Most Fun NFL Story Lines With Peter Schrager

22:51You're going to have to score 35 points to beat them every week, and I don't know if a lot of teams can do that.

22:54Bill Simmons:You're going to be able to with their defense. You're going to have to, though. That's it. Let's take a break, and I have the other big storyline that you're uniquely qualified to discuss. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like expecting the leadership of a team captain on the football field, but getting a C captain? Sure, they're both captains, but who's gonna run your offense? You wouldn't settle for just anything for your team, so don't settle for just any insurance. When it comes to getting the help you need, State Farm is the real deal.

23:30Bill Simmons:Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Parents, if there's one thing you deserve to make it easier on yourself, it's back to school season. I know that's how I feel as well. On Uber Eats, you can get up to 40 % off back to school essentials like notebooks, pencils, calculators. You got lunch boxes to fill? Get discounts on fresh fruit, juice boxes, string cheese, and more. Get everything you need for back to school delivered right to you just to tap away in the Uber Eats app. offer ends September 16th. See app for details. All right. You don't know anything else we're talking about because you don't need to because you've been doing this nonstop.

24:12Bill Simmons:So it took me a while to come around on this. And I talked about it last week when we did the Bears, Sal and I, and I was saying I was over. I think they're a playoff team. It just seems like the Ben Johnson, all of it, the hype, which I was resistant of, I always want to zag if there's a zag. I've just been really impressed with everything I've read and heard this whole training camp. Give me your best Ben Johnson will be immediately awesome case. That he will immediately ascend to the McShay, LeFleur, Shanahan, Andy. That he will get there right away this season. he chose to come here and he leaned in so hard and didn't have to he could have taken the washington job last year he decided to punt on that at the last second the story is actually crazy he was on a plane a private jet last year uh or i'm sorry the washington brass josh harris and the executives were all on a plane the private jet to go court him and finalize a deal with the And then while they're in the flight, they find out over Twitter that he's backing out and they land and he's like, guys, I'm sorry, I'm staying in Detroit.

25:26So could have had that job, could have had Carolina, I think, two years ago. David Tepper loved him and he was a North Carolina guy. Good whiff on that one. Yeah, look, he's calling his place. I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting. Any team, he could have had any job this year. I know everyone will say, no, actually, no, he could have had any job. He made it very clear he wanted one job. He wanted the Chicago job. and in his opening press conference, he's like, I can't wait to beat Matt LaFleur. And I texted LaFleur because I'm like, all right, that's funny. You guys obviously know each other.

25:56LaFleur's like, I don't know that guy. I have no relationship with that guy. That's crazy that he would call me out in his press conference by name, but like he wanted that. He chooses to coach against the Lions, the team he just spent six seasons with and slicing up the rest of the NFC North. He's like, no, no, I'll go up against them. And then the last team, he goes up against a Vikings team where Brian Flores was hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and had this staff. And one of the holdovers was Ben Johnson. And Brian Flores was like, I don't need this guy. We're good. We'll move on.

26:28And Ben Johnson's like, all right, I guess I'll find another job and wasn't retained by Brian Flores. Flores is now defensive coordinator of the Vikings. Ben Johnson brings to Chicago all of this with this giant chip on his shoulder.

26:41Bill Simmons:And so he's got a chip on his shoulder against two of the teams and then knows the third team exceptionally well. Exceptionally well. And could have chosen to take in the soft AFC team in Jacksonville or wherever else and said, okay, I'll just get paid a bunch of money somewhere else and not take on this challenge. The last piece, he wanted to work with Caleb Williams. And not everyone necessarily after that first season would want that. If you're the offensive genius and you're the boy wonder, you might say, give me a more established quarterback that I can work with, or let me pick my own quarterback that I can work with, like Clifted with Kyler or whatever else in the history of offensive coaches taking new jobs.

27:19Give me Caleb because I'll coach him hard. And Caleb's big thing is he's never been great with timing. It's always been off script. And Caleb likes to work and be freestyle. And that is not what Ben Johnson's offense is. Ben Johnson's offense is, hey, Jared Goff, here's the play. Here's the first look. Here's the second look. Play action, go. You're not doing it as a shotgun. and Caleb's got to rewire his whole brain. And from what I hear out of Chicago, it's working again.

27:50Bill Simmons:Well, wasn't they doing the thing where he threw a lot at him and then he started scaling it back? Yes, it's the kitchen sink. So that's legit. Cause I know, you know, you read this training camp stuff. You never know what to do. Well, everyone's going to be amazing at a training camp. That's what we hear. So you got to read it with a filter. In this case, like, all right. So Mike Marks, I was brought, someone brought up Mike Marks recently. was like Mike Martz, offensive mastermind, kind of like a, like sit in the lab and not exactly a social butterfly and maybe not the best communicator. Mike Martz becomes head coach of the Rams.

28:23They go to one Superbowl and then it never happens again for him. It's just an offensive coordinator. It's just what he was. This guy, a lot of people immediately thought was some bookish nerd, just sits there and draws up plays. He's not like, he's not. He's not, he's not a nerd. He's not a geek. He's not a guy who sits in the lab all day long and can't talk. Like he's a guy and he's a dude. And he, from what I hear in Chicago has established that pretty quickly. Like they're not going to play just air raid football. And this guy's going to draw up fancy plays where the offensive lineman goes in motion.

28:58No, they're going to run the ball down your throat. And he's also going to do that stuff. And then he's going to talk some smack on the way also. I said on ESPN a couple of weeks ago that he's the most interesting person in the NFL this season. because if he can revitalize, not just the bears to a winning team, we've seen them win and go to the playoffs the last couple of years, but if he can make the bears like a fun and sexy offensive team where we're like, oh shit, I've got to watch the bears on red zone or, oh, I'm going to, you and Sal always talk about the four screens and what you're choosing.

29:27Like they're going to be one of my teams every week. They just have to be there.

