Transcript

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Announcer:
Welcome to The Podcast to be Named Later, where we explore the world a conversation at a time.  Sit back and enjoy.  Here are your hosts, Chris and Kelly.

Kelly:
Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the podcast to be named later. I've got Chris on the line and Chris before we started man, I thought you just came in from 2 days from the latest NFL practice. How you doing man?
Chris:
I'm pretty good. Been breathing a little heavy, but I've calming down now. I don't know exactly what the heart rate's at, but it's calming down. Yeah, I've had a. A hectic couple of hours. You and I were supposed to record about hour start about an hour ago and had some car trouble and you know, life just jumps in front of you every once in a while and so hustle got life back on track and a little delay start to recording today.
Kelly:
All systems are go, Sir. Well, we'll still make it. And Speaking of life, jumping in front of people certainly happen to the US Women's World Cup team in soccer, still giving lots of credit for really making lots of strides, but didn't quite end up with the result. They wanted.
Chris:
No, this is just a result of expectations. You know US women's sports in general period. I I think you can make a blanket statement has been ahead of the world curve for the most part for a long time. And in women's soccer for sure that's been evident. You know that that they are the dominant team in in that sport, but credit to the rest of the world, you know they've invested money, they've invested time, young girls are. You know, going through the process that it takes to to get to this stage and you know the the reality is the the rest of the world just caught up man. I mean, we're still a really good club. That match was Sweden was epic. I mean, it could not have been any more evenly matched than it was. I mean, that was 2 goliaths. And I mean it's a 22 halves, two extra times and then they went into even after penalty kicks, they didn't have decided they had to go an extra penalty kick. So I mean, it really couldn't. Have than any more evenly matched. You know a lot of credit suite men. They're a really good club and I think coming into this a lot of people knew that. I mean, there's a lot of good ones, man. Japan looks really good. Spain's real good. You know, there, there's a a number of teams. I mean all the remaining teams, I mean any one of them, literally any one of? Them could win it so.
Kelly:
Yeah, I said. More power to the world and everybody. And that's not a US bashing thing and. I will say shame on anybody who, like, roots against the US and or says that this team didn't do well. I think the world did catch up and you know what better that the competition is among more equals than just one team coming in and. Marching through and winning everything. You know, it's unfortunate that the draw lined up that it was the US and Sweden at the time it was, but that's how the things lined up and you had an epic game. I mean, what more can you ask for as a sports fan than to have a game that's contested like that? And I think the thing about soccer. Because it is, you know, just that nonstop action. Yeah, there's not a lot of goals, but it's that nonstop action, and frankly, the athleticism that it must take to play soccer. And run around like they do. Blows me away. And so I say, great. I think that the US women's team has done a huge amount for sports, not the women's sports and sports in general, not just in this country but around the world. They've also raised a lot of issues. Both with pay and much more, so more power to them. Yeah, I'm sad that they didn't, you know, take it to the next level. But I'm all for spirited athletic competition.
Chris:
Man, I'll tell you a quick little story. You know, most of my close family knows that risk is my favorite game and it's an evolved game kind of long, so you don't get to play it all the time. And I have historically been pretty successful in the Games of risk we played and but bottom line is not a lot of people want to play with me. Very often that I don't get an opportunity to play, I usually get a token, a bird. The game, you know. So on my birthday, my son or girlfriend or or or, you know, whoever is around, they may throw me a bone and and allow me to play a game of risk with them because they know it brings me happiness and more of the story is we played a game. I have my sister and my nieces and nephew in town right now. For the time being. And we're all, you know, trying to spend some time together. And Ohh, we broke out a risk board and the kids said they wanted to play. And my son, my 13 year old son. Just put a whoopin on me and my niece, Zoe. The three of us sat down and played, and I was the first one eliminated from the game and he put on a a pretty good performance man and and had a good plan. The plan, you know, got some hot rolls when he needed it to and was able to establish position and do all the things necessary. In that game to win, and I was the first one eliminated. And I'll tell you what, man. Just as much as I'd like to win, I couldn't have been more proud and it couldn't make me any happier for the fact that I love to compete. Man, I I love it, but I I do. Well, I want to win. I want to feel like I earned it and I want to feel like there was competition, man and and and that excitement of knowing, hey, it took my best effort. In order to get the victory here today, if I'm just going out and smashing on everyone, sure, I mean still get the trophy and that feels good and winning always feels. Good, no matter what, but. But man, when you have to earn it and and there's some doubt, it's actually quite a bit more exciting. And for fans, it's it's a lot more exciting, right, if if if the two teams are evenly matched or if the contestants are evenly matched. And the fact that the rest of the world's women's teams have have caught up to the US and and on any given day. There's any number of teams that can beat them in a match. That's exciting, man, and I think it's good for the world. I think it's good for women's sports. I'm really. Proud of what the US women's team did to fight for what they believed in and fight for equal rights, equal pay and, you know, help establish a a baseline that's more equitable to to the men's. And you know they they. The women seems we've had, dude, we've been pretty lucky, bro. You know what I mean? I mean they they are have been a special group of female individuals. Tough as nails. A you know a a real testament to what you know the the, the, the best the US has to offer in terms of personality, athleticism. I mean just the whole package. Man, we've had a. A real nice run of hard nosed, you know, tough competing, tough, tough competitor females over the last, you know, couple decades.
