Hour 3: Ray Didinger joins the Rally in Royersford!

0:00Welcome back. It is the Mentech show. People are low. Right here. We're live today. Is now with Brown from a girks in Reuters for come on out and you. It's always fun. We're out here. It's always fun. We get talks of Eagles in front. Everyone with everyone. It's also fun. When we get joined by a special guest joining us now. It's Ray. Didn't you? Ray? Good afternoon. And another football season about to begin. How are you? Ray? I'm great, Joe. I'm great. I'm at a big hand for Ray. Did injuries. We get going here. Hey. Ray did it. Nice to see you all. I actually got to the right muggers this time. That's always the key. If you remember last year at the same time when we did the kickoff show. There was a slow move. I drove to the muggers in Hatboro. And they said the show's not here. It's in. It's in Royars for. They got a lot of them though. So is that honest? I didn't realize that at the time. I thought there was only one, but I actually as we were saying joined by Ray

1:00didn't sure with the start of another Eagles and NFL season. Ray, it's always. There's always like a different feel that first week of football and Ray. And third times the charm. Welcome back with this show. Ray. It's your live at McGurkson. Royars for. All right. Ray, you know, people now have been waiting for a couple minutes. As you know, the technology with baby. They really want to know. Absolutely. All right. So Ray, two years ago, the Eagles was the best team in the NFL won the Super Bowl and just from October on as good as any team I've seen. Last year, I think a lot of a thought they were going to have that kind of season to get her that kind of team. And it just was so choppy all year. And they never got their footing. They go 11 and 6. Go out in the first round. Ray, summer training camp in the books. How good do you think the 2026 Eagles are? I think they're going to be. I think it'll be very good. You know, I still think even though. Both Dallas and the Giants are will be improved. I feel that way. I still think the Eagles are the best team in the division right now. And if I had to sit here and pick the how the East is going to work out, I would still pick the Eagles to win it. But I do think Dallas will be better.

2:02I mean, their defense certainly will be better. Their defense. I just looked it up. Their defense gave up over 500 points. Oh, they were awful. Their defense was by the end of the year. They were the worst defense in the league by far. While they've made some changes, you know, drafted the safety Calib Downs, who's a terrific player. I can't believe he fell to them at 11, but he did. But he isn't the only improvement. I mean, they've improved a lot and, and bring it over the coach from the Eagle Staff. Chris Parker is going to help them a lot. And the Giants are certainly going to be better with John Harboh, his head coach. There's no doubt about that. So the competition within the division will be better than it's been for the last couple of years. But I still think the Eagles are the best team. And, you know, is there are there challenges? Sure. I think the Eagles defense is still going to be. I'm conservatively. I'm going to say one of the top five. They could even be better than that. And so the big unanswered question is what's the new offense going to look like? How, how quickly will they be able to get it up to speed?

3:03And how good a play call or Sean Manion going to be. But overall, do I think this team's going to be in the playoffs at the end of the regular season? Yeah, I do. You know, Ray did. I'm kind of curious. When you, when you think of this offense, because we haven't really seen what it's going to look like, but how do you, and all of these offense are basically the same, but they're, they're different given the personnel. Right. And with that being said, how do you think this, this office is going to marry to, to what Jaylin does well or what we think Jaylin's can do well? I think it's going to be a very, I don't want to say smooth transition, because there's obviously going to be, there's a tremendous amount of change here. You, I mean, you understand it. I mean, you've been out, you've been out to training camp. You guys were out there to watch practice. And this isn't like they're just tweaking the offense a little bit. I mean, this is like a whole new playbook. And it's not going to be where you want it to be on Sunday. I mean, there's too much change, too many different things to implement in this period of time. So at the start of the year, they're going to have to work through some things and they're going to have to find their way in this new offense.

4:05I think it helps them that they have two very winnable games to start the year with. Like Washington at home and then at Tennessee. That gives them two weeks, a bit of a soft landing here, where I think they can work some things out and then be better by the time they go to Chicago. And then of course, when you play the Rams. But that's, I think that if you look at the philosophy that Manion has brought here and what he's asking these guys to do, it really is kind of the direction of the whole league. I mean, this is kind of where everybody's going is this kind of thing. Heavy tight ends, outside zone running, a lot of motion, a lot of deception. A lot of the things they didn't do last year, they're going to do this year. And it's kind of the way, if you look around the league and how are the Rams playing, how are the Niners playing, how are the Lions and the Bears, they're really good offensive teams. They're all playing this style of football. And that's where the Eagles are going. I think it's good. I think it's healthy. My only question is how quickly can they put everything in place and be up to speed?

