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So, switch your home and auto to Progressive and see if you could save and keep sipping away. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates, and other insurers not available in all states. Welcome back to the Jim Rome Show, which is presented every single day by FanDuel. My thanks to my pals there.
All right, so Mike Jones coming up next segment. Let's jump right back into it. You have your telephone number, if not, here it is: one eight zero zero six three six eight six eight six. You know all the other ways to get involved. I would encourage you to call or participate via chat.
Except we're not doing too much of that this week. Weirdly. Chat was the biggest thing for months, and all of a sudden now the phone calls have ripped control back of the program. Except here's one email, Jimothy, this series is going great for me. I've taken the under on my hits, average, and homers this October, and hit every single bet.
Heck. I hit the unders every October, yet no one seems to notice. Since I've only had one good game in my playoff career, signed no show. Hey, choke Tawny, V in the fee. Ward Dodger Jim taking Thursday and Friday off to avoid talking about Frody Teethman.
Dookie butts and the rest of the fraudgers collapse. I already said it. I'm taking Thursday and Friday off, not to avoid talking about Frody Teethman, but to avoid talking or taking any submission from VD. In the fee, venereal disease in Menifee. Syphilis in the fee, the clap in the fee, gonorrhea in the fee.
The gonorrhea, the clapper. Any form of VD in the fee. That's what I'm taking those days off for. All right, so I've got something for you. Goes a little something like this.
Oh, oh!
Now that is what I would say today if I actually was Dodger Jim. If I really was Dodger Jim, I would be asking for Alvin's slowest Carl Lewis ever to really emphasize just how much the Dodgers are up against right about now. Like, oh, because make no mistake about it, the two-time defending champion Dodgers are in trouble, legitimately. Those first two games were not just Milwaukee holding serve at home. Those two games were a statement from the Brewers.
Statement being, this is not going to go down how it went down last year. Statement being, we are not the same baseball team that we were last year. It would really be bad news if I really were Dodger Jim.
However, great news. Peep my vanity plates today. If you're watching on the stream, you will see them momentarily. Peep my vanity plates. Go ahead, roll them in.
Wisco Jim is in the house. Shout out to my adopted half fam. There they are. Are you watching? If you're listening on the radio, that is my.
All right, I don't want to flex. That's my Benz with the Wisco Jim vanity plate. That's a pick from Wisco. Actually, that's not AI. That's an actual pick from Wisco, and that's my actual vanity plate.
Shout out to my adopted fam. What a start to our series! What an amazing start to our series! You can even call it an ideal start to our series. No, our Brewers have not been perfect so far, but they have definitely looked like the better baseball team so far.
Of course, we don't have the same number of stars that they do. Of course, we don't have the same payroll that they do. Who cares? We don't. The Brewers don't.
They or we just know we're a damn good baseball team, and we are better this year than we were a year ago. And I think we are also pretty aware that the Dodgers are not nearly the team that they were a year ago. And nobody is further from where they were a year ago than one Shohei Ohtani, who essentially looks crippled. And is getting massacred by seemingly everybody on the internet right now. Dodger fan, Dodger hater, baseball fan, baseball hater.
Absolutely everybody is coming and teaming off on the crippled goat, coming for the goat. Even though he's obviously injured, he's obviously injured. And also, obviously, not the only one struggling on the Dodgers. Yes, of course, Shohei looks brutal. Shohei looks broken, and yes, it's weighing on the entire team.
However, it's not like anybody on that team is swinging the bat well right now. They're also making uncharacteristic, sloppy mistakes. And their dominant playoff stud, the most dominant big game pitcher in the game right now, Yoshi didn't even make it out of the third inning yesterday.
So the problems run a lot deeper than the busted up goat. That said, I agree, and this is just me, Wisco Jim. But if I'm the Dodgers, I bench the goat. Bench the goat. Bench the goat, bench the salt.