29:29Bill Simmons:Yeah, yeah. That is a totally new chapter for them. And I think with Ben Johnson, they can do that. Are the two weapons that they drafted both going to have huge impacts? Yes. Loveland's already getting drafted. Like he's a top 10 tight end. Yeah. And they took him before Tyler Warren and they had options to take a lot of that one. I know. And they could have taken wide receivers like off topic a little bit. Like I've heard a Buka out there in Tampa Bay is already like the captain of the team and Baker's absolutely in love with him. And he's going to be right out of the gates, like a guy that they're going to feature in the offense.

30:05I haven't heard that with Loveland yet, but that's because they have DJ Moore and they have Burden and they have the two running backs. And I don't know in that offense if it's going to be tight end focus. But if you look at the way Ben Johnson used Laporta, I would think that they're going to feature him heavily.

30:22Bill Simmons:So if you had to say three NFC North teams make the playoffs and one does not, who is your does not? The Chicago Bears. Still, you have them fourth. Yeah, I do. So what's the Minnesota case? The Minnesota case is that they might have the best roster in football besides that quarterback, and that quarterback might be awesome. We just don't know. The balls on Kweisi, the GM, and Kevin O 'Connell to move on from Darnold when you could have easily franchise tagged him or paid him what he's making in Seattle to move on and say we're better off with a guy that we've seen throw three preseason passes is a crazy decision.

31:00but they are so convicted in this that I have to believe that they believe they can win with this guy right out of the gate. So JJ McCarthy, giant X factor.

31:11Bill Simmons:40 million for Darnold. Instead, they keep, they just basically use the QB money for JJ, which rookie scale, take the 40 million for Darnold, give a couple to a backup, and then you get like four starters out of it basically. Yeah. Yeah. More or less. And then I thought, all right, let's see JJ McCarthy and maybe they sign Aaron Rogers to a minimum deal. And Rogers probably would have been open to that. And they're like, no, like, no, we're good. We're going with JJ McCarthy. It's a pretty big spot for that dude though. It reminds me of the, the Arch Manning, all the hype he got all summer. And then it's like, all right, now, uh, noon, Saturday at Ohio state, go knock yourself out.

31:50Bill Simmons:Like it's, I don't know. It's a pretty big spot. McCarthy's going to have a couple of those. Monday night football in Chicago. that's about the same kind of platform as arch is having where you're going to have a pregame show all day long and everyone's looking at it and you got ben johnson on the other sideline i guess i trust koc and flores in a way that i just don't know from the bears what we're going to get yet so i would say any other division i could argue that the bears could could compete you know at least like this division is a gauntlet you're not obeying the three and three out rule which might even be the two-in-two-out rule.

32:26Bill Simmons:I know. Somebody's got to... We're not just running it back with three NFC North playoff teams again, the same three. I do think the Lions... I feel like one of them has to flip. I think the Lions do take a step back. And I think it's because of Ben Johnson. I think he's incredible. And his ingenuity, and the way he used Jameer Gibbs, and the way they got Penny Sewell in motion, and the way that they got open all these guys and used all this... I think they're really going to miss that. And I don't know if John Morton, who's a longtime NFL coach, This isn't like they, you know, elevated some 28 year old that they feel good.

32:57I'm like, John Morton's been around for 30 years. I don't know if he's got the ingenuity and the spunk and all that, that Ben Johnson had. And I, I, I hate saying this about Jared Goff because here's Jared Goff who took a Rams team to the Superbowl, took the lions to an NFC championship game into a one seed last year. And we're still after all these pro bowls and his name being chanted to the draft. I still kind of like without McVay or Ben Johnson in his ear. I still kind of don't know what that looks like with John Morton as the OC. So I might put an asterisk on the Lions. I might just go two teams and say it's Vikings Packers out of the NFC North this year.

33:30Bill Simmons:Well, and weaker offensive line too. I said this to Sal. I don't know who the year from hell team is yet, but we're going to have one. And if you're doing Fandu odds on that, they're probably the odds I'm favorite. But I think the fact that the Chargers have already lost, you know, one of the three best guys in their team, they're a candidate and maybe somebody else. Last year was pretty easy to look at the Niners and be like, ah, there's some stuff happening here. It was just gross all summer and we didn't know what was up with Trent Williams. So that's an interesting team. I heard you guys talking about it when you and Sal were doing all the NFC over and under.

34:08What's your 30 seconds on the Niners? Ambivalence?

34:14Bill Simmons:like just winning six games last year and then losing a shitload of veterans. And then people are going, no, they're going to be good again because they have Kyle Shanahan and I use coming back in October and McCaffrey might play. I just don't really see the case. It feels to me like there's more arrow pointing down potential than arrow pointing up. I don't really know, but I just know that I like Seattle more. And I think after that's one of my big week one plays is, I just think Seattle is going to be good. And I'm in the minority. I know it's a nobody believes in us thing, but I just trust.

34:50Bill Simmons:I think they're just like steadier than this Niners thing, which is like all over the map. I don't know what I'm getting. Are they going to be able to block? Are they going to have a pass rush? When are their receivers going to all be healthy? Am I getting 12 games out of McCaffrey? Yeah. The schedule is the only case. It's like their schedule is easy. Okay, cool. Great. they cut they cut kyle use check and it was like oh it looks like they're changing the look of this team kittle's contract was still not finished i'm like what are they are they gonna move on from kittle like and then they were like no actually we're gonna resign kyle use check then we're gonna extend kittle to a monster deal like legit money for kittle at this stage in his career and then oh we're also gonna give money to purdy and fred warner and we still got iuk and we're gonna bring back Sala.

35:38It was almost like, Hey fuckers. Like we were, we were in, we were in the super bowl less than 18 months ago. Like chill, chill out. Like don't, don't, don't give up on us yet. So the conviction of John Lynch to not just say, all right, let's do a little changing of the guard here. Let's get younger. But to bring back all those guys tells me that they think they can still compete. And oddly enough, I'm not a big gambling guy. I see the, the odds. They're still the favorites in the NFC West. And I guess that's because of the schedule, but to say that they're the favorites over the Rams is crazy to me.

