Ari SQRD
A podcast about NFL football hosted by two guys named Ari
Ari SQRD
We Ranked the AFC West… and Probably Made Everyone Mad
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This week's episode had a little bit of everything. We kicked things off with the heartbreaking news of Chris Johnson's ALS diagnosis before shifting gears into our AFC West breakdown, where hot takes were flying almost as fast as Patrick Mahomes sidearm passes. Then it was back to the whiteboard as we broke down Coverages 5 through 8, proving that football is either beautifully complex or we're just making everyone need a notebook. Of course, no episode would be complete without another chaotic round of the fan-favorite "Guess That Number," where confidence once again exceeded accuracy. We wrapped things up with a teaser for next week's wide receiver rankings, where we're sure to spark some debates, settle absolutely nothing, and have a blast doing it.
Welcome back to another episode of Ari Squared. We are your hosts, Ari Lev and Ari Berkowitz coming to you on a Thursday. Before we go any further, guys, let's grow the Ari Squared community. Let's hit up our YouTube and give us a subscribe. Let's go on our Instagram and give us a follow. Find us on whatever podcast platform you prefer to use. And let's go ahead and grow the community. And I just also want to say, Aries a beginner, go Teams Canada and Teams USA, who have both advanced to the next stage of the knockout round in the World Cup. So I know we're a football podcast, but finally our teams are doing something in the World Cup. So we might as well say something about it.
SPEAKER_02So you should have said you should have said, I know we're a football podcast, but not that kind of football.
SPEAKER_01Ah, you see, you see, that that's why you're here, Ari. It's for it's for wit and banter, my friend. Within banter. So I just thought I'd give a shout out, and I got um the ability since Canada beat South Africa. I got it to rub in some of my South African friends' faces. Again, not that I care about Canada, uh, you know, especially given the way it looks, but with that being said, it is the World Cup, and um, it's pretty cool to see that non-European teams are actually progressing forward in the knockout stage. So, congratulations to Team USA, congratulations to Team Canada, and that is all I have to say on that type of football man.
SPEAKER_02And all I'd like to say is that you love rubbing in South Africans' faces. So I'm happy you got another privilege to do that. Nice, nice. Anyways, um, from from the ridiculous to the uh series, I I just wanted to uh add and make note of something that our listeners do not know about. Um, but I felt that it was uh uh this had to be mentioned, and I just wanted to tell everyone that this past uh era of Shabbat, this past Friday, uh Ari was back from you know, he's doing Milo M reserve duty in the army right now, and he came back for his his daughter's birthday party, and a neighbor had a terrible fire breakout in their backyard. He jumped into action, got all of the kids out of that property, the house, the backyard. He was able, with someone else's help, to start to smother the fire even before the fireman came in. Um, Ari, I know that you suffer from smoke inhalation, the whole thing, and ended up in the hospital. But I just wanted to say, like, for modern day acts of heroism, first of all, I was just like blown away myself. It's unbelievable, it's an unbelievable story. I can't believe that I am talking and I have the privilege of having an actual podcast with a real hero. Um, it was an unbelievable, uh, unbelievably heroic action. I know as the hero, you always make light of it, but I mean, you save lives. Uh, you save how a house. Uh, and it's just it's an incredible story, and I really wanted to share it with our listeners.
SPEAKER_01All right, I really appreciate your very, very kind words. Unnecessary, but uh, I'm I'll just say on this, and you know, we'll move on with the rest of the podcast. Um, I'm just happy that I was in the right place in the right time and be able to do something that I hope that everyone in my position would have gone ahead to do. And at the end of the day, all that matters is that the kids got out safely, the um house was okay, and you know, nobody got hurt, and that's what matters most. So thank you for your very, very kind words. It's very appreciated, and thank you.
SPEAKER_02My pleasure. So uh I know that you wanted to go into discussing uh significant football topics, so why don't we hop right into that, Ari? Sure, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Um, what I would say is is is I would call it, I I guess there's no better way to call it than you know, just terrible news coming out of the NFL world. And what I'm referring to is the Chris Johnson ALS diagnosis. Uh, he went on Good Morning America earlier this week with Michael Strahan, and he was talking about you know, him having ALS and how the situation has gotten so bad that um he can't even hold the cup anymore. And you know, you just see such a dynamic athlete, you know, in his prime, the most electric, most exciting running back in the NFL, you know, during his prime, and you know, first running back, or I should say rather, second running back to hit 2,000 plus yards, and just an absolute electric running back, great guy off the field as well. He's married, has four kids, he's just 39 years old. And you know, ALS unfortunately is just a terrible, terrible, terrible disease that really just makes life very difficult on anybody who has it and those around them. And and I hope that a cure can be found for him, for other people who have ALS. And I really just wish him and his family the absolute best. And, you know, it just shows you, and you know, I feel like moments like these are just kind of very sombering for a moment, where you know, it doesn't matter, you know, how much money you have or what kind of you know, sports accolades you have, you know, you own or have created, when a disease like this hits, it doesn't care your about your background, your you know, your net worth or anything, it can really just hit anyone. And so um, I really truly hope that he can get the help that he can need and maybe in enough time a cure will be created. And really, just shout out and best wishes to Chris Johnson and his family. Really incredible dude. These are one of these moments where you are shockingly on mute during our podcast.