They keep running this guy out there, and I understand why they keep running this guy out there to a certain extent. But he's got no business being out there right now. He can barely get the bat through the zone. He can barely swing the bat, and he looks worse and worse every single time he steps in. A week ago, the question was: Is seventy percent of Shohei still better than no Shohei?
And for a few games, the answer was yes. Hell, even in Game One of this series, he scored their only run. But at this point, he's looking more like fifty percent of Shohei and decreasing every day.
So now, to me, the equation is officially off. He's obviously hurt. He's obviously hurting that team, and he's probably hurting himself. It's time to take a seat, bench the Shohei. It just feels like we've crossed the point where the Dodgers are lying to themselves when they say, "Hey, man, a big hit's right around the corner.
A big hit is going to come any second now. Shohei's going to come alive any minute now. Shohei is going to come alive any minute now. Shohei looks like he might die any minute now." I understand this whole "not dead, can't quit" mentality. I respect the mentality.
I respect Shohei for doing everything in his power to stay in that lineup, which is why the Dodgers should protect Shohei from himself because he's doing more to hurt them than he is to help them right now. The guy's got to take a seat, has to, because the Dodgers cannot afford to be giving away any free outs right now, because they're on the verge of giving away the series. Or the Brewers, are Brewers, Wisco Jim's Brewers, are about to rip that series.
So there may have been an argument before that having Shohei in the lineup actually was a good thing to maybe strike some fear into the Brewers pitching staff. Not anymore, especially after last night. In fact, right about now, they can't wait to see this guy step in the batter's box. I understand how tough it is to bench the goat with the dynasty on the brink. It's brutal.
It's brutal that Doc Roberts he's got to go to this guy and tell him we need you to take a seat while they're still in the middle of trying to three peat. And again, it's just two o. They've been down two o before, but to me, this is different. This is different. They're different.
Our Brewers are different. It's coming off the rails, and you got to have that hard conversation.
Meanwhile, the Brewers to me are in the opposite situation. When I'm looking at our Brewers, Wisco Jim's Brewers, I'll tell you what I see. I see a team that's hungrier. I see a team that's younger. I see a team that's quicker.
I see a team that's more athletic. I see a team playing with more energy. I see a team playing with more confidence. I see a team playing with more passion. I see a team that is small balling the Dodgers to death.
I see a team who's got. A bullpen that is lights out. It's all lining up for Milwaukee. All the pieces are there, and it's hard to believe that even with the Dodgers pitching, that they're about to run off four out of five and make a comeback on these guys. Sign Dodger fan because, according to our guy Rosh, the get-in prices at Dodger Stadium are plummeting right now.
Arash writes: The getting price for games three and four of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday were 176 bucks. On Sunday morning, they have dropped about 50 percent tonight on at TickPick after the Dodgers lost to trail the Brewers 2-0. The NLCS getting prices are now Game Three eighty eight dollars, Game Four eighty nine dollars.
So, cue another round of everybody bashing LA sports fan, which would maybe sting a little bit if I were an LA sports fan or if I were Dodger Jim. But again, check the garage. Check my plates. Wisco Jim is doing just fine. Thanks for asking.
Wisco Jim is doing great. I promise. Wisco Jim is doing a hell of a lot better than the Dodgers right about now. Wisco Jim cannot wait for Friday night Wisco Fish Fry. By then, I might be celebrating a sweep by my adopted fam.
Shout out to Cleveland and Tampa. You don't want any of this. Me and my fellow Wisco Knights have waited our entire lives for this moment. Just know, y'all, you're playing for second place. Hey, half fam.
Six more to go. Six more to go. Adopted fam. Six more to go. Hey, Alex Hardy, if you're not too busy, get me my guy Robin Yount or Molly.
Alex Regorman Thomas, do it, do it now, man. Wisco Jim's having a day. Look at the plates. Look at the rig. Man, our boys are playing some ball now.
