The Around the NFL podcast gets pretty podcast privilege. We do. Sessy. From the Chris Wendling podcast studio, it's Around the NFL. I am Dan Hanses. We got a two-hander today, joined by my longtime friend and colleague, Mark Sesler. What's up, Mark?

I am sitting in the chair For YouTube purposes, they've scrunched us closer together. I'm sitting in the chair where Greg normally sits. It's, from a bodily angle, very awkward. I don't know where it's. I understand why I sit where I sit and Greg sits where he sits. Yes. Yeah. Just out of the gate, something to deal with.

That's something to fight through, and I think you will because you are a professional broadcaster. In fact, it did just occur to me. We're probably coming up on what would it be? I mean, we're talking about maybe the 12-year anniversary of the first show we did, the original iteration of the Around the NFL podcast, which was the ATL Debate Club, me and you in the old closet there in the Culver City offices. Things are very different now, but I think back on those days and always am thankful to Dave Damosheck for giving us our start on the back of the Dave Damosheck football program and those initial wild episodes of the Debate Club, which was the embryo of this program.

It was an appropriately sized project in scope. It was about 11 minutes long each time. I think you can't even find them anymore. But when they were available a couple of years ago, I went back and listened, and we're so... It's like we've never spoken on mic before. I think it prompted Greg at one point to tell us that if we were going to take on a project of that scope to do it professionally, I'll never forget that comment from Greg.Right..

Greg said that?Yes.Okay. When he was our... Greg, the master broadcaster that he is. I always found with bosses, and Greg's on vacation still in Hawaii, well-earned vacation.

He'll never listen to this, and don't anyone tell them.

This is good advice to everybody. With bosses, you can listen to some things they say, and some things you just give them a little nod and be like...

I think we have that tactic down in the current times.

Today's This episode is a good one. By the way, developing news, speaking of Greg. At the beginning of our last episode, I said, I got to take this opportunity with Greg out of the office and off the continental United States to dig in on Delaware, his high school band. We have major, major movement toward the long-standing goal of hearing his high school band.

Yeah, talk about 12 years in the making. This has been a ongoing investigation.

We put out a call. We had named names from the band, and we have heard back from certain individuals directly tied to Greg's high school band. I think we are closer than ever, Mark Sesler, to hearing Greg singing. Perhaps that will be an opportunity for you to say to him, if you want to be in a band, perhaps It comes full circle. It's time to be a little more professional. That could be an opportunity.

No, that would be an open door for that. I find it interesting that really all it took was announcing on the show that this mattered to us. This investigation that's been so important. There was probably a five-year gap where we never asked anyone to unearth these tapes, and it showed up within 24 hours. That's a lesson to us on the investigation front.

In fairness, we've gotten to this level of investigation in the past, and then we didn't take it home, but this is different.

Well, he also, I think, stuck his fingers into it and blocked it on someone. When he's gone, look how much progress we make on this front.

Absolutely. So stay tuned. That's all I'm going to say. Stay tuned because major developments. Okay, let's get into it. We're going to welcome our old friend, Connor Orr, in to the show in a bit to hit the mailbag. But before that, let's check in John Harbaugh, he of the proud ownership of a RV, and do a little news. It's been great being myself. I always wanted to do that. It worked out great. I'm 100 feet from Greg Roman. He has an RV as well. He's got a better car. G-roy's got a really good RV. Yes, Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, is currently living in an RV He's not a home. He's a multimillionaire. I'm sure it's a very nice RV. My wife has long pushed for the Hanses family to go on an RV vacation. I push back. I don't like driving long distances. I don't get the appeal.

She could drive A little bit, maybe.

Perhaps. But I think I'm excited. We started Debate Club 12 years ago. We've been doing the iteration, the ATN iteration since 2013. We remember very clearly the Jim Harbaugh days with the San Francisco 49ers. But it's sometimes easy to forget, Mark, that there's an entire generation of young football fans that weren't really following the sport in 2014 when he left the team. You guys have kids. You guys have no idea what you're in for. This guy is an interesting dude, and he's a little bit out there. I get the feeling based on early vibes around Jimmy Harbaugh and his return in the NFL, that he maybe has cranked up the weird meter even a couple more notches. We might be off the traditional 1-10 chart at this point. I don't know what it means for chargers, their future, and the fans in terms of excitement, although I understand why you're excited because he's been a winner everywhere he goes. But I'm telling you, it's not going to be boring with Jim Harbaugh back.

No. It's like an interesting study in brotherhood because we both have two sons, and their personalities can be similar in some ways, but very different. John Harbaugh is very different to me than Jim Harbaugh. I think of when they clash in the Super Bowl, and it was like, these are totally different cats. And Jim Harbaugh, I think you're right. I think back in the NFL, he likes to up the dial a little and zone in on that weirdness that really only he can bring. But I also think he's going to change the chargers. I really do.

Who's got it better than us? Nobody. That's Harbaugh at nine. Now we're up to 11. I think we're taken aback by Dan Campbell as an example. He mentioned the lines when he was very outspoken and maybe spoken a little bit of a different way than other head coaches, Jack Nicholson and Batman, 1989. Way did they get a load of me. All right. Let me hear a little more of Jim from that press engagement. This is a good one, too. Just that mentality of that group. I mean, that's like a fist. There's five of them. One, two, three, four, five. Playing is one on that offensive line.

I just love it. I just love it.

All right, let's get to it. Let's start with good news for the Rams, who add a decorated cornerback to their secondary. It is Tredavius White, formerly of the Bill, signs a one-year, eight-and-a-half million-dollar contract. The Bill's dealing with some cap issues, cut ties with White and the former first-round pick. Tremendous beginning to his career, Mark, but he's dealt with some serious injuries, and staying on the field has been an issue. But you get him here at a bargain. You get him on a prove it deal for the Ram. So I think from their side of things, have a backup plan. If White is not able to stay on the field, make sure you have depth in that room. But he makes a lot of sense as someone to take a flyer on, and maybe you hit big and he gets back to his old ways.

Yeah. Why not? I think some of the signings that have come in in the last 48 hours are signings that make sense to me, and I like that time in free agency to pick up these veterans. I think with White, though, he's played 10 games in the last two years. He tore his ACL in 2021, and then last year, tore his Achilles. If we want to whistle Dixie about the fact that Kirk Cousins, it doesn't matter that he tore his Achilles because he's not mobile. That's not his main threatening.

Which I agree with, by the way.

No, I do, too. But a cornerback is going to need to show us the coming off an Achilles that he's going to be able to do. But much less just not get another injury. He's just not been durable.

