NFL Best Bets: Ravens vs Chiefs, Eagles vs Packers

NFL Week 1 Preview Week number one in the NFL. We're ready. It's on deck. s coming fast. Next week on Thursday. So basically eight days away you will be watching the Ravens and the Chiefs on opening night. Game number two which is a Friday night. You don't have to wait till later in the weekend with the Philadelphia Eagles and the green Bay Packers live from Wide Receiver Contract Drama Brazil. Now, the one thing we've been watching dubs all offseason long with some wide receivers and some holdouts waiting to see when they would get back to camp, and if they would get paid. And it turns out CeeDee lamb got a monster paycheck here that once again is going to reset the market for the wide receivers, or at least the top Ja'Marr Chase's Contract Situation tier wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk. We're still waiting for over for the 40 Niners, but the one guy that we've had our eyes on for a long time has been Jamaar Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and the reason is he's been showing up to camp dubs. He just hasn't been practicing here in the hopes that he gets a new deal. Now, understandably, he still has time left on his contract but is eligible for an extension and more money. And he deserves that. And it seems like everybody around Jamaar Chase is getting paid. Dubs and he's not at this point, but looks like he may be willing to start the season without a contract. That's an upset to me. Dubs. Yeah absolutely. You think you'll be getting risking it there? I mean, with two years remaining on that rookie deal as well, the fifth option, quite a hefty one. The fifth year option set to go at $21.8 million, and rightfully so for Jamaar Chase. I mean, at 24 years of age, everything we have seen is that this guy is an absolute superstar and a foundation key piece for the Cincinnati Bengal. If they want to stay relevant. They absolutely want to because look at whose quarterback it's Joe Burrow. This is something they can absolutely build around. They've lost a couple of key pieces there in the off season, but this is certainly one guy that deserves the bag. You want to keep him happy. You don't want to upset him in that locker locker room. We heard from head coach Zac Taylor. At least it sounds like this optimism towards week one. But Donny from all reports, I don't know if I'd be so optimistic about putting pen to paper and getting that extension. You know what the interesting part about this is, too? Because it's still a human element. And yes, they operate in a different stratosphere than the regular person, which means millions of dollars are at stake. And they already have made millions of dollars. But everybody knows you can like whether you sell insurance, whether you drive a truck for a living, whether you're in a cubicle. It doesn't matter if you feel underappreciated from your employer, sometimes you're going to question the work ethic. Now, you do have to be professional. You are under contract. You do want to perform at your highest level because that's only going to help you down the road. But it's got to be tough when you see a lot of people in your boat that are getting that paycheck and you know well, you deserve it. And maybe if you weren't on the Bengals, you probably would have been paid already because you take a look at that wide receiver room. Tee Higgins did get the contract extension, but it's a one year deal. That's the franchise tag, which means he's not up for another contract negotiation until next year. And the Bengals have basically made it known dubs. He's probably not going to be back on the team. So Jamaar Chase is saying, well, where's my money? At least that guy got paid on the franchise tag. I deserve more than I'm not getting it. I'm just interesting to see how well that wide receiver room handles this season, because big things are expected from the Cincinnati Bengals. But if the employees are a little bit upset or not Odell Beckham Jr.'s Injury Woes focused 100% on the games, that could be an issue. Now let's head down to South Beach and Odell Beckham Junior, one of the more electric players we've seen in the NFL over the past decade. But injuries have marred his career. Looks like he was on pace for a Super Bowl MVP day when the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl in Los Angeles just a few years ago, goes to the Baltimore Ravens, gets a nice paycheck, but doesn't perform. Heads to the Miami Dolphins. Wants to perform, but now going to be on the PUP list for at least the first four games. I don't think I saw this coming. Dubs did you see this coming as these issues in the offseason with OBJ now heading into the regular season and they continue to surface Donny and nothing gets easier for Odell Beckham Jr. At this point in the career you look at the production that continues to dwindle. You could say, well, he's been slightly more efficient, but I mean, from 14 games last year, just catching 35 passes for a measly 565 yards with three touchdowns. You've got to ask the question, what really is Odell Beckham Jr. Bringing in to one of the most high octane offenses that we've seen in the league over the last five years. He fails to get that first step now, so he's definitely lost a beat as a wide receiver. Three I think it makes a little bit of sense, but for me, I'm looking back saying where's the durability for a long and testing season? And look, the Miami Dolphins they're only planning towards that playoff push. You've got to be healthy. You've got to get those reps in, Tua told us on Monday. You know, he was asked by the media and the press, how's the combination? How's that connection fitted with Odell Beckham Jr goes to be honest, we haven't had any reps together. So I really can't tell you. So to miss the first four weeks I've got question marks. How far that will push into the regular season. But it's not a great outlook for Odell Beckham Jr and for the Miami Dolphins fans. You know, for Mike McDaniel, I feel like this is always going to be something in the back of your mind. We know the X factor. We know the pizazz is there from OBJ. I'm sure he can still do special things at a special level. It's just the quantity that looks to be dropping off Donnie. So it's not good for the Dolphins. No it's certainly not. And