One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. Hit me up. All right. When we come back, I'm gonna change up and talk a little NFL. Mike Jones, national NFL writer for the Athletic, will be joining us.
After that, we are wide open the rest of the way. Welcome to your most rewarding season ever. Only on FanDuel. How rewarding are we talking? More rewarding than a touchdown with time expiring.
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Call one eight seven seven eight HopeNY. Text HopeNY New York. Call one eight seven seven seven eight six seven Louisiana. You're listening. To the Jim Rome show.
All right, keep doing what you're doing. I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing, namely not taking any of your chat. Yo, chatwood up. We're now a day and a half without any of your submissions getting on air, and that was not by design either. It's just the phone lines have been ringing off the hook.
All right, more of that in a minute. But right now, we're joined by an NFL writer for the Athletic. He previously served as an NFL reporter for and a columnist for USA Today, a former Commanders beat writer for the Washington Post. He is Mike Jones. Mike, always good to chop it up with you.
How you doing, Mike? I'm doing well. How are you doing, Jim? Good, Mike. Good to see you.
Appreciate it. Thanks for making time.
So, Mike, as it turns out, that Monday night matchup last night between the Bills and the Rams did, in fact, live up to the hype. Buffalo wins a wild shootout in overtime, given all the big moments, all the big momentum swings. Where do you want to start? I mean, I think that this very well could be a Super Bowl. Preview possibly, but the Rams have definitely got to get their special teams figured out if they expect to get there because they're in a really tough division with San Francisco and Seattle, and the margin for error is so slim as we saw.
So, if your special teams unit is as shaky as it is right now, that could keep the Rams away. But if you think about them getting healthy with getting Miles Garrett back, and you know that would really help their defense, I think that they. They could have a strong stretch run, but again, you can't be hurting yourself with special teams and some of the penalties that we saw last night.
Okay, so Mike, the penalty—I'm glad you brought that up. The penalties are unusual. We usually don't see that from a Sean McVay team. Unfortunately, we always see bad special teams. As good an organization as that is, as great a head coach as that is, why do they not fix that?
I don't think it's something that they devote as much of priority or make as much of a priority as they should. There's some teams who really devote a lot of time to that, a lot of you know resources and attention, and then there's others that kind of almost treat it like a little bit of an afterthought. And I think that that's something that the Rams have—they've made changes. That special teams coordinator has been almost a revolving door, and I don't gather that they spend as much time in practice or. They hadn't spent as much time and practice on that as you know as some teams do.
It's it's tricky to fit all that stuff in there, but it's a really crucial aspect of the game. Games come down to that. We saw this past weekend how many teams could have won games if they could have you know made kicks or had better coverage, you know, on kickoff coverage.
So they've got to get this figured out and get it figured out very quickly. Agreed, Mike Jones joining us. Mike, one thing about penalties.
So the two teams last night combined for 24 accepted penalties. Does it feel like maybe we're reaching a tipping point where the ref show is negatively impacting the overall quality of the product, given all the flags we've seen so far? Yeah, I mean the other thing is about because of all these penalties, the games seem like they're taking so long. Right? You know, there's one play after another that's stopped, and at one point it felt like almost every other play there was something.
So they do have to get it figured out. Yes, you got to enforce the game. Yes, the teams have to do better with some of this sloppy play, some of the pre-snap penalties. There's no excuse for all that. You know, so it's some on the teams, it's some on the referees.
You know, the league has got to find some. Type of consistency. Obviously, you want them to enforce it and do their jobs, but. At some point, some of these plays are a little bit ticky tack.
Some of them are a little bit questionable, and you know, I I know it's hard. The game is really fast; they're happening in real time, and to see some of the things. But again, teams have to do better. They can't hurt themselves with the the stuff that happens, the illegal shifts, and you know, false starts and things like that. But it really makes it unenjoyable and just causes so much frustration for players, for fans, and everything like that.