5:08Initially, it's probably going to look a little, they're going to be some bumps in the road. But I think that by the middle of the year, if they start to fall into sync, I think they're going to be pretty dynamic. Right. What do you think the biggest challenge going to be for Jalen Hurts in this new offense? I mean, Jalen's had a lot of different coordinators and he's adapted all them. But like you said, this is the biggest philosophical change in the way they're doing things. Oh, yeah. Like people point to over the middle and he's had actually some success. I don't know. He just hasn't done it much. Right? If he's kind of avoided that area of the field, this offense seemingly uses that a lot more. What do you think the biggest challenge for him is going to be early this season? A lot of them, Joe. I mean, it's it's multi level. I mean, you're asking him to run something that he's never really run before. But initially, the biggest adjustment is just going to be under center. Is he says, I mean, if you go all the way back to high school and all the way through college and then this far in the NFL, he's always been a shotgun quarterback. And now if this offense comes out looking like I think it's going to look, he's going to be under center a bunch. And that's going to be a different game, you know, that all the footwork is going to change.

6:11The timing is going to change. He's going to have a feeling sometimes that he's got. He's turning his back to the defense, which is going to not going to be comfortable for him at first. But I think overall it's going to be a good thing. I mean, if and you talk about the throwing over the middle, using the middle of the field, if this team does what I think it's going to do, which is use a lot of pre snap motion, moving guys around the formation. Well, you can get some of that traffic out of the middle by just motioning them out of the middle. Clear it out for him and create some space to throw the ball and make easier throws for him. I mean, there are ways for him to settle into this offense. And, you know, I think that one thing was seen with Jaylen Hertz throughout his career is he rises to the challenge. He really does. And last year was a tremendously frustrating year for everybody, but particularly for him. A lot of people blamed him for things that weren't really his fault. And I think that, you know, he's coming back to share feeling like he's got something to prove. And people talk about the contractual aspects, which are out there and they're real. But I think mostly it's the competitor in him that feels challenged by what happened last year.

7:13Knows he's a better player than what he showed last year. And wants to get back to the level he was two years ago when he was a world champion. You know, Ray, when you talk about, we've been talking about it for the last couple of weeks, but how much do you think when we talking about this offense and how it's ran? How much do you feel that Jaylen's running ability is going to be factored into it? And do you think that it has to be a big part of this offense for the offense to be successful? Yes. And yes. I mean, it's that simple. He has to run the blood. I'm not saying he has to run it 300 times. But does the threat of the real threat of him running have to be part of it? Absolutely. Now, I think because there's going to be the change of him being under center more, and in shotgun less, the running may look different, and be different. When he's in the shotgun, most of his runs, a lot of his runs were basically quarterback draws. You know, I mean, it's running between the tackle. This year, I think a lot of his stuff with him under center is going to be roll outs and bootlegs.

8:16So he'll be running, but he'll be running more on a bootlegs sort of action and a quarterback draw. He'll be running a little bit more to the outside than he was running up the middle. But his ability to run is still a big part of this offense. It's a big represents a big threat to the defense. And it's something that they still have to keep in the, they have something to keep in the game plan from week to week. And as long as he has his legs, he's good at it. I mean, it's a big part of his game. I'm with you. I hope he runs and it's a big threat in this office. Oh, he will. Yes. And I'm not talking about scrambling either. I mean, there'll be, there'll be some scrambling just because scrambling happens in the course of a game. But I think by design, yeah, you're going to be able to design runs for him. I just think they're going to look different than they did in the past. Yeah, just you mentioned we were a camp though. I, I noticed the more when I just was looking down the field in red zone, they, they, they did a lot of that in red zone. The quarterback draw that the, the sprinted out and then he kept it and went. So we'll see how many uses it, but I think it's a big part of how they have to do things. 215, 592, 90 for now. For our comeback, coming up, Ray with us here. Ray did injury, we're live in McGurks and were short.

9:16Let's talk about some of the roster questions. Interesting things about this particular roster. Mackay Lemon earlier in the season, who's going to be the backup quarterback as the Eagles listed to yesterday? The head and he Dalton slash Jan McKee will get all that. The big roster questions for the 2026 Eagles. It is the midday show live at McGurks and were as for the rally and were as for it on sports radio, 94 WIP. Welcome back. It is the midday show live. McGurks and Royars for the rally in were as for it. Coming on hang out, Ray did injury with us for the 12 o'clock hour afternoon show will be here coming up at 2 o'clock. We'll get back to everyone's phone calls, but let's let's let's take some of the parts of this roster that I think there's some questions or just interesting as we go into the season. So let's start with Mackay Lemon. First round pick. The first round pick is always a big deal and unfortunately for him, his summer was interrupted by some hamstring entries came back at the end, played in that final preseason game. And now we enter the season, Ray, your expectation for Lemon. I know when we talked to you a couple months ago, right? When you just got back from your cruise and you hopped in with us, you were high on Lemon. Very high. I liked him too coming out. It's been a slow summer for him.

10:17What's your expectation for early in his season and just the rookie year from a guy lemon? It's very unfortunate for him and the team that his summer turned out to be what it was. I mean, the fact that he developed a hamstring injury and stowards too. Yeah. I mean, they basically had no preseason, no training camp. And that's that hurts. I mean, that hurts them and it hurts the team because you need both of those guys, but Lemon in particular to be up to speed and ready to go with the start of the season. You need him. You need those catches. And is he clearly going to be behind right now because he just didn't get enough work. But where I kind of pump the brakes a little bit is on what I'm hearing a lot and reading a lot is people are calling them a bus story. Yeah, which is the way ridiculous. They're writing them all. I mean, it's always a waste of draft. Come on. Yeah, he pulled a hamstring. But I know what I saw at Southern Cal. I know what I saw that guy in college.