36:10Right.

36:11Bill Simmons:Okay. That was going to be the next thing I asked you about. Matthew Stafford, God only knows. Yeah. I don't either. The left tackle seems like he's okay. He's scheduled to maybe play. So you have uncertainty with the quarterback and the left tackle, like real uncertainty. And yet I still pick them to make the playoffs because it's just like, Yeah. And you were the one who was kind of talking me into the Garoppolo piece of it, that you felt like that is about as good of an insurance policy as anyone has. So make the case. Yeah. For the Bill Simmons Reddit folks who don't think you and I talk all the time, we still talk on text all the time.

36:48And we were talking about the Rams. And I said, this guy, Garoppolo, can still win 10 games if they need him to. And when they played with the Cowboys in these intercamp practices to a man, both sides said he lit up the Cowboys defense was going up and down the field. And he and Devante, which everyone assumes because of what was said on the wide receiver documentary, hate each other. They're great. They're also adults and have made a ton of money and are like, let's just go win football games and try to get a Super Bowl. So with Stafford out, Garoppolo was under center and McVay was like telling me, Jimmy G looks awesome so at the very least they have a capable backup that they know they can win games with if Stafford is unavailable and I hate saying this because Cooper Cup has been a great player and as a triple crown winner and all this thing they view Devante Adams as a big upgrade from what they had as Cooper Cup last year so now you have Devante Adams Pukunakua Tutu Atwell Karen Williams and at quarterback you hope Matthew Stafford at 37 can stay healthy and if he isn't and has to miss a few games, you're not going to Brett Rippey in like they did a couple years ago.

37:55You're going to Jimmy Garoppolo, who is a serviceable quarterback in this league. Okay.

38:00Bill Simmons:It's really hard to bet against McVay winning nine or 10 games. And dude, verse... With an easy schedule, by the way. With an easy schedule. Yes, and that defense was awesome down the stretch last year. You know, they were one pressure away from playing in an NFC Championship game against the Commanders. And, you know, they got to Stafford and that was that. But like, they were in that game with the Eagles. They were the only team that competed with the Eagles in the playoffs last year. They had them on the ropes in the snow. And they came up short. And then you have the 2025 hipster champs, the Arizona Cardinals.

38:33Bill Simmons:Everybody's team, geez. I don't get it. I don't either. I'll freely admit I don't understand it. I don't think from a talent standpoint, they have as much talent as the other teams in the division. I don't, I was there last season. I thought they had a chance a couple of times to maybe make a run and then would just have a terrible loss. I'm not a Kyler guy, as I've mentioned many times. And I just, I have them fourth in that division. I don't really get it. So do I. And maybe we're wrong. And maybe this shows up on old takes exposed or someone digs this clip up and is like, see, told you guys, but like.

39:07I'm not worried about that one. I don't see it. I don't. And I think it's a competitive NFC. the way it is for me it's like the best coaches are in the nfc and the best quarterbacks are in the afc so i let's are you gonna if you're gonna win that nfc west you're gonna have to out coach mcveigh you're gonna have to out coach shanahan and then you're gonna have to also out coach sala and chris shula who are the defensive coordinators and oh by the way mike mcdonald did a pretty good job in his first year and they love kubiak as a new offensive coordinator like That's really good coaching staffs.

39:42So Jonathan Gannon, like year three, you should be competing. You should be doing it. And if we're wrong, we're wrong. But I don't know if they have the talent and I don't know if they've got all that goes into actually competing for a playoff spot in a loaded NFC.

39:55Bill Simmons:I don't see the case. Who was your Nobody Believes in Us contender this year? And I know you're doing some prediction stuff on ESPN. Yeah. Last year it was the Washington. Yep. Former Redskins, now commanders. and I remember us talking about it and I couldn't get there to them as a playoff team, but they checked a lot of boxes for the bump. Nobody had them in the playoffs. Nobody in the planet had them go to the NFC title game. So who is the team this year? Who does nobody believe in? Okay, so last year there were two teams that I had that I was very high on and it was the Broncos and the Commanders and I kind of puffed my chest out all season about that.

40:35This year I have a team that literally nobody on earth, including their fans, seem to be in on. And I kind of like them to shock everyone and compete in their division. The Miami Dolphins are very intriguing to me.

40:50Bill Simmons:Let's go. This is a good one. You're right. Nobody believes in the Dolphins. I mean, it's like this is everybody's, this team's going to suck team. Mike McDaniel has been hearing it all offseason that he's on the hot seat and that this thing is kaput. Tua Tungavailoa has heard it all offseason that he sucks and he can't get over the hump and he can't win in cold weather. Tyreek, Waddle, guess what? I know guys with the Dolphins. They love Tua and Tua's really good with them. That is as good a one-two in the league outside of Cincinnati that you're going to find. And McDaniel can still put up 40, 50 points with his offense.

41:32A-chan, great running back. And their defense did not have their two best players last year in Phillips and Chubb. They get them back and you get Chop Robinson in year two. I know they lost a lot. I get it. And maybe Jalen Ramsey is the greatest cornerback of his generation. Maybe he's not, but Jalen Ramsey is out. And with Jalen Ramsey being out is you have a bunch of young guys who are going to step up and the locker room is maybe a little different than it was last year with a lot of veteran guys. Oh, I like Mike McDaniel with a chip on his shoulder. I like Mike McDaniel knowing that he's got his guys on the field.

42:06And I like the fact that absolutely nobody, including the most diehard Dolphins fans, are riding with this team. I'll take them. I'll take the Dolphins. Are they going to win the AFC East? Probably not. Can they compete for a wild card? You better believe it.