Let me rephrase that about Cousins. It doesn't matter. You suffer a catastrophic lower body injury in your mid-30s. We'll see. But I think he's just well suited to be able to recover from that without losing too much of his game. But you're right. As time has passed, even again, since when we started this podcast, if you tore your Achilles as a skill player or a guy that's based like runningbacks, for instance, it's been seen as a death sentence for a lot of players, or it was. As a cornerback, you worry about, do they ever get back their athleticism? That's a real question mark, and we'll see. But I also think there's, and we know there's been a lot of advances in the treatment and the recovery process from that type of injury. So hopefully, White is on the right side of things. In other news, the Panthers Bring in Jedevian Clowny, the edge rusher formerly of the Ravens and many, many other teams. He's become the preeminent mercenary of his generation, where he started his career as a first overall, heavily-hyped prospect, went to Houston and had a nice run there, but he dealt with some injuries, never quite lived up to the LT-like potential put on him.

But it tells you that the fact that he continues to stay in the league, even if he's never He's always gotten that second big long-term contract, he's always welcome wherever he stops. I know he's been with the Browns, he's been with the Seahawks, now he is Stop Over the Ravens, and now he's with the Panthers who get him, and he gets a second year. I can't remember the last... I think this is the first time since that initial rookie deal that he has a multi-year contract. Two years, 20 million. We'll see if he plays both season with the Panthers, but this is a team that needed some help there after Brian Burns was traded to the Giants, and Clowny coming off perhaps his best season gives them something.

Yeah, they lost Franky Louvou as well, who showed up in every game. Yator Gross-Mados went to the Niners, so they absolutely needed an edge. Clowny is awesome against the run. I think he's just one of the tougher players around. He had micro fracture surgery, and that would end people's careers talking about injuries. He came back from that last year, nine and a half sacs with the Ravens. That did come under Mike McDonald, who seemed to to turn up everyone's production to the maximum. So you always wonder if you're going to go to this team. But Everro is a good defensive coordinator, and I think they needed that piece to put along Derek Brown and DJ Wannem. So why not? I think the Panthers should be adding everyone they can. They've got a lot of needs.

Maybe that second year got added because it had been widely reported that the Jets were very hot on Clowny and very motivated to sign them, sign him to replace Bryce Huff. So the Panthers, perhaps, go in that extra year is what got the deal done. Clowny goes to a team that's very clearly rebuilding, but he gets a little bit more financial security. I don't actually see the terms of the deal in terms of if he will get to a second year. But the fact that he signed a two-year deal is different for Jadavia and Clowny. In other news, this was interesting, Mark. We talked about on Tuesday's show with Connie, the major overhaul of the kickoff in the NFL. By the way, I read this, and we did talk about it the night of the Super Bowl, and Greg had mentioned he was sick of the kickoffs producing nothing.

Oh, I know where you're going with this. Yeah.

All 13 kickoffs in the most recent Super Bowl were touchbacks. It's funny how the playoffs, we talked about the pass interference rule that was one and done. That was a payoff game. We talked about the overtime rules changing after the Bill's Chief's Classic in the divisional playoffs where Josh Allen didn't get a chance to get on the field. That led to a change. Those postseason games, because there's so much on the line and there's so many eyeballs on it, it's that round of football that really produces the most change. I think that's what has happened here. After the 13 straight touchbacks, you now have a new rule where we're going to see a huge boost in kickoff return. The idea that the Steelers are getting Corderole Patterson, arguably the greatest kick returner ever, if not, obviously, in the top five in that conversation, or he should be, that matters a lot. Nfl Network's Ian Rappert reports that the Steal has agreed to terms with a veteran, formerly of the Falcons, on a two-year, $6 million deal. And Mark, he's 33 years old, so he's an older player, but he's also someone that has always been either a gadget player or part of a scheme.

So I don't think he has a ton of tread on the tires. He's coming off a run with the Falcons where he was in a rotation at running back. So this It feels like a smart signing for Arthur Smith, and that's Steeler's attack.

I don't know if it happens necessarily here versus somewhere else without Arthur Smith, because if you look at how he was used, and Pittsburgh is a different team with different personnel, but I think Cordela Patterson probably was told you were going to have more than just the kick return role here. He had 1100 plus yards in 2021 on the ground through the air, 11 touch downs. In 2022, less yardage, but 14 touch downs. So I think I think it's got a larger part than just kick returner, but they are silver and gold now because I think we're going to see a rash of teams looking for this role, obviously. And we don't know how impactful they're going to be, but there's a world where it takes defense as a time to figure out how to, or special teams, how to defend this kickoff return, and it could be wild. I also think it's a great news for some of those draftable wide receivers who are maybe smaller, but lightning quick, but not seen as a true two or three. They have real roles, and I think it starts to change things in it. Everyone on special teams.

Yeah, I can't wait to see how that all plays out. It actually makes the... I've never been a big fan of the preseason, but you're going to get an early look in those games. So we'll see how it goes.

Well, unless they want to hide with their... You almost don't want to give too much away, but you're right. We're going to see in general what-But you want to hide it, but also they have to work on it.

You got to try it. A little catch-22 there.

That is a classic.

Classic catch-22. How about a catch-22 for the Cowboys?What else is new? They're all in, right? What does Mike say? What does Zadie say? Etp, behind the glass? Buying to us. Right. They want to finally get over the hub. They want to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in a quarter century. And Cowboys fans are dying to get back to the Super Bowl, and they want this to be a big splashy offseason. But they have so much salary cap challenge because of the big names on their roster and the big salaries that are either currently due are coming due down the line. Dak Prescott is at the front of that line, so he's their star quarterback, and he has a massive cap number. Dallas is trying to rework his contract to help free up space to do other things. So the Cowboys, this is originally reported by Field Yates, converted Dax 5 million roster bonus to a signing bonus, and that cleared 4 million in cap. And I'm not going to try to dig deep on what this means for their ability. There's someone else better than that out there. It sounds like a really boring podcast, but I'm sure you could find a salary cap-driven podcast that could satiate your hunger in that situation.

But I can tell you that his number is now slashed all the way down, Mark, to 55.45 $2.5 million this year. So still incredibly prohibitive in some ways. They want to perhaps do a new deal that changes and kicks the can down the line, but that has not happened yet. But here's a little bit of relief.

I mean, we saw Cleveland do this with Deshaun Watson. I mean, we've seen a little bit of that with Mahomes. It's like, this is the way. You sign these massive contracts and you keep pushing the money down the line. And in some cases, until the next GM and coaching staff have to deal with it, potentially. In this case, the GM is not going away. It's Jerry Jones. And I think if they truly believe in Dak, the one problem is that with each calendar year, how much more expensive does it become to sign your star quarterback? I don't know. It just feels like the Cowboys have had the weirdest offseason possible based on what they told us heading into the offseason. And I know Mike McCarthy, he was very zaddy, like during the owners meeting saying, I welcome the challenge. I'm not looking at this as something I'm not willing to take on. But I mean, how have they gotten better and how have they gotten worse? And it's like, I don't know. I can't take them entirely serious as a Super Bowl candidate, but also just because of exhaustion.