Kelly:
Yeah, I, you know, definitely memorable individuals both for their athletic performance on the field and you know, the traits that they've demonstrated off the field. And, you know, sports are probably as old as human life, and I'm a big fan of. Whether it's a professional sport or whatever, finding ways for people to participate, we've talked about it and I'm sure we'll continue to. There's certain things that and they can come from other things as well, but there's things that sports teach you about life and working together and you know how to win. Graciously and. Lose with pride and respect to the competition and I think that anything that brings people into sports and makes those opportunities available is a good thing.
Chris:
Great guy 100%.
Kelly:
So Speaking of sports and winning and losing, don't know how you you describe this other than. To change if it's a winner of loss, I'm not sure yet, but the landscaping college football the last five days have certainly changed. Talked a little bit before we started recording. The PAC 12 is down to the PAC floor, maybe the PAC 2 haven't checked the headlines, just the whole. The change of the conference last summer, with UCLA and U. See coming over to the Big 10 and now you know their TV rights deal is ending this year and they didn't find another deal or one that was attractive. And so now Oregon and Washington have already come over to the Big 10. So the big 10. It's now the big 18 with that makes it the 1/3 of the schools on the West Coast. I mean, that's rather interesting. But and then Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are going to the Big 12. I think they're up to 16 now. Now you know they had some schools leave and go over to the SEC. Latest I heard was that the other two California schools, you know, in the Bay Area, Cal and Stanford, might laugh a little just because, you know the geography or conference is no longer makes any sense, but they might be going to the ACC. So you got, you know Atlantic Coast Conference coming out. The West Coast. I'm not sure what that does for Washington State and Oregon State and where they go or what happens, but. I guess life changes. I mean the Rose Bowl, which used to be, you know, the Big 10 champion between the PAT 10 and whatever number we want to attach to them all. And it's funny they held out for their times a lot and all that. And in their off years, they always wanted to be that game. But not one of those two conferences is gone, basically.
Chris:
Yeah, I mean, I'm not, honestly, not even when you mentioned it to me as on the drive in when we talked a little bit, I'm not even up to speed on all the movement and and like at what stage they're at, what's finalized, what's you know, what's just speculation at this point. And so we'll see where the dust all settles. But yeah, pretty mind blowing, man. I mean, the the you know. We kind of have seen this coming for a while. I I don't know what the end game is. I don't know where they get to eventually so. You know, it feels like just kind of flying by the seat of their pants at this point. And I understand there's contracts and you're talking about big, big money. So you there's a lot of moving parts with, you know, billions of dollars at stake and the fact that it feels like they're just kind of, you know. Winging it like a, you know. Couple dudes in the Virginia mountains. You know, building the shack, it's just mind blowing to me, so I don't know where we end up. Hopefully, you know, we end up with some type of, you know. Organized, you know? And it's hard because there's gonna always be tears and there's always going to be the haves and the have nots. And I I don't know exactly how you shake it up, but what I don't see how. The way it is currently is sustainable given given just the geography, so you know teams that are close to each other should play each other and teams that are far apart should only play once in a while to play an entire. I mean teams already travel in the out of conference schedule and. You know, put a lot of miles and. Now with these new realignments, or you know in in the the new additions, I mean it's it's absurd that that someone who goes to school in Berkeley, CA you know is is traveling to Clemson to play a game and then next week maybe they got to travel to NC State.
Kelly:
I think it's gonna make it. I think the whole college sports landscape is such a quagmire of different things going on because. You know. It's the revenue generating sports and really only a couple of them driving a lot of this because the money is there for those sports and the challenge is that a lot of these schools, the money and revenue from those sports is what drives the budget availability for. Many of the other sports, I'm not a a total expert on this, but I have looked at like, you know, the University of Wisconsin's budget and stuff because when they put it out and. I think in 2022 or 2021, the total budget was like $140 million that the Athletic department spent. But almost every one of those sports that they have of I believe it's 20 loses money. And I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but the the football team in particular definitely brings in more revenue than it spends. So and then when people wanted to cry, the changing of the conferences. Are you going to? Are you willing to stop spending right on coaches salaries on the I gotta have the latest locker room. You know, whatever for the team. It's like a ongoing arms race. So I do find it a little bit hypocritical when some of the people including. You know, conference leaders and coaches say, well, this is too much. Well, I don't see you saying that when it comes time to sign the paycheck and you know, when you get a raise and you know you're making 10 million or. Ready and this deal lets you get a little more. I don't. I don't see you saying. I don't need anymore. And I'm not saying you should.