42:21Bill Simmons:Over-under is still seven and a half. Take the over, folks. So legitimately bad defensive backs. We don't know that. I'm going to say they're bad. We don't know that. Considering they've been still scrambling to try to sign guys to potentially throw out there. They don't have a single shutdown anybody on there. I mean, Fitzpatrick's there. Minka's back there. And the offensive line. Young. Yeah. It shades of the Pats last year. Like, it might be bad, bad. So those two things worry me. Then you have Tyreek. I have no idea where Tyreek's head is at. They removed his captaincy, which I thought was interesting.

43:02Bill Simmons:Waddle's already banged up. The running back situation, it's gotten to the point that Ollie Gordon has gotten buzzed in some of the deeper leagues because he might actually be playing a lot. Yeah. So I don't know. To me, it's like, are they going to be better? Are they more talented than the Patriots? Yeah, I think they do have more talent on the roster than the Patriots still. I like your case. Your case is pristine. Because you're the only one who believes in them that I've heard. And that's where I like to hitch my wagon. Give me that team. And I'll tell you, this team will embody Mike McDaniel.

43:38And you might say, well, what the hell does that mean? It means high-powered offense, fast, let's get the ball out, let's go. And like, the noise of like, you know, all the shit that's been going on this offseason, they had 100 % participation this offseason. And that's the first time I could say that's happened in Dolphins' recent history. And as much as we all say, like, last year was terrible, like, they went six and two after starting two and six. Like they finished the season strong last year. So I don't know. I look at this team two years ago, they were a playoff team. Injuries hit them.

44:10They went into Kansas city in the coldest game ever. It was played on Peacock. And everyone just remembers Andy Reed's frozen mustache. That wasn't a good draw. The year before that, they were awesome all season. They get hit with the injury bug and they have to go to Buffalo. And it's Skylar Thompson at quarterback. I know they had a bad year. It's like the Niners. They had a bad year last year. Can they bounce back? Absolutely. All those guys are still there for the most part. I still think that they've got an offense that put up 70 points on the Broncos two years ago. I mean, the better case is they're playing beyond what you just said.

44:41Bill Simmons:Where are they? So they have at Indy week one. Win. Home Pats week two with the Gonzalez hamstring thing, which is now dominating my life as I just wait for updates. Patriots in September at the Dolphins win. Number of Miami, not a great history. At Bills Thursday night, that just crossed out off. Probably a loss. Probably a loss. Jets Monday night at Panthers week five. Home Chargers at Browns. So you're saying five and two. We could be six and one at that point. We. I don't give a shit, but we. No, it's a well week because you're the only. This is it. This is really good. I completely disagree with you, but I'm also really jealous.

45:25Bill Simmons:And this is it. It's so funny. Because we've known each other so long. I thought for sure you were going to do Tennessee. They check a lot of Schrager boxes. And I was ready for a whole Cam Ward and this defense and the culture. And I just thought you might be in on them. But you zagged on me. I'm not in on them yet. I like the Dolphins as a pick. A good team that has a coach that has something to prove, that has his guys on the field, and that I think has been really, really dismissed this offseason. and all the stuff about like, they don't get along. And Tyreek was questioning, you know, the running backs room.

46:03Like, don't, if you're not there and you're seeing stuff in press conferences, it's hard. And I, again, I think I might be the only person, including JJ Jastrzemski and all the different Dolphins fans out there actually feels that this team on paper still is as good as anybody on offense. And that coach put the league in a blender the last couple of years when he's got his weapons.

46:27Bill Simmons:7-1 win the AFC East. McDaniel is a 2-1 to be on Get Up With You in mid-November. I know. I know. Let's take one more break. I have a couple more things to throw at you. This episode is brought to you by PNC Bank. In today's sports, everyone is constantly trying to outdo each other. Trick formations, infield shifts, constant rotation changes, yet it's proven time and time again that strong fundamentals are the thing that will lead you to victory. Banking, no different. While everyone else tries to outdo each other, PNC Bank just keeps going right down the middle with steady calculated money moves and the financial wins just keep coming.

47:04Bill Simmons:PNC Bank, brilliantly boring since 1865, brilliantly boring since 1865 as a registered mark of the PNC Financial Services Group Incorporated. PNC Bank, National Association member, FDIC. This episode is brought to you by TikTok. Did you know you can use TikTok to connect even more with the sports you love? It's not just highlights, it's everything around the game, including the sports community. Find breakdowns of classic basketball plays, deep dives on baseball stats, even videos on how athletes train and recover. There are people teaching strategy, sports, history, even ways to improve your jump shot.

47:40Bill Simmons:It's kind of like the biggest locker room ever and everyone's sharing what they know on TikTok. You did this already on ESPN, but you know, I feel like you have to do it here. You got to just do your whole Giants thing. I had to do an imitation of you doing the Giants thing. I heard it. Just do the two minutes because every Giants fan I know is over the moon with the potential, you know, they're not going to win the Super Bowl this year. But, like, just having an identity again, knowing that they're not going to have a shitty quarterback, knowing that they're going to have a pass rush. That's like the mid-2000s pass rush.

48:15Bill Simmons:Knowing that they're, you know, Michael Parsons now out of the division. They have a real chance to be the second best team. if Washington goes backwards. But there's just a lot of buzz, neighbors. So give me the spiel. The spiel is this. I went to a couple practices and then I saw him with the joint practice with the Jets and Abdul Carter was absolutely unblockable. And then you add that to Dexter Lawrence, who is arguably the best defensive tackle in football, who next to him is Brian Burns. And then on the other side also is Kayvon Thibodeau. You have a front four that is as good as anyone in the league.

48:56And that includes the guys in Philly right now. I know.

48:59Bill Simmons:I think it's them in Philly, right? And I would even say if Carter is as good as we think he's going to be, they might even have the edge. Yeah. And Abdul Carter has been, to a man, unblockable. And it's funny. You get that one clip against the Jets or whoever it was in the preseason game where he gets chipped and people are like, see, he sucks. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. You guys don't get it. Like he's that good. They love their defense. They think their defense is as good as anybody. I look at the defense. The Jets could not move the ball in practice. And the Jets had just got done running the ball down the Packers throat in a preseason game.

