Hour 1: Can the Jets Start 3-2? Cam Skattebo Mulled Retirement

0:00This is the Chris Carlin podcast. This is live morning Zettan on ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube. We call it a big series for the Yankees, but we've been saying that for a month. We've been saying that for a month. Every series is big when you are at that point, you were traveling by seven games to the array. So we'll get into baseball, but we got to start with the NFL. What do we? Five days away from the beginning of the season. And I talked about this a little bit last night, but after sleeping on it, I feel way more conviction about it. I don't know how this is going to sit with y'all. Listen it. And in the chat, hit me up. I'm starting to feel really good about the Jets. Week one. Week one. I think the Jets are going to beat the Titans in Tennessee a week from Sunday.

1:04And the closer we get to it, the more confident I feel. Now yesterday, what I said last night, what was that? 15 hours ago. I said that I didn't know what it meant for the rest of the season. I just thought that they were going to win this game. But now, as I said, I sat on it, slept on it. And then I talked to Tom Bauer before the show. I said, how about this? I think the New York Jets will start this season three and two through five games, three and two. And we've come a long way because I've been doing the show intermittently throughout the summer. I'm too pessimistic, too negative. And you know, Barth was trying to reel me back in. But you can talk yourself into them beating the Titans, right? It's just the Titans. Week five against the Browns.

2:04I don't want to call it a gimmie because what team, fresh off of a three and 14 season, is afforded the benefit of any win on their schedule being looked upon as a gimmie. But the Browns are simply not trying to win games. They've got Deshaun Watson as their starter. He's already going at the fans. It's a mess in Cleveland. And so coming off of an offseason where you trade your best player, and look, I like, I like really like Jarrahvers, but you lose Miles Garrett. You don't get better. And so the Browns who are a mess at quarterback and who I don't believe have any interest in winning games this year. And it's not the way you want to start if you're Todd Munkin, but look, it is what it is when that's a quarterback room. I think the jet can beat them. And so then you look and you try to find, because I said three and two through the first five games at Tennessee, that's a win. Then you're home for Green Bay at Detroit, at Chicago, and then home for Cleveland.

3:06I said, that's a win. So all you have to do is find one more. And what appears to be a three game gauntlet, three NFC North home for the Packers, a lot of folks because of the news about Josh Jacobs, no, Micah, a lot of jet fans feeling a little bit more confident home opener. Go get him. In Detroit, I think that is a brutal spot for the jets that the Lions at that point will have come off of games against the Saints and then the bills on a Thursday night. And so extra rests. Now you're in Detroit against a team that I expect to make the playoffs. I don't know that the jets are winning that game. But then you go to Chicago and here's what's interesting about the Bears. So the bears start the season in Carolina. I think they win that game. They then are home for Minnesota and sneaky Vikings.

4:11I don't know, man, I'm starting to get high on the Vikings. We'll see what they are. But then they play a Monday night game at home against the Eagles before hosting the jets in week four. And so is that a prime spot for a letdown short week against an Eagles team that two years ago won the Super Bowl and Eagles team that I think will be great this year. And then sandwiched. You've got the jet game sandwiched in between the Eagles and now you're traveling to Green Bay the following week. So is that a spot for the jets to pull up on them catching by surprise Caleb, throw a couple of picks and they capitalize and win the game. So I am conflicted with as I predict they start three and two. Where the third one comes from because like I said, it's at Tennessee. I think they win that one home for Cleveland week five. They got that one. So now I'm trying to figure out is it home for Green Bay or is it in Chicago week four home

5:17for Green Bay? Could you imagine? Could you imagine the type of time jet fans would be on the energy in in this city. If this team starts two and no, we're going to go from fire and Aaron Glenn to sending that man to Canton. Two and no. And he didn't say it, but I'm sure in his heart, he feels the same way solid it. He's keeping receipts on guys like your boy who ripped him to shreds last year. I'm rooting for Aaron Glenn contrary to what people may think. You want to get the take right? Listen, I root for my takes and it got me in a little bit of trouble with the Nick fans back in back in June during the finals. I said, yeah, I've got the spurs in seven. And so in rooting for my take, I got to root for the spurs. But when it comes to my teams, I if I have a take that contradicts that, you know, the