Chris:
Yeah, I don't know what the, you know, I it's fine. It is what it is. I mean, you know, each individual. And in this case, you know, their universities, you know, I'm treating them like as if they were a person. But you know they're an entity and you know, you get to make the choices that are right for you, man. And I don't begrudge anybody who makes a choice that they believe is what's best for them. You know, for them and their family, man, I've said that repeatedly, you know. If other people don't like it.
Kelly:
Yeah, I don't know. I mean, actually, I could. I could and I don't have the answer, but I could ask. OK, why so? Why do we have college athletics? Well, how else is the NFL going to have a a minor league team? Yeah, OK, but I mean, but you know what I'm saying? I mean, why are educational institutions? Athletics, whatever sport it is, whether it's the footballs, the basketballs, or it's the gymnastics, the swimming, fencing, rowing, you know, I mean, I I go down here and Wisconsin in the fall and the from the student union out to the. Along this path, they called Lakeshore Path every afternoon you can see the crew team practicing and you know the guys in the boat behind them. Pushing them and you're hearing the, you know, on his little megaphone, yelling at these, these students and in the boat, you know, you hear the I don't even know the name and the crew, but you know, row row and these guys fly but why why is why are colleges doing that?
Chris:
Yeah, I don't. I don't have an answer.
Kelly:
For that, Kelly, no, neither do I. But I mean, so and then when they get into that stuff and some of those sports become really popular like football. And nobody, I don't know, you know. TV loves it because they like the landscape before we get into the NFL. Talking about changes. I don't know if you've seen this one, Chris. I guess I'm into a little bit of the business of sports today. Any thoughts? Looks like ESPN's going to jump big time into the gambling world. They and I'm not really up on these guys, but Barstool Sports, who had been affiliated with some gambling company, basically was bought back by its founder, and now ESPN's going to basically do a $2 billion deal with some outfit called Penn Sports for their. So there are all the sudden into it. Big time. I just like just it's so.
Chris:
Comical man, I mean, you know, I've been into gambling my whole life, man, ever since. You know, I made my first bet with my uncle Tim. I I've been hooked. And the first day I got to sit at the big boy table and break my Piggy Bank out with my uncles. And you know, play cards after Thanksgiving dinner or at someones birthday party. I mean, I've been a junkie my whole life, man, and I've done it all. I've even worked in the casinos. I I'm. I've always had some some gambling in my blood my whole life and everything and it was it was just comical. The hypocrisy amongst you know, the major sports and you know the the media outlets and it was like this taboo subject to talk about and I mean guys have been suspended. And and so well still are and there's still. There's still rules in place regarding gambling, and I understand you don't want definitely don't want any tampering and and while the player is active in a league, I can understand why you wouldn't want that player. You wouldn't want any any questions to come up about motivations in in any particular event, but. You know, they they swiped all this stuff under the rug and put a mask on it for all these years. And then I don't know what exactly opened Pandora's box and and you know when it was, but if in the last four or five years, you know it's been this like, oh, let's let's just crack the crack the top and see what happens. And now. You know, people are just recognizing the money and there's a lot of politics and and you know, like I I'm in California, I can't. Gamble in California because you know special interests, you know, tribal casinos, and that the tracks, you know, basically, you know, bought the vote. And so. But if I drive for 4 1/2 hours across the Arizona line, then it's perfectly legal. There and perfectly fine to do and a lot of other places that I go on my travels, it's perfectly legal. You can make a wager on a sporting event, you know legally through, you know, one of the apps. But in California you cannot and. Eventually, you know, I mean I assume they'll get their heads out of their butts at some point, but it's just it's the money that is generated from it is obscene and you know it. It's just printing money, man. It really is. It's so you know if you're the guy housing it, you know, it's a long time saying the house never loses. Or the house always wins and you know it's just you just print money. And so I don't know why more people would want to be involved, you know, I.
Kelly:
The next. Mean that's I think. You said you don't know what opens up Pandora's box, but I'll tell you this. But it was a green key. That opened it up and that green green Key was made of paper and had presidents on it.
Chris:
Agreed, he exclaimed. All the money.
Kelly:
And I think that you know everybody either because if you're going to take a stand, which I would be fine with, if you're going to be a, a, a journalism organization for sports, you know, then that's your stand and then you don't go in or. But if you're not, then you know you. You you can't be half and half. I guarantee you you're going to start to see even more gambling all over ESPN. I'm I'm not as much of A better gambler as you are. I've done it, and if I wanted to, I could go across the state line here to Iowa and place bets. It's always interesting, you know, which states you can and you can't, but. I think we're just going to keep seeing this and my biggest concern is really two things I guess. I mean, it's like anything, it's another addiction that some people will really struggle with and I hope that the people that do can get the help they need. And then I'm sure you know, we're already seeing it. The other thing I just worry about is the integrity of the sport. Where there is opportunity for badniks, it just can creep in.