also like we understand dubs right that he's no longer the number one option on a football team. Quite frankly he wouldn't be the number two option on Miami. So you figure if he's healthy he can be slotted into that third wide receiver position where you're not getting any rolled over coverage on you. You're not getting double cover coverage where maybe he can have 40 to 50 catches in that third role and still be effective for the Miami Dolphins. It's something to keep an eye on. But if you've been injured the entire off season, dubs, which means you're not working on your game. And as you pointed out astutely there with your quarterback, it's all about timing. With the new quarterback. And if you're not going to get that and then you say, okay, he's ready to go week number five, when that offense is already humming over the first parts of the season, that Tennessee Titans' Offseason Moves could be a game changer for them. But we'll see what we get out of OBJ. Just not expecting big things now with that injury. How about this. The Rams trading linebacker and captain Ernest Jones to the Titans. And I like this. The Titans have made some very shrewd moves in the off season. But the question is going to be dubs. Are those moves going to translate into victories on the field for that team in the AFC South? Look, I've still got a couple of question marks on offense. I've got a couple of question marks on the head coach coming in first year. I think it's the long game for the Tennessee Titans. But take a look at this Tony Pollard Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Jones, Snead Jamal Adams I tell you what for Jones, it's more of a sudden shock for me towards the Rams I didn't see this one coming. Yeah they've already lost star Aaron Donald. And now to lose Jones massive departure certainly helps. The Tennessee Titans will Levis. You better get that mayonnaise ready. That coffee. There's a lot of expectation for him to step up and just get a little sharper with that offense. But I do think we see a bit of an improvement. Six and a half wins is their win total. Donny the oddsmakers, they're still writing them off. Yeah, we're going to talk about this after the break as well. And yes the mayonnaise fragrance is in the air, baby. All those Tennessee Titans, they spent some money in the offseason. The question though is that going to translate into wins on the field? Dobbsie because when I look at the Tennessee Titans and if we can bring that graphic up there for the additions that they made this year, Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Ernest Jones, who just make the trade for Ladarius Sneed one of the better cornerbacks in football. Jamal Adams. We'll see if they can resurrect his career because I see it as if Will Levis, as you were bringing up, just has a decent football season. Look at the weapons around him on offense. Hopkins, Boyd and Ridley, one of the better wide receiving corps in football, throwing Spears in the backfield along with Tony Pollard if he can just deliver the football as a point guard, this team should move the football. Now am I saying dub C they can win the a f c South? I don't think that's going to happen. Can they make the playoffs? Maybe. But you're putting a lot of pressure on Will Levis. But I do believe the talent is there. When you look at the six and a half win total, they should absolutely dubs challenge that in my mind. Yeah, I think they'll challenge it. I think they'll hover right around six seven. You won't see much of them in prime time. I think they've just got the one prime time game all season long. But these are the weapons that you need for a young quarterback like Will Levis to thrive. You know, we've seen a bit from Will Levis. There's a couple of question marks. There's a bit of inconsistency. But with new head coach Brian Callahan coming in we know his background with Joe Burrow in that offense for the Cincinnati Bengals. I do think they get it downfield a lot quicker. I think that will suit the play style for Will Levis in terms of in the division. It's going to be a tough out trying to get through the Texans. The Jag. I'm very bullish on both of those teams having big years here. But will Levis, he is going to have every opportunity to thrive. There's obviously going to be a lot of pressure on Brian Callahan to figure things out. But you look at the first six weeks here of the schedule, it's not going to be the easiest for him starting off there in Chicago, followed by the Jets. But at six and a half win total for us as bettors, Donny, that's the way you can approach a team like the Tennessee Titans. And you look at where they were last year. It's upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. A lot of green check marks for me. So the only step should be in that forward direction. How far forward will it be for the Tennessee Titans? I'd be I'd be buying more in to that long game. Year two, year three with all these new pieces. If they can figure things out. But very, very interested to see here. Week one. Yeah DeAndre Hopkins going to be down for a little bit with that knee injury to start the season. But not expected to be out long term which is a good thing for them. And the thing I always like dubs about NFL organizations. If you have a young quarterback and you want to find out about that young quarterback, don't treat him like Justin Fields and say, NFL Cut Day Highlights you have no weapons to work with. Go out there and see what you can do. Give that guy some weapons to work with so you can see if he ce a future quarterback in the league and will Levis is going to have that opportunity this year. But yesterday dub C it was cut down day in the NFL, roughly a thousand players were released from their respective organizations, and some of the biggest names out there, Kadarius Toney, which was supposed to be that wide receiver, that the New York Giants are going to be able to count on in the future. He goes to Kansas City, picks up two Super Bowl wins, and now he's on the street because Dobbsie he's going to be a wide receiver. Number one, you got to be healthy. Number two you got to catch the football. And number three you got to be in it to win it. Apparently Tony wasn't there. He's got two rings, but now he's looking for a job. Yeah we've heard all reports coming