that tells you how good they were. Now we go with the West, right? And this one's your this is your tough division here with the West for the kids at home. It's the Seahawks, the Rams, the Niners, and the Cardinals. And then I'm just gonna go with the Rams, man. We talked about it earlier. Miles Garrett, defensive MVP, broke the record for Sacks. And then you're gonna pair him with freaking Aaron Donald and a team that you know was a couple of plays away from the Super Bowl, I think. Uh I mean that I just don't see I just don't see the Seahawks or the Niners having enough to to tackle this team. That that team is a freaking monster.
SPEAKER_02No pun intended. No pun intended.
SPEAKER_01And that offense, I mean, was a top five offense, top three offense. Just Devontae Adams, Puka Nakua. I mean, you just you know, Sean McVeigh is freaking offensive genius. It it's it's a tough team. So uh I I just don't see I just don't see anyone else in that division getting over on these dudes. What do you got?
SPEAKER_02You got the Rams. I'm gonna take Seattle. I'm just gonna take the championship. Right.
SPEAKER_00Alright, you're gonna go with uh with former cowboy grade DeMarcus Lawrence, huh?
SPEAKER_02Hey they they fought D Law and D Law won.
SPEAKER_01They got it in Igbon Igbonway or whatever his name is that corner. Remember that corner that the Cowboys picked up from the Vikings or something? He's over there. I think Donovan Wilson, I think they worked him out. Texas? Yeah, Texas Vanny.
SPEAKER_00I was like I was like, damn, how come they can't work over here?
SPEAKER_02Hey Arizona, you know, like awful. I don't know what Arizona's doing.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Brock Purdy, what's going on with Brock Purdy?
SPEAKER_01Well, I mean, they're they were injured. They they got injured last year a lot, the year before that they got injured, but they still they still keep winning. So I I mean it that's a team that I mean they were 12 and 5 last year.
SPEAKER_02They just figure it out at uh you know Wait, did you say who won this division last year?
SPEAKER_01Oh, last year it was the Seahawks. Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then I I read I'm gonna stick with Seahawks.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I read that Bosa got his day-to-day now, and that dude's coming off an injury. Kit Kettles got hurt last year, and then they bring in another tight end, and that dude kind of goes off for a little bit. I mean, you Shanahan is a freaking wizard dog. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02Oh, and then he got into Carl, Carl Shanahan got into that accident himself. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, nobody knows about it, and he can't make the freaking the the the the training camp, you know, and they're like, what the fuck's going on?
SPEAKER_02A lot of bad dudes were around the 49ers.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they got they traded for Odiggy Zua with the Cowboys. The Cowboys got the linebacker D winners from them.
SPEAKER_02I mean, they got Mike Evans.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they got Mike Evans. Like you said. I mean, that the team is pretty stout if they're healthy. They could do something. They went in by they went and got Drake Greenlaw back, you know, but it's it's one of those things that they just they're in a tough division. They gotta battle the Seahawks and the Rams, and you know, freaking Trent Williams is still playing. I'm like, damn dog, when when are you gonna freaking retire? It's like old ass.
SPEAKER_02Stop torturing us.
SPEAKER_01Go away. Yeah. Where's Father Time gonna come get your ass? You know, yeah, they went and signed Debo Samuel because they traded his ass, and then he kind of got hurt over there with the commanders. What's it what's the other the the other wide receiver? Brandon Ayuk. Dude is I don't know, a freaking head case, and the the Niners left him off a list, and now he can't play. He's got a petition NFL to get reinstated. He's talking no kind of smack. I have no idea what's wrong with this dude. I mean, he he wants to pay.
SPEAKER_02What do you think about Stefan Giggs with the commanders?
SPEAKER_01Weird. So Steph, so he was with the Patriots last year, right? And then he got involved. His what is it, this chef uh was trying to sue him that he didn't pay her, and then ended up being kind of like a frivolous lawsuit, and it gets kind of thrown out, and but the Patriots cut him anyway, and now I think he's I mean, I think he's gonna go help the freaking commanders. I don't know how what he's gonna do, but I mean you got Scary Terry over there, and he needs help. And Debo, I guess, I don't know, didn't provide that because they he got they sent him you know on his way. I I just don't see the commanders doing much anyway, with or without him, but he's one of those players that can make Scary Terry better, you know, because now you can't just focus on on on Scary Terry. Now now you're gonna you're gonna have Diggs over there. And this is breaking news, but Trey Diggs called uh Dan Quinn. It's like, hey, uh you got Diggs over there, or you got stuff, you got my brother over there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00He's probably making good show.
SPEAKER_02Very long days, man. England speak decline for charity. But you know, yeah. We're we're not doing Cowboys Corner anymore. No pun intended.
SPEAKER_01Hey, oh so there you go. Those are our picks. Like I said, we'll we'll probably bring Lel back on somewhere around at the end of the season in at the end of January or something, and see what we got right. I'll have to listen through this episode and kind of write down all our picks.
SPEAKER_02But wait. What are we more to prove? Play fantasy sports, take divisional winners, whatever, whatever proof.
SPEAKER_01I would say play fantasy football if you haven't played it. It's fun, especially if you if you know them, you know, if if the people that you're playing with, you you're good friends with, it's it's good to, you know, give somebody to talk about, you know, get talk shit to them, win a little bit money if you're good at it. It's I I think I joined back in because my son now is old enough to kind of get into it, and so I thought it'd be cool. I know he's starting to keep up with football a little bit more nowadays. Join fantasy football, try something new, and beware of the rules and know that the uh the NFL season is right around the corner. And uh go Cowboys.
SPEAKER_00I guess approved team. Peace out.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on your social media, and or leave a rating and review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on Instagram and X. So thanks again, and we'll see you next time.
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