The Baltimore Ravens are far and away the best team in the NFL

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Find out how to bring your ideas to life at dell.com slash welcome to now. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Dan Schwartzman. I still believe in the guys in that locker room, the players, I still believe in the coaches. I think we got the guys in this place to get turned in the right direction. We don't have much time, obviously, right? We got one more game before playoffs starts and, you know, we got to do everything we can do to get back on track this upcoming week. I think there's been spurts, obviously, the last couple games where we played, you know, good ball and defense.

Tonight wasn't one of those times. That is Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni after yet another loss to expose the Eagles for, well, what they may be, which is an overrated football team. Happy New Year. It is New Year's Monday, Dan Schwartzman. New Year's Monday, how funny does that sound?

Dan Schwartzman in for Rich Eisen, the Rich Eisen show. Man oh man, week 17 of the NFL season is wrapped up. College football, the playoffs begin today. Michigan versus, of course, Alabama and Texas versus Washington. The two semifinal matchups, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl coming our way starting at 5 p.m. Eastern time with the Rose Bowl.

The Sugar Bowl is 845 p.m. Eastern time. Good bowl games, by the way, as well. Iowa and Tennessee is a decent one. I'm also kind of intrigued by this Liberty versus Oregon game. Not that I think Oregon's going to lose, but I want to see what this Liberty's all about.

13-0 on the season, undefeated. Heck, it's good to have some college football here on a New Year's Monday. Art Martinez, a year older today with his New Year's. No, just kidding, it's not your birthday, but he is on the other side of the glass. Happy New Year. And it's 2024. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year. You know what this means, right? This means we will continue to write 2023 on all sorts of documents for at least the next, oh, two months. That's what usually happens. On my checks, yeah, absolutely. You still write checks?

I do. There's some people, like the DMV. DMV does not take ATMs or credit cards. Really?

Yeah. They only take checks? They take checks or cash. And I'm not carrying all that cash for my, you know. Wait a minute, no form of electronic payment?

Not at the DMV, nuh-uh. That's got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Really? They haven't gone to 2015 yet? I think on some of their stuff they do, but not on, you know, renewals.

That's unbelievable. Well, yeah, enjoy writing 2023 for the next couple of months on those outdated checks art that you are going to be writing. And for those out there, again, Happy New Year. But I wanted to start off with Nick Sirianni because I wanted to start off by talking about the Philadelphia Eagles.

Look, this is hard to explain. This was a 10-1 team that lost to the Jets, okay? And that Jets team at that point was playing fairly well and was on the road in New York, okay? They had come off beating the Rams on the road. And after that Jets loss, you can say maybe they just kind of overlooked them because they had the Dolphins on the schedule and they took care of business then. This is an Eagles team that has reeled off wins, you know, good wins here. At the Buccaneers, that's actually a decent win. At the Rams, beat the Dolphins at home, beat the Cowboys at home. On the road, they knock off the Chiefs. They beat the Bills.

Everything looks great, right? 10-1. How did they lose to the Jets? This is the best team in the NFL, blah, blah, blah. We're going to find out against the 49ers, another one of those top teams in the NFL. We're going to find out how good the Eagles or the 49ers are. And in Philly, the Niners dominated them 42 to 19.

And maybe that's where the cracks were exposed. But at the time, you say, okay, they just got outplayed, they looked terrible, you know, things just don't look good. Maybe they're going to bounce back, right? But tough schedule at the Cowboys at the Seahawks, tough schedule ahead. And the collapse continued. They had blown out at the Cowboys 33 to 13, which means in the span of two weeks against two top NFC teams, they lose 75 to 32.

They got absolutely spanked. Beat the Giants, and now you lose to the Cardinals. And by the way, they only beat the Giants by eight. And it was a pretty close game. And now you really have to start to wonder, they're going to New York to play the Giants week 18.

Okay. They've obviously, you know, qualified for the postseason, but they're a five seed. And I just have to wonder, you know, Nick Sirianni can talk all he wants about getting this team back on track. They have to fix it.

They have to fix it fast. Playoffs are right around the corner. And that is absolutely accurate. But can you just turn the light switch back on that seemingly was on for the first 11 weeks of the season when they went 10 and 1? Because since then, they've gone one and four. And it's highly unexplainable because you could say the schedule got tougher, right? You can say that. But I just mentioned, you know, the three weeks leading into this first three game losing streak, now four out of five game losing streak, they beat the Cowboys, Chiefs and Bills back to back to back.

