NFL Futures: NFC North Win Totals and Team Analysis
Transcript
00:00He is Donnie, I am Ben. A second hour with a ton of focus on the National Football League.
00:05It is win total Tuesday, once again live right here on TEL. We flip our attention to the NFC
00:12North a little bit later on in this second hour. Can the Lions repeat as a divisional title winner
00:19after not winning a divisional crown for three decades? What about Jordan Love and his new
00:24paycheck and the Green Bay Packers? Can Caleb Williams lead the Bears to the top of the division
00:30and what's the outlook in Minneapolis for J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson? All that coming
00:36later on in this second hour. Some NFL news and notes to start and a recap around the world of
00:42golf from the Olympic Games last weekend before we get to the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs
00:49this week down in Memphis. Plenty to get to here in this second hour DRS.
00:54Yeah looking forward to it and also keep in mind this is week two for most teams in the preseason
00:59getting that second game in which means we're going to get a look at some guys that we think
01:03are going to be starting quarterbacks so to get the nod as long as they perform well we'll probably
01:07be those younger starting quarterbacks in the NFL and there's really no more downtime like next
01:12weekend we are going to be having college football on your TV and the wait then starts for the NFL
01:17so we're in that crunch mode right now to get as much information as we can before those live
01:22bullets really start to fly at this point it's a fun time of year to sort of gather that intel
01:26and see what we can make of this season. This offseason for the New York Jets now into the
01:32preseason and training camp a story has been who is at camp or at practice and who is not there
01:40during mandatory minicamp no Aaron Rodgers throughout training camp no Hassan Reddick
01:44after being acquired in a trade with Philadelphia earlier this offseason Hassan Reddick who wants
01:51a new contract and is not happy with the Jets front office officially offered up a formal trade
01:58request yesterday okay Hassan Reddick hasn't shown up to camp but to me DRS it's not so much the
02:06request it's the response from Joe Douglas and the New York Jets on Twitter on Twitter before we get
02:14to the Hassan Reddick highlights here we go we have this statement from gang green we have informed
02:20Hassan that we will not trade him that he is expected to be here with his teammates and that
02:25he will continue to be fine per the CBA if he does not report since the trade discussions back in
02:31March we have been clear direct and consistent with our position our focus will remain on the
02:37guys we have here as we prepare for the regular season Aaron out the dirty internal laundry
02:45on social media not necessarily the highest vibes for Hassan Reddick and the New York Jets
02:51and he's a quality football player so if you're the Jets do you want him in camp absolutely do
02:55you want him happy sure you do but here's the fault like you can probably blame fault to the
02:59agent to the general manager to the player then back to the organization we understand how this
03:03works but we also know that when a play like the Philadelphia Eagles aren't trading Hassan Reddick
03:08out of nowhere going you know what we're at his welcome maybe he was a little bit freelancing
03:12last year we just don't want him anymore somebody come take up though the reason why he got traded
03:16to the Jets or any other franchise have you is because he wanted more money and everybody
03:22understood that so if he didn't want any more money he'd still be defensive end on the Philadelphia
03:26Eagles who felt the need that said you know what what are you asking for that's a little bit too
03:30pricey for us let's see if we can move you the Jets were on the hooks and you know what we could
03:34really use a pass rusher on our devastating defense as we try to win a world championship
03:38but before you come up with trade compensation you must reach out to the agent say what is your
03:43client looking for okay we have the grounds and we have the terms ready for it let's make this
03:47deal you come up in the next 24 hours to New York we'll sign this deal we'll get you on the field
03:52everybody's happy here the fact that they trade them okay what do you think you're looking for
03:55here's what i'm looking for all right let's make that deal and it looks like the Jets made one
03:59offer literally within hours of the trade that was turned down and the bad vibes got going right from
04:04there now if you are the Jets would you rather have Hassan Redick in camp and practicing and
04:08playing than not of course you would but there comes a time where the NFL loves pass rushers
04:13and what the past four to five years Hassan Redick has been a double digit pass rushing sack machine
04:18other teams will want that so if you gave up a three that can turn into a conditional two you