6:25team success and excelling, I root for my team over my take because it's the perfect spot. I'm either dead right about the take or improving role and I just get to bask in the joy of my team being good. And it's the same thing with the Yankees, which we'll talk about later. But it's either going to be and maybe before the end of the show, I'll figure it out. But with the Jets and my eyes starting the season three and two, they're either going to beat the Packers for their home opener week two against beat the beat the Packers in their home opener week two or they'll go to Chicago, which could be your prototypical trap game for the Bears. It's sandwiched in between games against Philly and Green Bay. And I think the Jets get it done. And Lord help us if they win both of those kids. I'm not going to get that greedy, that aggressive. But I do believe they start the season three and two.

7:28Now the problem is week six, they travel to Foxboro to play the Patriots. And so that's a loss for all the people who are on this bandwagon up. The Patriots are going to take a step back. Listen, the Patriots are still a pretty damn good team who have a quarterback, finished second in league in VP. They added H.A. Brown. They've got an excellent head coach. Yeah, he was, you know, wrapped in some controversy this past off season. But that's the really really good team. And they're going to make the playoffs. They will be heard from do they get back to the Super Bowl? I don't know. That's tough to do back to back years, unless you're Kansas City. But the Patriots will be good. And I think they beat the Jets week six. But then it's back to back home games against Miami and Vegas. So based on what I'm laying out, like it's possible that my football team that we know I haven't made the playoffs in 15 years.

8:29I haven't finished with a record above 500 in the decade. It's possible. Hear me, y'all. It's possible that through the first eight games of the year through the first eight games of the year. They're sitting to above 500. It's possible. It's possible. 800 999 3776. I can't see time. But I know he's looking at me crazy. It's like, yo, it's the Jets, bro. It's the Jets. Are you just going to sit here and tell me the New York Jets or eight games are going to be five and three? I think that they will be five and three. I think they beat Miami. I think they beat Vegas. Lock it in. Lock it in. 800 999 3776. And look, I do want to respond to the noise that we saw on social media this past week.

9:36My man Frankie Vee who I had on my YouTube show, The Tie Butt List Show, make sure you like share and subscribe. We got caught in a viral ish moment because a clip was sent out and it was clipped at the perfect time because he was responding to a question being posed to him. But all all all the algorithm caught was him saying, you know, basically he wants to team the tank. He wants them to start the year. Oh, and you know, he wants them to start the year losing all of these games and then finish it out with the best draft position. Impossible. And my response to it was, I can't spend six months starving for football and then have week one pop up. And now I'm rooting for them to lose, especially, especially when week one is so winnable. It's winnable. I checked the line a couple of days ago. The Titans were favored by three.

10:37I hopped all over. That's money line. Give me that. Snatch it up. All of a sudden you check today, Titans are down to one and a half points. And so what Vegas is telling you really is that the jets are by a hair, the better team, but you give the Titans a little bit of a home food advantage. And so my response to look, I understand. I understand the fundamental feeling of we stink. I don't trust anyone running the organization. Fire everybody three first round picks, $100 million as a cap space. I want to lose every so like I understand that thinking I just can't get down with that. Week one. I'm in because as much as I've killed Aaron Glenn. And I don't think that he is going to turn out to be a really good head coach.