11:17And I felt when they drafted him, I felt he was going to be a good pick. I think he's still going to be a good pick. I think he's going to be really good in that role slot receiver. I think he's going to get open into one thing that Joe, in fact, maybe even been with you and you and you here that I discussed it with you. He does the one thing that that I receiver in my offense has to do. He catches the ball. Yeah, he doesn't drop anything. I mean, if you saw him play at Southern Cal, he went through a whole college career. And I think had like two drops in his whole college career. And a guy who was being targeted over 100 times, he catches the ball. So is he's probably going to be, I don't know how much they're going to be able to play him early in the season. It's going to take him a little while to get up to speed. But I have no doubt that by the time he does, that he's going to be a big contributor to this offense. And for all the people that are writing him off now, just hold off. He's a quality player. He was a good draft pick. And given the time, I think he's going to prove that. You know what Ray Diddy, but one of the things that a lot of people talked about, I know it was a small 70 size.

12:17But was there, are there any concerns that you have with his separation? Because a lot of people were pointing to that when they were talking about bus, the fact that the, what three plays that he had, two of the plays, he didn't get a whole lot of separation. Is there any concern when it comes to that? No, no, because he did in college. I mean, he was open all the time. And he wasn't exactly like a secret weapon. I mean, everybody to the play Southern Cal. New he was getting the rock. They had to, they had to set up their defense to neutralize him. And he wasn't purely, this is another thing that mistake I think people make about him. They, they write him out off as purely a slot receiver that he can only play in the slot, which is not true. I mean, if you look back, again, if you watched him play in college, was he primarily a slot receiver? Yeah, he was. I mean, he played inside most of the time, but he's lined up outside or motioned outside a lot. He can play out there if you want him to, but where he fits in this offense best or where I think he's the most natural fit is in the slot. And he was open in college all the time.

13:21I know some people are saying he didn't show you that. He didn't quote unquote, flash in training camp. I think it was because he just, first he was trying to learn the playbook. And then when he was just getting to the point where he understood the offense, then he pulled the hamstring. I don't think he's had a chance to quote unquote, flash. But once he gets healthy and really learns what he's got to do, I think you're going to see why you drafted a number one. And I think by the end of the year, he's going to be a big part of this offense. I really do. Yeah, and they traded up for him too. I mean, they obviously targeted him, right? They wanted him. He fell to where they were in the draft and they got him. All right, right. Let's go to the, let's go to some I saw in the death chart yesterday. That is just kind of funny as it plays out week to week. Your thoughts on the backup quarterback and what the Eagles have done this summer and where they should land on Sunday. So yesterday, the teams put out their depth charts, right? It's kind of a media thing to show the fans with the depth chart is the Eagles listed. Tanner McKee slash Andy Dalton is the backup quarterback, which has really kind of been the entire summer. Right. Right. Where are you on? Who should be the two? I didn't think either guy distinguished themselves much this summer, or what we saw.

14:23No. Now I live like Tanner in the past. And Andy Dalton is old, you know, by NFL standards, but obviously a lot of experience there. So where do you come down on the backup as they should go into week one with? Well, I didn't think would be sitting here with four quarterbacks on the roster. I am. He said they still have it. And I have no $2 on Sunday. We have no more. Yeah, I thought they were. It was clear who was number one and it was clear who was and the rookie was number four. Sure. The question was, what were we going to get with McKee and Dalton? And I think that I think that the coaches and how they thought was, well, let them both play the preseason. And somebody will play well enough that we can trade one or the other right before the draft. Get another draft picked for next year. And then we'll be all set. We'll have our one, two, three. And it never happened. But both McKee and Dalton were underwhelming. Let's show we say in the preseason. That was nice. It's kind of like that. And as a result, here you are going into going into Sunday, who would be the number two.

15:25To me, Dalton makes the most sense. I've never been a huge fan of his. I mean, even when he was playing more and playing in Monday people's minds pretty well in Cincinnati. I just thought it was kind of average. I never thought he was anything special. So when the Eagles made the signing to get him or the trade to get him, I wasn't real excited about it. But at his age, with his level of experience, if you're talking about who would you rather have the guy coming off the bench if anything happens to Hertz? Yeah, I would probably be Dalton at this point. It's just surprising that they, you know, how he's so good at this, extracting value right, trading for one guy, flipping them for someone else. I'm just surprised we got here. Maybe they just, like you said, were kind of waiting for someone to come calling and no one. They were calling. And we're back. But Gurgs and Rose would rate it as a joke quite frankly. Yes, Ghana agree. I agree. I agree with that. I do agree with that. It sounds like there may be a bigger. That means it's going to be a big game tonight. What do you mean? Was that the end of the day going out all day? It's going to be a big game tonight. Are you spending this to your bed hitting what it would have been? Oh, man, I listen.