04:23can get that same compensation back because I guarantee you right now if the Jets put Hassan
04:26Redick on the market somebody's going to pay him and I don't know what the Jets were thinking about
04:30when they made that deal and decided not to pay him or come to that agreement here you know it
04:34serves no purposes here for Hassan Redick and the Jets to have him sit out the season and the Jets
04:39hey again I love these stand on business we won't let this happen congratulations your worst football
04:44team because you did that make the move here get draft compensation back get another player back
04:49he doesn't want to be in New York you don't want him move on here what are we waiting on
04:54Donnie as we talked about with the Brandon Aiyuk situation where now he is reopening negotiating
04:59windows with the San Francisco 49ers it's part of that reason you want a new deal with your
05:05organization they say no okay if a team acquires Brandon Aiyuk they have to give up trade assets
05:11more than likely high draft capital but also agree to the new contract extension that the player
05:18wants if you think his asking price in Philadelphia was absurd and he would change his tune now with a
05:24new team you have done yourselves a disservice you can blame the player for being greedy or
05:30inconsistent it doesn't matter the player has asked for what the player has asked for
05:36and you traded him in the hopes that he would agree with you where's the rationale in that
05:43here's the offseason timeline for Hassan Redick back in February he got permission from the Eagles
05:49to seek a trade in early April the Jets traded for him for a conditional draft pick come the start
05:57of training camp he did not report he was also not at mandatory minicamp and as of yesterday afternoon
06:04requested that trade and got publicly rebuffed a fancy tweet quote traffic from the own team's
06:12Twitter handle shared it out there again it's a bad situation and you can argue where Hassan
06:18Redick ranks in terms of edge rushers in the National Football League he's been a pro bowler
06:23each of the last two years he's had at least 11 sacks in the last four seasons and Donnie to
06:28your point he had 16 sacks with the Eagles back in 2022 when Philadelphia won the NFC he led all
06:35of the league with five fourths fumbles that year in his first year in Philly he played his college
06:41ball at Temple he's a native of Camden New Jersey not very far away from Philadelphia I think if the
06:47Eagles had the money to delve out on Hassan Redick he would still be representing the
06:53birds it is a bad situation right now for the New York Jets in an offseason that has still been
06:59filled with drama despite the pleas at the end of last year to leave all of the drama from outside
07:06the locker room yeah by the way he is a local kid he's actually from Haddon Heights which is the
07:10same conference I played high school football and so shout out back in my junior year two touchdowns
07:14in that game had one on offense one on defense we might be able to get that later in the show but
07:18had to fit that one in but also it's if you are a Jets fan sitting out here there can't be many
07:22Jets and they go like you know what love the organization for doing this stick it to Hassan
07:25Redick like no you're asking the questions as a fan going like why did we acquire this guy and
07:29just not pay him because he is a very good football player that can help us win a championship like
07:33there are no winners in this situation I understand maybe the biggest winner would be Woody Johnson
07:38going like whether Hassan Redick plays I can find him take the money and also not have to pay him
07:4214 or 15 million dollars this year that's a fantastic win outside of his bank account this
07:47isn't what you're supposed to do like and again when the trade went down most people looked at
07:51it Ben and said what are the Eagles doing you just gave away one of the better pass rushers in the
07:54NFL well the reason was he wanted a lot of money and you figure the Jets like you know what we're
07:59all in at this point Aaron Rodgers I don't know how long he's going to be here for let's get the
08:03best possible team on the field it made so much sense only to see the decay of what's happening
08:07now and we're talking about real fines like players want to play players want to get paid
08:12nobody wants to have letters probably from FedEx every Tuesday saying you owe another hundred
08:17thousand dollars next week you owe another hundred thousand dollars the animosity is building up
08:22quickly here and wouldn't you be surprised like Brandon Ike situation you talked about in San
08:25Francisco that's probably going to end with him getting a long lucrative deal for the 49ers I
08:30don't see the same path here to victory for the Jets and Hassan Redick we'll talk about all this
08:36off the field drama for New York Hassan Redick Aaron Rodgers does it impact our view on the
08:42actual football that will be played this year by the Jets a little bit later on to start off