Chris:
Yeah, and and, but you know. There's it's like that with everything, man. So and and like you said, man, I I, as someone who's battled with it, man and made terrible decisions with, with my money at at younger points in my life where, you know, I was gambling to make money and you know, and unless you're like in the top 1%.
Kelly:
It is, and so you know.
Chris:
That's just not a thing that happens. So for, you know, people out there. If you're a professional gambler and you know that you make money, then you know, then you know that. And I'm willing to bet you have yet years and years probably. Aids of experience that have has got you to the point where you're at currently, but for anyone else who thinks they're going to gamble for profit, I I'll just tell you don't you won't. So you know I over years and years, I mean I'm approaching 50 and I've been gambling since I was 8 and. You know, for years and years and years. It it it? I had to fine tune. You know what I'm good at? I'm not good at set limits. You know, I have. I had to develop separate accounts. You know what I mean to manage it because it's very easy to go off the rails and you know, at points in my younger days, you know, just kind of flying by the seat of my pants and winging it and figure out the money later. And that's not how how you do it. You have to have a bank roll. You have to have limits. You have to understand that there are going to be losing streaks mixed in and so you know if you have $1000 bankroll let's say for the season, you can't be betting $500.00 on a game that's not you know you could. Getting 20. You know what I mean? And and because it's very easy to lose, you know, for a a period of time, you know, weeks, months is not hard at all. So you just, you know, you got to set up a set aside money that you're willing to lose. And and then you know, try to make that money last. You know what I mean? And and just stay within your limits and stuff. So I yeah. Anyone who's does struggle with it. Which I know because I have struggled. With it and you know, overtime I've, you know, developed mechanisms and like I said I have accounts that are set aside for it that are separate from all my other money. You know, I mean that has nothing to do with paying bills or rent or car payments or anything. And you know, and if that if those funds get low, then that means I need to lower my buy in. So I don't have. You know, 10% of 1000 is a lot less than 10% of 10,000. So you know you gotta you gotta lower your your stakes until you can build your bank roll back up and then you can increase your stakes from there. So yeah, and you definitely don't want the players.
Kelly:
Well, and I think.
Chris:
In in the various leagues, like the contestants to be thinking about it at all, you don't. Want them involved? But but I don't have a problem if a baseball player wants to bet on football games. I I just don't have a problem with that at all. Like what? What effect does it have it in any way?
Kelly:
I don't have a problem with that. I realize some people would and but I mean, how is that any different than you know, if they're out investing in a business or something and you know I've said this many times to people that know me Italian man. The line between gambling and investing in the stock market and such. They're both just forms of legalized gambling. It's just that we don't put the word on one of them, in my opinion. And I've talked with many investment professionals about this and you know and. They're at the end of the day, right? Most investments that you buy, you're buying them because you think at some point somebody else will pay you more for it. And you can tell me all about the patterns and analysis and the companies fundamentals there isn't and that's what I'm saying.
Chris:
It's the same, though, Kelly there. There's no difference. I I've said this story many times. I might even said it on this podcast. There was a point at which Congress shut down online poker. Whatever year that was. At that time, I had an E*Trade account and I had. I mean, I had more than one. I played on poker stars, Full Tilt Poker, but from my perspective, man, you know, you got to look at it. OK, from my point of view, I open up my laptop computer, I go to a website, I put in a username and password. And then I put $500 in off my credit card or transfer from my bank account or PayPal or whatever. And then from that point I put that money into something, be it, you know, whatever I pick it, I can, I can click on various options. I can go or do whatever I want with that money, and then when I'm done, I close my computer. Well, at the same time I had an E*Trade account that I had, you know, whatever, say $1000 in it. And I was. Monkeying around trying to buy and sell stocks and stuff. I also had a full tilt count that I put $1000 in and I was monkeying around playing, you know, pot limit Omaha and hold them and sit and go tournaments and just, you know, slapping money in different places, hoping I could turn it into more money. And both of them, from my perspective, were identical. I open up the laptop, put in the username and password, and then I move the money around and hope that it somehow magically, at the end of the month, is more than $1000. And then on one day, they just decided poker was no good. But what was funny is at that time. You know my E*Trade account was worth $450, so I had lost $650, but my poker account was worth 2000. So I doubled my money on the one you took away from me. This this one. I'm actually good at and I and I make money doing it. And I have a good understanding of it. The other one, the one that you said is legal. I suck at it. I don't know how to do this like I don't. I I think this company is going to be good and turns out I was wrong and I think this company is going to be good. And turns out I was wrong and I'm just not very. All I know is my money's less so. And so you took away the one that I could actually make. Money at and and you left me with the one that I'm no good at. Yeah, no, I.
Kelly:
There is a, you know, a lot that could be said on this very topic. I tell people you listen to. People talking about investing and people talking about sports, and I tell you, man, you could change out the team names and the company names and a lot of the things are the the same, you know? Oh, I got this hunch and I I mean.
Chris:
Yeah, long term, I think the prospects are good if if they can just get the offensive line to come together, if they can just get the R&D department to spit out one more good, you know, it's like, yeah, it's the same thing, man.