11:40I'm still a fan of the team. I still have to and it's like natural to just come into the air with some level of optimism, some kind of hope. And then you can kind of persuade yourself into thinking this team should be what and I guess we can argue by what degree should be better than it was last year because Gino Smith, while yes, did lead the league and interceptions last year is far superior to Justin Fields. That offensive line a year older, more camaraderie, more chemistry, the weapons we rave about on this offense. And now Garrett Wilson again, Gino Smith is not Josh Allen on the March Jackson, but I would argue he's closer to those guys than he is Justin Fields. And so now Garrett, maybe for the first time in his career, has a legitimate quarterback

12:44throwing to him. So it opens up an opportunity for all of these players we've been salivating over. No diddy. The last couple of years on the offense with Breeze and with Garrett specifically because of what we saw them do when they got here, it opens up the door for them to actually excel and do so with some consistency. If you believe in Frank Reich and you believe that Gino Smith is closer to the guy we saw at 2022, then he was last year on a bad Raiders team. Now look, I'm not letting Gino off the hook because as I've said, when your offense is putrid, yeah, we can blame the offensive line. We can look at the offensive coordinator. We can talk about all these other things, but in the end, you're the quarterback. There's some culpability. You participated in that. So I'm not absorbing him of everything that went wrong, but obviously not the most ideal

13:47of situations. And so with that being said on offense, defensively, and this is going to follow him because he uttered this phrase. But when I say this, I don't do so facetiously or trying to make one of them. If the head coach is super power versus defense, then my expectation is with a defensive depth chart that actually has some pieces on it that you could write home about. Maybe Sherwood has a better year. Will McDonough, we saw a lot of flashes last year. You're bringing the Mario Davis and make a Fitzpatrick to give you some veteran leadership. I still don't love Brandon Stevens, but now you bring in the Sean Wright, who I believe what do you have for interceptions last year? Sweat on your defensive line. And oh, by the way, you had the second pick in the draft in David Bailey, who was running

14:48a mucking camp. And so on paper, am I saying you're going to be discussed among the likes of the Broncos and Chargers defense or the Rams? No. But the text like we get to the end of the year and it's like, hey, blind reveal. Here are two defensive two defenses. Look at their numbers. One of them is the Texans and the others to chat. Am I saying that? Absolutely not. What I am saying is because you were so pathetically laughable last year. It doesn't even take much for you to be better. So can you hang somewhere between 16th and 20th best defense? And is that good enough with an offense that we expect to actually score some points to just keep you hanging around, keep you interesting and keep you relevant? And the closer we get to the season, and maybe this is just how we operate as jet fans,

15:56it's like a cycle. We spend most of the year depressed. We get excited about having a top pick. That top pick conveys. We go through the draft and the combine and free agency. We're then miserable again because we keep hearing about how bad the team was the year before. But then the closer you get to the start of the season, it's like, hey, man, we can beat the tight ends and maybe we beat the the packers in the bear. Maybe this is just the cycle of misery that we live as jet fans and I am becoming victim to it. Or you take a look at the team and you say they should be a lot better than last year. But it all starts and ends. We know what the head coach quarterback combination. And if it's anything close to what we saw a season ago, they're obviously cooked and it will be nothing to talk about. And if that happens, I will say last night scrolling through Twitter before the TV show,

16:59I saw my man Mike Tomlin doing TikTok videos. Tomlin, what happened to you, bro? They got you doing TikToks. And I said they got the future head coach of the jets out here on set for football night in America doing TikTok videos. That ain't John Blaze. But what will it matter, if Aaron Glenn somehow finds a way to have this team look functional, representable. And if the ships, the big ships do turn slow, maybe we see some progress that we didn't see last year. And that ship turns a little bit faster than we all anticipated. Say this, as someone who started back in 2017, as in the midst of living out what is part

18:06of my dream, it felt really cool to be part of it all. All of the pop and circumstance kicking it off at six with my man, Dan Grasse, and then serving as like the book end doing the solo show last night from seven to nine. So that was fun to do. 109.393776. I see the people are lined up and want to talk some jets. How about we start with my man, Danny, who's calling us from Long Island. What's up, Danny? Oh, it was a great show yesterday. I appreciated the Billy Joel song. It did a nice job. And I somehow didn't squeeze my man Thai Butler into that. But you know, it is what it is. I got in at the end, man. They hit me with the buzzer, Peter. I got in on the extra credits. Very good. Listen, appreciate the enthusiasm. And every fan and football should have a way right now to convince themselves that their teams can make the playoffs. That's the beauty NFL that we don't get an MLB. When MLB starts, we know who's going to be there at the end. Yankees dodges, you know, Braves, he's feeling it.