16:26Okay. If I hit these, if I hit these best, I'm going to be living with they like the grandma who say living high on the hall. What you're going to do is come in here and say, I told you. You say living high on the hall. So that's all right. Right. I'd be curious about something the entire summer. I don't think it's one of those things you could tell until the season starts, because training camps are different, especially with the run game and a running back. Right. What's your interpretation of Sequan Barkley and what's left in that tank? Two years ago, it's the greatest running back season we've ever seen here. Last year, it was not close. Now there are a lot of factors. Obviously, the separation in terms of beyond the line of scrimmage where he was hit when the contact happened. It was way different, banged up offensive line. How much do you think Sequan still has left in the tank? Because I feel like that, depending on your answer to that, and depending on the truth behind what he actually has left, it could change the ceiling of this team. If he has one more great one left in him, that could really propel them to maybe a height that some are in expecting. Your thoughts on Sequan as we enter the season? Yeah, I think physically he's fine. I don't think there's an issue.

17:26I know some people were saying that by the end of last year saying, well, if you look at the history and the National Football League, when a running back has the kind of year or a guy has one year, that number of carries, that number of yards, generally there's a big fall off. Yeah, physically. They can never get it back. They quote the Jamal Anderson, the priest Holmes, those kinds of cases. Well, Sequan's a different guy. I really felt that what happened last year was what happened with him, which I mean, to look at yardage, it was almost cut in half. I thought that was more a reflection of the offense as a whole. And specifically the problems they had with the offensive line and the injuries they had on the offensive line. I mean, you could talk about a lot of the areas where this team fell short and struggled last year. And there were many factors. And the easy one is to blame everything on Kevin Petulo, which was that. That part was that part of it, yeah, but that certainly wasn't all of it. I think the biggest, the biggest single thing was the offensive line.

18:26I think you know, the guys were not healthy pretty much all year, all of them. And the drop off in their performance from where they were the year before, when they won the Super Bowl and they were the best offensive line, maybe that I had seen since the dolphins of the 70s. Wow. So all the way to that this year when they were way subpar, I think the problems really began there. Everything, all appearances seem to be the offensive line is healthy right now. They certainly seem to have embraced the new offensive philosophy of Sean Manion, this idea of the outside zone kind of running game. The pitch sweep, run to the edges kind of game. Everybody seems to be enthusiastic about it. It's going to be a change and it's going to be an adjustment for Sequan. But if you can get him on the outside and let him find his daylight, I have no doubt that he can be every bit as explosive as he was two years ago. And similar to what I said about Hertz, I think he's really motivated to come back this

19:28year and prove that he's not done. People are saying that, he hears it and I think he's going to come back this year and play very well. But it all starts up front. It really, the offensive line is really the key to the whole thing, I believe. It's interesting. You brought up the kind of the motivation comparing Jail and Sequan. We spend a lot of time, I think everyone does. On the future Jail and contract, quarterback contracts and just where that's going to go. Sequan, if you look at his deal, he doesn't have much money left after this year. So to me, there's almost an intrinsic motivation he might have too, just like Jail and Hertz, except we just haven't spent as much time in that. Ray, you mentioned the O-line last year. Totally agree. It was a shell of itself the year before. What did you notice this summer? Because we can cross our fingers where all going to stay healthy. That's not the NFL, right? That the guys go down. I thought the depth on the O-line this summer was better than I saw last summer. Way better. Look, we want them all to stay healthy. That's the key. But I think they've got some guys that if they have some injuries, Bell showed like he could play as a rookie. Lampkin is, people are going to love him if he ever gets on the field.

20:30That guy's a bowling ball, who just pushes people. I thought we had Jordan Davis on during training, but he said Drew Kendall was the guy that gave, he's giving him the most trouble in camp. Kendall's really good. It feels like they have real depth now again. Yeah, and I agree with you, Joe. And last summer, during training camp and during the preseason games, they're the defending champs and everything looks rosy. But in the preseason, when they weren't playing any of the starters and they were playing the backups, and I was looking at the backups play, I said, ooh, if they get injuries in the offensive line, I'm not sure I have a whole lot of confidence in this group of guys, that they're depth at offensive line. It proved to be that that was an issue. This year, I have a different feeling. When you saw, and again, you didn't see your starters play, you played your backups, but I thought the guys that played this year in the preseason, I thought played very well. Kendall is a fifth round pick from a year ago. The thing I really like about him is he is just a fundamentally sound player.

21:34I mean, his stance is good. The way he uses his hands is good. He never makes a mistake. He always knows where to be. He's just a really smart player who always seems to make the right play. And Bell, if you were to ask me who's the most pleasant surprise out of this preseason, what I've seen somewhere, I would say it was Bell because we all knew when they drafted him in the third round. He is immense. And the physical tools are there. He looks like when I saw him, I thought, the only person in the mind of me, remember King Dunlap? He kind of had that same look. But I had seen him play at Miami and he was, shall we say, unpolished. He had the size 6 feet 9, 340 pounds of long arms. He certainly had what you were looking for in a tackle. But coming out of college, he didn't seem to have the greatest technique, his balance wasn't perfect. There's a guy who's worth drafting.

