NFL Futures: Odds for Worst Record This Season + Preseason Games
Transcript
00:00Welcome back to Newswire. We've got a strange NFL preseason schedule to say the least for
00:08you. We've got a game tonight and then no games on a Friday night in the NFL for preseason.
00:14I don't ever remember that before. And then every other game is, well, there's actually
00:17a couple on Sunday, I think, but most of the games are on Saturday, Vinny. Sort of bizarre
00:22here. I don't know what the thinking is behind this, but it's the preseason. So nobody cares.
00:27Let's focus on tonight's game. We've got the Patriots taking on the Eagles. And Patriots
00:32went through the slog with the Panthers, I believe, last week. It was like an awful game.
00:36Very low scoring game. Total is 35 and a half tonight. I mean, I don't even know how you
00:41even feel about odds in preseason games. I don't know how anybody bets this stuff.
00:46Yeah, I mean, you look at the Patriots. I don't know if they're interested in doing
00:50anything all that interesting in the preseason. It was a very low scoring game last week.
00:55I do know the Patriots defense still showing up here without Bill Belichick, Gerard Mayo.
01:00There's less transition there, obviously, but now there's more because Matthew Judon
01:04is gone. But you look at that, the offense still trying to find its way here with their
01:09new pieces, the quarterback battle, Drake May and Jacobi Brissett, and a little bit
01:14of Joe Milton.
01:15It's been up and down and weird there. So, I don't know, the Eagles typically are pretty
01:20good in these situations. So, if I had to go somewhere, I'd go Eagles and under in this
01:25one. But I'm not typically looking for these games because they've been so out of whack
01:30with so many teams just not playing anyone. I think more and more teams are doing that.
01:35Maybe this is why the NFL is realizing we don't need to put games on Friday night in
01:39the preseason.
01:40Yeah, I mean, I think our future is two NFL preseason games at most. All right, so, interesting
01:46note here over on FanDuel here, a bettable board of the worst team in the NFL going into
01:51the season. And my gosh, Vinny, the New England Patriots are really big favorites to have
01:56the worst record in the NFL. They're 3-1, followed by Denver at 6-1, Carolina 7-1, the
02:03Giants, wow, where were they? A couple years ago, made the playoffs. They're down to 10-1.
02:08I got to tell you, I'm tasty on the Titans being the worst team in the NFL here, Vinny,
02:1212-1, too. Look, these things are never what they appear to be. We always go into these
02:18seasons, Vinny, thinking that teams are like, oh, this is the worst team in the league.
02:21They're going to win one game. I mean, it's the NFL now, man. This stuff does not happen.
02:25Teams win games in the NFL. Some teams just don't show up, especially at the end of the
02:28year. Is it a foregone conclusion that Patriots are like the worst team, 3-14, something like
02:35that?
02:36I think right now their situation would say they're the worst team. I mean, they don't
02:40really have a lot of upsided buzz around them, right? There's not anything that you
02:44would say they're going to be better when you move on from Bill Belichick. I mean, it
02:51doesn't look like he's going to start. You're looking at some issues, again, defensively
02:55that are going to happen. I'm not sure they have a lot of reliable pieces there in the
02:59front seven now without Judon. And I don't see a lot of paths to victories here because
03:05the Jets have Aaron Rodgers healthy. I mean, you're looking at the Jets, Dolphins and Bills.
03:10That's six games right there that are going to have a lot of trouble winning this season.
03:14So when I look at the Patriots, I don't know exactly what's going on. I don't want to use
03:18the word fire sale. But when you look at it, I mean, it doesn't look like they're caring
03:23that much about winning in 2024. I think they just want a smooth kind of mental transition
03:28into 2025.
03:29Yeah. No, it does make sense. Again, someone will challenge them for the bottom, Vinny.
03:34We see it every year. Now, as far as teams at the top, maybe to make the postseason,
03:39it sounds like you don't see this the same way as me with the Tennessee Titans. You're
03:42a little high on them going into the year, Vinny. Odds to make the playoffs. Some interesting
03:47notes here on FanDuel, including the Bears as minus 108. But you got a couple of long
03:54shots here that you like. Tell me why you like Washington and Tennessee.
03:59Yeah, I mean, Jane Daniels has looked fantastic. And Dan Quinn's going to have an immediate
04:04effect on that defense. We know that. So these are two elements that we're going to watch.
04:10Jane Daniels changes their offense dramatically with Cliff Kingsbury. They've got some extra
04:15defense. The Panthers and Cowboys, who are two of the better defenses overall last year.
04:22So they got some personal upgrades. They got a big coaching upgrade on both sides of the
04:26field. Got a quarterback here. Now the Giants might be fading a little bit. And also watch
04:31for a Cowboys fade, right? They're going to be a little brain drained without Dan Quinn.
04:36Their offense is limited as well when you look at it overall beyond the passing game.
04:40So maybe the Giants and Cowboys open the door a little bit there in that division behind
04:45the Eagles for wildcard spot. And you look at the Titans, I mean, there's just so much
04:49change and it looks like it's all for the better here. I mean, they kind of the Ravens
04:55defense. You can't argue with that. I mean, bringing Denard Wilson in and you look at
04:59the Bengals. I mean, there's some parallel there with the Callahan as the coach and the
05:04scene, some of the weapons with Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard and offensive line upgrades.
05:10Will Levis is in a real good position. Really just comes down to does Will Levis come through
05:14as a second round pick in year two. So if that comes through, the Titans are going to
05:19be in the wildcard mix in the AFC.
05:21Yep, I would agree. Now, one of the more competitive divisions, at least expected to be going into
05:25the year is this three team battle in the NFC North between the Lions, the Packers and
05:31the Bears. I think it's fair to say the Vikings are another one of these teams in a sort of
05:35rebuild pseudo year with some talent, but not enough. You like any of those teams in
05:39particular?
05:42Yeah, I think you have to circle the Bears there. I mean, the Vikings now, I would have
05:46actually liked them a little bit more if JJ McCarthy was available. But I can't go with
05:50the Sam Darnall led team to think about them as a division favorite here. But Cale Williams
05:54led team, you can definitely see that. I mean, there's so much again, new system, new franchise
05:59quarterback, plenty of weapons there. DeAndre Swift and Keenan Allen were the main additions
06:05here that are going to help that as well as Roma Dinsey. So a lot of weapons, good young
06:10looking quarterback right now, a defense that will get better. We saw with Monta Sweat and
06:15his effect last year under Matt Eberflew. So this is a team on the uptick, the Packers
06:20have a hard schedule. So I think that would create the opening where the Lions are there,
06:24but the Bears might replace the Packers as a surprise team, pushing the Lions here in
06:28this division.
06:30Yeah. And Vinny, before you go, give me a quick storyline for Saturday night with so
06:35many NFL preseason games, any game or player in particular that we should be watching?
06:40Yeah, let's watch the Raiders, I guess. I mean, it's a battle that we want to see play
06:45out in the right way because, again, the Raiders, even with their quarterback issues, were
06:51somewhat competitive last year. So let's see what happens there. Gardner, Minstry, Dayton,
06:54O'Connell, we'll get an answer there. But Raiders, again, one of those teams that could
06:58go either way, a 7-10 team or a 10-7 team. So we want to see how they look. And we'll
07:04see a quarterback decision, I think, finally after that game.
07:06Yeah. Historically, one of the toughest teams to predict on a weekly basis, in my opinion.
07:11All right, Vinny, great to see you again. Thanks for coming on.
07:14Thanks, Craig.