49:33And the Jets could not do anything against this, this giant's defense. The question is, what do we get on offense? Well, the days I was there, neighbors didn't practice the days I was there Slayton or Hyatt wasn't out there so i can't tell you what the offense looks like i do know that every time they put jackson dart in the kid comes in with a ton of swag he walks in there like he owns the joint the other quarterbacks jamis and russ don't seem threatened by him in fact they love him they're like let's promote this guy like we're gonna do the best thing we can there just seems to be positive vibes and like daniel jones he was tough he was reliable he came to practice like he was never he never really embraced the whole, like, let me be a badass.

50:14Let me be a New York city leader now, nor did Eli in a lot of ways, but then Eli just did it on the field. And that's where he gained the, everyone's like love. This kid dart comes in, you know, dressed in, in his kit shirt and his, in his necklace that's from his sister. And he's got these sunglasses on. He's just got something to him where from the very get go, it's like, Oh, this guy's coming in here with something a little swag to him that maybe we haven't had at the quarterback spot in some time. And then there's a future. And I know that Dable and Shane, they've casted their lot with him.

50:46And they absolutely love the guy. And Brian Dable doesn't need to talk up any quarterback. He's had Josh Allen. He's had all these guys. He's been with Brady. Like, he loves his Jackson Dart. So at the very least, last year, you look at this team. They've got a great front seven. And then Nubin and Phillips and some of these other guys, as they bring in a player that they really are high on and Javon Holland at safety, like the defense is going to be great. So you're going to be in games. It's can this offense score enough. And if neighbors is even close to what he was last year with some inferior quarterback play, well then shit, they could put up some points too.

51:20Bill Simmons:What about giants called hero cam scatterbow? I don't know if, uh, and like, it's funny because I see him going in fantasy leagues like really early. Like they really liked Tyrone Tracy and they really like motor Singletary. So I don't know where Cam Scadabo fits in now. It's funny. People just want it to happen. And we went, I saw you at a party over Super Bowl week, a Saturday afternoon party, and we're there. And there's a lot of A-list NFL players and entertainers. And you and I were hanging, and there was only one player I wanted a selfie with, and it was Cam Scadabo when he walked by. He's got that to him.

51:54He is very, very appealing as a fan favorite. I just don't know what role he has in the offense just yet.

52:01Bill Simmons:So Pittsburgh has the 21st pick in the draft in 2025, April. They took defensive tackle Derek Herman. Dart goes four picks later. Giants trade up. That might have been a massive mistake because it really seems like Dart might be good. And Pittsburgh hasn't had a quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger. And he was sitting there and they must have checked him out. And everybody thought they might take Shador there because this was during the part of the draft before we realized Shudder was going to drop multiple rounds. But man, I wonder if I'm a Steelers fan, I'm dreading this Dar thing. When do you think we see him?

52:42Bill Simmons:Yeah, because Sal and I did this on the schedule. We were thinking like week four, week five range, or do you think they're going to let Russ steer the car for a while and kind of wait until December or something? I don't know if it's December, but they're not going to yank Russ. Like I remember just to give it a comparison, Bill O 'Brien talking to him and he's like, look, Deshaun Watson will get in eventually, but Tom Savage is our guy. And then literally halftime of the first game, Deshaun Watson replaced Tom Savage. Like this isn't that this is, Russ is going to get a couple of games. He might get a couple months.

53:17I would think the bi-week is always a weakie circle. You know how brutal the start of the season is. I think they have one game where they're going to be favored in that first nine weeks. It might be against the saints. I would think at the bye week is when we start thinking Jackson Dart, unless Russ is winning and they're going to keep him in.

53:34Bill Simmons:Give me 90 seconds on the Pats. Great. Right? Like the arrows pointed up. And as we see Belichick on Monday night, and it's like, geez. And now you've got Vrabel where it's like, okay, we have a piece of the good of Belichick, but it's like fresh and young. and Vrabel is so good at time management and so good at having his guys be disciplined and ready to play every week. It's the exact opposite of last year's team. There's an immediate upgrade with just Vrabel and McDaniels and I'll throw Stretch in there who is Vrabel's like game and clock management guy who is like the next Ernie Adams up there and McVay loved him in LA and he left LA to come be with Vrabel who he had in Tennessee.

54:22A very, very niche name. Stretch, not shy about doing media. Right. He's been out, right?

54:28Bill Simmons:That was like a Boston Herald, like 4 ,000 word feature that I devoured by Andrew Callahan. Isn't that exciting? And he popped on somebody's podcast. I'm like, look at Stretch. Not an enigma like Ernie Adams. I know. Ernie Adams was down there in the basement and was like fed like scraps of food. And meanwhile, Stretch is out there at the podium. But like, that's a real thing. That's an elite, elite clock management guy that has been long valued in the league. And then Vrabel, of course, I think is the best in the sport as far as knowing the rules and knowing all that stuff. And again, you're going to fall asleep listening to that.

55:03If you're like, oh, we've got a guy who knows all the rules in the playbook. Don't, Hey, a lot of these NFL head coaches do not know all the rules in the, in the playbook and do not know how to do time management. And you bang your head against the wall saying it, you're never going to see a unprepared Mike Vrabel team. You're never going to see Mike Vrabel, you know, botch a timeout or not know that, Hey, wait, actually this is a 10 yard loss and a stoppage of play, whatever it is. So, um, I don't have them in the playoffs this year. I don't, I think that they're better this year. I think Drake may is in much better hands with Josh McDaniels than he was in the previous.

55:36You probably gave them that you gave Cincinnati their spot. I love Cincinnati this year. Yeah. Yeah. I get it.