22:35Third round seemed just about right. But is he ready to play right now? Probably not. But you can work with him and develop him into a player. Man, he showed up more ready to play than I expected. And look, you want to have Lane Johnson out there. You hope that you have Lane Johnson out there for the whole season. But if something happens and he can't play for a gamer too, I think they have the guy that can step in there and play. I mean, Bell to me, if you were asked me, did I come out of an 0-3 preseason pointing to one thing and saying, well, at least this is better than what I thought. McAlbell would probably be that guy. Well, and perhaps they found their Lane heir apparent before they even had to, right? We've talked about that for years. Like, when are they going to draft a tackle high? When are they going to get ready? Maybe they have. And that would be incredible. Pick there in the third round if it becomes that. This segment brought to you by Monicky is your car game day ready. Breaks, tires, batteries, and complete auto care by trusted local experts to get your game day ready. Monicky, doing car care right. All right, Ray. We talked a little bit when you first hopped in here about the NFC East. The Cowboys might be giants approved.

23:35We need to ask you about the hierarchy of the NFC. And really, I'm curious what you think of this Rams roster they've put together. To me, on paper, it looks like one of the best NFL teams I've seen. I mean, they have, I think to that team last year, I've been lost four games and all of them were like that close. They had McDuffie, who's a tremendous corner. They had Watson, who's a solid corner. And they had Miles Garrett, who's probably the best player in the NFL. Is the hype justified or is it? Does it make sense to you that they are the biggest favorites who want to serve both 20 years? Yeah, it does. It does. I wish I could give you a counter-argument to that. I wish I could be the guy on the other side. It says, ah, no, they're not that good. They're not what they're cracked up to be. But honestly, I mean, just the last couple days I was looking at their roster. And they're really good. I mean, unless something crazy happens, you know, I mean, that would qualify here. Yeah, if something, if I mean, they get a whole bunch of injuries, Matthew Stafford gets

24:39hurt, I mean, it can change. We've all seen a change. But right now, yeah, I mean, to me, they're the prohibitive favorite to win the thing. And, you know, the one area, their defense is going to be very good. It would have been really good, even if Aaron Donald hadn't come back. But the fact you bring him back and he wouldn't be coming back if he didn't think he could play. He's not coming back for the money. He's not coming back for the glory. He knows he's going to the Hall of Fame. He wants to come back and win a Super Bowl. And I think that he's going to come back and put him next to Garrett. That's, I don't know how you're going to block those guys. And the Eagles are going to have to figure out a way to do that by week four. I know. But right now, if you're talking about the favorite team, they're the favorite and they deserve to be the favorite. I think they are that good. So that defensive line with Garrett and Donald and then they had a bunch of young guys. Anyway, I'm going to really trade in verse to get Miles. Yeah, who's the detackled that was down there with verse that that's on the other. That's probably going to be another side of the game. Yeah, one of them they listen. They got guys to get after the quarterback man and just having Aaron, Aaron Donald in

25:40the rotation. It makes them that much more formidable, you know, but like you said, anything that they don't, the game isn't played on paper. You know, you got to go out then you got to play. But when you look at that roster and what they've got, they have a really good football team. They're really good. And the other thing that they've got is to be a really, really great team, a team as a chance of winning a championship. The relationship between the quarterback and the head coach is super important. Yeah, I mean, you need especially if that head coach is an offensive coach. The relationship and the communication between that guy and the quarterback is vital. And Matthew Stafford and Sean McVeigh have that going. I mean, they have, they see the game and they see the offense exactly the same way. And I think that that's one of the things they have going for. And people say, is the offensive line great? No, it's good enough. Especially when you, especially when you have a quarterback like Stafford that gets rid

26:41of the ball so fast. I mean, you, I mean, you understand what it's like when you're on the other side of the line. And you can barely get out of your stance in the balls on its way. I was telling Joe, like when we played the coach, Terry Glenn, Terry Glenn, whatever his name. The left tackle for the coach. Yeah, he was not, he was not a stalwart tackle, but the way he paid got the ball out of his hands. He looked like an all pro tackle over there. And he made pro balls. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, you're right. I mean, and that's, that is Stafford at that point. Two one five five nine two ninety front. Let's take a phone call here with Ray Dittinger. Demand in Delco up on WIP. It's up to Mond. You know, you know, good morning, fellas. That's a little. Good morning. Good morning, Demand. What's up, hell? Hey, hey, um, it's all about you, Joe Jake. All about you, baby. I know the ways, you know, all about two. What do you think about, Dylan, all about you? Oh, oh, oh, what'd you say about us now?