SPEAKER_02Oh no, that was too bad. I don't know how that happened, honestly. Um, I I just said uh well said, and uh our thoughts and prayers go out to uh Chris Johnson as well as anyone who's suffering the the plight of ALS, just terrible diagnosis overall. Um, that being said, uh, he is uh trying very hard to raise awareness and bringing back the uh ice water challenge or the ice bath challenge, I can't remember exactly what ice challenge, yeah.
SPEAKER_00The ice challenge, yes.
SPEAKER_02ALS Ice Bucket Church Bucket Challenge. There we go, the ice bucket challenge. So, with that in mind, um, if any of our listeners want to sponsor us doing the ice bucket challenge, we will do it on a live stream while talking football. So if anyone wants to uh sponsor that and we'll try to uh get very uh uh you know widespread uh uh uh notice for this on social media. If anyone is up to that, just drop us a line and we will talk you through it.
SPEAKER_01Love that, Aria. I love that idea, and yeah, I will happily take a bucket of ice water over the head to raise awareness for such an important cause.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. So, with that being said, should we jump into our AFC West uh breakdown and preview?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, it's it's a difficult transition. You know, we definitely have started off this podcast on a more somber note. That's very serious topics, yes, very serious topics, and but with that being said, you know, I feel like this is the you know, the resilience of of people in general and our us as Jewish people, we are resilient and we know how to transition from somber to celibatory. So let's get this podcast back on track and bring our usual entertainment and banter. And with that, Ari, let's officially kick off our AFC West preview to remind our listeners we are doing all of the divisions, breakdowns, news and notes, different things, key additions, etc. And while we were supposed to do this in last week's episode, um, we did not have the time to give it its proper um, you know, the amount of time that it deserved. And therefore we decided to punt it, no pun intended, over to this week's episode instead. And because this is going to be, you know, we discussed when we were talking about the NFC East about possibly being the most competitive division in football. Um, I think if we're looking for an AFC West equivalent, it would be the AFC West um division. I think that there are, you know, every team potentially aside from maybe the Raiders and even them, you know, maybe a little lightning in the bottle for Fernando Mendoza and Clint Kubiak with Tom Brady kind of overseeing things. And who knows, maybe we could see them making a run as well. But either way, between the Chiefs, who are absolutely back, the Broncos, who were literally a broken ankle away from representing the AFC in the Super Bowl last year, and the Chargers, especially now with the addition of Mike McDonald as the OC. This is really going to be a wild division that is going to push and challenge the rest of the FC and the rest of the NFL for that matter. So, Ari, which of the teams would you like to highlight first?
SPEAKER_02Well, I I think that the most interesting pivot team to me in that division is the Chargers. Um, to me, and and you called him Mike McDonald, but we all know you meant uh Mike McDaniel.
SPEAKER_01Yes, always by the way, as a good given, we know that I'm gonna get his name wrong, so you knew exactly who I was talking about.
SPEAKER_02Oh, and and we've talked about in the past about how the NFL has this very strange thing going back like 25 years now, where they've maintained two Mike Max, but no more and no less as head coaches in the NFL. And this has been cemented by the fact that Mike McDaniel was fired as a head coach, and Mike McCarthy was brought back as a head coach. So it's just a very strange uh and peculiar time for Mike Max in the NFL. Uh, that being said, um, but moving along, uh, basically, I think that the Chargers, you know, between the fact that uh their tackles who are arguably are the best, you can make the case that they're the best bookend tackles in the NFL, at least on paper. Um, and they they were out for you know tons of games last year, barely played. Between that, the fact that uh Mike McDaniel is there, as well as another year of all of their intriguing young players that they picked up in last year's draft. Um, their their their running back escapes is is it a O'Marion Hampton? Is that the name of their running back? Yeah, um, I always get confused because they have O'Marion Hampton at running back, and then Arande Gatson is their tight end, um, as well as a huge step forward from from uh uh their wide receiver Johnston. Um McConkey wasn't as good last year, but basically, you know, you just look overall at the amount of offensive talent they have, and then you you you take into consideration that they've been injecting first-round talent into their defense these all of these years, and uh it's just a very interesting thing, like it's the kind of thing where they've never quite put it together, and I'm not saying that it's definitely gonna be this year, but it also would not shock me if they finally put things together and they look like the best team in the NFL for the 2020 uh six season. So that's why I think that they're fascinating. But but you tell me what you think about the Chargers, Ari, and then you can also go into um if you wanted to highlight a different team.