It does. Mike Jones joining us. Mike, two days later, the way the commander is unraveled in the final seconds of overtime, leading to a tie with the Giants, still to fly defies all explanation. As somebody who used to cover that franchise closely, did anything you saw surprise you even remotely? Yeah, because I didn't think that we'd ever see anything worse than the swinging gate with Jim Zorn, you know.
And this was ten times worse because there was no sense of urgency. They definitely operated like the offensive coordinator and the quarterback thought they had another timeout. They were not moving quickly. I just don't understand. Dan Quinn looked like he was asleep at the wheel.
I don't understand how, if he understood that they had no timeouts, and he's hearing what the play call. Was when it's going down from 40 seconds all the way down to 25, there was no urgency. There was no even like him losing his crap and and screaming for them to you know clock the ball or just send the field goal unit out there. He said that they didn't need to gain anything. He was not on the same page with his offensive coordinator and the offensive coordinator.
When Jaden Daniels fell when he got tackled, he was laying on his back looking to the sun like he was expecting somebody to call a timeout. It was. We've seen in Washington just a comedy of errors over the years, and this was one that just might top all of the other ones.
So, if that's the case, Mike, and I'm not looking to get anybody fired, but was that a fireable offense? Like, is Dan Quinn lucky to still have a job? If if he had been fired Monday morning, I would not have been surprised. You know. They're sticking with him.
He's going to have some more time. The problem is, is okay. Who's going to who are you going to put in place? The offensive coordinator who can't keep track of the timeouts or the pace of the game. A first-time defensive coordinator.
They do have Anthony Lynn, who's the assistant head coach, but I don't think they have a whole lot of candidates to be an interim head coach. I like Dan Quinn. I like the the messaging and the the way that he connects with his players. But something's off here, and he's got to get it turned around. Or you know that.
Seed is already believed to be getting kind of warm. It's going to get even hotter. I mean, I almost prefaced it by saying the same thing. We all like Dan Quinn. The next person I meet that doesn't like Dan Quinn will be the first one.
But he's also the last guy that can afford to have something like that happen, given that he came from ahead twenty-eight to three to lose the Super Bowl. But we'll see.
Now, what about Nick Sirianni? His late game decision making wasn't much better as the Eagles dropped their third straight. Mike to the Jags in London, given how they lost that game, along with Lane Johnson retiring, along with Cam Jurgens being. Traded along with all the injuries. Where does that leave Sirianni?
Despite winning a Super Bowl, going to another one, is he coaching for his job?
Well, look, you never say never, but I don't get the impression that he is. I mean, on Sunday, the fact that they were in that game with, I think it was. Four, you know, backup offensive lineman at one point, without your top running, top two running backs, without your top wide receivers, with some guys missing on defense as well, is commendable.
However, they've got to get this offense figured out. I don't, I've never understood Nick Sirianni. I know he wasn't a play caller for Frank Reich, but he was his offensive coordinator. And he can never fix his offenses. It's confusing to me.
Sean Mannion may wind up being a really good offensive-minded guy, but he's learning on the fly, and you're going to take your lumps. But when I ask around about Nick Sirianni, he still has a lot of respect. People feel like he is a really good motivator, a good you know leader of men. Connects well with his players. The decision making in that play.
To not kick it out of the back of the end zone, I kind of understand it. You are thinking, okay, the average kick return, our special team units that they do their job, they're going to run out the clock. You are not expecting them to pop it, you know, forty-five, fifty yards, and then to line up before a kick. It's unfortunate. Obviously, he would like to have that one back, but he really has to dig in and get this consistency found on this offense because otherwise, they're going to blow the opportunities that they have.
Because the rest of the division is, you know, Dallas can't stop anybody on defense. Washington is pretty much, you know, a disaster. The Giants are starting over. They're going to come back down to earth. This is an opportunity that the Eagles can't afford to blow.
No, absolutely not. Mike Jones joining us. Mike, what about the Niners?
