Browns Running To Playoffs? (Hour 1)

Hey guys, Mike Valenny for Cash the Ticket Podcast. If you like sports betting or if you just like sports, it's the podcast for you. We try to cover all the big games and maybe some of the games you didn't even know were important.

Give you some angles, pick some winners, have a good time, and hopefully help you meander through college and pro football season. So join us a couple times a week to get all your information you need to bet the games that you watch. It's Cash the Ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey guys, Mike Valenny for Cash the Ticket Podcast. If you like sports betting or if you just like sports, it's the podcast for you. We try to cover all the big games and maybe some of the games you didn't even know were important. Give you some angles, pick some winners, have a good time, and hopefully help you meander through college and pro football season. So join us a couple times a week to get all your information you need to bet the games that you watch. It's Cash the Ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from the police show yet not overly ostentatious, studios of CBS Sports Radio here in beautiful New York City sitting on top of the 10th floor 345 Hudson Street. It's a football Friday edition of the Zach Gelb show coast to coast across all of our great local CBS Sports Radio affiliates Sirius XM channel 158 and that free Odyssey app 855-212-4CBS I'm going to jump on in 855-212-4227. And you can always get at me on Instagram where I'm straight flexing or via the good ol' cesspool of Twitter at Zach Gelb.

That's Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. We are coming to you live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios on this football Friday and whether you're looking to purchase a new home or refinance yours, Rocket Mortgage can help you get there for home-owned solutions that fit your life. Well, Rocket can coming up two hours from now at 8 p.m. Eastern 5 Pacific. Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman also played his college ball at Tennessee. Big matchup this weekend between Tennessee and Florida. So we'll see if Rocky Top will be sung after the game in a happy way.

And that of course is Ramon Foster. And then at 9 20 p.m. Eastern 6 20 p.m. Pacific in his weekly spot each and every football Friday on the Zach Gelb show doing NFL picks as Jersey Jerry from Barstool Sports. But first up, and producing this extravaganza for the next four hours is no other than Hot Day Kiki.

Hot Day Kiki. Alrighty, let's get to the game last night and we will preview all the Week 3 action for this weekend which does feature some big games with Josh Allen going up against Tuatunga Vailoa, Tom Brady hosting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. But the Cleveland Browns last night, when you wanted to see how they were going to respond because this was going to be a big moment in the Cleveland Browns season even though it's in the early stages, they survived Week 1 based off the Kate York field goal, then in Week 2 they should have won up 13 points with a little under 90 seconds to go and they just had a complete and utter collapse choke job up against the New York Jets. So, if the Browns would have lost last night, you would have had the feeling that Jacoby Bercette and this Browns team was not going to be able to weather the storm until Deshaun Watson comes back which would be all the way in December on December 4th in Houston up against the Texans. But last night, the Cleveland Browns, Jacoby Bercette had a very good game, Nick Chubb has had a wonderful start to this season, 141 rushing yards in Game 1, 87 in Game 2 and then last night had 113 yards, they showed you that this is a team that could potentially weather the storm until Watson comes back by rebounding and getting to 2-1. Now, could that Jets collapse come back to bite them in the you-know-what at the end of the season? Absolutely, because this is a crowded AFC where we've been talking about it all offseason long and it doesn't necessarily go the way that you talk about it in the offseason, but if you get 10 wins, it's not a lock that you get into the NFL postseason. So this is a Browns team that if they could find a way to go get three more victories, three or four more victories until Watson comes back, then they will have a chance to go make the playoffs this year. If they could be hovering in that range of five and six, six and five, then they will have an opportunity when Watson comes back to go to the postseason.

Now, here's the difficult part. You have a game up against the Falcons next weekend on Sunday, October 2nd. You should win that game. You should get off to a 3-1 start. After that though, this schedule does pick up in intensity. You have Justin Herbert and the Chargers, you have Bill Belichick and the Patriots, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, Biweek at the Dolphins with Tyree Kill to a Tonga Vailoa, Jalen Waddle, then in Buffalo, and then you have Tampa Bay. So I'm wondering, since they have two wins right now and we're going to say at bare minimum they're going to need five to weather this storm, can they get to three more wins? They should be at Atlanta. New England is a winnable game.

And after that, it's not easy. And it's not like the Patriots are a slam dunk. You only have one slam dunk victory on that schedule the rest of the way until Deshaun Watson comes back, and that's the Atlanta Falcons.