27:42You didn't got us making the playoffs. Well, I know what I said. No, I'm not. He said he didn't. I said, I don't know if it's a lock this year. I said Dallas is better. And if we're in a wild car situation, I just think the NFC's really good, Demand. Seattle's going to be good again. We just talking about the Rams, Ray, the North's got some good teams. I, I just, if they're in the 10 win range to me, that's not a lock. I think they need to be 11 or 12 to be a lock. That's what I said, Demand. Gosh, 11, 12 to be a lock. Um, now these other teams, they got to play ball too, right? And so you're going to need that the bears, the lion, um, they can maybe feel who you say on the these spots because it's four division people and then under that as the wild cars and you know, right? Well, I mean, the South, the South is its own thing, right? That someone's got to go from the South. That's a bad division. But I mean, we'll get raised thought on it. I think the NFC, the underbelly has just gotten better. So and Demand, we appreciate you. I mean, Ray, we were talking today about the Eagles a lock, right? And if they win the division, that's great. That's the way in. Right. If Dallas steals it and we're in a wild card, I think the lions should be better with a

28:44weaker schedule. I'm, I'm, the bears feel like an interesting NFC, uh, they enter the out kind of thing. Like, where are you come down on them? Because if they take another leap, uh-oh, I mean, I, I thought that coach last year was super impressive. What do you do with Ben Johnson? And then the West, the Rams, the C-OX, 40 honors are always in the mix. It feels like there's a lot of good NFC teams this year. There are. Um, yeah, I think the NFC is a lot stronger than the AFC. A lot. Uh, and if you look at the, you got three really good teams out west. Yep. Uh, and you've got three really good teams in the central, you know, I mean, and the Vikings, you know, the Vikings have a good roster. They have to figure out the quarterback position. And they did win nine last year without any quarterback play. Right. And they have a good roster. They just have to figure out the quarterback position. But the other three teams, I think, are really good. Uh, I've, I was having a discussion with a, a league guy. This past week. Uh, and he was saying he thinks the Bears are going to take a step back. He thinks that what the Bears did last year wasn't legit.

29:46He's not convinced that they're that far along. And I kind of disagree. I, you know, I, and maybe I'm a little, my view is a little bit skewed by what they did to the Eagles. Oh, they beat him up that black Friday. I mean, they just took the Eagles defense apart. And nobody else did that last year. Uh, and I think Johnson is really that good at coach. And again, getting back to what I was just talking about is how critical that head coach quarterback relationship is. You know, I think Johnson and Williams have reached that point now, where I think the Williams now has a coach in Johnson who can bring out the ability that he's got. And he coached the heck out of that kid last year. And I think the Williams will come into this year just with more confidence. And I think he's going to pick right up where he left off. So I think the Bears aren't at all taking a step back. I think they're going to be right there. You know, the thing that jumped out to me about Chicago Bears last year was the fact that he didn't cuddle. It didn't sound like he caught OK. Look at all. It's not like he just made it through him out there and made him learn offense. And I think sometimes that's the best way to do it.

30:48You look at paid manning and the year that his first year in the NFL, Ray Diddy, and he got beat up their second year. He came back like with the confidence and and and you know, knowing the offense, he was a different quarterback. So it could potentially be the same thing. Yeah, I remember, you know who, you know who it's going back a long way now, but you know who patents quarterback coach was his first year. His rookie year in Indy was Bruce Ariens. Oh, that's right. And Bruce told me a story that that year to your point, you patent through 24 intercepts. It's remarkable. Yeah, he was terrible. And he had a game. I think it was against the Patriots like a mid season where he threw like three picks in the first half and took himself out of the game. Wow. Like you just said, that's it. And he went to his back up. I can't remember who the backup was. Went to his backup. It's all the backup to start warming up because you've got you've got to go in there. I'm taking myself out Bruce Ariens, who's the quarterback coach turns around and sees the backup warming up and says,

31:53and what are you doing? And he said, well, patents has he's coming out. And Bruce Ariens says the hell he is. And he went over to patent and patent sitting on the bench and Ariens says, what's going on? And he said, look, I'm terrible today. I threw three interceptions already. I'm killing my team. I'm I'm taking myself out. And Ariens said, the hell you are, he said, you're going to get back in there and you're going to play because you know what? You might learn something. Okay. We're not going anywhere with our backup quarterback. If we want to go anywhere, we're going to go with you. So get your butt back into game and play better and maybe learn from your mistakes. Kind of a turning point in patent career. Yeah. And then I remember like that first year, he was horrible. Then he came back that next year and he was a much better. But that's sometimes you got first of all, you got to have a right coach to do that in my opinion. Never played quarterback, but that's what it feels like. And you got to have the right guy that understands what's going on. You do know. And we'll see what the bear is doing. But I'm with Ray. I think they're going to be good again. Are two 155, 592, 90 for my part coming up. Let's get race thoughts on the guy we're watching tonight, our old friend, AJ Brown.