I I agree with you.

Because in years past, we said we would not, and then we all get pulled back in.

That's what happens.

I'm not doing it this time. It's not happening.

They got you last year. They finally got you last year.

I don't buy into-They double-cross the sestog. They did. And That adds... That makes it more malicious.

Very successful brand, though. That cowboy brand.

Can't question that.

Let's hear God Save the King. Etp. What do you think about ETP as a nickname? Eric, the producer. I like that. I've been looking for one for a while. I like the way it comes out.

He's gone nickname free, and now that's not the case.

E. T. P. No, maybe not with the Southern draw. E. T. P.

A little creepy.

That's a little bit of heat to it. A little pop to it. A little sizzle. E. T. P. Hey.

All right, let's get- Were you actually requesting something from him? I am.

I'm looking for the National Anthem of the United Kingdom because our good friend, Henry Hodgson, general manager of all things UK football, and a major figure with the International Pathway program. We got another fun prospect here. He is European rugby star, Luis Ries Riz Sammet. I apologize if I have that incorrect.

I like the name, though.

It could be-Right off the bat. Anyway, the Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to contract terms with Riz Sammet, who is from Wales. He participated in the NFL's international player pathway. Pro Day last week ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash. Wales is a part of the United Kingdom. Did you know that, Mark? I did.

I lived in the United Kingdom, so I'm very well-versed. Did you?

You've never mentioned that.

I'm very well-versed.

Don't forget Diana, Princess of Wales. Mark nailed it. Anyway, he made visits to a handful of teams before agreeing to contract terms with the Chiefs. It ties back to Mark's story we just talked about, because this man is a very talented, dangerous player with a rugby ball in his hands. The Chiefs, according to ESPN's Adam Taker, will look at the player as a running back or perhaps a wide receiver, and he could be a special team's player. I think the Chiefs can rest easy now. They have found their weapon for Patrick Mahomes, and we move into another successful season.

We do. I mean, a landing spot just because it's completely a mystery how he'll be used, and you'd trust they'll find a way. He's 6'3, 1'94, played for the Glouster rugby squad.

Glouster?

Glouster. Because I knew that's how I say it, because when I did live in England, there was this nursery rhyme going around at the time. It was ancient, but it was-It was in the early '70s? Yeah. My brother used to say it, but it was, Dr Foster went to Glouster Mister in a Puddle of Rain. I don't know the second line, but he visits the Queen and does a bunch of other stuff, and there's a cat involved at some point, I think. But so that he played for that, where that nursery rhyme took place, he played rugby for that group. Nani is fast. I don't know. There have been a few rugby players during our time in NFL that have tested the waters, and it worked and didn't. But I think they're all in a better position, and the player pathway program is exploding.

I had an ex-girlfriend in college up in Boston that was a big fan of a seafood restaurant in Gloucester, Gloucester, Massachusetts.

She had a lot of seafood.

Which is on the North shore and mass for people that are from there. I believe it was called The Rutter. I don't know if it's open anymore. It's 20 years ago now. But go check out the rudder.

Send us a photo if you check it out.

Please do. All right. We'll see. And shout out to Henry Hodgson because-Future Commissioner. It's a interesting... I think this is the next step for the NFL. You look at a sport like baseball, which is populated by so many players throughout the globe. I'm wearing my opening day for the Yankees and the rest of MLB. This is the dugout, which is the bar where my brother Kevin Danger works in the Bronx, right outside Yankee Stadium. So go say hi to him at the dugout if you're a Yankee fan. But anyway, the NFL wants to continue to bring in these international players and make it a global sport, and we'll see how.

There are large people and fast people in places outside of America, so it makes sense.

Yeah, look at the NBA. I mean, jeez. My goodness. We're going to take the gold home even anymore in the Olympics, Mark? Let us know.

I don't know. I think that's a great question. I'm not like a find the dream team days. We may be in our place beyond that at this point.

Media Minute, the Eagles will open the season in San Paulo, Brazil, on the Peacock Network. So all those things you saw with a playoff game last year was the Bill's Dolphins. That game was also on Peacock.Chief's.

Dolphins.chief's Dolphins. It was that fourth coldest NFL game ever.

Yes. So this game, if you want to check out the Eagles, will be on Peacock. Amazon will also get a wild card game, so they will get that game like last year's game at Arrowhead. Hopefully, better weather. By the way, there was some news that came out. This is not, obviously, anything. Oh, do you want to hit? Go ahead, Eric. It's time for the... I always forget the script. Go ahead.

You got it.

It's time for the latest edition of the Media Minute with Dan Hanses. Very good. There you go. Atp. You know when I played it, I totally was like, damn, I have no idea what I'm supposed to say at the beginning of this. You know what you do after the show? This will be a good thing. Go record it with this. Right. And then you hit the drop, and there it is. We have the technology. Although I have to say I do like ETP struggling through it a little bit. Yeah, I think that was- That's part of the fun. So let's not do that. Okay. Anyway, so Amazon gets the wild card game and peak out. This is the future, man. They're going to play games overseas more and more. The streamers are going to continue to get a piece, so that's what it is.

It's people, certain people were freaking out over it, especially the eagles opener, like Mad Dog went nuts over it. And I get it for a certain... But these games are still available for people to watch. They're streamed elsewhere. You can get to without having just to get a subscription, by the way. It's on NFL Plus as well, which does cost a bit. So are we. We are as well. But see, that's the thing. That sounds like a very sound purchase.

All right.

For anyone who's listening up on the third floor from this building. I couldn't be a bigger backer of the product.

Finally in the news, Hard Knocks news. My favorite football show, Colleen Wolf and the Old Zuzzer have done a Hard Knocks podcast the past two summers. Hopefully, we'll do it again with a team to be named later. I'm hearing the bears being floated this year. Now, since 2013, they've had a strict set of rules in place for who is Hard Knocks eligible, and they've changed it this year for the first time. It used to be teams could avoid being selected for hard knocks if they qualify in one of three things. No head coach change. They've been on the show in the last 10 years, or they've made the playoffs in each of the last two years, either of the last two years, which always felt like a weird one. They got rid of that. No longer is that a rule. Now it is first year head coach in place. They're participating in the in-season show during the upcoming year or the following season, and then they knocked it down to have appeared on Hard Knocks in the past eight years. The other change that they're making is the in-season Hard Knocks, which, by the way, that opens up from 3-16 teams now eligible with that change about the playoff teams no longer being impacted.