That's why that's Jets loss. And I know it's embarrassing, and I know it's a typical Cleveland Browns loss, but that's why that game, and it's only one game, but it's an enormous loss. Because there's not a lot of room for error, and there's not a lot of wiggle room if you are the Cleveland Browns when you're trying to keep this ship from sinking. So we're going to need to see the Cleveland Browns definitely beat Atlanta, definitely beat New England, and if they could do that, then you're sitting with four wins on the season, and you're going to have to find a way to win one more game. And can this team take down the Los Angeles Chargers, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati, Miami, Buffalo, Tampa Bay? I would think you could get one victory there, win one game that you're not supposed to win, but you then also need to take care of business and not blow one up against Atlanta or crumble up against the Pats. Because when you look at this roster, the Browns have a very good roster. They have a tremendous offensive line, Nick Chubb is an excellent running back, Kareem Hunt is unbelievable, good one-two punch with Chubb and then also Hunt. And you have Amari Cooper, where you basically got Amari Cooper for nothing.

You know, I see these tweets all the time because I used to live in Philadelphia. Howie Roseman got more back for Jalen Rager than what the Dallas Cowboys got back for Amari Cooper, which is like mind-boggling. Because Amari Cooper, not that he's a true number one wide receiver in this league, but I wouldn't call him a number two.

He's like one of those in-betweeners, where some weeks he looks like a number one wide receiver, then other weeks he looks like closer to a two, and then there are some times in a big spot, in a big moment. As we saw in Dallas, I remember that game specifically up against Philadelphia all those years ago, where he's on the sideline, not being able to get onto the field, and he's just kind of a no-show. But this is a Browns roster that didn't even have Genevion Clowney last night. They are a good defense, led by Myles Garrett. We know what they have in the secondary, and when you look at this offense, you have the pieces to set Jacoby Bressett up to be a game manager. And Jacoby Bressett was a little bit more than a game manager last night. But when Nick Chubb is going to have maybe his best season of his career, you have Kareem Hunt trying to play for a new contract, and there's motivation there, and he didn't want to be on Cleveland this year, he was trying to get that new deal done.

And you have a wide receiver, who's a really good wide receiver in Amari Cooper, there should be enough pieces to weather this storm. But still, whenever you expect Cleveland to do something, unfortunately, nine times out of ten the opposite happens. And I've been burnt by that. The Freddie kitchens year, I thought they were going to do the playoffs.

I was wrong. Then I doubled down, they got to the playoffs the following year. But last year, it all just unfolded for the Cleveland Browns, and then this offseason, we all know the move, we don't need to rehash it, and go on and out there and getting Deshaun Watson.

So I was very skeptical going into the year if Cleveland could weather the storm. They should be 3-0, they're not. But most likely through four weeks of the football season, they'll be sitting at 3-1. And if you're sitting at 3-1, then you're going to look from a stretch of week 5 all the way up to week 12, where I'm only asking you to go get two more victories. It's not an easy schedule. We've discussed that. But if you beat the teams you're supposed to beat, Atlanta and New England, you then should be able to find a way to pull off an upset against one of the other remaining teams before Watson gets back.

And let's be clear about this. When Watson gets back, we don't know what Watson's going to be. We don't know how much rust Deshaun Watson has to knock off. Because Watson, as much as I think went healthy, and then also when allowed to play football with all the things that happened off the field, we know Watson, the actual football player, separate Watson the human being and Watson the football player for this conversation. I know it's tough to do, but Watson the football player is a top 10 quarterback in this league. Remember, he led the league in passing yards the last time we saw him on a football field for a full season, and that was without DeAndre Hopkins. Brandon Cook's a nice wide receiver, but not many people would probably lead the league in passing with Brandon Cooks as their number one wide receiver, and David Johnson being in that backfield for the Houston Texans, and there was a lot of friction in that organization with the downfall of one Bill O'Brien.

But if you could just get in that five and six, six and five category, you then set yourself up to go get in that 10 or 11 win range. It's important if you get to six, it's ideal because then you could suffer a loss that you don't need, but if you just get to five and you go take care of business with that schedule after Tampa Bay, when Watson comes back, you have one, two, three, four, five, six games. So if you find the way to go five and one, which is not going to be easy for a guy that hasn't played football in two years, but you have a good team, you have a good running back, you have a stud wide receiver, you know, you got pieces there, you could be in the playoffs, because after the suspension, it's the Texans, that should be a win, Cincinnati, let's just say they split this year, Baltimore, you should be able to split with Baltimore, you play them twice. And then you end the year with New Orleans, who I don't love, the commanders, who I don't love, and the Steelers, who, who knows what they're going to be at that point, you would expect that Kenny Pickett in the last game of the season would still be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and you'd be many weeks into the benching of Mitch Truboski. So going into the year when they were rocking and rolling with Jacoby Brissett, I did not anticipate the Browns to make the playoffs, even though it was awful last week in the choke job of the Cleveland Browns up against the Jets, I would say after three weeks, I'm not ready to jump all in and tell you, here we go, Brownies, here we go, hoo, hoo, not ready to do that, I'm not ready to tell you that it's a guarantee the Browns are going to make the playoffs, but I'm more inclined to thinking there is a chance, and a realistic chance, that one of these seven teams in the AFC this year could be the Cleveland Browns.