32:56How good is he going to be in New England? How much of an impact will he have? The season starts tonight. We'll talk about AJ next. Ray Dinger with us. Relive at McGurks and Roseford on sports radio 94 WIP. Here, but it's tailgate season and you already know what I'm bringing to the tailgate. It's a bottle of Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey. I'm bringing that honey fire apple or new black bear. You can spice up your tailgate with one of the Jack Daniels flavors. Jack Daniels, honey is always sweet. I love that Jack Daniels. Sometimes mixing fire up at a tailgate. You might want to do that. Put a little fire in the tailgate. And Jack Apple is perfect for those warm nights. You know, you might want to warm it up a little bit. Put a little spices in it. A little something like that. And finally, you got the black bear. That's my new favorite. Tennessee black bear brings a unique black bear flavor paired with Jack Daniels. And together they create a smooth sweet taste. That's perfect for any tailgate. The Jack Daniels old number seven and all these other flavors are on sale in 750 middle-eater bottles and you find one of the good spare stores throughout September. So stop in and stock up for the week.

33:57Get tailgate ready with Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey. Celebrate responsibly. Go be a heartache. If you're right, it is going to be hard. I welcome back. No, it is a big day. It's the beginning of the season. I'm excited for that. Impressive. Yeah. All right. We're broadcasting from the rally in Rose from McGurks pop and grill in Rose. We're coming out. It's the best seat Sundays at McGurks. Enjoy your mental life for less than four bucks NFL Sunday. Take it plus check out their calendar for tailgate tastings. The ultimate game day atmosphere. Make it McGurks and apparently you guys got this note. The return of Hughes Jack Daniels blackberry locker room punch. It's a good one. Good. Yeah. Because you get one yet. Did you get one yet? Well, you know, I'm driving. Oh, okay. You know, it's tiny game about 22 reads the reader. They're a sign. Did you listen man? Quit putting all these damn words in these reads man. What you doing? Well, that's how you get paid. You know, we got to do the reading. I don't need all these damn words in the reads. I don't talk like that. You want to simplify things? Yeah, I like simple. I do. Hey, Jack Dan's he he want me to bring out every flavor just that jail spiced apple. Well, the blackberry locker and punch locker room punch right here at McGurks.

34:57Our right dinner's here with us for 12 o'clock. Our Ray. Let's talk about tonight. The opening game of the season. And obviously it's one we're going to pay extra attention. Not just because it's football because AJ Brown is playing for the Patriots. Ray, what's your expectation for Brown? I mean, it's it's a source subject. And if you play as well, it's going to be a source subject. Oh, yeah. Your expectation for Brown tonight, but really just this first season away from the Eagles. Yes, spotlight's going to be on him. No question. I mean, it's the first game. Huge national audience. And you know, all the TV networks, they love their storylines going into the games. You know, be sure to watch for this. Look for this guy. And he's going to be one of the storylines. It's going to be the obvious storyline about variable. Yes. That's a big one. That will certainly be tough. You think they're going to talk about it a lot or just kind of like, hey, controversial offseason. I think that's what they will. They feel completely. They can't ignore it. They will feel compelled to talk about it right off the top. But once the game begins, they'll probably get to the game.

35:58But they're going to talk about AJ off the top. And the fact is they're going to talk about AJ for four quarters because I think if I know anything about this guy, I think he's going to have a big game. Number one, it makes perfect sense because they need him in that offense. I mean, we saw what the Patriots offense was without a truly elite receiver in the Super Bowl. They got totally shut down. Drake Mays a really good quarterback, but he needs guys to get open to make the throws. He didn't have that last year with AJ Brown. He will have it this year. And, you know, I think I expect I fully expect AJ to have a big game tonight. If I were and I am not a betting man by any means. Oh, talk to me right away. If I were a betting man, if you were a huge Douglas, but you're betting on this, I would get the splits on him and I would go over on catches and over on yards. I don't even know what those numbers are, but I would go over on both because I think he's going to come out tonight to make a statement. And I think he's going to have the opportunity to do that. I think it's a perfect situation for him.

36:58I think he's going to have a really big year. And I hope he does. But the fact of the matter is the situation here had reached a point where they just had to move him. I didn't think there was any way you could have brought him back and made it work. So they made the trade. He's got a new start in New England. Starts tonight and I think it's going to be, I think he's going to be a story tonight. I think it's going to be a story right through the season. So I generally agree with you. He's going to be motivated. Probably have a big year this year. How much? When you watched him last year, it's tough to parse, right? We can't get in his head. We don't know how he's feeling. Obviously, he wasn't happy. That played a lot into what happened. Sure. He didn't feel any physical deterioration because it didn't feel to me like he was as explosive. Now, he had hamstring issues in training camp. So maybe that was in and he never felt 100% because if he has a big year, I'm going to go back to last year like what happened? Was that all he was not fully engaged here or was he physically hampered last season? Because last season doesn't fit with the other years he's had recently in the NFL. He was an elite player. Oh, yeah, sure was.