SPEAKER_01So I agree with you in terms of intrigue. Yeah, the Chargers, if they if this can finally be the year where they put it all together, they keep the players who keep seem to keep getting injured, they manage to keep them on the field, and everything just comes together at once. Yeah, this is a team that since they've drafted Justin Herpert, and certainly since they went ahead and got Jim Harbaugh, this is a team that every year coming into the season, we have an expectation that is gonna be Super Bowl bound. It just hasn't happened yet. Will their new OC end up being the the you know the it factor that really gets them across the finish line? Yeah, it might very possibly be. So I agree with you, they're absolutely the most intriguing team in the FC West. I am gonna highlight though a different team. I'm gonna highlight the Chiefs because you know there was a lot of chatter about oh, they're done, dynasty over, that's it. And like I think anybody who's coming out and saying that is not very smart because they were nothing or yes, did their season end without a playoff run? Yeah, is that shockingly odd with um between Andy Reid and Mahomes at the helm? Is that shockingly odd? Yes, it is shockingly odd. But anybody who thinks for one moment that they are not coming back with a chip on their shoulder, a bitter taste in their mouths, and aren't going to return to glory, you're you're crazy, and you don't watch the NFL. So I think the Chiefs are gonna go on a run. Do I think that they're necessarily gonna win the Super Bowl? No, no, I'm not. We need to see Patrick Mahomes really fully come back from injury, despite all signs showing that he's gonna do that. Um, Kelsey needs to show that he's still um got something left in the tank. Shout out, by the way, to Travis Kelsey and the New Heights podcast. Um, he will be getting married apparently tomorrow in Madison Square Gardens. So Mazletov and congratulations to Travis Kelsey, to Taylor Swift, to Jason Kelsey, to Dod Mama Kelsey, to all the Swift family, to all the Kelsey family, Mazletov, and I wish you guys many, many years of blissful enjoyment and happiness, and hopefully no divorce album from Taylor, because that'll be disastrous. Anywho, I mean, it'll be a great album, but like I'm hoping that we avoid it and they really go the distance. And you know, Travis is just a good, good, good dude. Um, like our listeners know, I'm a huge fan of the New Heist podcast. And uh, I really to see what two brothers have been able to achieve, forgetting on the football field, what they've been able to turn their podcast into is really an inspiration and something that I hope for us at Ari Squared. Um, but getting back to football, um, the point is I would not count out the Chiefs in any way, and it's gonna be interesting. Thoughts are on the Broncos as we move through the FC West.
SPEAKER_02So, very very interestingly, um, right before we get into the Broncos, I would kind of like to ask you a question, a follow-up question on the Chiefs. Okay, um, going into this season, um, I think that it's clear, and this is why uh it touches on the Broncos, is that you would agree with me that the Broncos definitely have the best defense in the AFC West. Do you think the Chiefs have the best offense heading into the 2026 season in the AFC West? Um, and do you think that it's close or it's clear cut?
SPEAKER_01Ooh, that's a great question, Ari. Um that's a difficult thing to answer because if we break it down position by position within the offense, I would say is do they have the best quarterback in Mahomes? Yes. To tell you that they definitely have the best running game with Kenneth Walker, I don't know. To say that they have the best wide receiver core, I don't think I could say that. Um do they have the best tight end room? Probably not. So I don't know. I don't know if I could say that they have the best offense in the AFC West. Um I think that they have the best QB in Mahomes, which could in turn have him elevate the less than elite talent around him to be the best offense in the AFC West. But if we are talking position by position pure talent, no, the Chiefs are not the best offense in the AFC West.
SPEAKER_02And and you would give that to the to the Chargers, I assume, as the as the best offense in the AFC West, then with the again. If if they can stay healthy, yeah, yeah, just on paper, on paper.
SPEAKER_01So so on paper, yes, the which they would.
SPEAKER_02Which brings me then to to the Broncos, which which basically um just shows you the importance of their uh Jalen Waddle addition, because beforehand, I mean they were significantly closer with on offense with their playmakers to where the Raiders are than the Chiefs or the Chargers. And now the interesting thing is with as good of a defense as they have and Bo Nicks as an ascending quarterback, um, and an interesting group of running backs, uh, a good offensive line with a phenomenal tackle, um do they have enough playmakers on offense to not go backward this year? Like, do you think that they are positioned well enough to continue that ascension? Or do you think that with as good of the as the Chiefs are going to be and the Chargers always being there and the Raiders being a better team, do you think that we've kind of seen peak Broncos and what it could be, which is ending at almost the Super Bowl? Um, or do you think that uh we're gonna see a continued ascension of their offense and because they did enough with their playmakers?