I mean, that's impressive. Cowboys, Chiefs and Bills, that's a 11 win Dallas team. That's a 10 win Chiefs team. And that's a 10 win Bills team.

Two of the cream of the crop teams, the AFC, one of the cream of the crop teams, the NFC. And it's just now the wheels have fallen off and, you know, any sort of Jalen Hurts for league MVP talk went out the window weeks ago. And by the way, that was a legit conversation that was being had.

Let's not forget, that was a legit conversation that people were having. How good is Jalen Hurts? He's back in that conversation for, you know, NFL MVP, blah, blah, blah, him and Lamar Jackson, him and Brock Purdy. That's, you know, Tua Tagovailoa, blah, blah, blah.

Well, he's out of that conversation. When the lasting impression people have of you for the season is not going to be 11 wins before late season losses. And you know what's really kind of comical to me is most organizations at 11 and 5, you'd say I take it, man. If my team's 11 and 5, I'll take it.

I'm a jet fan. I'd be just ecstatic if my team could win 11 games. They can't seem to win 11 games over two years.

And that's why for me, it's interesting that, you know, people in Philadelphia are obviously panicking big time. And rightfully so, they should be panicking because this looks like a one and done team in the postseason, right? This doesn't look like a team that's going anywhere. This looks like a team that in the end, we're going to be scratching our heads saying, what went wrong? In the offseason, they added names, you know, they drafted Jalen Carter, absolute stud defensive tackle out of Georgia, if not for off the field issues involving that horrendous accident that led to the death of a teammate and a member of the football staff. If not for that, he probably goes number one, or at least number two, maybe three.

He's the first non-quarterback taken probably in the draft. And it's just stunning to me that this is what's played out here with Philadelphia. Meanwhile, while the Eagles are just self-destructing and collapsing and look like they're one and done in the postseason, just head down I-95 for another, oh, hour or so maybe to Baltimore. And I got to tell you, the Baltimore Ravens once again cementing as to why they're the best team right now in the NFL.

I mean, they are absolutely deadly. They've outscored their opponents this year by 210 points, 210 points. They spanked the Dolphins 56-19 after they spanked the 49ers in San Fran 33-19 after they spanked the Jaguars on the road 23-7.

They are flying high. And at this point, no one can beat the Ravens. You want to know who's clear-cut the best team in the NFL, who has separated themselves from everybody else? It is the Ravens. And everything went right against the Dolphins.

Take a listen. Lamar will start the drive of the shotgun. Justice Hill to his left. Zay Flowers comes in motion. Lamar, with time, coming deep, looking for Flowers. He's got him open.

It's a Miami 30. Makes the catch. He's to a 20.

Cuts back to the 15. Slipped out of a tackle. Zay Flowers, touchdown Ravens.

That was too fast. 75 yards. And the Ravens extend their lead. That's courtesy of the Ravens Radio Network. And it was 56-19.

And they were very economical. They scored 28 points in the first half, 28 points in the second half. Heck, Tyler Huntley came on, threw a pass, and threw a touchdown. And I just want to thank Lamar Jackson for bringing me a fantasy championship. Congratulations, really? I am a champion. You are the champion. How many teams are in your league? There is 12.

Wow. And Art Martinez is squad. Is it an appropriate name? Did you name your squad appropriately?

Or is it one of those, like, play on words that has, like, a dirty mood kind of thing? No, no. We're called the Rebs. The Rebs. Wow, you're really original, I got to say. Oh, yeah.

If I wanted to, like, pick names or something, you're the guy to come talk to. The Rebs. Thank you. I am a champion.

I will admit it. I'm happy today. Well, congratulations. That's great to hear. And there's some money that comes along with it.

And you can pick Lamar Jackson, the league MVP, right? There's money that supposedly comes along with that. Well, congratulations. Hopefully it's a nice pot of gold. It's 20 bucks.

Each? Or you only win 20 bucks? I hope everybody put in 20 bucks, meaning you're going to win at least a couple hundred bucks.

Yeah, 20 bucks is all I will admit to. Okay, congratulations. Whatever it is, you can imbibe in some quality beer this next couple of weeks.

Oh, yeah. How about that? You're not buying the spot. We're not buying.

We're not going to get the Coors Light. We're going to get Amstel. Oh, you can do better than Amstel. Let me tell you. I was in Amsterdam.

I enjoyed the Amstel there, but I don't mind Amstel Light, but there's better out there. Yeah, there's better. We'll talk about that another time. Oh, yeah. We'll talk about it.