38:00I mean, over 100 catches, over 1,400 yards. I mean, he was putting up big, big numbers year after year. I certainly, I mean, there were people that were saying that they thought that he looked like he was done, that he was slowed down, that he had lost a step. I kind of doubt that. I think he was like a lot of people very frustrated with a lot of aspects of the offense. He was frustrated in his role or his non-roll in the offense. And I think it carried over onto the field. I mean, I saw him pull up on some balls that I had never seen him do before. I saw him not extend for some balls in traffic that normally that's his strength. I think it was more of that than any kind of a physical decline. And unless I'm totally mistaken here, I think he's going to come into this year with a lot to prove and I think he's going to prove it. I don't think that physically he's lost what he had a couple years ago. I just think he needed a new situation and a new start.

39:02And now that he's got it in New England and playing with a very talented young quarterback, I think you're going to see the A.J. that you're going to see this year is going to more resemble the one of two years ago and not the one of last year. Ray, let's end with this for our, it's kind of amazing we got this far without having this name come up in the annals of the idea of football's back. We met you mentioned and I agree with you. I think the NFC is better than the AFC now. There's a lot of strong teams. What do you think of the AFC? And specifically, Mahomes coming off the injury. It's just for years, it just felt so simple. Those chiefs, probably the chiefs, if not them, maybe the bills or the Ravens. To me, a lot of uncertainty in that conference now. Mahomes off a major injury and they weren't good anyway last year. New head coach in Buffalo, new head coach in Baltimore. Some people are hyping up Cincinnati, but they get hyped up a lot and then they don't seem to deliver. What do you think of that conference? And are we sleeping on Mahomes coming back? Because if he's healthy, he's Patrick Mahomes. You know Joe, no one's brought him up all summer. No, you're right. To me, it is so funny that in, I've been watching like a lot of the analysts on TV now,

40:05looking ahead to this season and watch for this player and look for this team and look for this trend. And all the stuff we normally do, you never hear anybody mention Patrick Mahomes. I mean, they're talking about May, which you would, I get it. You're talking about Allen and people are really high on Herbert. I kind of get all of that, but you can have people talking for 10 minutes about the quarterbacks, just in the AFC and not have anybody bring up Patrick Mahomes. And from everything I have heard, he's had a good rehab. It was a bad injury late in the year. So there was some question about whether he'd be ready to go. They claim that he is. I think he's going to be back to being Patrick Mahomes again. The only problem is that that team is not what it was. Do I think that they're going to go back to being with the Chiefs where a couple years ago? No, but it's not because of him. I just think the overall team is not as good. But I think Mahomes is going to come back again, similar to what we were saying about Barclay, what we're saying about Brown. Guys are coming off disappointing years last year.

41:08Prideful guys that still have a lot of talent are going to come, have big bounce back years. Wouldn't surprise me at all if Patrick Mahomes has come back player of the year. I mean, it would surprise me. It would not surprise me a bit because he is still Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, he is. I think we're sleeping on the best player of this generation. Just keeps back and he might do great again. Ray, so happy to have you for this. What's the Sunday look like for Ray these days? He's sort of a no pack. How do you watch a game these days compared to the old days? You know, Joe, nothing has changed. I didn't think it did. It's really funny. You Douglas and I were talking about this when I retired. And somebody asked that question and you said, no, no, no, he's going to just, he's going to have his tablet out and he's going to be charting the plays. Do you know what that's just what he does? I mean, you were 100% right. But you've gotten so used to doing it. Like, what other way is it to do it? Right. Because it's almost, it's in, it's in grain in your DNA at this point. I will say this. You're 100% right.

42:09But to this extent, back in the day when I was still working regular with you guys, I'm doing the TV. When I watched any game, I was charting. I was logging the game. I mean, I had my yellow tablet out and I was logging every play, every, every personnel package, every down distance. I was logging the whole game. I, I will only do that with Eagles games. No, because you can like, like, like, like, like, like, like, tonight, I'll watch the game, but I'll just sit and watch the game. I'm not going to have my tablet. Yeah, okay. Today, 425, Eagles, Washington, you better believe the illegal tablets in my hands. Well, I, I wouldn't expect anything less. Right. We appreciate it. Enjoy the season and hopefully maybe we could talk again soon down the line and maybe, maybe for the postseason again, right? I, I would enjoy visiting with you guys anytime. Oh, there's a pleasure. There he is. Ray Dittinger with us here at McGurks in Roars for so happy to have Ray Dittinger. We got so much up and including Nick Ciriani spoke earlier today and he, and he spoke

43:09about a couple things we need to get to and Elliott True Parks will join us after the Ciriani press conference. We'll get to Elliott, our first kiss the baby of the season. It's the midday show on sports radio, 94 WIP football seasons back. And it's time to bring that game day energy home, whether you're at the game or a cheer for your liver, make sure your home is ready for the season with Pella Windows and Doris Get performance style and comfort plus incredible savings with 55% off installation or 48 months, 0% APR. Well, the home team's big and big plays in the field. Make a big play for your home with Pella call 877 98 Pella. Discuss your free home constellation or Pella Philly dot com.