08:48our number three but just for context there are five edge rushers around the National Football
08:53League that make 25 million dollars per year or more Nick Bosa the highest paid Donnie's Guide
08:58Joshua Hines Allen who was extended this offseason Brian Burns TJ Watt and Miles Garrett that's kind
09:05of what we're discussing here in that realm more on the early line next win total Tuesday
09:11live right here on the early line on SportsGrid and all across the Spiz Grizz network he is Donnie
09:17I am Ben our focus today on the NFC North a very compelling division on that side of the National
09:24Football League the Detroit Lions the favorites to win this division for a second consecutive year
09:30of course last year's divisional crown for Detroit was their first in three decades the Packers who
09:38have owned this division for most of the last decade plus eight NFC North crowns in the last
09:4313 years second best price with a new highly paid quarterback in Jordan Love Caleb Williams will
09:51lead the Chicago Bears in his rookie campaign a season that will feature high expectations in the
09:57Windy City a winning campaign is expected and what to make of the other rookie quarterback in
10:03this division JJ McCarthy with the highest paid non-quarterback in the history of the NFL at his
10:09disposal Justin Jefferson that's if McCarthy wins the starting job Sam Darnold in competition for
10:16QB number one in the Twin Cities as well DRS big picture looking at those divisional prices
10:23how do you assess the NFC North entering this year no surprise the Lions at a plus 130 price
10:29no surprise the Green Bay Packers at a two-to-one price you might even be able to argue that they
10:33might even should be closer together you know what the biggest surprise is here it's the Chicago
10:37Bears not that they're coming in third because they should be ahead of the Vikings and quite
10:39frankly should behind the Packers and the Lions but at a plus 330 price this is a team that was
10:44average at best last year a rookie quarterback coming in and I understand how good this rookie
10:49is supposed to be and yes I am buying into expectations that the Bears certainly are on
10:54the rise but a plus 330 price lets me to believe that this is a team come December that will be a
10:59game or two back of either the Lions or the Packers NBA playoff squad if you were lining up the Bears
11:06at a five to one price or six to one price I might not even have raised an eye go yeah that probably
11:10makes some sense because technically the Packers to me and the Lions are better teams but the fact
11:14of being priced at a plus 330 which also reminds us that there are a lot of people out there
11:19using Ben the fan blue sports book to bet the Chicago Bears to win this division they are going
11:23to be so much fun this year the reason I bring this up is you can really see it going one of
11:28two ways if I told you at the end of the year the Chicago Bears ended up 10 and 7 and right in the
11:32thick of things in the NFC North that wouldn't be a surprise but if the Bears only won seven games
11:36and lost 10 you could probably go along with that as well and be not surprised that's why it's so
11:41tough to gauge this team but in the betting markets here they are getting very aggressively
11:46priced at a plus 330 price I'm interested to see how that one plays out no doubt and in that
11:52divisional race they should factor come late November early December certainly as a part of
11:57the postseason picture around the NFC as the odds dictate and we show you here the Lions have the
12:03highest win total in the NFC North ten and a half the number in the Motor City the over has the
12:09juice the over has the juice in Green Bay as well nine and a half the win total double digit wins
12:15expected for the Packers led by Jordan Love the over has the juice in Chicago greater than a dollar
12:21and 60 in terms of that juice on the over so a winning record is the expectation in the Windy
12:29City despite having a rookie quarterback and Matt Eberflues entering year number three the only team
12:36of the four in the NFC North Donnie that has the juice on the under of their win total is Minnesota
12:42seven and a half is that number the Vikings have a lot of juice on the under to be around a seven
12:47win football team they'll be competitive too the Minnesota Vikings whether or not they go darn old
12:52as the starting quarterback or if they go with J.J. McCarthy I believe they should and we'll
12:56probably find out in week number two if that's going to be a formality but if you are looking
13:00at the competitiveness here this is a very good division there's not going to be a step over oh
13:04we finally get to play the Minnesota Vikings this week no a lot of talent on that Vikings roster and
13:09a devastating offense that leads what may be the best overall wide receiver in the NFL but again it
13:13just comes back to that Chicago Bears we got spoiled and maybe a little bit spoiled here on
13:18the Vikings why do I say that CJ Stratton was so good last year as a rookie on a team that wasn't