through training camp that he wasn't getting the reps or the looks. So I guess it eventually came to fruition. And look, Tony was a first round pick back there in 2021. There's always been such a high ceiling. But in Kansas City you know they've got Xavier Worthy coming on to the scene. A couple of more young pieces that I guess they've got high hopes for. And I tell you what Tony, being a wide receiver in this league, it is a tough job that's going to be one of the toughest afternoons in this sport, waiting for that call, coming into the head coach's office and saying, hey, it ain't going to be here with us. So onwards and upwards, Bailey zappy for the Pats. That was another standout for me. Not that he's looked fantastic in the quarterback room, but I mean they're an absolute train wreck right now. And Desmond Ridder No one no longer with the Cardinals. That was a standout as well. Yeah the interesting thing with Ridder too was hey you know what. Let's just see what we can do. Make it be Atlanta's quarterback now. Already looking for another job on another team after not working out with the Cardinals. You see Caleb Farley, who also was not too long ago a first round draft pick of the Titans, which is why you got to go out and get guys like Sneed to sort of fill in those blanks. When you whiff on first round picks, it usually doesn't help you and sets that franchise back for a couple of years. Also, some other players out there, Louis seen from the Vikings was released. A couple wide receivers out there, Terrace Marshall, junior Allen Robinson and Noah Brown. By the way, the Texans releasing some really good wide receivers. Why? Because that wide receiving corps is absolutely deep down there in the South and should be a lot of fun. But we think Noah Brown certainly is going to find his way to some other teams. Also one of the notable injuries that I did see was the Packers putting AJ Dillon, their running back, on IR and not season returning IR season over IR for a neck injury. They picked up a big running back acquisition in the off season, sort of lessen that blow. So they should be just fine in their quest to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Hopefully not in Brazil on Super Bowl Futures and Predictions Friday to start week number one, let's talk some Super Bowl Wake up people. We're getting you ready for the NFL season every step of the way. Because why next Thursday night in Kansas City they're going to drop a banner. They're going to kick off. It should be an epic night between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. Two teams in the AFC that we think could be careening towards another AFC championship game. Let's have some fun dubs and take a look at the FanDuel sports book of where these odds are rounding into form before we get to opening kickoff next week. If we're looking at who's going to win the NFL championship next year, of course it's going to be the Kansas City Chiefs at the top of the heap at a plus 550 price, along with the San Francisco 49 ers at a plus 600 price for a while. Dubs those two are neck and neck with the same odds. Now it looks like Kansas City separating themselves just a little bit. But how about this. As we talk about like next Thursday night's game that includes the Chiefs number one on the odds board right now to plus 550 price and number three on the odds board. That's the Baltimore Ravens at an 11 to 1 price. So let's just start there. If we look at game number one with two teams, we expect to be players in the A, F, C. How much could that change your mind? Dubs win or lose for either team on opening night. As we move forward in the season, first week of the regular season, last week of the regular season, I usually think and treat him as as outliers there for me, Donnie. But look, we'll be able to get a couple of key takeaways. You know, it doesn't get easy in search of a third Lombardi for the Kansas City Chiefs. But I don't think it gets a lot tougher from trying to go back to back. You look at the weapons returning here, as long as Spags going to be calling on the defensive side, Andy Reid's going to be scheming things up. But they have to improve those drop balls. They have to get better. In the second half, I thought, I thought they excused a lot of second half woes last season off the back of some Patrick Mahomes brilliance with that postseason push. So I like the Kansas City Chiefs to the Baltimore Ravens. You know they finish up top of the conference. I think there could be a little bit of regression coming. Lamar Jackson I don't know if he can go back to back with another MVP caliber season. Derrick Henry comes in to that backfield. We know the run game is going to be heavy. But how those two are going to get amongst it their their defense certainly going to be strong. But for the Kansas City Chiefs at home dropping the banner they are going to be up for the occasion. And I do think they could be looking even better through the regular season. And hey, once we get to the playoffs, we know they've got the experience in bunches. So no surprises for me. The Chiefs are starting to firm up in the market a plus 550. It's not a bad price, but for the Baltimore Ravens I guess that's the team that I want to see a little more juice out of early in this year, just to know that they are the contenders that we saw from last year. And also, if you remember last year, opening night in Kansas City. Yes, because when you win the Super Bowl, you get that opening performance in your own building. The Detroit Lions had a pretty good showing there against the Kansas City Chiefs. We'll see if the Ravens can do that. But here's the always tough thing. All throughout history, nobody wanted to bet against Michael Jordan in a big spot. Nobody wants to bet against Tom Brady in a big spot. Nobody wants to bet against Patrick Mahomes in a big spot. But granted, they're not going to go at least we don't think 17 and oh in the season run through the AFC playoffs and win the Super Bowl and go perfect on the season. There are going to be ups and downs for the team. But you know what makes it so hard for me? Dubs to look from last year to this year is last year for me. And I'll continually say it, that was the year the Kansas City Chiefs, they didn't have home field advantage. They were lacking at the