55:41Bill Simmons:And Miami and I got Miami in there too. Okay. So I had the, so the Pats Vegas spots you gave to Cincinnati and Miami. Yes. I have the Pats and Vegas. And do we both have Denver and Casey? Yeah, of course we do. I didn't feel good about six and seven in the AFC. I changed my mind a million times. Me too. And, but I think the Pats, the Gonzalez thing, if they don't win this week, one game, I don't think they're going to make the playoffs. I know not to sound like it's a must win game, but like, But this is like, if you're going to get to 10 wins, this has to be one of the 10. And I just find it hard to believe they're going to go 10 and six.

56:17Bill Simmons:Like the kind of, you have to beat Vegas at home if you're going to make the playoffs, right? Washington would have beaten Vegas at home last year in week one. Yeah. So if it's going to happen, we'll kind of know right away, I feel like. Well, I feel like I got egg on my face last year when, you know, Gerard Mayo's team goes into Cincinnati and beats them in a really hard fought week one game. and I'm like, Gerard Mayo had them running drills. They're in better shape than they were under Belichick. And then that all went off the rails, of course. I do feel without any second of hesitation, like Vrabel, McDaniels, and the rest of that coaching staff.

56:51And that goes, I mean, it includes, even like on the offensive side, you've got all these different guys who have been with Vrabel before. And I think that they play a big role also. Like this is a very experienced coaching staff.

57:05Bill Simmons:It's funny to read the quotes. And we have really good beat reporters for the Pats. You do. It's funny how many players have not come out blatantly and said, wow, this coaching staff is so much better than last year. But it's just been a lot of between the lines stuff that's been pretty fun. It's like, wow, it's nice to have some stability this year. Just like all these little... Yeah, and remember Mayo was saying crazy stuff in the press conferences too. And you're like, what? Like we're in like doing appearances and saying things on the radio show that again, not his fault. First year head coach.

57:40Bill Simmons:I know, but it's just unnecessary distractions. Yes. Vrabel comes in and Vrabel's he's busting chops with the reporters. I think he went at Mike Girardi. I think he went at Tom Curran. Like he's not going to back down. He also knows these guys and he knows Karen knows all of them. He went to Ben Volan hard. Oh, he did. Yeah. And it's like, part of you is like, Oh, I hate the way he's talking to the media. Part of you is like, He's comfortable with these guys. He's not going to be bullied around by them. And he also respects the fact that they're the best in the game when it comes to a media market.

58:09Bill Simmons:He's aggro. He's getting into scraps when they're breaking up scraps of practice. He's yelling at media people. It's great. It's good to have an identity again. What was your reaction to Belichick on? Because I guess this is probably the first time you'll talk about it on Monday night. Because that was... I was really bummed. I thought he was going to be awesome as this last act college thing. and it was so bad. I almost don't even know how to process it. But it was interesting how many people were delighted that it was bad. And some of that he brings on himself. Like he was a dick the last 12 years when he coached.

58:45Bill Simmons:The Jordan Hudson thing's weird. Like I get it. But this guy is still the greatest NFL coach of all time. And it's kind of, it was the first time I was thinking to myself, oh man, I hope they don't go like three and eight. And this is just like sad. I know. I don't want that to be the outcome. Was the word schadenfreude? I know I'm pronouncing it wrong, and I know you pronounce wrong words. Schadenfreude, yeah. So we all do it. But it was so real. And my phone was lighting up. And it's not just for Bill. It's for Lombardi, our boy also. People wanted to see these guys because they thought, just let us get there and we'll be all right.

59:21And I think people want to see failure because of jealousy, but also because of the way that they came in. And a lot of those players that were at North Carolina They're like, we're good. They can walk. We'll bring in our own. Like, we'll be okay. And obviously, it didn't go well the first day. Now, they play a Charlotte team next week. That from what I've heard, you know, App State is not a powerhouse this year. It's not a great App State team. And App State, you know, waxed Charlotte last week. If they struggle against Charlotte in week two, then we've got a real problem. And this thing can get real ugly.

59:53It did feel like a moment for about 40 minutes.

59:55Bill Simmons:Oh, it was cool. They had MJ and LT in the suite. They scored on the first drive. I was like, I'm in. I'm like, who's this quarterback? Lefty. And I'm like, ah, first 15 plays. It's amazing. And then she ends up on the sidelines at the end. And you're like, what the hell is going on? This episode is brought to you by ServiceNow. Look, I already have my dream job. I run the ringer. Argue with Chris Ryan, AKSCR. But even dream jobs have not so dreamy parts. You know, the work that slows you down never seems to go away. That's where ServiceNow's AI specialists come in. They're like digital teammates So actually do the job, start to finish.

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1:01:09Tremphaya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them, and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Trimphia today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit trimphiaradio.com.

1:01:43Bill Simmons:So give us, before you go, give us the first, like, how many months that he has been now? I got there in March. popping on all the different shows being like Swiss army knife. Um, what was, what was, what's been the biggest surprise the first three months of, of being in that whole world? It's been cool because I thought it was going to be like, all right, you're signed on as NFL analysts. Here is your role. And what I've realized very quickly is I have more freedom and more flexibility at ESPN than I ever did at NFL network because they're like, oh, you know, Molly Karam's out. Why don't you host first take this week in July?

1:02:21Or Mike Greenberg's out. Why don't you host get up? And then McAfee was out and they let me fly to Indianapolis and do that. And then like when the Knicks were doing their thing, I'm a Knicks fan. They're like, why don't you get on sports center and talk Knicks? So all that stuff I never really thought about. And then the bigger surprise is like, you know, I was doing a three hour show five days a week. And I thought everyone was watching good morning football. And I thought, okay, if I make a point on good morning football, everyone in the media world is going to know what I said, because I'm Peter Schrager and I'm so important in the world revolves around me.