13:24expected to do all that much and they turned it up doing a lot last year I feel like we're putting
13:28that burden on like again if you win Heisman trophies and come in as a number one overall
13:32quarterback where teams are talking about tanking for you for the past three years you're supposed
13:36to have those expectations sometimes they're unfair but I just feel like if CJ Stroud wasn't
13:40as good as he was last year would we still be looking at the Chicago Bears and the Vikings
13:44maybe is a great chance to have a great season or should I say a winning season and a playoff
13:49opportunity it'll be interesting to have the Chicago Bears handle because as I said 10 and
13:537 or 7 and 10 I won't be surprised either way which is a wild swing in markets where you won't
13:58be upset if it goes one certain direction expectation is a funny word because it projects
14:05it is not what has happened based on tread but the odds indicate what we follow here in fact
14:13I think there is a lot of that big word expectation in the NFC North based on limited sample size
14:21for the current organizations and their trajectory that starts at the very top
14:26when the Lions go back to back is a divisional champ in the NFC North find out now the Detroit
14:32Lions favored to win the NFC North for a second consecutive season of course at this point last
14:39summer entering the 2023 NFL campaign the Lions were favored to win the division something they
14:46had been unable to do around the National Football League since the year 1993 last year Detroit
14:55prevailed atop the NFC North for their first divisional crown in three decades can they make
15:00it two consecutive divisional titles in the NFC North after having not won a divisional crown
15:08in 30 years that's what the odds expect at plus 130 and again Donnie we talked about that big
15:16word expectation if you look at the Lions and what they were able to accomplish a season ago
15:22a 12 and 5 regular season record a divisional championship and just a better second half for
15:28a couple of questionable coaching decisions away from a Super Bowl appearance you would say yeah
15:34Detroit should be the obvious favorite to win the NFC North but it's not like the Lions have
15:40been world beaters in this division or have the pedigree of multiple divisional titles in a row
15:46or even multiple 10 win seasons back to back yes and all the expectations for the offense to just
15:53be on cruise control certainly on point I mean this offense is as good as it gets and the key
15:57ingredient maybe not necessarily the players on the field themselves but the offensive coordinator
16:02sticking around who I still can't believe he came back to Detroit when he was probably the most
16:06wanted head coach and the reason why maybe you know certain coaches ended up in Washington
16:10because they thought they had Ben Johnson but he backed out of the deal and Dan Quinn winds up there
16:15those are some things that we're going to get sorted out in the next couple years when he does
16:18become a head coach but look at the offense itself then pound for pound for me the best offensive
16:22line in football a great tight end in LaPorta fantastic wide receivers led by Amon Ross St.
16:27Brown who was absolutely incredible got paid and absolutely should have here he's perfect for that
16:31offense Williams on the outside a young wide receiver you draft high that through injuries
16:36and out of football that maybe he can show that dominant force Khalif Raymond on the opposite
16:40side Jameer Gibbs Montgomery in the backfield and Jared Goff who has been a very good quarterback
16:45since coming over from Los Angeles sort of a throw-in right like I just take Jared Goff use
16:49him for a year throwback get your new quarterback he's now their franchise guy I love everything
16:53about this team which includes if you want to bet against them the defense does have some
16:57vulnerabilities which is the perfect storm for totals and player yards and you have to keep
17:02scoring all throughout the game they play in a dome atmosphere so every week they play at home
17:06you're not worried about windy conditions outside snowy or rainy conditions so I'm very high on
17:11Detroit at this point I do like the Packers which we'll get to in a little bit but just the focus
17:15of that offense with the offensive coordinator coming back the expectations and the continuity
17:20the sky's the limit for the Lions Detroit ranked in the bottom 10 and score in terms of scoring
17:26defense a season ago one of the five worst passing defenses in all of the NFL really good defending
17:33the run and up front the secondary did have some issues it was a key area to look for Brad Holmes
17:40in the NFL draft drafting Terryon Arnold out of Alabama again it's such a funny thing looking
17:47at the Lions insane to our brains after watching 30 years of NFL football yeah oh yeah the Lions
17:54should be the favorites to win the NFC North for a second consecutive year but it is the correct