wide receiver position. And then yet they go on the road in the divisional round, knock off the Buffalo Bills, the AFC Championship on the road against the Ravens, beat them and then faced a very good opponent in the Super Bowl in the San Francisco 40 niners and beat them. So now you take a look at the wide receiver position for the Chiefs worthy rice and Brown. Kelce at tight end. Pacheco running back Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback. How do you theoretically bet against the Chiefs. And also are you looking to fade the Chiefs at times during this NFL season? Because to me it's one of those roadblocks in your head that you say, how can I pick against the Chiefs when I always see them win out here? Dobbsie it's very tough, Donny, but I think you highlighted, you know, a couple of great points there on the betting side of things. We saw the same last season. They're going to be caught napping maybe against a couple of sort of weaker outfits. You know week four, week five, week six as they just sort of lose a bit of steam. But I think week one opening night they're going to find that juice. But it's a long season going through the NFL. Obviously depth and injuries. That's going to be a concern. And guess what the more championships that you win, the more that your roster, the more that these players demand in price. So that's why it gets even harder and harder trying to keep all these superstars under the one roof. But I do think with those complement of weapons that you you just went through, Donny, I think it's a forward step from the Kansas City Chiefs. You've got a couple of more targets for Patrick Mahomes. That's going to give him plenty of confidence. But don't get it twisted. Every single week when a team is playing against the Kansas City Chiefs, I don't care what round it is that's going to be their Super Bowl. That's what makes it so tough for the Chiefs trying to go through the regular season without flinching. They're of course going to drop a couple. I certainly think they get to double digits. They get to figure out their way into the playoffs and get set for another monster run. Cohesion is such a big thing, too. You take a look at their room, right? It's always Andy Reid as that offensive coordinator setting up the offense. And Steve Spagnola has been a wonderful defensive coordinator. So year to year that continuity is always there. It's like, you know, a guy on the bag, a golfer. You want that continuity for years because you know what? This guy can read my mind I'm going to hit a four iron. Now, you know what? I think that five iron is the right move here. Having to trust to make that bag change here and club change. Same thing in the NFL continuity on a year to year basis does pay off. Now let's take a look at the San Francisco 40 niners where they 6 to 1 price to win the super Bowl. Talented maybe the most talented team in the NFC. And of course the favorites here to get to the Super Bowl. But the questions always linger. Can you be healthy for an entire season with Christian McCaffrey. And there is something to getting to the Super Bowl and losing it. That Super Bowl hangover, knowing how hard it was just to get there. You're right in it. You lose a close one, then you have to rebound the next season. How are we paying attention to and betting the San Francisco 40 niners this year for you? For me Tony 40 Niners. Still the best roster coming in to a new season Brandon Brandon Aiyuk they've got to get him happy. They've got to get him secure. But I don't think he's needed or essential to make another super Bowl run. I think this is a team we could possibly look at fading early in the year. Maybe they're a little sluggish out of the gates, but I do think there is a bit of class. And I do think they've got that X factor for Christian McCaffrey. I mean, what do you put up 21 touches there last year 14 rushing seven receiving. He is arguably the best player in the NFL. And certainly for fantasy players he will go in that one spot. So I think the 40 Niners are going to be right in the mix again. I think maybe we see a bit of a downtick in terms of their win total from where they were last year. But for a guy like Brock Purdy, I think he's still going to be doing exactly what Kyle Shanahan needs. CMC, whether he plays every single game. I don't know if we're going to get that kind of durability out of Christian McCaffrey, but if he were to go down well, I think that would be a very quick fade for me going against the 40 Niners. They don't need all of their weapons, but they certainly need their biggest one cooking on full cylinders and healthy. If they want to make another championship run, they were so close last year, Donny. It will come down to having a bit of a hangover. Will they be sluggish or do they take that? Do they learn from it and try and go one better in a new season? Yeah, it also is interesting too, because you saw at the end of last year in the regular season, Christian McCaffrey went down with that calf injury was fine for the playoffs. But now we see dubs in the preseason and in training camp hurting that calf once again. They gave him ample time off. He'll be ready to go week number one but we'll see if that injury does linger. We also have some pretty good parody from, let's just say 12 to 1 to 18 to 1. At the FanDuel sports book, you got the Lions, the Eagles, the Texans, Bengals, bills, Cowboys, Jets and the green Bay Packers. The one thing I do like is you get referendum games dubs coming up in week number one, which means the Chiefs are playing the Ravens. That could give you a leg up. Because the big part about that is not only do you pick up a win to get a game ahead, but it's essentially a game and a half because then you own the tiebreaker in that head to head market. Same thing with the Philadelphia Eagles and the green Bay Packers. They play game number one in Brazil, which again that's scheduled to be an Eagles home game. How big would that have been if that game was in Philadelphia and not in Brazil. So have a true home field advantage. So when we're looking at some of these teams changing up on a week to week basis, how about those Houston Texans, a 15 to 1 price. They're scheduled and priced as if they will be a threat to win a Super Bowl this year. What could go wrong in Houston? Star