19:06And in football, three out of the four teams in every division actually have a chance to win and make a run in the playoffs. You know, injuries are the big thing, of course. Schedule is a second big thing. And you know, the jets and the giants both have to have a 500 season to cheer to have a successful build up from what they did last year. Now, the jets, the hype is real. Everybody's on board, which is great. The first game of the season at Tennessee is a very good barometer because if you told me that we're going to go out Kansas City or somewhere and get killed, there wouldn't mean anything because they're playing a much on a road against a much better team. But they're playing on a road against the kind of a middling team with a new quarterback kind of finding a second year guy. So it's a good barometer for what the jets are. They could lose the game, lose it good as we said. But they go there and they don't look sharp. And we see the same mistakes again. Aaron Glenn makes a boneheaded review or misses a time out of something and it's the same old jets again. You know, it's not going to be good. So they need to do need to it. It wouldn't mean a lot for the season. Not that they're going to go on the win the suitable to go down.

20:07Like you said, take care of business against the team that the bookies are rating even as because they give them a little few points because they're home. You're getting a lot of New York money on that. But that's what that's where I think it's a big game, not for the end of the world, but because that's a good match up and that's a fair match up. So let's see what they got. And I like Geno for you. I think you'll give you a professional effort if not, you know, spectacular. Every once in a while he can make the bonehead play. You all can. You got the running back with the hamstring. Let's see him on the field because we know how those things go. They won't, you know, they won't linger in stuff. So hopefully everybody's ready to roll. I appreciate your enthusiasm and let's go. What a fail. I'm trying, man. I appreciate the call, Danny. So it's actually a growing injury for for Breeze Hall that yes, does concern me because look as much as I love Brillian Allen, I like him more as the second running back on the depth chart. Breeze Hall is the gadget player. Breeze Hall is the home run hater.

21:09He's that dude who remember all of last year we were calling for him to be involved, and our instrument into a good job of this involved in the passing attack. And so Breeze Hall being able to be a do it all kind of running back should ignite this offense. Now, G no. Does have a little James Winston, Winston in them in that one week, three or four touchdowns to follow and week you feel a good three interceptions and clue in a pick six. And so that's what you worry about. But the importance of this game cannot be understated. It cannot be understated because as I've said many times, if they think about the stakes and it's why though people didn't love how it sounded, it's why I've come to agree with Jake Astman, which called it a must win. Now, must win sounds crazy for week one where we see upsets happen all the time.

22:10At how many times have we seen a bad team win week one only to win three more games to rest of the season. But while I don't really care too much about getting revenge on Sala and that part of it, my primary focus is on the tone that it sets and how you then can change your entire perception of what the next few weeks look like. Because if you lose into the Titans, with all due respect to cam ward and how good he looked the last month of last season, the Titans, man, that's not a good team. They have some nice pieces. Shout out our guy, Jameen Johnson, like they have some nice pieces, but they are behind where they should be behind the jets, where the jets are in terms of their rebuild and their timeline. That's a team. If I am to take you seriously as a head coach, you should beat week one.

23:13And if you lose, you're not favored in any of the next three games. And once you lose to the Packers, the Lions and the Bears, like this idea that, oh, but they'll win week five. Hey, man, you're all in four. Who the hell are you to come and think and you're definitely going to win week five? That's not his works. So that's why there's so much. I don't want to say pressure. Because I guess there's pressure on every team every week to win, but that's that there is a heightened sense of pressure. Specifically for this team with what's at stake for the head coach, the even the general manager, because I still can't figure out how, let's say this, this, this season goes sideways. And I mean, they're embarrassing again. They win three or four games. Why, why have we convinced ourselves, and this blows my mind that Darren Muji, oh, he just gets to keep his job?