But I'll tell you what. Not only did he win you a fantasy football championship, Lamar Jackson won himself his second league MVP in five years. I don't want to say this, but this is what you call the start of a Hall of Fame career. You win two league MVPs in the first six years of your NFL career. That's Patrick Mahomes-esque, right?

That's legit Hall of Fame stuff. And he's not pretty. I don't think he's a great quarterback.

And what I mean by that is playing the traditional quarterback role, throwing the football. But he has gotten so much better. And then you throw in the fact of his running and his, you know, his elusivity. I mean, he is just such a weapon. This is a guy that continues to impress, continues to lead that team to wins. I mean, John Harbaugh and him are quite the one to punch. And Lamar Jackson does it. Five touchdown passes, Zay Flowers. You know, they finally get him that weapon.

How many years do we sit there and say, oh my goodness. That's got to be one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL, right? And look, Rashad Bateman was a first round pick a couple of years ago. He hasn't really worked out. They went and got Odell Beckham Jr. He was okay.

Nothing spectacular. Last three games against Jacksonville, San Fran, and Miami, he's only caught four passes. It's not like Odell's been a big guy. Zay Flowers has been that guy.

And that defense continues to be just ridiculously great. Justin Madubike, the defensive tackle, 13th sack of the season. Tough for down linemen to get those types of sack numbers, but he did it. Kyle Van Nooy came off the scrap heap.

Off the scrap heap. He's got, what, eight sacks this year? He just put guys in a position to succeed.

That is a great coaching staff, top to bottom with players that just buy into a system. They win games with Mark Andrews out. He's their Pro Bowl tight end. And I got to tell you, I was skeptical of Lamar Jackson when he first stepped foot in this league. I thought, okay, he was a great gimmicky quarterback at Louisville.

Boy, did I eat my words. He is legitimately great. Here's Lamar after the game. We've been an underdog all season, even all season. We like to keep it that way and just keep that on our mindset.

We don't fall into the narratives of things changing. Just last week, we were about to get tore up, however they said it. But our team, we take that to heart and we go out there and play football. And that's what we're supposed to do. We can't go out there thinking, since we're the favorite team, just going to bow down and just play how we want them to play.

You got to go take it. And that's what we do. I love that they continue to thrive on that underdog status. Earth to Lamar, you're not the underdog anymore. You are far and away the best team in the NFL. Hands down, bar none, no discussion. It's not even an argument. I can't even sit here and try to make an argument against that statement.

You can't. They are the best team in the NFL, period. Not the Niners, they destroyed them. Not the Cowboys, not anybody. Not the Raiders? Not the Raiders, and another year of no postseason for the Raiders. Sorry, Art.

But it's the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson. They are just such a well-run organization, a finely tuned machine. They're like German engineering, right? Like everything just works.

It's just beautifully done. Hey, I'm a Ford fan. You are, exactly.

But if you can afford it, you can have that Beamer or that Mercedes, just finely tuned, just works of art. Okay? No pun intended, by the way. You like that, right? Works of art? I like that.

There you go, Art. I mean, they are just so good. And Lamar is that good. And I never, I didn't see it coming.

I really didn't. When the Ravens traded back into the first round to draft Lamar Jackson at last pick of the first round, I thought, you know, they're just kind of living off the hype of a Heisman Trophy winner. Boy, was I wrong, because he's clearly the best quarterback in the... Well, yeah, I think he's better than Josh, you know, he's better than Josh Allen at this point. The only quarterback that has any sort of claim to being the best in that draft is Josh Allen. And right now, I think most people take Lamar Jackson over Josh Allen. He wins more. And you can't say he's got more talent around him. He just wins more.

Highly impressive. Rivalry matchup coming up week 18. It is the Ravens and the Steelers. And why do I bring that up? Because if you're trying to get tickets to that, I'm sure you've had some frustrating experiences buying tickets, okay? Couldn't find last-minute tickets. No good deals. You weren't sure if the seats were any good.

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Download Game Time today, last-minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Alright, we are going to talk more NFL. Howard Balzer covers the Cardinals.

They beat the Eagles. He's also a Hall of Fame selector. Co-host of weekly Hall of Fame radio show, Sirius XM NFL Radio. A lot going on.

Howard Balzer's going to break down what we just witnessed in week 17 of the NFL season. Just turned away on a New Year's Monday. First show of the year. Honored to be here. Dan Schwartzman, in for Rich.

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Visit prizepix.com for restrictions and details. Take the lead, 34 to 31 with 32 seconds to go in the game. That is courtesy of the Cardinals Radio Network.