Hatte Kicke, what about you? It's a tough road the rest of the way, but can you see this team getting to five or six wins before Deshaun Watson comes back on December 4th up against the Houston Texans? I'm still not there yet, I've got to see them either compete and or beat one of these better teams first before we kind of start talking about playoffs because Carolina, they were even, I thought they'd lose that game, to their credit they won it.

And Carolina got off to a dreadful start in that first half. They absolutely did, the Jets should have won, you did not, and obviously the Steelers yesterday without TJ Watson going against an offense such as anemic, you should have won that game, and the Falcons are one of the worst teams, but like you said, when you're going against, you know, pretty soon the Chargers and the Bengals and the Ravens, how you compete against those teams, that's when I'll really make my determination this is actually a playoff contender or not. Well let me just ask you this, you do agree they have to get to five or six wins, right? Yes, before Watson comes back, yes. Will they beat Atlanta do you think?

Yes. Do you think they'll beat New England? Should beat them. Okay, so let's just say they get those two. Are they really going to lose every game against these tough teams?

Because you have to think about it the other way. It's a very tough game stretch. But how many times do we see a team that we always think is going to win one week, and then maybe one of their quarterbacks don't perform to the abilities that they should, or you have an offensive line issue, you know, maybe Herbert has a bad game, maybe Joe Burrow, I don't think this is a stretch, doesn't get the protection when going up against Myles Garrett and Ja'Davion Clowney, maybe that's one of the weeks where Tuatunga Vailoa is throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. So it's clear they gotta beat Atlanta and New England. If they don't beat both Atlanta and New England, this conversation is probably dunzo, but if they beat Atlanta and New England, and they get to four wins on the season, and I know you have the Chargers sandwiched in between, you should be able to find one victory, one, against Baltimore, Cincinnati, Miami, Buffalo, and Tampa, and you better get one of those with Baltimore, Cincinnati, or Miami, because I would not anticipate it coming. Against Buffalo or Tampa before Watson does come back. Do you think the NFL wants Watson in the playoffs this year? Because this could shape up to them getting five wins, six wins, before Watson comes back, and if Watson, let's say, right out of the gate, is back to being Watson, or him knocking off the rust doesn't take as long as we think it's going to be, and they're still handing the ball off to Chubb a lot, and Chubb is having a monster season, do you think the NFL at all? Who had this agreement, and they settled with Watson to make it in an 11 game suspension, do you think the NFL would be okay with Watson being in the playoffs?

No. I don't think they're rooting for him to make the playoffs this year. I hate to say it, I think they want to see Watson in the playoffs.

Now, it's a lot of bad PR, but there's always going to be a lot of eyeballs on those games, no doubt about it. I think the NFL has showed you, they don't really care about the bad PR, because they always find a way to survive it. Now, I don't think they want Watson in a Super Bowl, but Watson and the Browns in the postseason, I don't think they care. Because the NFL, they could tell you they cared about what happened in the Sean Watson situation, if that was the case, Roger Goodell should have stuck to his guns. And the way that the CBA was negotiated, and this punishment possibility was negotiated, it was set up in advantage of the NFL, and they wanted a year-long suspension, and then all the way they were okay in accepting the 11 game suspension that eventually did hit the Sean Watson. So since they opened up the opportunity for Watson to come back, they had to think about Watson potentially being on the field, maybe for a playoff game, because it's not like this is the Cleveland Browns of 10 years ago where the roster stinks. Ryan, this is a good Browns roster.

No, you're right. I still think that they would prefer, at least for year number one, to not have that attention on him in the playoffs, because people are going to watch anyway, the playoffs for the NFL. I don't think they need the Sean Watson to drive viewership up. Could you maybe get more viewers of Watson's playing?

I don't know if it necessarily increases the viewership, and I'm not saying that that's like a drama story that you want, because what happened is absolutely awful. I've been abundantly clear about it. I don't think the Sean Watson should be playing football. But down deep with how the NFL is so disingenuous about this stuff, they tell you they care, they don't really, I don't think it would bother them.

That's the way to say it. Maybe they're not rooting for Watson to get in. I don't think they're rooting against Watson to get in, but I think they would be fine with it, because they knew that this was a possibility when they elected to only have Watson, and when it was agreed upon that Watson would only have an 11-game suspension. That's just the way that I think the NFL is going to operate, where they probably don't care one way or another, because they know that the NFL brand survives everything. And if he's in there, I don't think Roger Goodell, even though he may say, hey, he served the suspension, we know what he did was horrific, I don't think Roger Goodell would actually really care.