24:16My man, you've overseen a team in the last, this would be two straight years where you've won a combined seven games. And I would imagine if you're bad, it's because back to back years, you missed on the quarterback. And I still don't love when we talk about concerns coming into the season, the kicking situation is a disaster. I never approved of Kate Clubnet being your quarterback too, which means even in week one, Gino, who battled this little sore left ankle injury. Gino in week one gets popped all of a sudden. Here comes Kate Clubnic. And what many of us believes to be as close to a must win game as possible to start your season, you feel great about that because you saw a couple of throws and training camp. How silly are you? And I'm talking to the folks who lost their minds. They were like, yo, Kate Clubnic should actually be the star. Are you out of your damn mind?

25:20You sound like an absolute fool. And I get there is a thirst bucket here in New York when it comes to this team because of that position, we can't get it right. So the moment you see one highlight, it's like, ah, man, sundress season out here. You know what I'm talking about. But gay club Nick, what hit away from having to come into a game? I'm not saying you can't develop him. I'm not saying this is not someone who later on can become a nice backup quarterback. But I do think it's a mistake that he's your backup coming into the season and all the things that could go wrong. As I sit here and say, hey, I think they start five and three. That's one of them. And then obviously the kicking situation that's been a complete catastrophe. After this deep into preseason and we've got a kicking competition, the guy who wins

26:22it then loses his job in the final game of the preseason. And now here comes groupie and the ridiculous, you know, assertion that Justin Tucker can come in here and be your kicker. Kicker. Stop it. Because that's what the jets need. A cloud of noise like that. Cut it out. Doug's in Florida, what's up? Talk to me, baby. Hey, tie. Hey, tie. How you doing? I'm doing good. I'm loving it. I'm cautiously optimistic about the season. But I just don't feel, and this has been going on for several years now. It is enough prep time during the preseason for the regular season. You just don't know if the team is going to be ready. You never get to get any kind of feel for how they're going to perform because the starters don't play enough. And years ago, I remember because I'm John's dad, you know.

27:24Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. Yeah. And years, so I've been a jet span all of my life. And after the 98 season, and 99, you know, they played, you know, the jets look like world meters, and then Vinnie terraces a kill. He's getting one. And that's the season. But it really looked like they had the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl that year, after just missing out on it the year before. But now you don't get a feel for anything during the preseason. I just, that's the concern, just not knowing. Yeah, Doug. And keep Doug on the too many injuries, man, like guys dropping like fly, like look at, look at the Saints with Jordan Tyson and Camara, who's always hurt. Like there are too many injuries. So I think teams tried to be risk averse in this preseason where you don't even see quarterbacks play. My homes, I know Lamar didn't play like none of these quarterbacks. But here's where I'm with you, Doug. I had a problem with the giants not playing Jackson, Dard against the jets because it's

28:31not like he's some experienced veteran starter. I wanted to see him out there with some reps. And so I'm looking to a certain extent. I don't mind it when it comes to the veteran teams led by veteran quarterbacks, but I'm with you, Doug. There is some concern with the teams that are on the cusp of a come up, not getting enough out reps in these games that I guess have been hijacked by joint practices, maybe. Maybe. I mean, last year, look, last year in the wing then was to Las Vegas, the first game this season. I was what it was biggest have to win last year. Yeah, you're right. I mean, really? And New England co-scent to go to the Super Bowl. Yeah. Look, I appreciate the call. You can't figure any of this stuff out. Yeah, I appreciate the call. A couple of years ago, the Patriots were bad and then beat the Bengals week one. So we see it happen all the time. You're right. There is a level of not being crisp and not being in sync that you can directly attach

29:36to the decision of teams not playing in the preseason, which brings me to the giants. What is the story going to be? What would be 10 days from now? If the Cowboys stop them out, but the biggest problem with the giants is their offense is a mess. Jackson Dart looks out of sorts like there's no synergy. What are we going to be saying? We will have to go back to the decision that I thought was a mistake. And I've talked about this at Nazim, not playing some of your starters. Put the offensive line out there for one series. The Gets played a couple of, look, it's a bad game. I only watched it because I'm a jet fan. And so, you know, I'm doing the show the next day.