Kelly:
It is man.
Chris:
If yeah if.
Kelly:
And it's funny and so.
Chris:
This goes right. They're gonna make money if this goes. Wrong. Then they won't.
Kelly:
You know, and yet, as a society, we basically. Said, you know, if your financial future, we need you to put some money into this this casino over here that we call investing. Oh, in the form of called 401K and you know, I I get it. It's not as simple as I'm making it, but I don't think it's. I think it is a lot simpler. They just don't want to call it that and you know. It's it's a complicated thing.
Chris:
And I understand it's complicated, but the the, the real thing is there's people with power that are have an angle that they're coming from that you know they have an interest in it, you know. Their financial well-being is tied to the the what? What is legal and what.
Kelly:
Not well. And that's why in the gambling space. That's why, like you said, the house never loses. Hey, man, you get a, you get the right bankroll and you get it. You set up the the casino, whatever you want to call it. The book, you know, and you got enough of a bankroll that survived the big hits. That's all. I mean, Las Vegas wasn't built on losses.
Chris:
No, no, I mean it's just, you know long long term like you said, if you have the bankroll to sustain the swings then you you can't lose man. I mean it's it's mathematics. So at that point. You know, the math is just math, man. And if the game is set up to hold, you know, 17.8% / 100,000 hands, it's going to get 17.8%. That's exactly, you know.
Kelly:
And I I think the other fascinating thing to me is and I don't know how they do it, man, like how often odds makers are pretty close on games. You know, when they set the point spreads and all that and everything else you know and it's like this half a point and all that it's it's amazing. How accurate those point spreads are?
Chris:
Yeah, yeah.
Kelly:
I mean, but that's important to them to now those they're sure. So I'm sure they, you know, know what they're doing, but it just blows me away, blowing away. We've blown away a lot of the clock time here, so. Let's us swing over Chris NFL a little bit. We won't get through everything today, but. Calendar is definitely rolled around to a new year now. We've got one preseason game, Hall of Fame game in the books. Bunch of first week games coming up this week starting Thursday night. Just curious, Chris, as we kick off the 2023 NFL season, you know what jumps out at you? What are you? What are the storylines that you're interested in? Does anything you're interested in seeing how it shakes out?
Chris:
Well, right now my focus is on fantasy, and so, you know, I haven't really. So I have, I have some gut feelings on teams that will be better offenses that will be better, individual players that are maybe in better systems, things like that. So over the last month or so. Most of my focus has been on. You know, stats and and production, things like that. Now whether that translates to wins. So you know there's there's a lot that goes into winning football games. A team can be great at scoring points, but if they're defense is terrible, it might not. You know, a translate to wins. If their coaching is terrible, it might not translate to wins, things like that. So you know, over the next month or so, I'd say I'll start diving deeper into, you know, actual wins and losses. I don't think we have time to get into it. Maybe the next podcast we do, we can pick our divisions and and who, how we think teams are going to you know, what teams we're going to make the playoffs. I definitely have some interest in. And the NFC South, I think that is a a very it's not a very strong division on on the surface, a lot of young quarterbacks, but it's a wide open division and I'm kind of curious, it can go a lot of different ways and there's a lot of different styles which that is a part that interests me. So the Atlanta Falcons are are going to be basically like Georgia Tech, so. You know it is. I I don't think they're running the fear, but I mean, it's a is gonna be a run here. The football team and you know, they should be able to play pretty solid defense and run the ball similar to like what the Titans have done over the last few years and the Titans have been very successful playing hard nose football, you know, solid on defense and and a strong running game. And you know, they were the one seed one year and they didn't have a lot of success in the playoffs. But they they had a lot of success overall in winning games. And so that's kind of interesting to me. And then with Derek Carr going to new. Orleans, which is? Pretty stacked lineup still and they're getting a little long. In the tooth, but that that. Overall, team is is still pretty good. It's got a good roster, you know, top to bottom and you know, I'm, I'm kind of curious, like how that division shakes up and then you have some more of the powerhouses, obviously the. The NFC East is very interesting. You know, dolphins, if two is healthy and and you know can somehow manage to get through a season which I don't have a lot of faith in, but then that team is really good and we know the bills are good. You know, jets were kind of the darlings of the offseason. They were in the headlines all the time, obviously picking up Rodgers will do that for you and you know, they're The Jets, big market, blah, blah, blah. And then you got the Patriots, who's kind of the old guard. But you they still have Bill. You know, they always seem to find a way to be competitive, similar to, like, the