Because the NFL, for years, on off-the-field issues, they just sweep it under the rug, sweep it under the rug, when they have to suspend someone, they have to suspend someone, and then you get back to the games. I hate to say it, but a lot of times it usually is forgotten. It's important, give you some angles, pick some winners, have a good time, and hopefully help you meander through college and pro football season. So join us a couple times a week to get all your information you need to bet the games that you watch. It's cash the ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Looking for stories about the black community and you don't want to wait until, oh, I don't know, February? Then check out Beyond Black History Month, the podcast that tells inclusive stories year round. Like how today's labor movement is connected to the civil rights movement and why black neighborhoods keep getting hit with water crisis after water crisis.

We're still being charged for water that we can't use. Listen and subscribe to Beyond Black History Month on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. Get the games that you watch. It's cash the ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Viator is the world's leading travel experience marketplace, offering everything from simple tours to extreme adventures and all the niche interesting stuff in between. Extensive options, ease of selection and flexibility at your fingertips help make sure your time is wonderfully spent. Viator is the place to go to book experiences that will create long lasting moments that make lifetime memories. And Viator has over 300,000 bookable experiences to choose from in over 190 countries. In fact, just last year, Viator helped my family put together this amazing adventure on the island of Kona, swimming with the manta rays, trying to avoid the barracudas, whatever your wildest dreams. If you can imagine it, Viator probably has an experience just for you. Download the Viator app now and use code Viator 10 for 10 percent off your first booking in Viator's world of wonderful experiences.

Viator, one site, over 300,000 experiences you'll remember. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show. You can think of O'Reilly Auto Parts, right? Car care needs get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts Football Friday. Welcome Zach Gelb Show, CBS Sports Radio. Miami Dolphins this weekend hosting the Buffalo Bills. Bills are an offensive juggernaut. We know that they are the most well-rounded team through the first two weeks of the NFL season. No Mike Hyde this weekend for the Bills as they're on a short week. Monday night he got banged up, so you won't see Mike Hyde this upcoming Sunday as Buffalo just absolutely destroyed.

It opened up a can of whoop-ass 41 to 7 on the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. This Bills team is unbelievable. Josh Allen right now is playing like he is the best quarterback in the NFL.

And I don't really know how you stop this team right now. Allen looks like a video game with what he's done the last six, seven, eight games. I know there's been a lot of improvement through the last two to three years. Stefan Diggs is playing like a top five receiver right now in the NFL. They didn't even have Gabe Davis last week or to start this week on Monday.

Dawson Knox is a criminally underrated tight end to the National Football League. Buffalo's offensive line led by Deion Dawkins still does not get enough credit. I guess the only somewhat of a flaw you could say with Buffalo because that defense is humming. We know that defense was really good last year, number one defensive league, and they got even better this offseason by bringing in that veteran experience of Von Miller.

Ryan, I guess the only blemish on this Buffalo resume, other than the fact that they haven't done it yet in terms of winning the Super Bowl, but they've been a consistent playoff team the last few years, and I like their coach, Inshaan McDermott, the only blemish maybe on this team is the run game. And it was the same thing last year now. They tried to enhance that run game. Devin Singletary got going late in the season.

Now he's back for another year. They drafted James Cook, Dalvin Cook's brother. I know he fumbled the ball week one, but I think he's going to be a good player in the NFL. But really, their only blemish, and I don't even think it's a terrible flaw because they're not even asking Josh Allen to really run the football right now. And if they need Josh Allen to run the football, we know he could be their battering ram and really bulldoze through defense, even though you don't want to see your franchise quarterback always doing that. But their only little flaw, and I don't think it's a major flaw, is we just still don't know what to expect week in and week out and who's going to step up, if anyone at all, from that run game with the Buffalo Bills. And it is a little concerning because, like you said, the one reliable guy you have to run the ball is Josh Allen. The way Josh Allen's playing right now, I don't want him running the ball a ton. I was a little nervous even after week number one. I thought they were running him a little too often.

Late in the game, went to a blowout. Well, I was a little bit annoyed with him on Monday night. Josh Allen?

Yeah. Because he didn't get in the end zone for you. Yeah, I needed any time rushing touchdown.

Did not provide that. He could have caught it, too, if they wanted to get a little trickery dial it up, Ken Dorsey. Dawson Noce threw a touchdown last year, if I'm not mistaken? I think you're right.

Right? So, I mean, jeez, pull it out of the playbook. Come on. Don't you know when any time touchdown is on the line here? I've got to find something to be critical about when you win a game 41-7. They didn't get the quarterback in the end zone. Fire Ken Dorsey. Bench Josh Allen.