18:00point 10 and a half the win total for Detroit the over has the juice at minus 138 the Detroit
18:06Lions in some former fashion DRS have been a National Football League organization even back
18:12as the Portsmouth Spartans dating back to 1930 1930 the Lions as an organization have not won
18:21back-to-back 10 win have not had back-to-back 10 win seasons in their organization history
18:29dating back to 1930 that is nearly a century of seasons and of course they were a 12-win team a
18:37season ago expected from the odds perspective to win 11 games this year the closest the Lions came
18:45a three-year run in 1993 through 1995 when they had 10 wins in 93 when they last won a divisional
18:52crowd prior to a season ago nine wins in 94 and 10 wins in 1995 but again I agree with the odds
19:01makers that this is Detroit's division to lose as crazy as that might seem yeah and you're right
19:08about that also the biggest winners forget about just the Detroit Lions fans finally getting some
19:13salvation because for the better part of the past what 30 to 35 years been a really trash can
19:17organization and we'd have to put up with them on Thanksgiving Day as that early game just get it
19:22out of the way and travel before you get to actually watch a real game being the Dallas
19:25Cowboys so we're winning all the way around at this point but it also was the installation of
19:30the head coach in the mindset that came in because if you remember here's what you love about sports
19:35right Dan Campbell is an opening press conference and basically goes back to being like we're going
19:39to be the toughest team we're going to bite your kneecaps we're going to drag you out into the deep
19:42water and drowns you everybody goes like oh this guy's this guy's dumb as a rock analytics probably
19:47out the window this team is going to be terrible but he really took that Detroit mindset of being
19:51that gritty tough town and instituted in his football season or football team I should say
19:57for the football fans in Detroit to really buy in and have a legitimate force this is a team that's
20:02going to be on the rise for the next couple years because they built it from within obviously
20:05getting Jarek off outside of it but a lot of these players here homegrown talent growing up in
20:10Detroit and preaching we can do this thing and the fans now buying in it's actually great to see
20:15because this was a franchise that was just in a long stretch of losing and an afterthought on the
20:21national scene that now stepping into it one of the more fun teams to watch and a great home field
20:26atmosphere now in Detroit yeah absolutely so the environment that we saw in that first playoff game
20:34against the LA Rams Detroit looking for his first postseason victory in 32 years was electric they
20:41made it to the NFC championship game for the first time since 1991 tied alongside Philadelphia at a
20:47plus 550 price to win the NFC that's the second best number Detroit expected to be back in that
20:53pantheon only behind the San Francisco 49ers at this moment but some injury concerns perhaps the
21:00R.S. for the Lions based on yesterday's practice Jameer Gibbs one of the sensational rookies leaves
21:07with a hamstring injury Brad Holmes the general manager in the Motor City was questioned for
21:13drafting a running back 12th overall in 2023 but all of the rookies last year Jameer Gibbs Sam
21:20Laporta the tight end on the other side Brian Branch making significant contributions throughout
21:27the regular season leading to a divisional title and throughout that playoff run for Detroit as
21:33well Terryon Arnold slightly banged up at practice yesterday as the Lions may move this offseason to
21:39address the secondary concerns in Detroit do any of those injury updates from camp affect your
21:46outlook on the Lions this season not necessarily because you're hoping that these guys obviously
21:51aren't season ending but you just don't want the lingering issues here and that's why you bring
21:55up Jameer Gibbs not a hamstring injury you start the season with that injury it tends to linger
22:00here and you're talking about one of the better running back combinations in the professional
22:04sports rankings here Montgomery that a hammer gets the ball on the goal line short situations
22:08can be your lead back but Jameer Gibbs is so talented in the open field it's the perfect
22:13combination of thunder and lightning that's what I worry about because if you are the Lions even if
22:18you have to sacrifice setting this guy throughout the better parts of September yes I'm talking
22:23about that you need this guy healthy from mid-season on because he's such a game changer
22:29and such a playmaker you don't want to have him come back and September 21st or whatever have him
22:34hurt that hamstring again and be down six or seven weeks you saw last year with the Minnesota
22:38Vikings Justin Jefferson ah hurt his hamstring here he'll be back soon what he missed the better
22:42parts of two months here you want to make sure these playmakers are healthy and right so hopefully