1:02:49What I really quickly learned was when you get to ESPN, like that's what's in the airports. That's what's in the barbershops. That's what's on in the bowling alley. And that's what's on in every hotel lobby. Like the NFL network stuff was, was big fish, smaller pond. This is, I'm a smaller fish in like a massive pond, but everyone's listening to what I say. And it feels like when I make a point on ESPN, like people hear it that I'm like, oh shit, I got a text from XYZ because I said that at 9am on ESPN with first take. And it's like, all right. Yeah. So I think just the actual fire hose of the platform has been a pleasant surprise.

1:03:26Yeah.

1:03:26Bill Simmons:The face being on in the airports and all these different places, that's when you start. The thing I noticed when I was in that whole world was like, when you start getting recognized by the TSA guys and the cab drivers. And I was like, I'd been so, I was a writer. I'd been so anonymous for so many years. And then once all of a sudden I'm on these shows and you kind of forget, there's like, Oh, that guy's was, and then people, yo man, what's going on with the Lakers? What's it, you know? And you're just like, I'm just having coffee right now. It's eight o 'clock in the morning. No doubt. And you're just kind of on call, like a doctor for sports conversations.

1:04:04Totally. And I live in Brooklyn where, and I, you know, I, you don't know if people are into sports or if they're into like the new strokes album, like you don't know if they're into it. So I'm do an NFL network for years living in Brooklyn. And like, maybe I got a head nod once in a while from a sports fam. And I'm like, all right, it's just Brooklyn that people would much rather talk about craft beer and, you know, some indie band. No, since I've been at ESPN, everyone's like, oh shit. Like I saw you on sports center. I saw you on, on this or that. The one thing that's different is like a good morning football.

1:04:32I came into work with Kyle and it was like, it was our show. And it was like, well, what do we want to talk about? Let's, let's do it. I've got to navigate that a little bit. And the season's going to be interesting where tomorrow, for example, I'm on get up first take, and then I'm doing sports center from the U S open. I'm going to be asked questions by Greenberg and by Molly. And I'm going to be talking with Stephen A, but like, it's not me coming in and saying, Hey, should we talk about Travis Hunter? Like it's, I don't have that anymore. So we've got to figure that out and navigate it where my voice is, you know, my thoughts aren't just being call and answer.

1:05:04It's more like, Hey, what can I provide and offer up proactively?

1:05:08Bill Simmons:Yeah. I miss you and Kyle. I'm going to really feel it during the season just because it was it was a habit um i love that dude and like listening to him and you i get jealous and fomo and i'm like oh they're good together like i i miss kyle absolutely but i've been monitoring your his pants stuff you you've stayed true to yourself you're still you trying but i'm like i'm i'm monitoring and if i feel like you start veering and directions i don't like i'm i know it's gonna be a test like i'm on mondays on first take with Stephen A. Smith and Cam Newton and me. And it's like, all right, dude, like you want to still make your like pithy joke about some reference to the nineties.

1:05:46Like I don't, it might not, it might not, it might not land like it did with Kyle Brandt giggling, you know, like,

1:05:51Bill Simmons:so Adam Duritz joke might not work. It's a long December wink. Like, no, it might not work. It might. The third eye blind reference might go over some heads, even though Kim's hat is very high. we'll see I've been I've been thrilled with it though it's been cool you'll be fine it is it has been fun seeing you just pop on all these different places I don't even watch as much ESPN as other people but I feel like when I when I would tune in this summer you were somewhere involved somewhere on some show can I can I say one thing I've got a new passion and you see me posting about it on Instagram I play this I know you're a racket sports lover and you love tennis are you gonna do paddle yes dude paddle this is so up your alley I hear you doing these Michelob commercials and you're like crapping all over pickleball and I'm nodding along, but then you're like, tennis is my sport.

1:06:37I play tennis. You have to get into paddle. You would love this sport, Bill. And if your listeners don't know, it's two on two, it's doubles, but it's got the glass wall. I know how much you love tennis. This is easier on the body and it's the most social thing in the world. Paddle's coming and I want you in on the ride, dude. Paddle's coming? Where's it coming from? It's coming from South America. It's coming from Miami. It's coming for like prime time? I don't know if it's ever going to be on primetime, but it's a great sport. And I agree with you on pickleball. I couldn't get into pickleball.

1:07:07But as a tennis player and a tennis lover, this sport is so fun. And I want to give you a racket. And I want to get you on the court. And I just want to play with you because I think you would love this sport.

1:07:18Bill Simmons:I would be an immediate natural because it's a racket. I'm good at racket sports. This is my goal over the next year. Did you go to the US Open? I'm going tomorrow. or recording this on Tuesday. I'm going tomorrow and I'm excited. I love it. Do you, any chance you'll be in town? No, right? No, no, no. I don't go, but I did. I'll give you one take that I had that I've been thinking about. Is it about the honey juice or the chicken nugget with caviar? No, I've been cultivating this take factory. Let me hear. You know, Serena, who's been back in the mix a little and she lost weight. She's in great shape and she's been - She's on row.

1:07:55Bill Simmons:Yeah, she's pitching this row thing and she's the best she's felt. I think she should come back. Let's go. I see Venus every night on these doubles with Fernandez. And I'm like, I love those two. I feel like if she started planning it right now and aim for like French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, like, all right, seven months. Her kids are a little bit older. How old is she? She's early 40s. But I was thinking like, I was trying to think like, what would be a bigger non-NFL storyline than Serena coming back in shape, like almost like MJ coming back to the Wizards, but like more favorable and trying to like take her throne back.

1:08:39Bill Simmons:I think it would be like - What's a boxing reference? I feel like it's a boxing reference more than anything. I just feel like everybody would be interested in this. I don't know. There's not a single person in my life who wouldn't be interested in a Serena comeback. And I just think she should consider it. I know you and your wife love the tennis. and me and my wife as well, we watch it. And like Sabalenka is unbelievable and Iga is unbelievable. And you've got these two women right now playing at such a high level. You think Serena can still roll with those two? I don't know. That's what would be so fascinating because it would be a whole thing like, she can't do this, there's no way.