Send a message. That's unacceptable. Yeah, I'm not ready to go that far. Not yet. Not yet. But we'll save those hot takes for the hot take hickey hour tonight on CBS Sports Radio at 3 a.m. Eastern. Perfect.

Ready to go. So, yeah, this Bills team, really, it's just that run game, right? And I don't know. Could they trade for a running back from now until the deadline? Sure. Will James Cook start to take off? He had 53 rushing yards the last week. If he holds on to the football, can you put more on his plate? Absolutely. Devin Singletary usually goes on that four, five, six-week run where he looks really good.

And I like Tim coming out of Florida Atlantic. Is that a pressing concern for you? Like, does that make you shake in your boots and maybe alter your view of this Buffalo's Bills team at all? Not alter my view, but it is a little concerning. Number one, I mean, that's really the only weakness we can really pinpoint.

So it's obviously, you know, that's the one we kind of focus in on when there's not much other flaws around this unit. But again, the concern is more because now that puts more on Josh Allen's plate, which, again, gets me nervous. So that's why he's the franchise quarterback.

When it comes to, I just mean like workflow, like getting extra hits. As someone who watched Angela get beat down, that just always gives me PTSD. Don't get your quarterback. Don't put him in harm's way unnecessarily. And you will do that if you can't establish a run game with any of the running backs you have. That's where the concern for me comes in.

OK, I understand what you're saying. But when you look at all the other elite teams in the league, I would say Buffalo has the least amount of flaws because it's really only one flaw when you look at all the other teams in the NFL. Now, that doesn't mean you're going to go win a Super Bowl. But I trust Buffalo's roster the most compared to any other roster in the NFL. Yeah, I think it's consensus. They came in the best team in the NFL. I think almost everyone would agree with that one.

I would hope so. You never know how fickle people get and then how things just start to move. Like this quickly in the season. A lot of people are writing off Kansas City. Seems like everyone's back in on Kansas City right now to go win that AFC West, especially with the Raiders 0-2, the Broncos, Nathaniel Hackett can't coach himself out of a paper bag. The Chargers game. That Chargers-Chief game last week. And we'll see what happens with Herbert this weekend up against the Jaguars, which I think that game could be close because we just don't know what Herbert is going to actually be able to do with the rib injury. But that Chargers game, I still don't know what the reaction is from Chargers and Chiefs because that type of game in Week 2, a lot of people were praising Herbert for toughening it out, gutting through it, throwing that touchdown pass.

And a lot of people just conveniently forgot about the interception. My takeaway, and I think the Chargers are a heck of a team. I think they're making the playoffs this year. And I think they can win this AFC West, but my takeaway from that Chargers-Chief game to kick off Week 2 was more so, that was a game the Chargers should have won and they didn't.

And even though I think this team is different, it does give you that feeling of, oh, is it the same old Chargers or the Chargers-Chargers again? No, by 10 points. 17-7.

You should have put that game away. And it's almost, I believe the Chargers, but then part of you goes, wait a second, let's see it to believe it. They're good. They should make the playoffs. The question is, can they do damage come postseason time? But for this weekend, Bills and Dolphins, what's a good showing for the Miami Dolphins this weekend? Like, are you expecting the Dolphins to win this game?

Because I don't. No, but with the injuries for Buffalo in the secondary and on defense especially, then covering the number at home would be a good showing. Five points. Yeah, I don't even know if you have to go by covering the number. Because if they lose by a touchdown and it's not, hey, you were trailing by 14 the whole game and then you score a touchdown late. But if you're back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and then Josh Allen just drives down the field in the final 30 seconds and throws a touchdown pass, even if it's no time left, it's six points and then you don't win the cover. And the Buffalo Bills would cover that number of five and a half.

So I just think you have to genuinely keep it within a score throughout the whole game. And I think that would be a good test and a good showing for the Dolphins. The Dolphins the first two weeks of the season, they were the better team compared up against New England. Now, you didn't really see the offense pop the way that you would like to. But you got the win and you've dominated the Patriots recently. And then last week, I think everyone was waiting to just pile onto Miami. Oh, see, Miami's not that good. See, they're a bad team. And that team showed some serious stones in that fourth quarter. And not only that, because everyone's praising Tua, Tua, Tua, Tua with the six passing touchdowns and four in the fourth quarter.

But it shows you how they'll never be out of a game, even when they're getting demolished. Because they could quickly get back in that game in a snap of a finger because they have two guys that have elite speed. Tyreek Hill, we know, is the fastest guy in the NFL or one of the fastest guys in the NFL. And then Jalen Waddle is also an absolute burner. So even if you have a week where, let's say, Tyreek Hill has to miss a game. And yes, does it make it easier to go up against the Dolphins?