young quarterback C.J. Stroud second year. He can only get better. You've now got Stefon Diggs, one of the best wide receivers coming in to the mix. You've got Joey Mixon setting the table. I'm that guy. I am that guy Donny right side I think it's a step backwards for the Houston Texans I hate to say it but I'm Contrarian Views and Betting Insights not buying in I love it. The contrarian views. We need them out there. We can't all love the It's officially our number two right here on the early line. A fast moving, our number one with a lot of hot topics. And we are going to continue that into our number two. It's Donny right side dubs Anderson. It's the Sports Grid network and Sirius XM channel 159. How are we feeling after that? Our dubs. We feel like we got another hour, another two hours, maybe another three hours in us this morning on a hump day. Wednesday Donny I just fit it in, like maybe 100. Push ups through that commercial break. So I'm. I'm ready to rock and roll. We got a lot going on for you sports fans. No shortage. So let's make some money. Let's keep that momentum rolling. NFL's Private Equity Move Let's do it here. And by the way more NFL topics on the way. Absolutely. But get this the NFL dubs we understand it is about money. It's about making money. And it's about charging obscene prices to get into stadiums. And also you want to buy a beer. It's like 20 bucks for a can of beer. You want to buy a pretzel. That's a good eight bucks now. Oh, you want a bottle of water? Yeah, that's about $7.50 or higher, depending on what state you are going to. But that's not the issue we're going to have today. We understand when you go to an NFL game, you better pack your own lunch or eat in the parking lot before you get in the doors. But how about this front office sports reporting yesterday? The NFL owners have voted to approve the introduction of private equity into franchise ownership firms will initially be capped at 10% of a team's equity. So more money invested into NFL franchises. The thing I get a kick out of, if you just scroll through X in social media and see what the fans think of this, because many people don't really understand what it means. And quite frankly, it's only 10%. It's not a controlling stake here. You're not going to have voting rights. But if you want to make money, private equity firms do this. Invest in a team. Then you have to hold it for a certain amount of years. You sell it for a profit. That's how they do. But everybody in the actual comments here from Maximus, it'll be so cool when a regular season game between the Browns and the Cardinals cost a family of four $1,200 to get in the door and $300 for food and drink, it doesn't seem like the general public is in love with Stadium Costs and Fan Experience private equities now. Joining the NFL ranks, I was just checking my Bank of America account. Donny, I know I cannot partake in jumping in with one of these private equity firms, and it doesn't sound like it can be a free for all. It sounds like there's only eight firms that have actually been approved to go down this route. But I mean, now it gets tougher and tougher. I was just out of SoFi Stadium last season. It was 80 bucks for parking the food and beverage you can't bring in your own ham and cheese sandwiches, don't you? Because they're checking everything at the gate. You can't even bring in a bag. So I don't know about this. One more to come on that side of things. It's just another way for, I guess, the NFL to monetize of where it stands right now. They've already got a good grasp on where this thing sits. But hey, more, more, more. That's what we want to see. By the way. Dubs, I was a season ticket holder for the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field from the very first season. It opened in oh three right up to the Super Bowl season in 2017. The kicker that we used to get out of it was early on, they told you you can't bring in hoagies or sandwiches because it could be like a security threat, which they completely blew up because why? It was a security threat. It was the fact that they wanted you to pay $10 or $15 or whatever it was back in the day for a sandwich, as opposed to bringing in your own. But the thing I could never wrap my head around, and I swear it is thievery dubs, as you just brought up paying to park in an empty parking lot for a ticket you purchased to go into the stadium. I never understood it, but again, it's like going to a casino. It used to be like, hey, come park in our parking spots here. We just want you to the casino. Now you find yourself paying for parking at casinos just to get in on this thing that has nothing to do with the equity firms. But the whole concept of. Yes. And it's even more now. And in Los Angeles, paying 80 bucks to drive your car to a game on top of what it's going to cost. How did we let this get away with it? How did we not revolt against this? It's not good enough, Donny. I mean, parking should be free, but the worst part about it was I was running late to the game, and I had the Mrs. in the front seat, and I didn't want to look cheap. So when the parking attendant says, hey, it's going to be 80 bucks, I couldn't flinch. You know, I had to act like, well, 80 bucks. It's not a big deal for Dobbsy it absolutely crushed me. So you know what I had to do? I had to double load up on that game that I was about to sit through for the next three hours, trying to chase it back. I don't know if I actually hit that Sunday afternoon, but yeah, never a dull moment. A day out at the football is not what it once was. I mean, you got to close the guy out in five and four on the golf course the day before, just the parking the next day Technological Changes in Sports overall. But the NFL is making some other changes, but maybe at a later time. And I like I'm big on technology dubs. If you start with Major League Baseball and you tell me right now, tonight we're going to get robo umps, which means the strike zone, we know exactly what it's going to be. There's going to be no hits and misses here. There's going to be no bad calls. I absolutely love that. I don't care about the human element one bit in Major League Baseball when it comes to getting the strike zone correct. But how about this? The NFL will not use its electronic system to measure first downs