The in-season Hard Knocks is reportedly going to a division format, which is worth a try.

Well, I like that only because I thought when they had the cults on in-season, and I think in-season is tough to deal with when you're in football all day long.

As a huge hard knocks fan, I've always found that challenging just because you're in the season and there's so much other football to take in. What makes the off-season training camp one so special is that it's when you're most starved and excited for football season.

It's just perfectly timed, I always thought. Yeah, I think the division one works, though, because just a lot more happening. I don't know. For me, that might solve that show's issue in season.

It also covers you if the team falls out of contention or there's not a lot of juice.

I I think you're on to something with the bears. I don't know if they seem like they would... I think it's certain teams just if they embrace the concept. It's good for Matt Iberflus, for people to know more about Matt Iberflus. You would have a rookie quarterback that's a lot of heat on them, but they did with the Browns and Baker and others as well. But now it's like, could the Texans or someone like that be in? It's a lot of intriguing concepts.

All right, we'll see what happens, and we'll be all over that when the announcement comes out. That's what's happening in the news. Let's take a break and then welcome an old friend.

Welcome back to the Heat and Light podcast. I am your co-host, Mark Sesler, joined as is by my co-host, Connor Orr. And Connor, we're equal co-host. Just so the people understand the power structure, we're equal co-host.

That's always how when we set out to do this a long time ago and inform people about the ways of the world, that's That's how we set it up.

Yeah. Yeah, I think it creates a sense of partnership there. Often when I see you, we're on the road because you don't live here in LA, and I don't live where you live. And so you're a man that travels to and fro. Have you ever been to in your reporting days to Antarctica to cover any a story?

No, because I know the true dangers that exist there. I mean, beyond the ice and snow, there's a good chance that we're looking at deep cities beneath the caverns of ice, potentially a group of crystal people, something dealing with the future of energy and deep government secrets. So I try to stay away.

Yeah, I could see why you would. You weren't alone in your concerns about this part of the world. I was We're doing some reading. We like to deep dive into these subjects. This tracks back to the winter of 1947, when Admiral Richard E. Bird claimed on a trip to Antarctica to discover a massive hundreds-foot-wide hole that when he sunk his plane into it, essentially found that the ice and snow disappeared. It was a lush, warm, forested world with animals that had not been seen by the human eye. To your point, these crystal palaces. He met someone called the Master that warned the Earth about nuclear technology. Connor, I want to just let you know because we're here today not just to drag up old information, but I actually have Some new information.

All right, we are back. And yes, as As promised, we're going to bring in one of our very favorite men, a longtime buddy, also a former colleague, and a great damn journalist, Connor Orr. Welcome back to Around the NFL. Always great.

Thanks for having me, Phellus. It's great to fully realize the part three of my plan, which is to take Greg's spot and exact a full 180 revenge from back when he was my boss at NFL Media.

A lot of Greg boss talk today. I think that that suited up well right there.

Almost like a lot of either revenge or plotting against him. It's almost like he's made enemies along the way, but he's on a well-earned vacation.

Maybe a permanent one.

Perhaps permanent, based on this appearance. Connor, how are you, buddy? What's new in the life of Mr. Or?

What's happening? Everything is good. Just dealing with a lot flooding and power outages here in Western New Jersey, but we're living the life. It's rustic out here.

We've had a lot of storms as well and poor weather and more coming in here in Southern California, which is very unusual. I wonder what that's all about. Maybe something for you guys to discuss whenever you come back with your famous Offshoot podcast.

The Heat and Light podcast.

Yeah, whenever that- Sure. That might be a good topic whenever you guys-Dance struggling for the name of the show.

Call it what it was, please. Thank you.

All right. With Connor here, we like to dive in and connect with our audience over the mailbag side. And as always, a disclaimer, if this doesn't go well as a segment, it is not on us.Not at all. It is on you.

We typically have to save it out of the gate as it is.

Either the questions weren't good enough or people that are listening be like, This segment sucks. Well, did you send in a question? So it's really We're just calling it like we see it.

Being honest with the listeners, you've got a man up sometimes.

And if the segment swims beautifully, well, that's me and Mark and Connor, just being professionals and being broadcasters. Now that With everything set, let's hit the first question. It is from Brandon Lauri. I like his handle, Brandon is right, but W-R-I-T-E. If you had absolute control over the competition committee, what rule changes would you make? I like this one, Connor. We gave the NFL some flowers on our Tuesday show in that the League, and Wes always said this, The League has never been shy about taking chances to improve the product and make changes. Not all of them work, but at least you give them a shot. I will say my long-standing, Connor, call for more protection for the officials on personal fouls for ruffing the passer, for defenseless receiver. The game moved so fast that getting more help there from upstairs would only help. But that's one for me. What about you?

I've long been, so I'll blame Tom Pelacero for this. I love Tom.

The Pelraiser himself?

The Pelraiser, maybe it was last year or the year before, had noted accurately how the NFL was really considering the fourth and 15 on-side kick alternative. I prepared so much content on my end based on just blind excitement, all the possibilities, and to have it be... Again, this is a knock-on. Tom knows more about football than I could ever hope to know in the inside mechanisms of it, but got me so excited for it. Then to have it never happen was such a let down. It's the perfect rule. For those who don't know, it was in lieu of an onside kick, you can go for it on your own 25-yard line, and it's a fourth and 15, basically. If you lose possession, the other team basically gets the ball right inside the red zone. Nfl owners who don't have Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are terrified of this, and they won't vote for it because most of their quarterbacks suck. I understand that. But just imagine the entire cottage industry that could be built around that single play. You could find a massive Cam Newton type human being who's only really valuable for that play, where he can just carry a bunch of bodies for 15 yards, but maybe throw a pass.

There's so many amazing things that could happen just by virtue of that moment. You could get these great NBA jam type moments where maybe these teams are two or three of these in a row, and they're bonkers. You can't do that with an onsite kick.

The Eagles, particularly, have been trying for this for years. I think it's like 10 years in a row or something. I think there is some fear out there. You're right.

I just want to add one other thing, and I don't know, Mark, did you have one?

I have two quick ones. Yes. One, because I don't claim to come up with everything on my own. We'd mentioned Dave Damosheck earlier. I always thought this was the most ingenious concept to prevent tanking, to prevent teams taking a dirt nap and folding tent for the last month plus of a season, is that you take the two worst teams that are vying for the number one pick, and you have them square off. In this case, the timing of this would be unusual, but I thought maybe just a little Wednesday in between the wild card divisional round. Not everyone needs to track it.

Well, we have Wednesday football now, so that checks out.