Pittsburgh Steelers, you know, good coaching. And and a a good front office. And just like smart football, people in power positions seem to make good franchises. And the Patriots definitely qualify as that. So that's a pretty interesting division as well. I had a couple of. Like Dark horse teams, the Jaguars are one of my dark horse teams. Defense is a little suspect and the offensive line isn't one of the better ones in football, and those are two pretty key elements to being successful. So the fact that they're not, you know, not solid in those two departments like just right off the top. Obviously should make you weary, but reality is they weren't good on defense last year and they didn't have a very good offensive line last year and they they, you know, made a run into the playoffs, gave gave the Chiefs, you know, all they can handle in their game, in the divisional round. And so you know them. And then I think the Browns. For another one, it's the first year that the Browns. Don't have any hype around them and there's no expectations and and I think that pressure off of them, you know, after being kind of a a dark horse pick over the last couple years and not being successful, everyone just kind of said, oh, they're just the Browns and. Have got off them and now they'll they'll be able to fly under the radar a little bit better and they're another team that I think you know might be better than what people realize right now. The Bears are another one. The Bears are another in the NFC. They're a team that I think. There are a lot of ifs, man. You know. So two new offensive lineman, new running backs. Can the quarterback continue to progress? Is DJ Moore a true like 1 receiver you know are? Are they going to take a step forward and you know a lot of ifs. Yeah, but if they do, they have a division that's winner. And they're in a conference this week, and they're another team that I think, you know, they're again, these are dark horses. The the clear cuts are, you know, primarily primarily in the AFC, you got the Eagles and the 49ers and the NFC. I mean, you know, you put a gun to my head and tell me to pick a team. I'm going to go with one of those teams and then the AFC, you know, same same characters. And obviously, the Chiefs and Bengals and bills and you know. But I'm I'm saying outside of those clear cut, like obvious ones, those are three of the teams, the Browns, the Jaguars and the Bears that I think may be better than people.
Kelly:
Yeah, I'm one of the teams. I'm curious really to see what happens. In the NFC North here, I mean, obviously there's Packers, but we'll talk about them another time. Detroit, the fans for the first time since they've been playing in their new stadium, they sold it out. The fans definitely believe you know that they are and the divisions. Definitely winnable so. I'm really curious to see what they do this year. I'm also curious to see what does Sean Payton do in Denver. You know, one of these coaches that's, you know, got a reputation of being a coaching guru, not saying he's not. But can he turn all that circus around that went on in Denver last year? Can you recover Russell Wilson's? The rear. What does he do? I'm also obviously curious to see what does happen with The Jets. You know, I mean. Because again, last year they were kind of the darling and then, you know, it all went a little bit sideways. Well, they think they've corrected that and I don't know. I mean, we've talked about this before. When you go all in on a superstar quarterback at the end of his career, what does he do? I mean, Erin Rogers probably as good. Better than any for quarterbacks in that category, but we'll see. I'm curious also, the Jaguars, you know, I was all over them last year, several times talking about how Doug Peterson kind of seemed like a a good coach and was kind of cleaning up the Urban Meyer mess. Kind of curious to see how they do the really interesting thing about any of these teams in the NFL. Man, you don't have long to show some sort of progress, you know, you know, often used to be five years. And if you know if you weren't really turning something around, you were going to be out. But it's not even always five years anymore. So just the law of averages and numbers says not all these. You know people that we think are going to be up and coming are are are going to be successful. So that's the fascinating thing to me about the NFL and the organizational dynamics, because every time you do make a switch of a coach or a GM, you know, it's like pushing the reset button on everything you've been doing.
Chris:
Yeah, I I just. In terms of life, man, I'm a firm believer in staying the course unless there is an obvious problem. Unless you can recognize that, hey, this is this is absolutely not going to work for whatever reason, whatever you're talking about, relationships, jobs, whatever and. There's especially on sports teams or teams, you know, any type of team, there is just a ton of value in the familiarity in staying the course, you know, to have to relearn and and I mean, I don't know how familiar you are with our some of the like. UM. Terminology, especially like on the offensive side of the ball, just the words, just to learn all the vocabulary associated with the new system is a full time job and if you could take all that out of the equation, if you understand what all the words mean with you know when you know what a honey jet sweep is and you know. Some of these things are like a full paragraph, you know, just for every play.
Kelly:
G35 right cross X64 on.