22:47he sits this one out for the better parts of the next month here so you can see him full blast
22:52during that what three quarters of the final parts of the season and frankly it's been a great off
22:58season in Detroit they have paid everybody they had to pay Amon Ross St. Brown Penae Sewell making
23:04him one of the highest paid offensive linemen and of course Jared Goff whose MVP number this
23:10year Donnie I will be paying attention to it's a 25 to 1 price right now that ranks 12th best
23:17in the National Football League maybe the best offseason maneuver made in the Motor City the
23:23retention of Ben Johnson the offensive coordinator we thought was out the door as soon as Detroit
23:30was eliminated from playoff consideration last year more than likely becoming the next head coach
23:35of the commanders Ben Johnson still in Detroit I think that is huge for the Lions this year
23:41expected to win 11 games expected to win its second consecutive divisional crown how about
23:48the top contenders in the NFC North the Packers of the Bears next the Detroit Lions are the favorites
23:53to win the NFC North but the odds makers expect both the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears
24:00will give the Lions a run for their money atop the division and based on pedigree and recent
24:06sample size sure the Lions are the reigning NFC North champions but it's been a division
24:11owned by Green Bay in the last decade and a half the Packers have not won the division
24:17the last two years Minnesota in 2022 Detroit in 2023 but prior to that eight divisional crowns
24:24for Green Bay in an 11 year span but the quarterback for those divisional championships
24:31Aaron Rodgers now it's Jordan Love paid handsomely handsomely this offseason 55 million dollars per
24:39year right alongside Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence as the highest paid quarterbacks in the
24:44history of the National Football League entering 2024 and there should be optimism in Wisconsin
24:51based on what Jordan Love put on tape to end out the regular season to earn a playoff spot
24:56for the Pack and of course that upset at the star knocking out the Dallas Cowboys but is it
25:03enough for you DRS to convince you that Green Bay will be a 10 win and playoff team once again
25:09I think they can be I really do because you sometimes you like the way the season starts
25:14compared to the way it finishes here because the vibes were very high for Green Bay at the end of
25:18the season and you're right that game in Dallas really woke up a lot of people to see what that
25:22top end can be for the Green Bay Packers if you take a look at the offensive line it's not one of
25:27the better ones in the NFL but certainly a solid one the one thing that we've always waited for
25:31and you watch is you get that perfect storm the young wide receivers playing with a young
25:35quarterback and the maturation process continues you saw that with the Green Bay Packers at the
25:39end of last season what's one thing you can hope for if you're the Green Bay Packers as a fan of
25:43course you want Jordan Love to be healthy the whole season that's the name of the game keep
25:47your starting quarterback in there for the whole 17 weeks but like Christian Watson could just be
25:51healthy the whole year no hamstring injuries no leg issues here just be that top end guy
25:56what this offense can be and say what you want a year ago we were talking about the downfall
26:01of the running back position anybody can plug in anywhere nobody's going to get signed the big
26:05money how about coming out of nowhere with Jacob signing as now your first string running back in
26:09Green Bay to take over for Aaron Jones love that move like everything makes sense on offense and
26:14also continuity matters it's not as if Jordan Love last year was a first year starter that he
26:19had no idea was going to take place and he was a rookie he was in that Green Bay system for years
26:24and now another year under Matt LaFleur I just think the sky is the limit for that Green Bay
26:28offense the defensive side solid front fours got some playmakers in the secondary they'll be neck
26:33and neck all season long with the Detroit Lions but I think once again this isn't a team we're
26:38going to get caught off guard with we know the capabilities of the Green Bay Packers are they
26:42ready to take that next step and truly challenge let's just say that San Francisco 49ers for
26:46supremacy in the NFC I don't know but this is a quality football game it's a quality football
26:50team and what you can expect on a week-to-week basis is competency out of that offense I really
26:55think you get that there's no reason to believe that the Packers should not make the playoffs
26:59this year they should be in. Joe Barry was the much maligned Packers defensive coordinator last
27:05year many in Green Bay calling for his job he is now out Jeff Halfley made a very surprising move
27:11leaving Boston College as the head coach of the Eagles to become the defensive coordinator in the