30:37It's a terrible product. What is there some value in it for a second year quarterback who played 12 games who's now in his third system in as many years? Yeah, I think so. And if they look inept and we call the Jetta a big game, that's a huge game for the giants. Huge statement. Division rival haven't been in deck in a game he's played in its totality since 2016. It's a big game. So if you come out and you're lousy, what's the conversation like? I'll continue to harp on. You should have played those boys in the final game of that preseason. You should have done it. And I know I said he said he toyed with the idea of doing so, but ultimately decided it was in the best interest of the team not to do that. 39, 39, 37, 76. I do want to get to some of the people in the chat.

31:42Some of the people in the chat shout out a five to three JB says tie on the Friday. We're here. Tie boogie in the building. CJ Moore chimes in. Starting to show off football. I'm not mad at it. Yeah. So full. The three dude says because yeah, man, look, we're five days away. We've been previewing this thing for it feels like months on and talking about it, having different iterations of the same conversation. And now we're right on the doorstep, right on the doorstep. So full dude says that's high hopes because I talked about the jet starting the season three and two. Losing to New England and then beating Miami and Vegas to go to five and three says that's high hopes tie. Jean Carlo says that just going to start the season two and four. So I'd imagine those the two wins would come week one against the Titans and then week five

32:43against the Browns two and four is tough. But look, you can rebound from that with Miami who's not trying to win in the Vegas. Jean Carlo says the giants are going to start one and five. He's got the jet starting two and four and giant start one and five. And now we're back in a place where we've been far too often. There's on that proverbial treadmill hype for the football season, looking forward to it. And now we've got a pair of teams that in your eyes, Jean start a combined three and nine. And we're running back the greatest hits from the last decade. Hopefully not the trap game. The Browns are worse than us as a trap game. Could you imagine the jets lose to the Browns? Terrible. But you do have them upset in the Packers today upset the Packers, but lose to the Browns. That's tough, man. JT Max says my man just said force a couple of picks in one game for a team that had zero

33:43all last year. Well, there's this thing called regression, right? It's what we talk about when it comes to why some folks are skeptical about Chicago. The Bears had an historic turnover differential. They regress this year. The Broncos, the Broncos won, what are the Broncos when 14 games last year? They trail in 12 of those games. So if you're coming down on the Broncos, it's because of regression. So maybe regression worked in favor of the jets that they go an entire year without an interception. And then at some point, they, it comes in like a cluster, which we saw, look, and it's preseason, but we saw it in preseason. AJ Keller, you look lit, bro. You talking like you high quit smoking before the show. Guys, listen, if you know anything about me, I'm not afraid of being honest.

34:43I'm just not a smoker. And so look, my eyes hang low. That's just, it is what it is. If you don't like it, at least I'm still very attractive. We got a couple of people went, Scott Roth says, Ty is a jet. Hey, I just picked it. Yo, Tom, Tom, I need you, my boy. Hi. Did I not start the show predicting the jets start the season five and three? At very least two, you at the very least projected on the start three and two, the five and three I may have been screening a phone call for. So let's just stick with the three and two. Me having them start three and two solicited a response from someone in the chat calling me a jet hater. Can we make that make sense? Yeah, I don't know where that commenter is coming from in that regard. If you're saying they're going to start three and two, that would be positive because you're beating two teams that you know you should be and you're getting one win that

35:44ultimately would look like a steal to most people. Ignite your win against the team. You're going to be dogs, your up against primo chimes and wait ties to jet fan. He's a Nick Hater. I stop it with the Nick Hater stuff. You guys sound ridiculous. We continue to roll through the chat and take your phone calls, eight hundred nine one nine three seven seven six top of the hour. We will talk about my new York Yankees who got some help yesterday because once again, the unbeatable Tampa Bay raise lost. And so now the Yankees sit here three games back in the lost column as they start a three game set in San Diego against the Padres and then the schedule lightens up a bit. So we're getting closer and closer to that Tampa series. And I will tell you where I think the Yankees have to be before September 22nd when that series begins in order for them to have a realistic shot.