Chris:
I mean, they're even ship longer than that. Some of them, man. And so, uh, OHS. So if you know if you can take some of that learning, I've said this about children, you know, I think I've said that to you before about like. Our jobs as parents is to raise your child. That's that was what I view my job as. I have two children and my job is to raise them to make them independent and capable of taking care of themselves. That's that's my number one priority. You know, obviously, I I want to love them and I want to make them confident and I want to, you know. Be there as support and be a rock for them, but. My job is to is to raise them and. And when you're going to send a child out in the world, you know, I I've said this many times, man. If you can take the laundry off off the learning table and and the dishes and the vacuuming and the shopping and all the other various tedious things that you have to do in life. And if you could teach them how to do all those things if they already know how to to. To change the oil or or put the gas in in the car or fix a flat tire. Or like you said, do a load of laundry. The difference between doing towels and doing your shirts, you know what? You wash cold in what you what you. What clothes do you wash hot in you know or what? You know that type of stuff. So that way when they in the world are already going to be overwhelmed with all the other stuff, they're new job or or whatever it is that they're doing relationships and stuff. So the more you can take off their plate as just like a known thing, you know what I mean. That they don't have to think about it, just as a muscle memory, the better position you put them in and and and with the football team or baseball team or basketball or whatever, if they already know all the terminology, if they all the players that are coming back are the same, you know what I mean? It's the bathrooms in the same place and they're lockers. In the same place, these are all you know. Let's say there's 500 things that they have to learn in a given season. If they can remember 350 of them from last year because they're the. Same well now. They only have to learn 150 new things. Whatever, whatever those items might be or whatever, right. So you're just taking stuff off their plate. So now you can start fine tuning. Now, if there's a problem with the scheme if if the the quarterback's not talented enough, you know, I mean, it's often coordinator sucks and just, you know is terrible at his job. Well, OK then make a change. But a lot of times that's not the case. It's just like, you know, like you said, man, it's so quick that we're so quick to pull the trigger and pull the rug out from underneath someone and say, Nope, you suck. I'm getting a new one. Well, the newer is not always better. Man, you know, sometimes the devil you know is is better. Just work on what you what you with what you have and fine tune it get better at it. Perfect it. Most of the issues. What separates the good teams. From the bad teams. Or or the good teams from the great teams. You know what? What puts these teams into? Levels is consistency and execution. Most some some of his talent. I mean, some teams are more talented than others. Some players, Patrick Mahone, is is simply more talented than Derek Carr is. That's all there is to it. He's just better on a physical stand from a physical physical. But a lot of it when you look at the whole. Team, you know the talent. Very variation isn't very much. It's just, you know, this team just executes better. Like you look like I was talking about Tennessee Titans earlier. No one would look at that roster and say they were the most talented team in the league or one of the most talented teams in the league. But yeah, every week when they lined up against somebody, they won more often than not. And that was because they didn't make any mistakes. They didn't beat them. I mean, should the Patriots teams won multiple Super Bowls, not being the more talented team? But they just didn't make any mistakes. They had perfected what they do and you can't do that if you keep changing coaching Staffs and changing players and changing everything, every every two or three years, you know? And and starting over from scratch, man, there's just a lot of value and sticking with the program and continue to grind and just, you know, make tweaks. To get better at what it is you do.
Kelly:
Hey, Speaking of sticking with the pro. I don't know if you know the answer to this, and I don't know that. What I'm going to say is 100% right, but I think it is. So I I happen to watch just a tiny bit of Hard Knocks last evening at just the beginning, but I noticed they were showing there and Rodgers and some practices. You know, as part of the cadence, it sounded like what I heard him say was the same thing I used to hear him say in Green Bay, where he would say, like, I think he says three, 19319. Where like why 319? Do you know if?
Chris:
I don't know.
Kelly:
You know why? Any any work in high school? What's your quarterback say?
Chris:
Ohh, all kinds of stuff man. I mean, we had various out ables and yeah, I mean there was various line called most of them.
Kelly:
But is there some part of it that's repeated?
Chris:
No, we were down. Hut Hut. You know, go on one, you know down set Hut that would be on one down sit, Hut, Hut that'd be on 2. You know what I mean? There's there's various things. If we're gonna call an audible when we got to the line, he'd say check. Check, check, check, check, check. And then my favorite was Gardena, Gardena, Gardena. That was that was my that was my end. My jet sweep, so I played tailback, but a lot of times we line up with no wide receiver or no running backs, empty backfield and so I would shift from, like the tailback. Positioned to like a wing back, you know, or I'd be like offset from the tight end, you know and and from there I could do anything I could run out. I could I could swing back around and take a handoff. I could. I could go wherever I wanted. I was pretty close to the line of scrimmage. I was maybe 8 feet from the quarterback, so from there, like I could do all kinds of stuff. Well, if they had, we ran a lot of like 5 wide receiver sets and stuff. So we were we were a past. Every team had a really good quarterback and that was the type of offense we ran. Was a spread offense. And so a lot of times we get boxes with like nobody in there and you know we have 5 ounce offensive lineman and there only be like 4 dudes in the. You know what I mean? It's like, holy cow, we got a tight end. You know, 2 guards, 2 tackles, the center and you know, they only got like four or five guys down here, you know. And so we would check the running plays and usually I'd have just like wide open space to run, you know. So Gardena was one of the audibles. If we showed up to a really light box or if they were shaded in and we felt like we could double down and and pinch aside then then the tackle would pull. So it'd be and we had a really good tackle. And so very athletic could could run really well, you know, and this is high school. So they're not just, like, necessarily just big fat guys. You know what I mean? Like they some of sometimes the offensive line in high school are pretty athletic and. So yeah, he'd get out in front of me and I'd just be about 3 or 4 feet behind him so everyone else would, you know, say everyone blocks to the right and you just, you know, basically like a zone block. You pick up everybody. Whoever gets in your path, you just maul them. And a lot of double teams and like, you know, all four offensive lineman go to the right and scoop up as many people as they can. On their way. And push the mall to the right and then the tackle would. That was on the right side. He'd peel off, leave his guy alone and the guard would pick him up or whatever. Right. And and and he get caught in the in the in the, in the mosh. And he'd he'd take a step back and then he'd swing around. And usually there'd be an end who was just left free. So everyone went to the right. Well, whoever was on the end of the line over there on our left, he'd just be left naked. He'd just be all by himself out there. No one blocked him and the tackle would come with, you know, 8 inch or 8 yards. Head of Steam and usually just blow him. Off his clean. And then I have this huge like 10 yard wide hole to run through and and so any time I heard Gardena, I was like ohh yeah, I'm about to get 15 on this play.