27:16National Football League of the Green Bay Packers but Green Bay did improve on the defensive side
27:22of the football and has talent out there as well if you're looking for the recipe of success look
27:27at Jordan Love's final eight games of the 2023 regular season Packers won six of those eight
27:34and six of the eight Jordan Love threw for more than 250 yards 18 touchdowns to only one interception
27:40in that span capped off with a masterful performance in his playoff debut over Dallas 272
27:47yards three touchdowns not a single interception it is what has led to him getting paid based on
27:54the promise and projection to now be the face of the franchise in Green Bay continuing a three-decade
28:01long run now of consistent and successful quarterback play no Jordan Love is not Aaron
28:06Rodgers or Brett Favre just yet but Green Bay certainly believes he can be he did play in the
28:12Packers preseason opener on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland out there for one offensive possession
28:18through a 65-yard touchdown toss to Dontavia and Wicks with less than a minute and a half
28:24into the game it's what you want for success for Green Bay nine and a half the win total for the
28:31Packers the over has the juice despite the playoff spot a year ago just a nine and eight
28:36record less than double digit wins Donnie Green Bay has not gone through two consecutive seasons
28:42with less than 10 wins since 1992 through 1994 again three decade long run of success overall
28:52consistently for the Packers now we go to the Chicago Bears again the expectations are sky
29:00high in the Windy City with number one overall pick Caleb Williams not only a generational talent
29:06at the quarterback spot as is expected but a team that won five of its final seven regular season
29:12games a year ago Matt Eberfloos holds on to his job and there was a conversation because of that
29:19winning stretch down the end of the regular season would the Bears keep Justin Fields or would they
29:25hold on to the number one pick of course they draft Caleb Williams and make many other shrewd moves
29:30to bolster that side of the football this offseason they add DeAndre Swift they add Keenan Allen via
29:36trade they pay DJ Moore the biggest contract extension in history of this Bears franchise
29:42and also in the top 10 they select Roma Dunze the talented wide receiver out of Washington
29:47ninth overall the Bears have added resources to the offensive side of the ball it's expected to
29:53give Chicago a winning record in 2024. It is and it's all dependent to see how Caleb Williams is
29:59going to turn out as your quarterback if you get above average quarterback play there's a legitimate
30:03chance they can actually make the playoffs which means four decent chances out of one division
30:08for all four teams to make the playoffs now granted that's probably not going to happen
30:11and rightfully so they'll beat each other up hold each other out we understand that but the one thing
30:16you can say about the Chicago Bears if there's one term I want to use it's going to be fun this year
30:19no doubt about it you're taking a look at an offense that should be fantastic
30:24fun to watch is it always going to provide touchdowns and aerial highlights maybe not
30:29it's still a young quarterback that's going to learn the ropes of the NFL quite quickly here but
30:33you can't give a quarterback this young this many weapons and not expect him to succeed specifically
30:38on what we expected coming out of Caleb Williams over the past couple years in college Moore Allen
30:43and a Dunze it's good as it gets here DeAndre Swift in the backfield and also the combination
30:47of if the defense isn't all that great for Chicago you take a look at the the offenses in
30:52that division as we just talked about the Green Bay Packers and specifically here the front end
30:56talent of Detroit Lions you're going to get some high scoring efforts here in the NFC North what a
31:01great division I'm just looking forward to that offense and how it operates in the month of
31:04September from Chicago Bears we will talk more about the Bears and the Vikings up next on win
31:11total Tuesday so the expectation is there for Caleb Williams in his rookie campaign in Chicago
31:18expected to bring this Bears team to a winning record and a potential playoff birth now Chicago
31:25has a win total of eight and a half the over has the juice that's a nine and eight record expected
31:31for a team that won seven games last year and just three the year prior the Bears the R.S. have only
31:38won 10 or more games in a season once since 2012 that was under Matt Nagy back in 2018 they have
31:46made the playoffs twice in that span in the last five years or so both 2018 and even with an eight
31:53and eight record in the rear in a weird 2020 NFL season but it's a minus 108 price for Chicago to
32:00see the NFC postseason it is the seventh best number around the conference if you follow that
32:07the seventh best number in a conference that has seven playoff births the Bears are going to be