It is New Year's Day, 2024. Dan Schwartzman in for Rich on the Rich Eisen Show. The Eagles collapse continues, now losers of four out of the last five.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens have just distanced themselves from the rest of the field as the best team in the NFL. Howard Balzer, Cardinals NFL reporter for PHNX, Hall of Fame selector as well. He's a co-host of weekly Hall of Fame radio show on Sirius XM NFL radio.

In fact, he pretty much does everything out there. Joins us here on the show. Howard, happy New Year's. Well, same to you and of course same to all those out in listener land as we've turned the page on yet another year. This one went by fast. Don't we say that every year, Howard?

I mean, this one really felt like it went fast. Well, the NFL season always goes by fast and I always say at the beginning of the year, we wait so long for the season to come around and it's finally there and everybody's all psyched and I say in about eight or nine weeks, we're going to be snapping our fingers in eight or nine weeks saying I can't believe this season's half over and here we are one week away from the regular season being over. But I'll also pass along this bit of wisdom from Warren Sapp. I'll never forget this and I've repeated this many times.

I was doing a show for Sirius for the Hall of Fame at Hall of Fame weekend several years ago and we were interviewing Warren Sapp who had been enshrined about, I think it was six or seven years before and I said to him, pretty amazing. It's been six or seven years already. Time really flies, doesn't it? So he looks at me and he says, well, I've always said that days drag, years fly and decades zoom. Yeah. And the more you think about it, I said, man, he is totally right.

So that's kind of just the way it is. You know, I sit there, I'm 45. I remember my 20s, man. Those went by quick, you're right. The decades do end up going. Warren's genius, man. That's deep and very true to say the least, Howard.

But I'll tell you what, you're right. This season has flown by, man. Week 18 coming up next. Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles losers are four out of five. This was a team that was ten and one. This was a team that was coming off wins over the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Bills in back-to-back weeks. The hiccup against the 49ers. Okay, they're going to regroup against Dallas. Well, they've never regrouped since. What has happened? Watching this team, Howard, what do you feel has been the culprit for this massive collapse?

It's never one thing. And of course, certainly so much of the focus has been on the defense, especially because it hasn't played well. And because of the change a few weeks ago by going away from Sean Desai as a defensive coordinator and saying he is the coordinator but won't be calling the defenses and installing Matt Patricia in that spot. But they also lost a lot of talent on that defense in free agency.

And I'm not so sure that they replaced it. Certainly, offensively, they're still a pretty darn good team, but they just don't seem to have the same rhythm that they've had. But I'll tell you something, you always wonder about this and you look at the way Kansas City is kind of slogging to the end of their regular season. Here's two teams that are in the Super Bowl and two teams that, those are long seasons, not only in games and physically but mentally when you go through all that. And then before you know it, you're into your offseason program. And I wonder, when you get to the end of the next season especially, how much that begins to wear on guys.

I'm sure they'll deny it. But you definitely wonder if that's a part of it. But obviously they're in a tough spot right now going into the final week of the season. And likely that when it looked like they were going to be the number one seed a month ago, that they're probably going to be a wildcard team in the playoffs. Yeah, as crazy as that sounds, because they did look like they were going to be a number one seed, the best team in the NFC.

Excuse me, clearly the best team though in the NFL has to be the Baltimore Ravens. You know, Lamar Jackson, when he came out of Louisville, I didn't know what he was. You know, gimmicky quarterback, awesome college career Heisman Trophy. Not sure it translates to the NFL.

First year I'm like, okay, yeah, not really translating so well. Second year, of course, he wins the MVP. Now it looks like he's going to win his second MVP in five years. You know, there's talent there. They finally get him a receiver, Zay Jones, who is really just incredibly talented. But how much of this is coaching? Because they are, you know, John Harbaugh has won a lot of games. You have really just great coaches. You know, his coaching tree is just a bunch of, you know, talent. How much do you attribute to just what he's done there with the Ravens and the consistency over the decade plus? Well, there's no doubt that he's a huge part of it, being there as long as he has. But again, it's like anything, it's never one thing. When you're losing, everyone points to the quarterback or the offensive play caller, because a lot of times when you lose generally in the NFL, it's because of inconsistent offense.