during the regular season this year, a source says, after continuing to test it during the preseason. Now they say it might come in in 2025. I got to tell you, sometimes I like nostalgic things and I like anticipation to build. So isn't it fun where the line to gain is fourth and one? A quarterback sneak? They go into the realm of you can't see where the football is. They spot it, then they bring the chains out and they stretch it. Oh, it's a first down or no, it's not a first down. I generally enjoy that here. Now the NFL wants to get up with technology. So what they want to do is take that away and just have like a laser measure and you move forward if it's quicker. I understand, but I actually think that's a charming part of the game here. Dobbsie I don't want to miss out on it. It is a charming partner for the traditionalists. Absolutely love it, and I don't want to be that guy. But look, if I'm paying 80 bucks for parking and I got to get out of there in a hurry, the quicker the better. And if it can help eliminate a little human error, I'm all for it. Donny. I'm that guy. I think the changes that we've seen in Major League Baseball, it's a big thumbs up. I would love to see this one from the NFL there as well. Why is it going to take four years to try and bring this thing in? It sounds like somebody's trying to cut a deal at the league table again. I know what's going on here. Donny What's the chain link gang holding this up? Like they want more money. They don't want to be busted out because even like the Major League Baseball umpires, right? They're not telling the umpires they're going away. Like you're still going to stand behind the plate as the umpire. You're just not going to call the balls and strikes. You get buzzed. It's a ball. You get vibrated there. It's a strike. It's very easy to do that. So I don't understand why the union in the umpires for Major League Baseball try to take that away. But the one thing we do like about the NFL over the years, like TV, has basically changed a lot due to technology. And we're all here for it. Like try to watch a game from the 70s or 80s on their broadcast. You don't see the scoreboard, you don't see the score. It's like we don't even know what down it is at this point. Then they flash some graphic up randomly at that point or even like back in the day for me in the 90s, dubs the ten minute ticker that used to come up on the screen. It was like doo doo doo doo doo doo. Oh, everybody gathers around the team, okay, Dallas is winning. Okay. Seattle has the lead. Oh, Tampa Bay is losing now. And you waited every ten minutes for that ticker to come up. And now you see it on time to time. And also, how did we ever live without the line to game, which means the first down marker not having that line on the screen. We know exactly where it is. Remember having to actually think it out yourself like, okay, they got to get to the 3433. Let me add that up in your head. So technology is good for the game at times. I just don't like to lose the nostalgia here. Dempsey. Yeah, no, I get it, Donny. Even when you're watching a game and you go there in person, there's a lot of signage on the field that's not actually on the field. They're just putting in there via graphics or some green screen I don't get. But look, that is one of the best things about some of the mainstream sports here in the States. When I first came across from Australia, I loved the fact that Major League Baseball stays true to its traditions. I love the fact that when you watch Sunday Football for the NFL, they're not blasted all over their uniforms and jerseys like a NASCAR driver. At least they're trying to stick true to that side of things. So I'm all for it. Donny you love to see it. Some of these things are what make this game so fantastic. Sunday afternoon you want to see? I guess a couple of constants there. So I know I'm going against you. Got a good take on this one by the way. 03040506 in that range. Like we didn't really have smartphones at that time. And I remember going to the games on a Sunday and it was like a novel concept that they would post like statistics on one of the side scoreboards for fantasy football that you'd be glued to the entire game. And I remember again, it wasn't long ago, like Wi-Fi in a stadium was not really a real thing, so you were just left with 70 to 80 000 people in a stadium trying to fight for the same space here, to get that 3G or whatever it was back in the day to work on your phone and forget about it. If there was a big play in the game or you wanted to call home and say, did you see what just happened to the stadium, good luck fighting 70 000 people. Cell signal just to try to make a phone call. We've come a long way in sports here with technology and I love to see it here. But sometimes when I see that chain gang out there and the anticipation of a first down or not, I think that needs to stay in the game. Let's continue Who's having fun? Certainly these two guys doing the show. Absolutely. Hopefully you're home there watching and Fusion Bets and NFL Predictions listening in and following along with us because we got some hot topics on the way, which does include the NFL and the FanDuel sports book to try to have some fun with the dubs. Fusion is the word of the day. We're not talking about nuclear energy at this point. But also let me ask you this question. Fusion restaurants a big fan. Ever been to one? Any thoughts on fusion food, Donnie? No, no, I mean, I've probably got the taste buds of a of a 12 year old, you know, give me a melted, toasted cheese. Bob's your uncle. What is a fusion? Obviously I'm going to buy in to what the name suggests. It's a little blend. It's a little mix of cuisines. Is it Donnie? Exactly. It's a blend of. Let's just say, I don't know, Mexican cuisine. Italian cuisine. If you want a little Mediterranean mixed in with a little Spanish, stuff like that. So I've technically never been to a fusion restaurant and have eaten there, but I was joking with Ben last week, like Taco Bell, you know, you have the Mexican pizza, it's got Italian, it's got Mexican. That's as fast as I go to fusion at that point here. But the reason we have fusion bets here is we like to put two different teams into categories and see if we can make some money. We've been having some fun with this