So the Niners are five and zero after a really nice win in Seattle. I, I mean, not that I'm surprised, but I've got to say, Mike Evans. I mean, this dude. Like, not that we should be surprised by anything this guy does, but how much has the addition of a 33-year-old Mike Evans changed the dynamic not only of the receiving core but the entire offense? Yeah, I mean, now look what he brings.
He brings size. He's tenacious in going after the ball. He's going to win those fifty-fifty balls. He brings something that they didn't have. And yes, I know that at his age, you're hoping that he can hold up over the course of the season.
But he took over, snatching those balls out of the air and giving them the opportunity. It's something that their offense definitely, definitely needed. It makes life easier for Brock Purdy. I think that in a way, and part of me is holding my breath, just wondering, okay. The Niners, lots of times start off really well, and then they have a devastating injury or two or three, and they pile up, and we never quite get to see the potential that they have.
If they can stay healthy, then they have young depth. They've had some injuries, but the young guys are stepping up. Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff have done a great job. Raheem Morris has been a great addition, as we saw the trouble he was giving the the Seahawks offense, and so they have a lot of potential if they can. Stay healthy, given the the shaky aspect and element that we see in the Rams.
I don't see why the Forty Niners couldn't be real Super Bowl contenders.
Well, I agree. If they stay healthy, absolutely, they are dangerous. What about the Seahawks?
So they've got a couple of losses where they committed seven turnovers, four of them coming from Sam Darnold picks. How much do you think that Sam's play has been impacted by the departure of Kenneth Walker the Third, who's balling out for the Chiefs, and Clint Kubiak, who is now with the Raiders? Yeah, I think both of those things. You know, Walker was not used in the same way that we're seeing him used in Kansas City. You know, he split time, but still, just having him having a really strong run game, a consistent run game, made a big difference.
Kubiak as well had a really good feel from Darnold from you know their past and from having him there in Seattle, and so there's change in the offensive. You know, play caller, similar schools. Thought obviously both Shanahan disciples, but I think that maybe he might be feeling a little pressure because it seems like we're seeing him almost force the ball here and there, maybe try to take some risks, feeling like I've got to do this rather than being you know patient and taking what the defense gives to him. We'll see if he levels out, but it's definitely something that is kind of a spike in those turnovers and you know that we didn't see last year. And because he was able to minimize those mistakes, it gave them the real opportunity.
But if he He's going to continue to do that, and that push more pressure on the defense. You know, and the offense is going to be you know in bad situations, and there are you know prospects for repeating. You know, really are dim. Mike Jones joining us. So, Mike, a few weeks back, the Raiders start off three and zero, and we're thinking, I mean, we're not going to see Fernando Mendoza anytime soon.
Now they're three and two, and we see him at the end of a blowout loss to the Patriots. Since they've lost back to back games, how much longer do you think the silver and black is going to stick with Kirk Cousins? Zastar QB one as they get ready to host the Bills on Sunday. Yeah, I mean it's a really good question, and it's something that you know I've wondered because I think that they feel like if they're competitive, they want to still give Mendoza time to continue to develop the slow way. They have a lot of confidence in Kirk Cousins.
He's got a great feel for what Kubiak wants to do with that offense. But if they are out of this thing, if they are in a big hole, and it doesn't look like they have a good opportunity to to you know make some noise in their division, then I think we'll see it. I think we'll you know we'll see. Them stick with cousins at least to the midway point of the season, unless they just go on like a really big losing streak right here. But I think they want to be patient, and we'll see how it plays out.
But you know, everybody wants to see Mendoza, but he is indeed a rookie, has a lot to learn, and they still, you know, kind of, you know, the table they have some pieces that are around him, but they could do better. And I think they know that they want to have him in the best possible situation before they turn the keys over to him. Mike, before you go, one last thought. Normally, I would not talk about a team that's on a bye week, but the Vikings are one of only three undefeated teams left in the NFL. Offensive struggles aside, and I'm sure it'll get better, but in and of itself, are they a legitimate contender based on Brian Flores' defense alone?