But there's always a myriad of reasons for winning envelopes. And with the Ravens, the first thing I point to is just the overall organization and their approach, the way they do things, the way they acquire talent. And when they lose players, they're able to replace them, whether it's in the draft or however it might be. Some thought that when Ozzie Newsome stepped away as general manager, maybe it would be different. But Eric DaCosta stepped in and done an excellent job. And obviously the consistency of Harbaugh has been a big factor. Of course, they changed the offensive coordinator this year, and that's something he hasn't done a whole lot in his past. That seems to have energized that team along with the added talent at receiver.

And hey, several weeks ago when Mark was a little longer than several weeks, but whenever it was that Mark Andrews was lost, I thought, oh, boy, that's going to be a tough one for the Ravens to be the team that they want to be. And they seem to be getting better as the year goes on. Key for them is Lamar Jackson has stayed healthy coming down the stretch, and now they're going to have to prove it in the playoffs. And are they the best team in the league by a long shot? I still, and I'm sure everyone wonders, was the game against the 49ers kind of a one-off, just one of those games that got out of hand and Brock Purdy threw interceptions and they just lost control of it.

I think it would be great theater if those two teams met again in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas and see how different it might be, because I think it's pretty darn close still between those two teams as the best. But what Jackson can do on offense that so many, most players can't, with improving throwing, running the football, obviously, and the keys the last two seasons, he was hurt at the end of both seasons, and that was a big factor in why it took so long to get a new contract done. He stayed healthy this year, and it's obviously showing up for them as they head to the postseason. Howard Balzer joining us on the Rich Eisen Show.

Dan Schwartzman in for Rich on this New Year's Day. And you mentioned the 49ers game where they dominated. Brock Purdy throws four interceptions, and you say, okay, the Ravens are the best team in the NFL. And then they destroyed a pretty good Dolphins team, 56-19, scoring 28 points in each half.

That, to me, just kind of cemented it, right? Like, okay, yeah, they're really good, but now you look at it, and I do think there is a little bit of room between them and the 49ers, and then everybody else, I think, kind of follows those two teams. But how surprised, I mean, the Dolphins are good, and two is really good, and they have a lot of talent. Were you surprised at how they just made it look easy to dominate like that?

No, I was. I was how easy it was. And let's remember, too, the game against the 49ers was still, even with some interceptions in the first half, was close at halftime. But those really good teams, like the Ravens, they don't take the foot off the gas pedal in the second half. And that's what they were able to do in that game. They were able to do it against Miami and make sure that there was no comeback there. Same with the 49ers. You look at the second half scoring, and they just dominate teams in the second half.

So you never know when a game's going to get out of hand in the NFL, but obviously, yesterday's did. And so, yeah, I mean, they're the favorite. There's no doubt they're the team that everyone believes will do it. And I wondered, Dan, if there's any team in the AFC that is really good enough to challenge them in the postseason. I mean, it's not Kansas City right now.

I think everyone would agree to that. The AFC South, the AFC South. And then you have, you know, everyone's saying Buffalo is the team to watch, especially if they can win this division against Miami next week and have a home game at least week one. But you still look at these other teams, and you say, boy, how are they going to match up against that Ravens team?

And it's tough to see it. So that's why it'll be very intriguing if, in fact, the Ravens do what everyone expects them to do to see who it is they face in that Super Bowl. Because you also look at the NFC, and you say, well, who's really good enough to knock off the 49ers? You know, maybe the Cowboys are the way they're playing now, but I'm not so sure that they're on that same level. And we know anything can happen in one game in the NFL. That's what makes the postseason so much fun. But those two are the class of the league right now, as you point out. And I know I'm sure a lot of people are pointing towards that Super Bowl and saying, boy, that would be an incredible rematch. Absolutely, and a revenge factor for the 49ers. You mentioned the Chiefs, and they've struggled. They're 10-6. And there are clearly some holes on that team.

Travis Kelce has not played well since Taylor Swift seemingly showed up. You have the situation with wide receivers not being able to hold on to the football, clearly frustrating for Patrick Mahomes. On the other side, though, is they've been so successful. And I just wonder, though, yes, they're not the same team in terms of what we're watching from previous years, but, Howard, could there just be some boredom involved?

And what I mean by that is this. AFC West as a whole isn't very good, we know that. The Chiefs are the cream of the crop. They kind of sleepwalk through the regular season here, and they know they can just kind of turn the light switch on in the postseason because they played so many postseason games in the Patrick Mahomes era. Am I kind of overthinking this, or is there that possibility of that, considering Andy Reid's a legendary all-time great head coach? Patrick Mahomes is on his way to being an all-time great quarterback. They just seem to be making too many mental mistakes and having too many issues for me to believe that this is really what this team is, considering they're coming off a Super Bowl win.