Absolutely. But you still have a guy with top-notch speed in Jalen Waddle. So it's not a good formula to continue to play with fire because eventually you'll get burned and go down by that big of a margin.

I'm not saying that. But if you're down by 14 points, you could quickly get back into a game. And you also have to remember your best player on offense, Tyreek Hill, came from an organization that, yes, they have Patrick Mahomes. And we know that Tua Tunga-Viloa is not Patrick Mahomes. But there was a lot of Chiefs games where they shot themselves in the foot early on and they were down.

And then because of that speed of Tyreek Hill, because of the elite play of Patrick Mahomes, because of an elite tight end in Travis Kelce, they were able to get back into those games. Now, is Tua Mahomes? No. Is Giseki Kelce?

No. But Tua can be good. And we know Giseki can be good. And you have Tyreek Hill who's great and Jalen Waddle is a stud wide receiver as well. Jalen Waddle could be a number one wide receiver on a lot of teams in the NFL.

He goes to my team? Oh, I'd be doing cartwheels in the streets. And I can't do a cartwheel.

Unless if I want to break both my ankles and break a leg and then fracture a wrist as well. But you get the point. So I would say, is it possible they win this week Miami? Yeah, it's possible. Do I expect it?

No. You've been, though, abused and tortured the last few years by the Buffalo Bills. If you get blown out this weekend, I think the hype train slows down a little bit. And then it's a reality check for the Miami Dolphins that they're one of those teams that there's a belief level this year.

But I got to see it before I actually believe it, even though they've been impressive through the first two weeks of the season. It is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. And when we come on back, we talk about some teams that are under pressure this weekend.

We'll highlight five games. But first up with the latest CBS Sports Radio update, let's get to the act man who's trying to steal my wallet all throughout this break. It's right there. I have my wallet right next to the microphone. You've got to secure that. You can't trust anyone around here anymore.

I'm speaking about the Dolphins and the Bills. And I see a hand reach over. I go, what the heck is Zach doing? And I try to take my wallet. Well, let me tell you something, action.

I am 28 years old. I don't have cash in my wallet right now. Oh, very nice.

So all you would have got was plastic. What are you using? Venmo these days? Venmo and Zelle?

Is that it? Venmo I use, but it's all like credit cards or I don't even have to, I don't have the carrier in my wallet anymore. Like I went to get my iced coffee today. I just have my phone. You double tap and then boom.

Exactly. You scan on in. So if you want to take my wallet, go ahead.

All I got to do then is just call up, hey, I got to cancel. My credit cards were stolen by some thief, Rich Ackerman. Steal your identity. Hey, I'm Zach Gelb. I don't know if you want to associate yourself as me.

You may get a beer thrown on you in some places. Hey, guys, Mike Valenti for Cash the Ticket podcast. If you like sports betting or if you just like sports, it's the podcast for you. We try to cover all the big games and maybe some of the games you didn't even know were important. Give you some angles, pick some winners, have a good time, and hopefully help you meander through college and pro football season.

So join us a couple times a week to get all your information you need to bet the games that you watch. It's Cash the Ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Looking for stories about the black community and you don't want to wait until, oh, I don't know, February? Then check out Beyond Black History Month, the podcast that tells inclusive stories year round. Like how today's labor movement is connected to the civil rights movement and why black neighborhoods keep getting hit with water crisis after water crisis.

We're still being charged for water that we can't use. Listen and subscribe to Beyond Black History Month on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. Viator has over 300,000 bookable experiences to choose from in over 190 countries. In fact, just last year, Viator helped my family put together this amazing adventure on the island of Kona.

Swimming with the manta rays, trying to avoid the barracudas, whatever your wildest dreams. If you can imagine it, Viator probably has an experience just for you. Download the Viator app now and use code Viator10 for 10% off your first booking in Viator's world of wonderful experiences. Viator, one site over 300,000 experiences you'll remember. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show.

It is the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. Hey, Ryan, I'm just wondering, would you ever try to get me fired? Would you ever try to get me fired?

Would I ever try to get you fired? Absolutely not. Why would I do that? Can I believe you when you say that?

Yes. You think I would do that? No, I think you're a good person.

Okay, I was going to say, if you have any thoughts, then that's concerning. Let's just say you woke up one day and you go, okay, Zach makes too much fun of me for the Indianapolis Cultures being an awful organization. I want to get back at him. I don't know how you would try to get me fired because what you get on the air is basically what you get off the air. Right. So let's say if we had a crappy segment or something and then you just went on a burner and sent it out to a bunch of program directors across the country or something like that, you wouldn't play dirty like that, right? No, I would not. I have a conscience.