That fits like a glove. They would play each other, and the winner gets the number one pick. It's like you have to fight right down to the end.

We could do it You know where you could do it, actually. You could slot it in in the old Pro Bowl spot that Sunday before the Super Bowl.

I thought about that, except that you're asking a team to... They're doing the college thing where you're off for 20 something days or something.

Well, don't finish amongst the worst two teams in the league. That's fair. Stay out of the toilet bowl.

Here is my other one. You're talking about fear. This would take the opposite. No commercial breaks. We get through these games in about an hour and 45 minutes, and It's just...

This is not Russia.

Okay, well, I'm just saying that. I'm trying to think at what I want. That would be what I want. All the dads that like DVR games, and they wait like an hour and a half in to fast forward so they don't have to deal with commercials. It's like, they don't have to do it anymore.

You just want the games to end as quickly as possible. I get it. And all the people that are like, Oh, and let's get rid of the chain gangs. Get off it. Can we, in this world, this digital world, where we're increasingly controlled by bots and robots and microtechnology, can we just get a couple of bros with two sticks in a chain figuring something out still? Can we keep that? Can we make the world simple in one way. That's all I'm going to say, Connor. That's all.

I don't know if I'm breaking any news here, but there are computer chips in the chains.

I think you're breaking news to the two of us.

I don't know if a lot of people know this, but whenever anyone's like, They need to get rid of the chain gang. It's like, We have all this technology. It's like, Yeah, the technology is in the chain. So we're good. Sometimes does the chain break? Yeah. But once during the Super Bowl, I think, or it happened twice during the playoffs last year, if I can remember correctly. But yeah, the technology is in there. We're good.

That is great. I mean, breaking news for the podcast. So thank you, Connor. And like I said in the intro, this is a very talented journalist.

It is great sometimes. Occasionally, the chain gang guy, A or B, you don't know which one, not paying attention, gets whacked by a player coming off the field, and it's just a delight to watch.

Let's hit another question. We'll finish this in about two hours with this, right? Boe-brooks asks, Will Jordan Love win more Super Bowl than Aaron Rodgers? Well, he just needs to win two, but there aren't a lot of quarterbacks that have ever won two. What do you He's got a bright future ahead of him. He's already probably 25 or 26, right? So you got that as well to consider.

I say no. And the reason I do is because every time a team ends a season with some vague semblance of promise, we get on this just path of stupidity where we project things in an upward trajectory for no reason. They're young and contracts, and I pretending to talk like a GM, and everything works, and it doesn't. We don't know how good the packers are going to be. They'll clip this, and they'll show this to me at the combine next year, I'm sure. But I don't know how good- And Bush, part two. I don't know how good the packers are going to be in the future, but winning two Super Bowl's for any quarterback that isn't this colossus of a human talent like Patrick Mahomes or Tom braided or something like that, it's difficult. It's hard. So I would say no.

And the career of Aaron Rodgers proves the point. He won one right away, and it's like, he could win five or six. And you could say the packers probably should have gotten there a number of times. But TBD.

While we're here, yeah, might as well address it because we did play it on the show last week, I believe that, in my opinion, an ambush by the general manager of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Jason Light on Connor, or do we have that? Let's play that. Jason Connor from SI. How are you? Hey, good, Connor. How are you?

I'm doing well, thanks. How's everything?

Good. Yeah, we- You guys have a history? No, we won a lot more games than what he predicted us to get last week. Yes. You had us for two. I have it hanging up in my office. Do we really? Yeah. There it is. Connor, what was the general vibe between you and light in that spot? Was there any real tension or was it all in good fun?

No, it was funny. I mean, To peel everybody back behind the curtain, when you're at the combine, a lot of times, the GMs do the podium stuff. If you just want to have a casual conversation with them and not have it be quoted somewhere, sometimes I'll ask to talk to a GM or a coach, or if it's a really niche question that I don't want to bother anybody, you're trying to yell in a pack of people, you ask them off to the side. I asked for Jason light thinking we were talking off the record. And so everything gets shuttled. I never saw a camera. And so him and I are talking, and he brings it up, which every right to do it. I mean, it was a horrible decision. It was a decision on my part. I picked them to win two games. They made the playoffs.

But do you think it was a coordinated attack? They had this in mind that they were going to have this ready and they were going to play it up on social.

See, this is what's wild to me. So they would have to assume that I was there. I asked the PR guy. I was like, Hey, can I get Jason just for a second? And he's like, Yeah, no problem. Then between Jason walking off the podium and then traveling the 11 feet over to where I was standing. They had to have briefed him on this. That's what I mean. And then flagged down a social media person, concealed the camera, and then got it. Got you. I posted it five days after it happened, which is like... Or maybe it was three days after it happened. But that was the I was on a jog with my neighbor, and I get text messages sent to my phone, and I'm getting dozens of text messages like, I can't believe they did that. Are you okay? Are you okay? What's going on? People from high school that I hadn't talked to in 20 years. And then I was like, I have no idea it was filmed. And so I did get a kick out of it. My parents liked it. Everyone thought it was funny. But But it was just in that moment, I was like, Were you hiding?

Where was the camera? That's all I wanted to know, really. It was like, Where was the device? Who was filming it? Then in the back of my head, I'm like, Okay, is all the stuff that I asked him, did they post that, too? I don't know. But yeah, no, it's fine. We're good.

As a Syracuse graduate, one of the great programs of journalism in the country, the perils of got you journalism. I think that was really on turning it around on the reporter.

Not too far away from muck-raking journalism, which is a danger of its own.

But I would say in some ways, fair play by light and company.

Here's my thing. Now, you've created the public gripe about my season predictions. Every year, from here on out, I'm going to predict you to win 16 games. Would you rather live up to that, or would you rather have of poor little-You know what?

I see where you're coming from in that. But I also have to say just respectfully, don't let them impact your true feelings, because that means you're going to end up adjusting all of your win total for all their opponents, where you might... It might be a swing of 8-10 games in your actual mindset. Don't let them win. You know what I mean?

I hope that light approaches you at every future combine with the similar yes or no scenario.

All right, next. Daniel Crespo Every year, there is always a team that surpasses expectations. Who do you think will be the surprise teams of the NFC and AFC? Who are the Texans this year? Who are the Rams this year? What do you think, Mark?

I was looking at the list, and there aren't a lot of great options here. Nfc, I thought that maybe the commanders, I thought they've added a lot of interesting pieces. I think Quinn has experienced. It's It's not a total fill in the blank on what persona he is. We know that. They have the chance to add a quarterback that could make a big difference out of the gate if you play as well. So it was that for me in the NFC. In the AFC, I think this was tougher because I was looking at last year's record, and the Chargers won five games, yet expectations seem high because of Harba and your quarterback. That's my answer there. I just didn't see a lot of other options.