37:12I'm scatable on and he in discussing his rehab and come back from the horrific injury had something pretty interesting to say that caught up a lot of our attention. He was she was a she asked him did he consider retirement? Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I would say probably a month and like the first month was kind of like, damn, do I really want to do this? And then it was seven games. I was like, you know, I got to go back and play. Yeah. There's no shot. We gave different story. No, I'm so that's the end of the year. And I was like, okay, I'm over this, you know, and I didn't feel that way at all. You know, I did feel that way not having the injury and not learning about myself. But I think that gave me an extra step of finding that deep place and coming out of a hole that I didn't know I could come out of. So I really tried to get my man Danny Parkins on the show today. And unfortunately, Danny is filling in for Colin Cowherd from Noon to Three.

38:14And so the timing just didn't work out. And the reason why I wanted to get Danny on was because on first things first, the show Danny does with Nick, Chris and Wilde's, Danny had the audacity to pick the Giants not just to make the playoffs, but to win the NFC East. And why I say audacity is because here's what I would have asked Danny. And maybe some at some point this week, we can figure out a time for him to get on. So you are putting all your eggs in the basket of a team to win the NFC East, despite what's really known the Cowboys and Yggars are better. But all the eggs in the basket of a team that has a quarterback who we don't know can stay on the field that has a wide receiver who we don't even know is playing in week one and had multiple knee surgeries he's coming off of. And a running back who just told us considered retiring.

39:15Now maybe 90 Harris becomes RB1 on his death chart, but he's also coming off of a significant injury. And not to mention, look, it's an upgrade, of course, but I had coach who the Baltimore Ravens told you wasn't good enough because they missed the playoffs last year. And despite year after year after year, having the best roster and MVP quarterback, one of the best thoughts to win the Super Bowl, they said, we are better off without you because you can't get it done. So all of that adds up to, oh, yeah, the giants are going to win the NFC East. I really, really want to Danny on the show today. Just to ask him what goes into the logic of that. Look, I get being higher on the giants than they've been because they obviously have upgraded their head coach. Their defense should be better.

40:16But the offense, man, I've got a lot of questions and people will throw back at you. Well, even if you're concerned about neighbors, we did see Jackson dark cook without neighbors last year. I got that part, but I'm still worried about after a year of defenses having film on him and having figured him out, watch his counter punch. Also, again, the most important thing is, can he stay on the field? Can he make it through an entire 17 game season? Is that going to happen? And we've all, like, convinced ourselves the giants who blew all these leads, well, that is a problem that has been corrected because they hired John Harboh, who couldn't stop blowing leads in Baltimore. So again, it's not hard for them to be better than they were last year, but I think the Cowboys

41:22and the Eagles are demonstrably, demonstrably better than the giants. I think the Cowboys next Sunday, when convincingly, they're a better team than the giants. They have the better quarterback. I think their offense is much better and their defense after being the worst in football last year to me has made enough moves to where they can be serviceable because you can say what you want about DAC in the playoffs and not winning, got it. Back in the regular season ends up being one of the best quarterbacks in football. When he's healthy, that Cowboys offense is a light show. So similar to how I feel about the Bengals and I don't think DAC is as good as Joe Barrow, but just overall similar to how I feel about Cincinnati and because of burrow being such

42:28an elite quarterback and they have those two stars at receivers, them not needing an all-world defense to be good. I feel that way about the Cowboys. So I think Dallas rolls them in week one. Then they play the Rams. But by the way, I might pick the Niners to win that game. I don't know, man. A lot of hype on the Rams. That's a big upset alert spot. And if you're the giants, you better hope the Niners don't win because if the Rams are coming off of the loss, you've got no shot. Many people think they have no shot regardless. But certainly if you're facing an old, the Rams to me in week two are a lot more dangerous for the giants at O and one than they would be at one and O. Because there's no way they're starting O and two. Maybe you take your full off the gas pedal, you feeling yourself a bit, you take the giants lightly and then anything can happen once the game is close in the fourth quarter.

43:33But if they're coming off of the loss, it ain't happening.