No, you're right. You know, all those are good points. I mean, you look at yesterday's game where they needed the win to win the division and cement their playoff spot, and it wasn't pretty against the Bengals and a backup quarterback, so I don't know that you can just all of a sudden turn things on. Now, granted, the focus is hyperfocus in the postseason.

There's no doubt about it. But the thing you wonder about is this team just not as good on offense. And you mentioned Kelce. There were some injuries early in the season. He's, what, 33, 34 years old.

He's not the same guy. You know, the receivers can make plays here and there, but they're not consistent. And I think a big factor, too, is the offensive line. The offensive line isn't as good as it was last season.

Heck, we saw that team in the Super Bowl a few years ago against Tampa Bay when they didn't have their two starting tackles, and Patrick Mahomes was running for his life in that game, and it was a blowout. So I think all those things on offense have conspired to make them just, you know, good enough to win some games, but not as good as they've been. And so what does that mean for the postseason? I mean, that's the question. I mean, who else is really good in the ASC, as I was noting earlier, except for the Ravens?

You're not really sure, but I think this. You wouldn't be surprised by anyone they'll beat in the postseason, maybe, except for the Ravens, but you also wouldn't be surprised that they lost to a team. Hey, a few years ago, when Cleveland made the playoffs, the Browns, when Baker Mayfield was there, gave them a run for their money in the playoff game. So I think sometimes we get this thought on our head that the teams that won and won at all were just absolutely dominant the whole way.

But a lot of times you start looking at individual games and that's not the case. And what's interesting about the whole narrative around the Eagles and Jonathan Gannon going back there and all the people blaming him for that loss in the Super Bowl last year in the second half, well, the Chiefs did the same thing to the 49ers a few years before that. They were losing going into the fourth quarter and the defense couldn't stop Patrick Mahomes and the offense pulled one out. So I think that's what everyone thinks with the Chiefs. Oh, they're going to find a way to pull it out.

And a lot of times they do, but we'll see. Maybe this year won't be the year that they're able to do it. Cardinals NFL reporter for PHNX Hall of Fame selector Howard Balzer joining us here on the Rich Eisen Show. Dan Schwartzman in for Rich. The Chicago Bears have a serious decision to make. They've gotten the number one pick in the draft courtesy the Carolina Panthers. Justin Fields did look better the last month of the season, but he's kind of a polarizing figure in Chicago. This is considered one of the deepest quarterback drafts really in a long time. Howard, if you were the GM of this team, are you sticking with Justin Fields, trying to deal that number one pick, which is incredibly valuable this year because of the quarterback class, and adding talent around him? Or are you actually thinking of Drake May slash Caleb Williams and, you know, and dealing Justin Fields out there for a second round pick or a second and a fourth and starting over?

What are you doing? I would keep him. And there's been the same debate here in Arizona about Kyler Murray. I'd say the same thing there. I don't care how elite and how generational everybody says the quarterbacks are coming into the NFL last year.

Are you here? We don't know if that's truly going to be the case. You just never know. I mean, there's a five-year period from 2014 to 2018. You're looking from 2019 on, and it's still a little too early to make real judgments. In that five-year period, there were seven quarterbacks selected in the top three of the draft, and none of them are with their original team, and only one is starting, and that's Jared Goff in Detroit. So we hear it every year.

Oh, this is the year for the court. Well, and, you know, they might work out. But if you have a guy who's playing the way he has and he's really started to click with D.J. Moore, who they got in that trade last year when they traded out of number one, Fields has really done a nice job with him.

Since he's come back from his injury, they've played winning football, and so it's a better football team. So to me, I hang on to it and see what you can do it again. Trade out of number one and get as many picks, maybe a player, who knows, and just keep improving the team around him, because when you have a guy that is capable, then stick with him. Now, granted, they're going to have a decision to make. If they keep them, they're going to have a decision to make, and they, about a fifth-year option.

And then the second contract is right around the corner. But the way this cap goes up, there's plenty of teams paying quarterbacks a whole lot of money and still find ways to build the roster around them. And to me, that's what I would do if I'm the Bears, because you seem to be on a nice path, and you never know what you're going to get with a new quarterback, and you certainly won't get, you know, the picks that you can get in trade that will help make your team even better.

