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[00:00:00]

All right, let's go best division race. Just pick one. Which one you're most into?

[00:00:04]

To me, it depends on how you slice it. If you want a division where I think three teams theoretically could win it, I would say the South. But I think the best division race is the North because I think the bangles are going to be excellent. And I think the Ravens are going to... One of the things that I have tried to hammer on the TV show is that during the year, when a team surprises or a team is doing well, we always be like, Man, that coordinator. We give a lot of credit to coordinators when it's happening. Bobby Sloick, the guy in Detroit, sorry, that everybody loves, Ben Johnson. You know what I mean? Last year, Mike McDonald.

[00:00:54]

We're like, wow. Anerumo back in the day.

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Lou Anerumo up until last season. Spags in Kansas City, We always do it. When those guys leave, though, it totally removes from our analysis. When last year, nobody said about the Eagles, Man, they're going to miss Shane Steiken. But during the year when they were awesome, people were like, Shane Steiken. So that's part of my... Not that I think the Ravens are going to be bad, but part of my Ravens analysis is, I think they're going to miss Mike McDonald. You had so many guys who I thought were near the end of their career or just middling players be monsters. And that, to me, is usually scheme. And so I think that the Ravens come down a bit, the bangles come up a bit, and I think that is a division race that will come down to the final week of the year and be massive because that's the type of one where the winner of that can end up the two-seed. And then obviously the loser is on the road, pardon me, the whole playoff. So that's the That's the one I'm most interested in.

[00:02:01]

That's probably the most important one, you're right, just from a who's going to win the Super Bowl perspective, because I think they'd be on the short list. We did a power rankings a couple of days ago, and they were both near the top. So that makes sense to me. I'm also just curious, will it be the haves and the have nots in that division? I went with AFC South, though, to me, because I do think the Colts, their ceiling is just much higher than people give credit for. I can't go all the way there. I still like the Texans better. I think if you play this season out 10 times, there's a few scenarios where the Colts are the two seed with 13 wins, 12 wins. I don't think people really see them that way because I don't see why they wouldn't have that high of an upside because the defensive line is nasty. It's exciting. The defense could be a legitimately exciting defense because of their front. They have some continuity. The offensive line is fantastic. Again, I always look, which teams are the best on the lines, plus a quarterback, plus a coach?

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To me, they're up there with the Texas. Now, I I don't see that scenario happening. Richardson is probably going to be two up and down. The division's tough. But you throw in the Jags who, yeah, I couldn't quite get there as the team as my last playoff team. But I do think all three of those teams have really good quarterbacks, and they're really talented, and that it's a breath of fresh air to have an AFC South that I'm totally into watching every game because it hasn't been that way.

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I agree. I almost feel cliché, though, because I agree with you entirely about the optimism about Richardson. But it does feel I am aware of my own biases. If someone were to be, nick, you're starting an NFL team, you can pick between these three quarterbacks. Tua Tonga-Vailoa, who has led the league in passing and put up amazing numbers. Brock Purdy, who's been to an NFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl and has the highest passer rate in NFL history, or Anthony Richardson, who's played nine quarters of pro football. I'd be like, I'll take the big strong guy. And so I recognize that it feels to me like he has such upside that it's exciting, but it is... He felt like a bit of an unknown at Florida. And now a year into the NFL, what we saw was enticing. But yeah, those were the two divisions I was thinking about. I'm with you on a lot of that.

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Yeah, the ceiling is also partly unstyke in that. He made it work. He had a pretty effective offense with Minchou.

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They were a pass away with Minchou, yeah.

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Right. If they really... If it, Richardson stay healthy and they just lean into the run, Egl style, they could be dangerous.