32:12expected to contend for a playoff spot late into 2024 can they get in that's going to be the question
32:20right hanging around late December a meaningful football game Chicago Bears it makes some sense
32:25and it's for a lot of fun but if we had to give you one bet right now to say will the Chicago
32:29Bears be in the playoffs or out of the playoffs Ben I still think I would have to say out of the
32:34playoffs and it's not a shot at the Bears I'm expecting big things and the main ingredient what
32:38do we always say typically when you draft a quarterback and let you say the top 10 in the NFL
32:42it's not so much the record of the football team but after that rookie season do you have yourself
32:46a franchise guy does he look the part is their confidence moving forward what we sort of you
32:51know sped up the terms here in Chicago because technically they weren't the worst team in the
32:55NFL last year but they did have the best draft pick and they went out and surrounded him with
32:59a ton of talent which typically you're trying to build from within to see what you have before
33:03you add the talent the Bears actually put the you know the horse in front of the car the cart in
33:08front of the horse if you will which I love to see you want to surround your team and your talent
33:13specifically the quarterback with as much talent around them as you possibly can but also is it
33:18going to be honestly is it going to be a surprise if the Bears have an under 500 record let's just
33:23say midway through October technically no it's still a rookie quarterback and a young team that's
33:27still not used to winning just yet so we're trying to set those expectations as oh my goodness great
33:33quarterback weight rod receivers here we go to a 5-1 start by the time you know we're floundering
33:37around in the middle of October I don't know if it's going to be that case I want to believe so
33:41I want to sit back and watch how they do in September specifically that offense but we are
33:46putting a lot of expectations on the Bears with a lot of moving pieces the defense is very good and
33:52was the key to sporting Chicago to those five victories in their last seven regular season games
33:58that is Matt Eber Flusi's focus he enters year number three at the helm in Chicago new offensive
34:04coordinator Shane Waldron who was in Seattle under Pete Carroll to merge with Caleb Williams
34:10the Bears have invested in the offense something they did not really do for Justin Fields but they
34:15have done so for Caleb again a winning season that is what is expected in Chicago for the
34:23Minnesota Vikings could it also be a rookie quarterback from the very start J.J. McCarthy
34:27great in his preseason debut on Saturday for the Vikes 188 yards two touchdowns bouncing back from
34:35an INT on his opening offensive possession the pieces are there offensively under Kevin O'Connell
34:42they paid Justin Jefferson this offseason but the win total for Minnesota just seven and a half the
34:48only team out of the four in the NFC North that has the juice on the under of their win total
34:54seven and a half is the number and again that juice on the under what is your thought for the
34:59Vikings entering 2024 there's a chance like I don't think the Vikings can win the division but
35:04there's a chance that the Vikings certainly can wind up in third place and have a decent record
35:07in the NFC North here's the issue that you come into it with like with a quarterback right what
35:12do you not want to see if you're a pocket quarterback which the majority of the NFL
35:15quarterbacks are it's pressure up the middle the Vikings have two solid offensive tackles
35:20on the outside but there's a lot to be desired from guard center guard in that position which
35:24means you are going to get attacked right up in the pocket it's great to have Justin Jefferson
35:29just throw it out there the guy's wide open and just on every single play it feels like
35:32and he's going to make plays you have competency and wide receivers around them Addison let's just
35:36see how long that suspension might be and how long he's going to be out he has picked up a
35:40solid running back I do like the Vikings this season I just don't think they have any playoff
35:45aspirations for me because again the goal for the Vikings to me is let JJ play most of the season
35:51here if not start the season see how he is and by the end of his rookie year you'll know about that
35:56franchise guy and if they're playing well and they've been like seven or eight games and he's
36:00competitive that's all you can ask for for the Vikings this season it's tempered expectations
36:04but for a reason I think that is the moniker of success as well DRS is JJ McCarthy the face of
36:12the franchise with the pieces around him the Vikings have never had less than seven wins
36:18in the last 10 years 2013 NFL season was the last time Minnesota had less than seven wins
36:24despite having exactly seven wins three times in the last decade hour three is up next live
36:31right here on the early line