Last thing, Howard, you mentioned the Carolina Panthers. They trade up last year to get the number one pick. Bryce Young has not worked out at least in year one, but incredibly talented quarterback at Alabama, no question about that. Ironically, they would have had the first pick this year, and, you know, things would have shaped out differently, potentially, you know, last year if they stuck with pick number nine. That said, though, you think there's some regret considering they would have had an opportunity at one of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft, and many believe this is a better class than last year. Yeah, there could be. There's no doubt that there could be now if they had gone with C.J.

Stroud, for example. Would it have been much different? Would he have played there the way he has played in Houston? Obviously, there's never answers to those questions, and they'll never admit that they regret it, but now as they look to hire a new coach, now they've got to find a coach who feels that Bryce Young is the guy to build around, and that might not be slam dunk because of his size. He's got ability. There's no doubt about it, but the big question about him was his size, and so that's, you know, and you're dealing, as we see, with an owner who is quite emotional, quite knee-jerk, and you just wonder, you know, about everything, every decision that goes on with that franchise, and so now, like you said, no first-round pick and the worst record in the NFL, and how are they going to build around what they have, and that's going to be a tough one, you know, for them to accomplish. No question about it. What a mess it is, and David Temper throwing a drink on Jacksonville Jaguar fans.

I'm going to get to that next segment because it's just utterly ridiculous. Howard Balzer, Cardinals NFL reporter for PHNX Hall of Fame selector, co-host of weekly Hall of Fame radio show, Sirius XM NFL radio, Lindy's Pro Football Preview magazine as well. Howard, I hope 2024 is the best year for you in the family, my friend. Always appreciate you hopping on the show. My pleasure, man. Take care. Same to you and your family as well.

Take care. Thank you so much, Howard. Awesome stuff from Howard Balzer as well. We'll get to David Temper and what he did this weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguar fan base from his owner's box. But first, remember, stream the NFL on Westwood One for free, sponsored by AutoZone all season long. You can listen to every Westwood One broadcast of the NFL Live on the NFL app by asking Alexa to open WWO Sports or on your Westwood One affiliate station's digital platforms.

That's right. Stream Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner, and Rich Eisen all season long for free and get in the zone with AutoZone. The free AutoZone fix finder service can help you find a fix for free. Get in the zone, AutoZone restrictions apply. All right, more NFL talk coming up next. Dan Schwartzman in for Rich right here. New Year's Day, The Rich Eisen Show. Welcome to Talkville, the ultimate Smallville rewatch podcast. Karen, what you got?

Hi, guys. Karen Appelmann from Australia with a quick question for season three talisman. That knife wound was so powerful. Tom, what was it like to do that scene with John as your director? It's great that I was with those people because when your eyes are closed and someone is supposed to going to stab you in the chest, you have to really trust that they're not going to hurt you. So I was in good hands with John.

Jump in now or catch up on any of the past seasons of Talkville on YouTube or wherever you listen. . Shotgun for C.J. Besser. Tossed to the right to Travis Etienne. Got a little bit of a block. 40, 45, pull on the right sideline.

40, 35, 30, 25. Travis Etienne still on his feet. Travis Etienne to the goal line. Touchdown Travis Etienne. An explosive run and the first touchdown of the game for the Jaguars. . That is courtesy of the Jaguars Radio Network. Travis Etienne, that 62-yard touchdown run, finishes with 102 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.

And he's 49 yards shy of his second 1,000-yard season in a row, the former first-round pick out of Clemson. And the Jaguars dominate the Carolina, excuse me, the Carolina Panthers 26-0. Carolina 2-14, 0-9 away from home. Bryce Young, just another miserable game finishing the season.

One more game to go, but it's probably not going to be pretty as well. He's going to have a miserable rookie year as the number-one overall draft pick. And what's really kind of hurting is the fact that the guy drafted right after him in C.J.

Stroud from Ohio State has led a Houston Texans team to a 9-7 record and statistically he has been, not even just statistically, just watching him, he has been head and shoulders better than Bryce Young. And for Carolina, they would have had the first pick this year, but they don't have it. The Bears have it because they had moved up last year to draft Bryce Young. They gave up pick number nine, number 60 I think. They gave up D.J. Moore, a top-wide receiver.

They gave up the first-round pick this year and they have a lot to move up. Big mistake, big mistake. Yeah, big mistake. Now if Bryce Young had worked out, things would be different. We wouldn't be saying it's a big mistake, right?

We would have said, oh no, that's a great move. It's worked out wonders for them. They got their franchise quarterback.