Kelly:
Alright, Chris, I'm going to put you on the spot. I don't know if you can do it or not, but be a good test of your memory and of the automatic. Speech recognition that I use when we're done to create a train. Script go back to, you know, 30 years whatever it is, 34 years. Maybe we're getting into Friday night's football time. Can you give us the sound of, you know, pretend you're the quarterback? Just everything you heard from one of your play calls that you'd always hear just. Line up and give us the sound for the podcast if you can. If you can't, I can't do it, man.
Chris:
I don't remember them. Dude, that was so long ago. I don't remember all the make one up, man. Come on. So we get, we get to the line and. It'd be like trips left heavy in 37 O counter.
Kelly:
Dude, put some. Emotion into it.
Chris:
What's that?
Kelly:
I hope, I hope your quarterback didn't go up to the line like that. Trips left 37, whatever.
Chris:
What was the did you watch?
Kelly:
Let's have some emotion.
Chris:
Did you watch the quarterback? Did you watch quarterback on Netflix?
Kelly:
Yeah, Dave, I thought was pretty good, man.
Chris:
It was really good. The one I liked was. Mahomes call and it was a big play. It was a pass to. Was it Noah Gray? Anyway, it was like a a secondary tight end guy. It might have been like Noah Gray or something. And so he's calling out the play and. He he could. You could hear Patrick Mahone stumble. And he's, you know, whatever, you know, trips left ZY. You know, whatever he says, this whole, all this whole play and stuff, and then he's like tight end. And then they go in and he was talking about that play after the fact. He's like, I couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. I remember what his job was and he was the key guy. Like he's the, you know, he's the guy. This is the guy I'm supposed he's he's the one. He's my. He's my who I'm going to. And I forgot what his play was called. And so I I just said like whatever you like. You know what we're doing? Now just get out. Go get open.
Kelly:
And I'd love to see a game. And you know, I guess maybe they do it a little bit in the Pro Bowl. They're close as close to it as you're ever going to get, but you know, to see a game where it's like, you know what you do out in the street or whatever with your buds, you know, OK. You go, you know, whatever you can say in the stadium, you know, you go down to the bumper of the parked car over here and you go over to the manhole cover and I'll hit you. I'd love to see them just in a scrimmage or something. Just make up those kind of nonsense plays like that. And see what happens. Well, I've.
Chris:
Heard stories over the years listening to different NFL players talking. They absolutely do that. I mean. They have generally calls for like the formation and stuff and and you know, so that's that's pretty structured, but the rest of it's like, you know, this guy might be running, you know, plays designed for this guy to run like a 7 yard dig, this guy to run, you know, a corner and you know that generally there's almost. Always crossings on on almost every play, not every play, but most plays. Have some type of. We're going to send two guys this way to get all the flow going that way and then we're going to send another guy the other way, you know. And that that's really common. But the the depths of those are like predetermined, you know, 7 yards, 15 yards, whatever the case may be. And I I know that. I've definitely heard this. Where they're like, hey, man, you know, this is almost right. We just need this this space over here is all the way open. So instead of the running back going and doing this, screw that, just send them over here to this open space. Like we don't have a name for it, but. Bro, just skip. Your normal job on this play and just go over here because we've run this play twice today and the flat. On the right side, there's nobody over there. If we could just get a body over there who isn't involved in the in the rest of the pass play. That guy's gonna be wide open, and so you know, whether it's a tackle eligible or a secondary tight end or the tailback or something. All we gotta do is just get a human over to this area and you know he's going to be wide open and and they don't have the place not designed that way. They don't have necessarily a name for it, they just kind of draw it up in the dirt, sort of. It's a take off of other plays and I know that happens. All the time.
Kelly:
Yeah, I'm sure there's a lot more of it that goes on than, you know, we know. I think it's it's always fascinating as our Chris, our conversations all the time this one just for listeners, we sometimes talk about what we're going to obviously do a little show prep, but kind of went in a different direction with the first half of the. Ago than we thought we were, but going to a little more, but definitely enjoyed it and have enjoyed this episode and I hope folks have enjoyed listening to it. Chris, good to catch up with.
Chris:
You again, you too, Kelly.
Kelly:
Thanks everyone for listening to another episode of the podcast to be named later.