I'll throw them some flowers because I really did like their most recent move to get Sneed in the building. The Titans. If Levis does take a leap here, they have given him some structure. So that team could surprise in the AFC if a couple of things go their way. What do you think, Connor?

I think the Colts are going to win the AFC South this year. I think the Colts are going to be really good. I think Anthony Richardson is going to be great. And if I were to pick a team in the NFC, okay, let's say surprise in air quotes, if the Carolina Panthers go from a two-win team to an eight or a nine-win team, I think that would be a surprise, generally, given that they weren't really able to upgrade much this offseason. But I think there's going to be a lot of improvement there, too.

What does Anthony Richardson learn from that cameo in terms of protecting himself but still remaining a dangerous ally. I think it's a big-time subplot around the cults because he's got to stay healthy for them to make that leap. Next, Mowbag. All right, this is from Simon King is West Broms. Are you aware of what's going on around the NFL and West Broms, the soccer team?

Vaguely. I remember learning about this Dishwasher Man from this podcast. I'm vaguely in the know here.

Well, anyway, a guy in my fantasy football league owns this team, and so now they are the football team of AETN. But anyway, so is West Broms' Boilerman mascot better than every mascot in the NFL. For people that you're watching on YouTube, you could see, but it's quite literally a boiler that you would find in your basement or on the side of your house or what have you with legs and arms sticking out. And that is a wild mascot, and the Boing Boing, I support everything they do. I'm going to say that is a great mascot. In terms of best masc in the NFL, I have three. I really like... He doesn't get a lot of pop, but I like Steely McBeam of the Steelers.

Does any mascot get a lot of pop?I feel like theyI'll give you one.living in a visible society.I'll.

Give you one. Jackson DeVille of the Jack.

You're right.

That one. He is probably the biggest star of the moment in that world. But I also like, and I met him at the international series. Him. Very nice man/creature. Captain Fear of the Bucaneers also. I quite enjoy him. Anybody have a mascot take?

Serp her, and I'll say why. I don't know why it's the old- Serp her of the Panthers? Panthers. There's a Panthers in-house video from nine years ago that I recently stumbled on where he's just in the office doing regular cat stuff. It's so funny, and I watch it probably once a week. So surper is awesome. Quick sub question, is your friend who owns West Brom a packers fan who says he owns the packers, or is this a real... You're in a fantasy football league with a billionaire.

The second one. Whoa. Yeah. His name is Shalind Patel, and he's seen as a savior by the fans of the Boing Boing.

Cool. Yeah.

Before we move on, if you're going to bring up Sir Per and the Panthers, you got to hit us with one, Connor. Hit us with one.

He pounded in.

Next. Never gets old. Can we cut that as a drop? Thank you, Eric. Etp. Guy Tomlinson asks, With Christmas so far away, does Connor watch Hallmark films through the years with different events, i. E. Valentine's, summer holidays, the fourth of July, and what have you? A great question. People that are maybe new to the show and don't know that Connor every Christmas comes on, he and his wife are religious about, no pun intended, about watching every Hallmark type holiday film they can get their eyes on starting, I believe the day after Thanksgiving or maybe the day after Halloween, something insane like that. Day after Halloween. Yeah, that is insane. But I love you for who you are. And then all the way through to Christmas. And does it carry over to other holidays? That's a good question.

So it's funny about that is my Hallmark obsession has now... It's created like shockwave effects through my immediate family. And so my in-laws have it on all the time. And so every time we go over there for dinner now, it is on 24 hours a day. And so by virtue of that, we have now become aware of and are very much fans of the... There's a New Year's collection, a Valentine's collection, a spring collection, a summer collection with all your favorite stars, and they just spin it forward into different times of year, which is great.

Have you ever have thought about, as a side job, writing reviews for the Vibrant Publication TV Guide?

I think that my reviews of Hallmark movies would be so glowing that coming from me, it would be interpreted as a very mean satire, and it's really not. There was that really well-meaning, lovely woman from the Dakotas who reviewed an olive garden 10 years ago. Do you remember this? And there was never an an olive garden in her state, and she reviewed it as if it were this breathtaking five-star Italian restaurant. And everyone made fun of her. She was in her '70s. But she was serious. She loved it. And imagine having an olive garden breadstick for the first time in your '70s. Sure.

It's unbelievable. Buttery heaven.

Yeah. I think that it would probably come off a little bit like that, and I would be worried about affecting my current relationship with Hallmark, which is very good.

I think that's very fair. I do feel like watching a spring time That version of that type of... That's like scraping the bottom of the barrel. What is the hook? What is your hook at that point?

Well, there's a lot of people involved in the productions, actors, actresses, directors, camera people. They don't... Right.

What's the inciting moment? The trees are blooming. All right. Next. Love. T-mac asks, Where do the Vikings land on the pain rankings? And why are we cursed? What spirit walks the halls of US Bank Stadium? A true unsolved mystery. Now, fans of the show know that I have a real I feel like a kinship with Vikings and their fans. I'm again going to nominate them as a team of Around the NFL, which feels like a curse in its own way. Good luck with that. This season, especially if Sam's at QB. I'm going to refrain from answering this one, guys, because I do think this summer on Around the NFL, we're going to revisit the pain rankings nine years after the publication on our fair site. But the The pain rankings are still there. I'll put it there. I'll leave it there. Let's move on. But pain rankings, we're going to hit that this summer on this podcast. There's a tease. Next. Colin asks, at Metz, speaking of cursed, at Metz, please save me. Carl, here on opening day, the New York Mets aren't going to save you, bud. I say that with love.

But we don't know when he created this handle, but it's never been successful unless you were in 1986 worlds or something. All right.

Anyway, what under-500 team in 2023 is under the most pressure in 2024? The Jets jump out to me, obviously, because they are so in for this season, and there's so much pressure around Aaron Rodgers and making that work. Is there another team that jumps out to you, Mark, as a high pressure team coming off a losing season?

This was another one where I thought a lot of teams that were in turmoil had coaching changes or are about to draft quarterbacks where there's a fair amount of freshness or hope there. The Giants stood out to me because I think you're just in a situation where you went from Coach of the Year, playoff, surprise playoff birth to the owner speaking hot and cold about Dayball and Dayball taking it very well. I think Dayball is a good coach. You might take over play calling duties. You know what's going on at quarterback. I think the Giants are in a bit of a strange zone right now.

What do you think, Connor?

I would go... I don't know. This is good. I would go the bears because if you think about what Ryan Polls has had going on, he's been able to artfully keep extending the prestige moment where he has to show everyone what he's been working on. At some point, certainly if they don't win this year, you replace the head coach. It was under my... November, I thought they were replacing the head coach. There was a lot of people who did. So I think if they don't win, you're at least replacing the head coach. And I think at some point people start wondering, Okay, is this the right thing for a GM as well?