I think his defense does give them a chance every single week because he can give everybody. Doesn't matter how talented your offense is, he gives everybody headaches. He's you know a defensive mastermind. I really have questions about Kyler Murray. Not only just his ability to stay healthy, but then just you know his play and production and decision making.
You know, and they don't have. I mean, they've got Carson Wentz, but you know they don't have the off. Offensive, you know, they have the offensive firepower. If they had a better quarterback, I think you could say that. Hey, they have an opportunity really to go somewhere.
I think they're limited at that quarterback position. And I, you know, when you look out there, there's not really anybody that you could really trade for that would make a difference because I don't think that the 49ers. I think they want to hold on to Mac Jones. You know. I don't think that you know Joe Flacco is there in Cincinnati, and they also have Josh Johnson.
I don't think Joe Flacco could come in and really be a big difference maker for them.
So I think they just got to hope that Kyler Murray can become more comfortable in this offense and develop as he goes. But it's a little shaky there. But the good thing is, like you said, they do have Brian Flores in that defense, so you don't have to score thirty points every week. But you do have to take care of the football and convert on third downs.
So one quick call before you go.
So tell point about Kyler Murray. He did, to quote Tom Brady. He did throw that one piss missile last weekend. I mean, do you think that he's not what he was, or do you think he's just not a good fit? Um, I don't want to say that he's not a good fit yet, because I think he's still learning this offense, and I think that Kevin O'Connell is also still learning how to call games for him.
O'Connell is a really creative mind. He's got to have to find ways to make Kyler Murray comfortable. You know, he's not a traditional you know drop back quarterback. Very different from Sam Darnold. You know, when you know they had there before.
Very different than Kirk Cousins. And so they thought that he was going to bring a different element to this offense. And I still think he can, but. Murray himself has got to do better decision making, and O'Connell's got to try to be really creative to kind of help elevate him and also mask deficiencies. And it's a process, you know.
Mid October, you know, it's you're starting to get to the crunch time, but they at least have you know a good lead with that five and zero start, and we'll see where it goes from there. I was going to say the buffer is they are five and zero, and they've got that defense, and there's the big fellow JJ. When in doubt, just get him the ball. Mike Jones joining us on the program. Mike, always good to see you.
Great job as always. Appreciate you. Thanks for making time.
Hey, thanks for having me. Always good to see you, Mike. Mike Jones joining us from the Athletic. There you go. You got some football talk.
You happy? Are you baseball haters? You happy? Got a little football for you. In fact, I've got some more.
I want to talk about the Dallas Cowboys. Man, what an odd, odd thing going on with Chat. For the longest time, the show was just chat, chat, chat, chat, and then all of a sudden, the phones came back, like out of nowhere. A renaissance. Love to see it.
One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. When we come back, I'm going to go with the best option. I don't know what that is. We'll see. Might be a phone call.
Might be chat. Might be X. Might be an email. We'll see. So, one question for you: Why is Old Trapper beef jerky so good?
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Myself, I've got a routine. I've got a strategy. I eat it every single day, but I do bounce back and forth amongst the four because I like them all the same. Honestly, they're all different, but I like them all equally. If you're new to it, grab and go with one of each with a four ounce bag.
That way, you can sample each and every one of them. If you know what you want, get the eighteen ounce bag. If you don't see it, and of course you will. If you don't ask for a trapper by name, because no other jerky compares. Oh, trapper, what is your beef?
You're listening to the Jim Rome Show. Once again, clones, listen up! Not all beef jerky is the same. Old Trappers, original, old-fashioned teriyaki, hot and spicy, and peppered, all come in four-ounce bags. That way, you can try all the different flavors and find the one you like best.
As for Old Trapper by name, because none of the jerky compares Old Trapper with your beef.