Gotcha. So you're not like some of these staffers in the Arizona State football program, allegedly? No.

No, no, no. No, I would not be leaking out secrets to our opponents, if you will. According to The Athletic, an opposing, I guess it was a coach. Now, we don't know who that actually is or someone from the opposition from the teams that were preparing for Arizona State this year, which is not a lot of teams because they've only played a few games so far to start the year. Said that if you wanted information on Arizona State this year, it was very easy to go get, which is so disgraceful.

You know, Herm Edwards, it's weird. I can't say that he was an absolute failure at Arizona State because he did have a few top 25 wins. Now, recruiting wise, in terms of doing it the right way, yeah, he didn't follow the rules, allegedly, and that's been well documented. I don't even think he tried to even know what the rules were from when you read this article by The Athletic.

And it was basically as if he was the CEO, and even though he was the head coach, he was having Antonio Pierce really run that team in which the relationship was kind of described, and eventually he was going to have Antonio Pierce take over for him. But when you go through building a team, and we don't know exactly who it was, could it have been a coach, an assistant coach on Arizona State, could it have been someone that was a booster or someone in the athletic department that had access to the preparation of the Arizona State football team? Sure, we can't pinpoint it and say, oh, it was a positional coach or something like that, but why not just fire the guy right away or get the guy fired right away than trying to do Herm Edwards like that, who happens to be a good dude, and leak out information to go help the opposition, and then you're going to walk back into that facility as a booster, as someone that's in the athletic department, maybe on the athletic staff and administration, or if you are, I don't think it was an assistant coach or something like that, but if it was someone on the coaching staff, how do you then walk into work where people are going to wonder who this is? And yeah, you may be able to keep a straight face, but you're going to screw over the kids like that? That's the thing to me that bugs me, is that someone was trying to screw over the kids here that actually put in the work at the Arizona State football program, if that's true, that they were leaking information to the opposition, right? It shows you they don't care.

It's such a coward move. I would agree. I would agree. And I didn't think about the kids from that perspective, and you're right, that just sucks for them that you are trying to think, oh, we're going to win this game, and you have people undermining you on your own, especially on your own team. Yeah, because I don't think it was a kid that said, oh, bleep Herm Edwards, hey, let's call up whatever school we're playing, and here's the playbook. Right.

Don't think that's the case. Well, remember with the whole Wake Forest, the WikiLeaks that was going on, it was like a team broadcaster, right? I'm pretty sure it was like one of the color analysts or someone that was on the radio team, like a pregame show host or something like that. In terms of this, we don't know who it was, but the fact that that's out there. Now, I wonder the person that is exposing that information and giving that information to the athletic.

Is that to embarrass Arizona State and kind of like offer a defense to Herm Edwards in some way? Or is it just highlighting the true dysfunction that's going on at the program where it's like, this is so bad, you have people on their own side giving away details to try to get them fired? Now, a job is a job. So if they offer you a contract and it's great money, you'll have people that want to take that job. But if I'm a hot commodity, if I'm a young up and coming coach or a coach that's on the rebound and has options, and there's another let's say it's between Arizona State is interested me and let's just say another job, you know, Nebraska or somewhere else.

I would, by default in the tiebreaker, not take the Arizona State job if I had two or three other jobs, because is that going to happen to me two, three years from now? Someone doesn't like the way that I operate my program and then they're going to be leaking things out to the opposition. I don't think that could just end. If I'm in charge of the Arizona State Athletic Department, if I'm the AD, I'm launching an investigation here.

And I need to know what happened and try to dig and maybe you don't want to know, but I got to know if I don't already know. And maybe you do already know that's the case and that's a bigger problem. But if I'm the AD, if I'm the school president, and let's just say it's not them two leaking this information, I got to know who leaked that information. And if that claim is actually backed up with evidence and what was actually being sent, because that person that was leaking that and screwing over the kids should have no part in not only Arizona State athletics, but college athletics period. I would not want that person involved in my program. And I think it's important to find out who it is.

I hope it just doesn't end and it probably does get lost in the shuffle, because let's be real, how many people actually care about Arizona State football? And you already moved on from the coach, so you probably won't find out any more information. But if I'm someone that's a prospective candidate for that job, I would think twice about taking it now after reading that, Ryan. It's tough to feel you're secure when, like I said, there's leaks on the inside and they're still probably there. Yeah, by the way, if I wanted you fired, I would leak something to management.

Oh, thanks. That means a lot. I would never do that. I've been, hey, I've been your- Hope the listeners just see the dynamic here. I'm loyal, others are not.