You know, they went from Cam Newton, had some lean years, and now it's, you know, Bryce Young is supposed to be the guy to take them to the promised land. But not just a 26-0 loss. It ends Carolina's streak of 342 games without being shut out. That goes all the way back to 2002. So what happened was there is video on social media of owner David Tepper throwing a drink. You can't make this stuff up. Video of him throwing a drink in the direction of Jaguars fans at Everbank Stadium.

He has one of those open-air suites. It's pretty comical. You don't, you know, expect this to happen. The NFL says they're aware of the video.

They have no further comment yet regarding it. But David Tepper, since buying this team for a then-record $2.75 billion back in 2018, he's commandeered six straight losing seasons. He's fired three head coaches in season since 2019. Remember, Frank Wright got fired this season. Matt Ruhle got fired after five games last season. He's paying out a ton of money for coaches not actually coaching for him. He's like George Steinbrenner but without any success. Right? That's probably the best way to put it.

He's Steinbrenner without any success. And you can't be throwing drinks on fans. People are gonna talk smack, okay? People will talk smack. I don't condone that, but you have idiots everywhere. People are gonna talk smack. Oh, especially when they've had drinks in them.

Absolutely. And their team is destroying your team. They're destroying your team.

They're gonna talk smack. And you're the owner. Do you really have to react?

Like, when you have a multi-gajillion-square-foot mansion, billions of dollars in your bank account, you're uber-successful. Do you need to stoop to levels of hecklers and throw drinks at them? I mean, think about that. You know, here's a funny thing, Art.

The ultimate comeback for David Tepper on fans possibly talking smack to him is, just look around. I own this place. I own an NFL team.

I am a billionaire with a B. I just paid money that went into my pocket to come watch this. That's not what I would do. You want to hear what I would do? You throw a drink? No. Send them drinks? No. You know, my bodyguards. I'd get them to do it.

So, plausible deniability, right? My big goon bodyguards? Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Go get them. You've hired Robert Gallery? Is that what you're saying?

Robert Gallery, absolutely. Go get them. Go get them. Go get those guys. I didn't tell you anything. I don't know who you are.

Go get them. Exactly. Plausible deniability.

Plausible deniability. But honestly, right? Art, you think about it. The greatest comeback you have is, I own this. You're sitting in a stadium watching a team.

Yeah, we might stink, but I own this. Your weekly paycheck, I make it a millisecond. Like, seriously, right?

Or your yearly paycheck, I make it a millisecond. Like, why would he stoop? I don't understand that. Like, control your emotions, man.

He's had too many drinks. Right, you have the whole world literally at your fingertips. Like, you know, bills don't concern you. When that electric bill comes, you don't care.

You don't even see it. It doesn't dent your bank account. You never have to decide, am I going to pay this bill or that bill to make ends meet this month, right? It doesn't have any bills. He doesn't have any. Whatever bill he has, some accountant pays it anyway. He doesn't ever see that bill. It doesn't go to his house addressed to him. Hey, honey, we just got the electric bill.

You want to send a check or should I go online and pay it? It doesn't work like that when you're a billionaire. At least I don't think it does. I wouldn't know. I'm not a billionaire. I'm not a millionaire.

I have no idea how this works. I just kind of assume, Art, that you don't actually get a bill in the mail and you say, oh, hey, honey, we got to go pay this quarterly bill, you know? Exactly. It'd be kind of funny, right?

His wife's like, hey, honey, we just got the electric bill. I got to tell you, we're $100 more than last month. We got to curtail this a little bit.

Yeah, exactly. Like, what are you doing? Are you watching too much TV on the projector downstairs?

Come on. Your electric bill is $2,000 this month. Honey, how are we going to afford that? And buy Christmas gifts. And keep paying for your crappy football team that can't win games.

Honey, I think this habit, I think this hobby of yours isn't working out. Like, you've been at the head of a team that has lost losing season six straight years. You need to sell. Please sell. You know what?

That's next. Like, I'm a jet fan, and people like Woody Johnson sell the team. It's only a matter of time for Carolina Panthers the fans are going to show up trash bag, you know, paper bag over their head, saying, sell this team, please.

Spares this misery of what's happening. College football playoffs get underway today. Kickoff in a little over four hours. Michigan, Alabama, the Rose Bowl, Texas and Washington, the Sugar Bowl.

Man, finally. We've had bowl season for a month. Now we get the marquee matchups. Matt Fortuna, founder of the Inside Zone, college football's newest online community, is going to join us. We're going to break down these games. Get his picks. That's coming up hour two. The Rich Eisen Show.

Dan Schwartzman in for Rich on New Year's Day. or search for Give Them Lala wherever you listen.