1:09:14Bill Simmons:And then there would be this other side and be like, she's Serena Williams. She's the GOAT. She's the best female athlete we've ever had. If anyone could do it, it's her. And it'd just be like incredible theater. I wonder if she's thought about it at all. I'm sure she has. She looks amazing. She's what she do now. She owns all these things. She's like a crazy, successful business woman. It just would be so interesting. I was trying to think of like anyone who could come back. That would be a more interesting subplot than her. Cause that nobody else is realistic, right? Tiger's like, he's in his fifties now.

1:09:45Bill Simmons:He's had some, all these surgeries. Like he can't come back. There's no, you know, LeBron's still playing. But if when LeBron retires, then it'd be like, oh could LeBron come back we'd have that whole thing for two years but for two years that we've done the Brady I guess Brady would be the other one but Brady's too old now yeah at this point it would have happened last year what happened with the Niners a couple years ago like he had his opportunities he didn't Serena coming back would be awesome now on the my hot take on the tennis is like we always had Nadal and Federer as the top guys and then Djokovic obviously joined them but there was always this like Stan Warenka David Ferrer like there was always these other guys right now it's just it's just sinner and alcaraz and i don't and like the gap is so big between those two and everyone else like i don't know if this u.s open has been as exciting because they win 6-1 6-1 6-1 and it's like all right they'll play in the finals but we have two weeks of tennis and i gotta be honest i'm going tomorrow i'm seeing the canadian guy play the australian guy i don't even know their names and i follow this thing on a daily basis so it's really just a two-man sport right now, and I don't think that's great either.

1:10:52Bill Simmons:Well, the Ben Shelton getting hurt was a murder. It was killer. Because that was... I think they were counting on him to really potentially be heard from. Especially because the crowd would have gotten completely behind him. Tiafoe loses in straight sets. It wasn't great. And then Coco is like... Coco just got waxed by Osaka. Worked her. But yeah, it's... I don't know. The Serena thing would be pretty fun. I like the US Open. Hey, should we do a tennis pod together? No, I don't think anyone would listen to it. The one at the ringer who loves tennis is Dabundo. Dabundo's like, I texted him today, on Tuesday, about what's a tennis bet that you would go for it?

1:11:35Bill Simmons:He's like, I like both underdogs and the woman's like, he's really into it. But yeah, I don't know how hot the tennis pod would be. Maybe paddle. Maybe that's the pod. When paddle becomes a major thing. You would love this. And the games you get in with these random guys that are, I work in oil. It's a crazy scene, this paddle scene. And it's big in New York right now. And I think it's coming to LA. So are you like, you're officially like a McAfee guy and I'm like the old girlfriend? Or how does this work? Just walk me through it. I don't know. I'd like to be able to swing a little bit and have you both.

1:12:16and open relationship. I want to be able to just be open and like, just fun. And we'll try to get along for you

1:12:24Bill Simmons:and it'll be good. We just want you to feel good. If I can bridge you guys, because like you mentioned mullet number two, like that's Boston Connor. He's a good guy. He's a Patriots fan. I like the Boston guy. Give my best to the Boston guy. I like that he sticks up for us. What you would appreciate about them, and it's got a good ringer, Grantland feel, like it is like them against, they live in Indianapolis. It's five friends. They don't have a rundown. I go down there and it's like, let's just talk football. And I so appreciate it. It's like the part that you and McAfee have, like the shade of things, like the complete distrust and disrespect for middle management and like that kind of stuff of like the khaki pants and the suit and the lanyard and all that.

1:13:05That does speak to me. Like Pat doesn't suffer fools and he will tell them. And they, you know, that's just what it is. He licenses his show. It's his deal. but like, I know you guys both speak a very similar tongue when it comes to, Hey, we're the talent. We know what works and just trust us and don't try to interfere too much. That's the game he plays. And I kind of respect you both for that.

1:13:25Bill Simmons:I always, I always respected what he built. I know I just didn't like the Kimmel Aaron Rodgers thing, but I'm over it. Fair enough. It is. It was like, what, two years ago. It's fine. It's done. It's fine. Now, now you're there sometimes. Sometimes. And now, now we are, you know, what's that guy's name? Boston Connor. Boston Connor. I would love for you to have him and Ty Schmidt on. Ty's great also. Ty Schmidt on. These are your guys. You've moved on. They're good. It's fine. I'm like the old girlfriend. You've got Diana and Pablo and the rest. Pablo Torre comes on talking about his quote unquote origin story.

1:13:57I'm texting Bill. I'm like, can I come on and talk about the Seahawks? What are we doing here? Make me have some Mike McDonald thoughts. I want to talk. I've got some thoughts on Johnny Smith. Can we talk?

1:14:06Bill Simmons:All right. Well, so you'll be popping on a few times during this season. As many times as you'll have me. I would love to have you. I'm excited for everything that's happening for you. It's great to see you as always. Dude, you're the best. You've always been such a champion of mine. And you know my love for you and the listeners that you guys have. All right. Good to see you. Thanks, man. Thanks, dude. All right. That's it for the podcast. Thanks to Peter Schrager. Thanks to Gahau and Eduardo as well. I'm going to be back on Thursday doing Ringer 107 with House and a whole bunch of other stuff.

1:14:38Bill Simmons:So stay tuned for that as we get ready. We might even go after the Philly-Dallas game. But at some point Thursday, you'll have a podcast from me. So stay tuned for that. I will see you then.

1:15:09Bill Simmons:1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com. Call 1-887-897777 or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelpline ma.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24-7 support Massachusetts or call 1-887-8-HOPE-NY or text Hope NY in New York. For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters. Tremphaya offers self-injection or intravenous infusion from the start. Tremphaya is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks.

1:15:58If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tremphaya, proper training is required. Tremphaya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them, and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Tremphaya today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit trimfireradio.com.

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