So the show is so interesting in the sense that we have all these different platforms. Once again, just reset this. I'm still a radio program. We are still a radio program. We're still on terrestrial radio on Westwood One Sports.
We're on nearly 200 stations. We are also on satellite radio, Sirius XM. We are also on the Rome TV channel. We're also on our YouTube channel.
So there are all these different ways to participate and all these different platforms.
So in terms of participation, they kind of come with ebbs and flows, right? For a long time, it was. Telephone calls and X, I mean X for years. Actually, phone calls and X for years, and then we all of a sudden establish a YouTube channel, and we have the show live. And then it's the best way to find the show on the internet.
And then chat, man, bam, just explodes. But ebbs and flows. Then all of a sudden the phone lines are back, and chat. No offense, it's like y'all don't matter. Ooh, I know that hurt.
But we haven't had any chat submissions on the air for a day, and well, a day and a half. It's like I forgot about you. I don't miss you, and you know why that is. And then I'm told—I don't know because I'm not looking—but I'm told that you're all freaking out, and you're taking it personally, and you're now taking runs at me like somehow I've done you wrong. When in reality, I'm just hyped to see phone calls, and they're good phone calls.
So, Chad, I'm sure I'll work my way back to you. I'm not doing this intentionally. It's not personal. I'm playing the hot hand. I'm doing whatever is best for the show.
That. I'm doing whatever is best for the show, and in my estimation, the phone calls are better than your chat submissions right now. That might flip. That might turn. Maybe, probably, but I'm going to do what's best for the show.
Always keep that in mind. It's just not personal. It's like the Dodgers now. Again, I'm Wisco Jim, but the Dodgers. You want to be best for them to sit Shohei.
He's not right. He's hurt. He's injured. And I'm not coming from a place of hate, like a lot of you. I'm just saying, if I'm Doc Roberts, it's a hard conversation.
But they pay Dave Roberts to have hard conversations. They got to sit that guy because he is hurting them. He's giving away at bats. He's trying. Much like me, I'm the manager of this show.
I'm having a hard chat or a hard conversation with you, Chat. You're hurt. You're banged up. You're not making it better. I'm going to the phones, John in Portland.
Hey, John, what's going on? Hey, Romy, thanks for the vine. Hey, Chat. I get it. It's probably pretty hard to finally realize that you were just the flavor of the month.
We all know that you guys are posted up in your parents' basement, yelling up to your mom, "Is the meatloaf ready yet?" You guys are nothing but a bunch of keyboard warriors, dude. Come on, it's really simple. Have a take. Don't suck. Make Jim's show better.
Easy to do when you're on the phones and you got it like this, Jim. I'm out. It's true. It's true. It's still radio program.
We're still taking telephone calls. I am paying for those phone calls. If I see somebody that I think they can make it better on the phones, I am going to go to the phones. If not, I'll go to chat. Hey, look, chat.
Never say never. There is a chance I'll come back to you at some point. It's only been like almost two full days. Never say never. At some point, I will probably come back to you.
I think. But if these phones keep ringing, I don't know that I will. Especially with your bad attitudes, your your entitlement. How did you get so entitled so fast on chat? This sense of entitlement.
You know, you really are agro. You're agro. You're belligerent, and you think that you're better that you are. All right. Keep in mind, I'm looking around.
I'm assessing everything that's going on on the show. It's not personal. I just, you know, I'm like a play caller. I'm like Lobster Junior. I'm like Sean McVay.
I'm looking at my transparency and I'm thinking to myself, what's going to make it better? What should I dial up here? Chat, X, email, phone call. I'm looking to dial up the best thing. What is the best thing for the show?
Like this, a phone call from Boston that strikes me as a good thing. A phone call from Boston, Chris in Boston, my half fam. I'm half chowd, my father's side, Boston. Let's go there right now, Chris. What's going on?
How are you? Come on, Jim. Hey, let me give you let me give you a good call here, okay? Please, chat pipe down, chat pipe down. Patriots go from the outhouse to the penthouse.