And I'll throw the Falcons out there as well. This is a team that has been trying to get back and trying to work their way back to being a truly relevant team. And they've had pieces around the last few years, but then the quarterback killed them. Now they have the quarterback, that they have to develop a defense around the Q We're going to see if they can because Arthur Blank, obviously, is counting on this team returning to the playoffs, I think, with Cousins, given the amount of money they gave the quarterback. All right, next. Afc East. Where is it going? Have Buffalo and Miami peaked? How long will the New England rebuild take? Wither the Jets? All right, that's a good one, Connor. The New England rebuild, we know the Jets are very high, low. We don't know where going to fall. So they're a tough one to figure out, obviously. The Patriots are a team very clearly in a rebuild. I am very interested to see, I guess, I still think Buffalo is a playoff team. Are they a top echelon team? And the Dolphins, to me, are one of the biggest mysteries in the league.

If I had to handicap the division today, I would probably say that Buffalo wins the division. The Jets come in second because I do think even though it's a high-low, I really do think Robert Zahl is a good coach. I think that he's able to... I mean, to get seven wins or whatever they did out of that team last year was pretty phenomenal. Then I would see it being Miami third and New England a pretty distant fourth. I just think that what Miami conceptually is trying to do, it works, but it does not work for the entirety of the season. I just think they're a little bit fundamentally flawed. I think that they need to develop more of a power element. I think the drop off at DC this offseason is pretty stark.

I respect it because you're hanging onions with your annual preseason guess of everyone's schedule. You go through every schedule and pick every game. You got dinged a little bit on the Patriots as well this season. You're not going to be in on New England in 24, it sounds like.

Yeah, Chris Brussard called me foolish on Fox, which was something that everyone really liked. I'll just say this.

Hey, you put yourself out there for a living, man. People need to respect you for that.

It's one of those things where all my friends were texting me after the Jason light thing, and they're like, Oh, my God, I can't believe how well you're handling it. My wife's like, I really can't believe how well you're handling it. And inside my mind, I am plotting. I'm reading every reply and I'm plotting the absolute demise. Someone put the curb your enthusiasm music on, and I was like, I'm going to find where that person is. I'm going to find their house. I'm going to disconnect the power lines. I'm going to start moving chairs around at night while they're sleeping. The violence of the old, Are you kidding me, Connor, is still very much alive in there.

I love that guy.

I love that guy. So the all 272 predictions is a tough... It's a tough thing.

How long does that take? I mean, you just rip it going off the top of your head, or you're going grand?

It takes a really long time, and then every I get done and I have 274 wins and 270 losses, and then you have to go through every Gerstein game again and try to figure out where you... It's an absolute nightmare. Yeah, it's the worst.

I struggled enough when I did the power rankings and I was coming up with the list of 32, and I kept on being either 33 or 31. I was like, Who am I missing? Who did I put in here twice? It would stop me down for half an hour. I don't even know how you did.

One year, I got I did all the records on loose-leaf paper, and I turned them in, and they were accurate, and then I threw them away. Then a week later, my boss was like, Hey, the social team wants to post the individual records, and so you have to go. I was like, I don't even know. That would be like backtracking the equation for the black hole. I literally had to start completely over again. It was a bad- It was a bad. It was a bad. It was a bad.

It was a The flood's happening. The basement's flooding. There's weather. There's a warrior.

All right, a couple more questions. Let's take a break, and then we'll finish up with Connor.

All right. All right.

All right. Welcome back, Connor. Thank you for taking a crack at that one. We've been-See, it's like when I got floored by that, When the task is thrown at you, you realize it's a bit thorny. Let's hear Mark's attempt.

All right, we're back. The show is continuing.

Do we have Colleen's? Excuse me, do you have Greg's?

All right, everybody.

What is so hard about it?

I don't know. I take it as a good sign that it's not an easy thing to imitate. That's how I look at it, personally.

No, you've perfected it. We're chasing your abilities on that one.

All right, we're back. A couple more questions, and then we'll say goodbye for the week. Windfellas asks, Are the Texans more likely to regress or progress in '24? I think, Connor, that hits on something you said earlier. The widely held assumption seems to be that the Texans are going to make that leap and be a powerhouse this year. But a lot of things have to go right for that to happen, and the development has to continue. Obviously, the draft is still ahead of us. I would say it's more likely that they do build on last year, but the grand assumption, and in general, the idea of having a ton of expectations heaped on you, that could be a different vibe than they were last year as well. So don't assume. That's all.

It's a different situation. I remember I would compare C. J. Stroud's theatrics towards the middle and the end of that season, like when the Rookey of the Year candidacy really started to build through the end of that season. It was a lot like early Herbert. Then I think we spent the last three years wondering when Herbert was going to elevate to this more consistently, theatrically incredible player, or when the offense was going to get built around him to be able to facilitate that. I do think that we forget how amazing C. J. Stroud was situationally last year. And those performances are sometimes like a once in a every few years thing. You don't always get them in back to back to back weeks. And we don't know if he's Steph Curry yet. He might be, but I I think the rest of that division is getting much better and will be a lot more challenging.

They all have a different schedule. That starts right there. But I like the fact that Bobby Sloak wasn't hired away somewhere else, that there's consistency. I get worried about quarterbacks, good or bad, like when there's a lot of coordinator shifts, but they lost Tankdell for a big chunk of time last year. They lost Stroud for a spell and lost a game in the middle of all that. I trust this coaching staff a lot, so they don't feel like a regression candidate to me. The way that a year ago, the Giants certainly seemed like they were the Vikings winning a billion one-score games. They were legit thumping people, and both sides of the ball is a lot to like.

All right, next. All from our buddy Dave Ealey from the newsroom. Hi, guys. First time, long Okay. With football not on, what are you all watching right now? He's from North Carolina. Excuse him. I know Greg was big into Love is Blind. Any pop culture, Rex? I will throw out a couple. I want to give some serious flowers in the podcast game to Rob Harvilla of The Ringer. He just recently completed his 60 songs that helped explain the '90s series that actually ballooned into 120 songs that explain the '90s and I thought it advanced the medium. I will say it like that. He was a great storyteller, an essayist, where he wrote on not just the music and the song, but the era, but also his personal experiences and being... A lot of the reasons why I do a music podcast with my buddy Bob, The Throwback Podcast, where the music becomes the soundtrack for your adolescence, and it brings has this powerful nostalgia that keeps you connected to it as you were older. He really, I think, Harvilla nailed that sentiment while also giving you a varied look. It started as, I think, more slanted towards alternative rock, which was my wheelhouse when I was a teenager.