all week long, and we'll continue that today. How about this wager dubs the Lions to have the NFL's best record, and the Patriots to have the NFL's worst record? That comes in at a 36 to 1 price. So if we set the table for this one, we are expecting big things out of the Lions. This year. Are they the favorites to get through the NFC into the Super Bowl? Not necessarily, but we're expecting that offense under Ben Johnson once again Jared Goff at quarterback to absolutely be a machine. On the other hand, we don't have such high expectations for the New England Patriots three four maybe five wins. Is it feasible that the Lions could have the best record in the NFL? Let's just say 14 and three. And the Patriots could be. Let's just say three and 14 at a 36 to 1 price. Yeah. And I mean essentially two outcomes here I'm buying in on the Lions I think they're getting set to roar. We saw that last year for Dan Campbell Jared Goff Jared Goff I would consider maybe pushing into being a top five quarterback in this league. My favorite wide receiver Amon-ra Saint Brown I think he checks all the boxes. So the Lions potent offense. Yes I could absolutely see that. On the flip side what's going on in New England? What is happening for the Pats. Who's going to be at quarterback. How are they going to get it down the field? I would argue the Patriots and the Carolina Panthers, they are going to be the biggest cupcakes coming in for the regular season. So Donnie, yes, for the Lions to finish up top. Thumbs up for the New England Patriots to have the worst record I could absolutely see that as well. And it's not like mind blowing the number, the price that you're getting at. Plus 3131 to 1. That's a great buy. Yeah a lot of good prices out there. By the way, we had Jorge Bolet on yesterday to talk about the New England Patriots. So I'm going to ask you the same question in your mind. Dobbsie You got Drake Maye, the young quarterback you drafted in the first round. You got the sage veteran in Jacoby Brissett. Now for me I don't think it makes a difference who you're going to start. You're not going to make the playoffs and wins. Certainly are going to be tough to come by. Who do you start Dobbsie for the New England Patriots. You go with the young buck. Are you going with the sage veteran to say, hey guide us through some of these choppy waters here? Yeah. And look Donny, I guess if the veteran if I could see the upside that he could. You know, when you say, you know, guide us through choppy waters, pick up a couple of wins, pick up a couple of victories, give us some kind of promise that Jacoby Brissett can get it down the field I would say okay let's throw the salty vet in there. Maybe Drake Maye can just sit on the sidelines for the first five first six try and get a bit more confidence. Figure things out. Coming up to the pro level. But I don't think we get any kind of hope with Jacoby Brissett at starting quarterback. We've seen all these tricks, all these tools before and it's not enough with that offense to do anything. They're not going to compete. They're not going to contend to a first quarter, let alone going through four quarters. For Drake Maye I think it could be a great learning opportunity. I'm just always so hesitant of throwing a young guy in at quarterback and not letting him succeed. We saw it there for Bryce Young 63 sacks last year, that can absolutely ruin a young quarterback. It can ruin his confidence and by year three, year four, he's probably looking at being a backup somewhere else. But in terms of this situation, Drake Maye is the guy you've just got to try and set him up for success and he cannot have that expectation set too high. Set the bar low. If you're a Patriots fan, you're not expecting much. You can see that from that win total. They could still have the worst record for the regular season, but Drake Maye could still be successful and showing us a bit of ability as long as they can keep him fit. Yeah, ruining a young quarterbacks confidence. Certainly not supposed to be on your list to do for the 2024 season here for Jerod Mayo and the New England Patriots. But let's take a look at some of those odds at the FanDuel sports book to have the best record overall in the NFL. The top five as follows here. The Chiefs at a plus 850 price. The Niners 9 to 1. The Eagles at a plus 950. The Ravens at 10 to 1 along with the Lions at a 10 to 1 price. If you had one bet to make over those top five teams here in the odds market, who would get your vote for the best record on the 2024 season? Dubs best record? I think the 40 Niners would be up there in the mix. Worst record? I think you're seeing it well with the Panthers. Obviously I'm not big on. There's another market offered up here under this fusions tab Donnie. And I think you'll like this one. The Kansas City Chiefs to finish as the AFC's number one seed in the 40 Niners to finish as the NFC's number one seed. You look at the oddsmakers, they're telling us they're the two best teams to start the regular season. Obviously they got that X factor and they're going to make that push at the right time of the year. But there's a good chance that they could both finish in those one spots. I know it was the Ravens in the AFC, but for the Kansas City Chiefs we highlighted in our number one, I think they could take a step forward and show a bit of improvement through the regular season again. Plus 2121 to 1. So the 40 niners with their best record. Maybe it's the Chiefs up there for the AFC couple up. Well nice little score. Could be coming. Yeah it's interesting to let it play out too because the one thing we do know is yes we're expecting good football teams to play out over the entirety of the season. Let's also remind ourselves last year the Philadelphia Eagles were riding high at ten and one, only to crash and burn late in that season and then get embarrassed in the playoffs here. But they're still sitting at that 950 price new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator, new images this year, a couple nice draft picks for them. Rebuilding that secondary to see how it plays out. But the one team that always sticks out to me, which I love in the regular season, that's those Baltimore Ravens sitting there at a 10 to 1 price. The questions don't come up during the regular season. When