This is what my father always tells me. I will be your biggest critic, but I'm also your biggest supporter. And I think that's the relationship that I have. I will be the biggest critic of Hot Take Kicki. I will keep you in line, checks and balances like we always say, but you know me, when push comes to shove, I advocate for you. I advocated for you for the weekend overnights. I advocate for you to fill in. Sometimes I don't always get my way because trying to schedule producer here is like the toughest thing in the world for just taking to then come over to this side of the glass and host the show. But I'm a big advocate and a big proponent of Hot Take Kicki.

Some may even say I got to the Colts podcast. Some may say that. Until you're trying to get me fired. Which you submitted a minute ago. That wasn't serious. Oh, here we go. That was a joke.

That was sarcasm fun, right? I wouldn't actually try to get you fired. I wouldn't want to see you lose your job. Trust me, if you did something that I was so so annoyed about, I think it would be better if you had to show up and be held accountable each and every day.

And you would just have to look me in the eyes and know that you tried to screw me over in that type of way. And you'd have to live with your failure and live with that embarrassment and sit eye to eye from me each and every day here on CBS Sports Radio. Anyway, when we get to five matchups this weekend, let's just identify one person, one unit, one coach that's under pressure.

Rams Cardinals. I think Matthew Stafford's under some pressure. Sure, he just won a Super Bowl. Sure, he's not going anywhere. But the first two games, he hasn't played well.

And we know in this offseason with the whole elbow injury, it was fishy there. I think Matthew Stafford's under pressure this weekend to play a good game because they should win this game up against the Cardinals. I'll go cards O-line. Last time these two teams met, the Rams. Not Kyler Murray! No, because the Rams defensive line just ate up that Cardinals offensive line. So if you have any sort of protection from Murray, any sort of chance, you have to give him time.

Start to that front five. So expect a big weekend from our BFF, Mr. Dr. Teals, right? Yes.

Oh yeah. He usually plays well. Eagles and Commanders, pressure on Carson Wentz.

Everyone's going nuts with that our Commander stance. He's got seven touchdowns. He just lost to the Detroit Lions.

You're one on one. You're going up against your old team. You can't be the reason why you lose this game. Wentz is under a lot of pressure this week. I'll say Commander's defensive line. Their defense right now stinks. Keep Jalen Hurts in the pocket and try to limit one of his threats, which is running the ball. Bengals and Jets. This is a can't lose game.

You got to have it. Must win. Whatever you want to call it for the Cincinnati Bengals. Their offensive line has to find a way to actually get some protection up front.

And this is not a great Jets defense. So if they struggle this week up against the New York Jets defense, then the Bengals are absolutely screwed. Bengals have to win this game. They have to win this game big.

I agree. I'll go Joe Burrow. This is your franchise guy. Bad team win this game. Lions and Vikings. Kirk Cousins.

You were terrible on Monday Night Football. I think the Vikings could be a playoff team this year. They have enough offensive talent to get the posties. I know that defense has not been good this year. And while it was good week one, then week two was just an abomination. And last year was a bad defensive unit. You can't lose this game to the Lions. You should win this game. I got to see Kirk Cousins go fire three passing touchdowns, no interceptions. And good for him. It's not a primetime game.

That is true. I'll go Kevin O'Connell. Better game plan. That game plan on Monday was awful.

I like that. And he said it was on him after the game. Raiders and Titans. Both these teams under a lot of pressure. It's Derek Carr. Derek Carr had a good year last year.

I know they gave him an extension, but you could get out of it. That's a Raiders team. That's 0-2.

You have all these weapons in the world. You're going up against Ryan Tannehill. If Derek Carr teeters on being a top ten quarterback that we think he's a top ten quarterback, he's not, you've got to beat Ryan Tannehill who's just not a good quarterback in this league. Derek Carr. I'll go Vegas defensive line.

Limit Derek Henry. And then make Ryan Tannehill mess it up. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Brady hosting Rodgers this weekend.

How are you going to view Aaron Rodgers if he doesn't win another Super Bowl? We'll discuss that next. Hey guys, Mike Valenny for Cash the Ticket podcast. If you like sports betting or if you just like sports, it's the podcast for you. We try to cover all the big games and maybe some of the games you didn't even know were important.

Give you some angles, pick some winners, have a good time, and hopefully help you meander through college and pro football season. So join us a couple times a week to get all your information you need to bet the games that you watch. It's Cash the Ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, Mike Valenny for Cash the Ticket podcast. If you like sports betting or if you just like sports, it's the podcast for you. We try to cover all the big games and maybe some of the games you didn't even know were important. Give you some angles, pick some winners, have a good time, and hopefully help you meander through college and pro football season. So join us a couple times a week to get all your information you need to bet the games that you watch. It's Cash the Ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. In fact, just last year, Viator helped my family put together this amazing adventure on the island of Kona.

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