Now we might be Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. We already beat the Bills. We already beat the Raiders.
Now we got to play the crappy Jets.
So those are going to be three wins in a row, AFC.
So now all we got to worry about is Kermit and KC. And we got to worry about Buffalo probably playing them again in the playoffs.
Okay, I'll take my chances. We can get back to the Super Bowl. I know I was trashing them a couple of weeks ago, but we can get back there. Stranger things have happened, Jim. Like the chat being actually good for once.
But no, that's actually never going to happen. I'm out. Got that chat piped down. The Pats are back. Bro, I would not base that beat down that you put on the Raiders as evidence that you're back.
I mean, I'm sure it felt good. I'm sure it felt great, and it's nice to see Drake May back to doing Drake May type things. And that was a 45-17 beat down. But you are right, Chris. You're a hell of a lot better off now than you were two weeks ago when we thought you were circling the drain.
It's wide. US open right now. Who are the teams to beat in the AFC? Who are the standout teams in the AFC? The NFL is weird right now.
It changes week to week. I am looking at the AFC right now, and I think you could say KC is probably back because KC is now running the ball effectively, and Kermit is effective. Kermit looks like he's—I don't want to say he's back to where he was, but he's farther ahead than where he should be coming off that injury.
So if they stay healthy, if now they've everybody, every single contender has an issue. KC, for instance, offensively is looking solid, but defensively they can't get any pressure on the quarterback. That's a concern. Buffalo, as we saw last night, still has concerns defensively. But we know offensively what they can do, and by the way, they did that without DJ Moore.
If DJ Moore is healthy, look out for them. Jacksonville, to me, is a team to look out for, but still a team that's got some issues. Still a team with some holes. It is wide open, but yes, Chaud. If I'm a Patriot fan, I'm feeling a lot better right now than I was a couple of weeks back.
But again, it was only the Raiders. And now the Raiders are three and two. The Raiders were never a legitimate contender. The Raiders were really interesting, and the Raiders were really relevant. And now they're three and two, and they just got hammered.
And now all of a sudden we're talking about, well, is it time for Fernando Mendoza? The Chargers, we know, are not going to be that team. They were supposed to be that team. One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. Sorry about that, chat.
Let's see where to more telephone calls. It's got Albert in Tucson. Albert, good to have you. What's going on? Yeah, thanks a lot.
Hey, I've been a listener since you did a. Tour stop, or it may have been a remote from Jack Murphy Stadium. I just remember you talking about it when you were on the air on your show. And my point is, I've learned a couple things about you. And you know, I learned that you're from LA, and when you were growing up, Ron C was your guy, the Penguin.
So, you know, all right, so he was your guy. But you know, I mean, the Dodgers, you know, you didn't like the Dodgers. And and and I also learned that your wife. She bleeds Dodger blue, and you know you guys used to take your vacations in Bozeman, and then one of your kids went to Wisconsin to school, and so you got roots there, and that's fine. You know you got your license plate, you know, Wisco Jim, and that's fine.
But and and and Milwaukee's a great baseball team, but you're gonna pull for Milwaukee over the Dodgers, dude? That is weak sauce.
Well, I will say this, Albert. You had it all right until the very end, when you called it weak sauce and you hung up on me before I could respond, bro. Yes, I grew up a Dodger fan. Yes, the Penguin Ron say was my guy, but the the one part of the story that you left out, two parts actually, the one part of the story, the most important part of the story was, I stopped rooting when I started getting paid. I wanted to be objective.
I was never a fanboy. You see, I'm old school. I've been in this business so long. There weren't fanboys back then. There was no rooting in the press box.
The second I started to pull a paycheck, I stopped rooting for any teams or any people, and only for something to talk about because I had five hours, then four hours, and three hours to fill. I'll finish that thought when we come back. The game. Games just ended. The conversation starts now.
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