Lamar Jackson is healthy. He's going he's going to be an MVP candidate. They're going to win a lot of football games. But the issues come up in the playoffs. But the best thing about that is the playoffs don't matter when we're talking about the seasonal best record here. It ends after week 18 and those 17 games are played. So maybe the Ravens at a 10 to 1 spot would be a decent look. More fusion wagers on deck. More fun to be It's Dobbs and Donny right here on the early line for a Wednesday morning edition. Only a few days away from the month of September. Only about a week away from the NFL starting their regular season. But also a day away from week one in college football, which means Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday football action. But let's have some more fun at the FanDuel sports book here dobbsie with the futures Fusion. How AFC Playoff Contenders about this wager? The Chiefs and Chargers both make the playoffs at a plus 200 price, or at least three AFC North teams make the playoffs at a plus 260 price. So let's start with the Chiefs and the Chargers. Obviously we expect the Chiefs to make the playoffs, win the division, possibly get to a Super Bowl and win it for a third straight year, which would be remarkable. The Chargers new head coach in Jim Harbaugh coming from Michigan over to the Chargers. Herbert's the quarterback here a changing of the guard with some of the talent at least offensively for that team. But we still expect a competent effort. And then if we flip it over to the other side of the wager, at least three AFC North teams to make the playoffs at a plus 260 price for me, maybe the toughest overall division in football. So when you see this wager, which way would you possibly go? Dubs Chiefs, Chargers to make the playoffs? Or are you taking the three AFC North teams to make the playoffs at a plus 260 price? Ravens Browns. Bengals. All to make it through the playoffs. Donny at plus 260. Yeah yeah on a Wednesday. Look on the flip side we know the Kansas City Chiefs. They're going to make it in to the playoffs. It's the Chargers and Jim Harbaugh I'm probably buying in on long term. They're coming off a five win season last year. Your franchise quarterback Justin Herbert. He's dealing with that plantar fasciitis. That is not something you want to have for your quarterback. Coming into week one of the regular season, after an off season of losing a lot of vets, a lot of experience out of that locker room. So I think there's a couple of question marks for the Chargers. They'll show improvement from last year, but I don't think they make it in to the playoffs. So I'd be looking towards the AFC North. You saw from last year very competitive. But every every team having a really strong season. I think the Ravens are going to be right in the thick of it again, the Cleveland Browns I feel like nobody is giving the Cleveland Browns enough respect. Still sneaking somewhat under the radar. I think the Steelers are going to struggle. I don't think they're going to get to ten wins again this year. And for the Bengals, Joe Burrow he's back. He's healthy. Ja'Marr Chase looking like he's probably going to be there week one as well. So I'd take the three teams from the north to make it into the playoffs. It's not an easy feat, but right now all these teams have the right weapons in place. It's two pretty good options here when you look at it, because it feels like they're giving you some outs, right? We don't expect the Chiefs to. And barring massive injury like let's just say Patrick Mahomes does play the entire season I don't think they're going to win 7 or 8 games. Like they're more likely to win ten, 11, 12 or 13 games, which means they're probably going to win the division, which automatically gets them into the playoffs. The tough part about the Chargers is I was actually hoping, like last year's team with all that talent, particularly on offense, like the Keenan Allen's and the Mike Williams would have stuck around to go under Harbaugh and Herbert to see if that would have made a difference sooner than later. We do know the Chargers are going to be a formidable opponent out there in the AFC West. It's just what Harbaugh does. He wins everywhere he goes. But if we're looking from the three AFC North teams, for me this is the tough challenge because if you separate them dubs like if you removed and said, all right, we're going to take the Browns out of this division. And let's just say the Ravens out of this division. Then you say, okay, the Bengals they probably should win the division. And maybe the other you know to say the Browns are right behind them. But if we're trying to placate that same division, they're going to be playing each other on a week to week basis. Therefore has to be a winner and has to be a loser. So sometimes you look at it and you say to yourself, how can we get three teams to the playoffs if we're beating our head against a brick wall on a week to week basis? Just trying to beat these same teams. But the price points are intriguing. A plus 200 price on the Chiefs and the Chargers. But you get a little bit more of a return if you can get those three FC NFC North teams. Let me ask you this question on the Cleveland Browns. Deshaun Watson, who had such high expectations coming over from the Texans trade to the Browns, hasn't worked up. Or should I say, haven't lived up to the expectations and not even by a long shot on that contract. You take a look at him having a little bit of shoulder issues and arm fatigue in training camp, and Nick Chubb is going to be placed on the PUP list here for the first four games. Any worries about the Browns knowing they might be a little bit damaged goods here coming into the 2024 season? Yeah absolutely. I guess that's been the knock for Deshaun Watson over the last couple of years. And everything he's dealing with off the field I mean you certainly need him at full health full billing. And that's the way he plays it. He needs to get out of that pocket. Use the wheels to scramble. But I'm I'm still bullish I think Deshaun Watson can turn it back a couple of years. If he's fully healthy and find that top stride. Obviously Nick Chubb he has to return. You've got Amari Cooper Jerry Jeudy. So the pieces are in place. And don't forget about the other side of the ball. Big