Harvilla is a couple of years older, but it became as the show developed and progressed, like our own podcast, it turned into something else. It was a deep dive into all different genres and a great look at music and life in general. So 60 songs that happened in the '90s.

By the way, what does Wheelhouse mean?

What do you mean what does Wheelhouse mean?

What is the definition? I understand it means it was a place that you thrived in in a certain time, but why is it called wheelhouse versus hot zone? I don't know. I don't know. We can answer that another time, but like...

Red Basket.

Yeah. I don't know, Mark. I don't.

How about you, Mark? It feels mechanical. I think Connor might like this. I don't know how I I stumbled upon this because I started watching it. It's on HBO Max, but it's called Seeking Sister Wife. It's these couples that are trying to find a second or third or fourth mate. They're not traditional. That's typically a Norman thing. I've done those, but it's people just in society trying to do it. It's like total chaos erupts. It's a roller coaster ride.

I don't know. Where can you find this?

It's on HBO. It's just serving through 4,000 things. I was like, I'll give this one a shot, and it pulled me in.

A little zest dog deep on HBO Max on a 3 AM. I could sense it. I could feel it. Calm down, Connie. How about you, Connor?

Can I do a book or is Eilidh just going to be like, All All right. Yeah. He needs to bring back his Instagram cooking show, by the way. It was really fantastic.

He'll be thrilled to know that you just cited that. Nice job by you.

I know. I'm halfway through Lonesome Dove, which is a book by Larry McMurdy, and it's known as Stephen King's Favorite Book Ever. It's from 1985. It's a classic Western, but it won the Pulitzer that year. It is the first book I think, that I can ever remember that made me laugh out loud. But there's a lot of things. It's like a Western. There's drama, there's romance, there's a mystery, there's a plot, and there's There's a lot of things about life, but it's also very, very funny. I would say, Eilidh should read a damn book for once.

There you go, Dave.

That was also a TV show- Shame on you.for years. It had like, Look at this. Who's in this? It was a series, Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Diane Lane, and it goes on and on.

Powerhouse.

Diane Lane. Special. Special person. All right, one more. Eric Blaselle asks, What are your all-time favorite sound drops from the show. Top three for me are Hanging Onions. I hope maybe you try these onions.

You'll like them.

They're real sweet onions.

Hot Butts Acne. Always a favorite. That guy suffered. And of course, the great Chris Westling Standard. It's About Me. It's About Me. Those are all great. I love all those. I thought this would be a good occasion. I originally had asked Eric to send me a couple of my favorite Seslerisms, and that very quickly turned into, We have to do a top 10 Mark Sesler drops on the podcast.

Maybe I just take that show off and there'll be plenty of me as is.

Without further ado, the top 10 Mark Sesler Künstler drops on around the NFL. Number 10.

What a manufactured joke.

Number 9.

I'm having a weird day.

Number 8.

I'm annoyed now. I I'm on that one.

I think that might be... It should be higher. I'll have to think about that. Number seven.

I feel power. What problem did that?

Number six.

I am begging you to shut up.

Yeah, that one. That's a classic. Number five.

I always return.

Yes, he does. That one brings me peace. When I sometimes lose Mark, he's off the grid, when I think to myself, what does he always say?

I always return. Probably was in response to a voice concern of yours.

What are we at? Number 4? Number 4.

Heavens to Betsey. My grandmother used to say that. That's where I picked that up.

He says that after every time we use it. He explains why he said it. My grandma used to say that. We need a drop to him explaining the drop. Number three, metal stand.

Check you later, Brock.

Number two.

Good for you. Oh, boy.

Let's get a little timpani drum here for the number one, Mark Sesler drop. Eric, the producer, when I said, I need the good for you scream, he didn't know it was you. He didn't realize that's Mark His voice.

It was a different version of me.

I listened to it and I was like, because he's asking for Mark dropped. I'm like, This can't be it. I had to make sure. I'm like, That doesn't even sound like him in his explanation. Different period of Mark. Different Mark period. Give me a little timpany drum for the number one Mark Sesler drop on the Around the NFL podcast. So many choices, and thank you to everyone. Hit it.

Football is completely different with the basketball. I knew that. I mean, that was going to be in the top 10. But thank you to everyone. Thank you to me. I produced those 10 sound bites. You sure did. So let's start right there.

Connor, you've said it all. Is there anything else you want to add? Any plugs, anything you want to get out there? Anything about yourself, your family, advice to... Tens of thousands of listeners, use this bully pulpit, as you will.

I would just say, Keep on keeping on. I think that's- Spoken like a true dead-end Friends fan. Keep on trucking, everybody.

Are you going to see Dead in Company at the Sphere in Vegas?

Maybe. The Philly show felt like the culmination of... I had avoided seeing them for years. I had never seen them before, and they're my favorite band of all time. Then I saw them because it was the final tour, and I brought my best friend with me, and we both were obsessed with it, and I was like, Okay, now it's over. That chapter of my life is done, and it can't be any better than it was. Part of me is I spend $900 to catapult myself back into Las Vegas after I just escaped and do it again? I don't know. That's mature.

Maturity. Yeah.

I think I have to let it go.

Good. Finally, on opening day in Major League Base, Baltimore Orials over under 94.5 wins.

Over, but I'll keep this very short. I finished the book about the Astros, Winning Fixes Everything, and I was like, My God, what a bunch of horrible people. And then at the end, they're like, Yeah, they're all running the Orials now. I was like, Oh, that sucks. I'm a little conflicted. It's a little bit. I would have rather just do it in a plucky way, but Maryland needs this right now, so I'm waiting for a big season from the O's.

All right, Connor. Thank you, buddy.

Thank you.

Bye, guys. There he goes. The legend himself. Mark, I will be now heading off on a vacation, and you're really the anchor in a lot of ways here because I will leave, Greg will return, but you will be the calm in the storm.

Yeah, and I vow that we will not be constructing any pranks with you at the center of it while you're on a vacation. I don't think that... I think like... Greg deserved that for you. Check you later, Brock.

Just like Jason light, fair play if there's any type of schemes that Greg wants to hatch. But really, it's not... I think the whole thing with the Delaware investigation, it's completely something that is a service to the audience.

Oh, I think so, 100%. In that cross our studio, the football that you received from Clemson for your public service to, apparently, a group of people.

The orphaned youth of-That's what it's morphed into.

But I would put this investigation right over on that mantle, too.

All right. Hit the music. Thank you to everybody for listening, as always. We will be back with two shows next week. You'll hear from us Tuesday. Atm will be back on Tuesday, and then back to three times a week in the march to the draft. Till then, he the call.