SPEAKER_01I think they're gonna continue to ascend. I do believe, and I agree with you, the the Waddle edition is feels kind of like the missing piece that they needed on that offense. Um, Bo Nick, you know, you can say what you want about the dude, but the dude's a winner. Like, could I see him doing it on another team without Sean Payton? Probably not, but in Sean Payton's system, the dude wins. The dude has won a lot of games since he came in. And, you know, I feel like teams that like almost get there, right? They were almost representing the AFC um in this year's Super Bowl. They're gonna have hunger, they're gonna want to show everybody no, that wasn't a one-off fluke. We can do it, we can get back to the mountaintop. And so, yeah, I do actually think give Bonix another year in the system, give him a true number one wide receiver in Waddle, which he is yet to have, which also not only you know gives you a better overall um wide receiver to throw to, but it also might cause and generate double teams, which in turn will then open up opportunities for wide receiver two, three, their running backs, and their tight ends. And so I do believe that they can go a step forward. Does it mean that they're winning the division? Not necessarily, but I don't think we have reached the peak of the potential there. I think they can keep going up.
SPEAKER_02Well put. Um, so so yeah, and then it basically comes down to the Raiders. And and overall, I mean, I don't see them as a a playoff contender uh this year, given you know the the the greenness of Mendoza and Kubiek. I do agree that they could surprise. Um, and they did have a fantastic offseason injecting very important players like Tyler Linderbaum into their uh organization, and it looks like it's uh uh going to be a very serious you know changing of the tide there, but I I I still see them picking in the top 10 of next year's draft. There's just so many very good football teams um in the NFL. I know I know we already covered the AFC South, and we talked about how each one of those teams have merit, and I see the Raiders much more online with those teams than I do with uh the Behemoths in um the AFC West, and therefore I can very well see them you know picking at eighth, ninth, tenth overall in next year's draft. What why do you think the Raiders have the chance to surprise us this year, Ari? Um, and and why do you think that they have an outside chance at reaching the playoffs?
SPEAKER_01All right, so great question. The the way I see it is this number one, they are a fringe player. Off team at best. All right. They are not in the conversation for winning the AFC West. They're not. That'll go to one of the other three teams in the division. There are those three teams, and then the Raiders well below them. The reason why I think that they could surprise some teams is the following. Number one, what Clint Kubiak was able to achieve with the Seahawks last year and that offense, I do believe that he can bring some of that magic to him, uh, with him, sorry, to the Raiders. That's one. Two, Fernando Mendoza is a winner. That guy is going to put work harder than anyone else, and he is going to do everything he proper, you know, he possibly can to help his team win. Whether or not he is starting QB in week one, or if that goes to um wow, why am I blanking on his name?
SPEAKER_02Kirk Cousins.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yes, Kirk Cousins. Sorry, I was like, I'm like, what?
SPEAKER_02You probably like it's one of those moments where you could see the guy's face, you're like, what is that guy called again? It's so strange. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01So you have Kirk Cousins there mentoring him, you know, pushing him. You've got Tom Brady overseeing it all. I do believe that they, and like you had mentioned, they did have a very good offseason, both with free agents they brought in, um, and people they drafted. Could I potentially see them going nine and eight if everything really, really, really goes well, and you know, some of those one-score games tip in their favor? Yeah, I could see that happening. Does that mean the nine and eight is going to be good enough to make the seventh seed in the FC? Probably not. But that's where my confidence, again, the it's not high. I agree with you. The the Raiders are more likely to be picking in the top 10 next season than they will be a playoff team. I'm 100% with you, but I do have a certain amount of confidence for all the reasons I just mentioned, that could possibly make them a 9-8 team, fringe seventh seed.
SPEAKER_02I hear. I hear it's it's really interesting. And you know, what one of the things that I'm I'm most curious to see about the Raiders is actually how Clint, and this is I find this so important for um first-year head coaches, and that's the uh sorry, first year offensive head coaches, especially, is how they manage the other side of the ball. Because we all know that Clint Kubiak uh uh knows his shit on offense, and he knows how to make a quarterback like Fernando Mendoza, as we've seen in the past, and and and anyone who doesn't know this about Clint Kubiak, I seriously strongly suggest look back at his at his history and how he consistently comes into specific situations and the quarterback play on that team improve tremendously. And we're not just talking about one time, we're not just talking about two times. So the fact that he has his hand pick quarterback and he's going into this with him from the beginning, great, but how will he handle defense? And you know, I'm a little bit curious about the defense coordinator that they hired in in Rob Leonard, like that was a a little bit of a strange one to me. I would have gone like with a much more veteran presence, and I'm very curious to see how that shakes out, and um, especially considering he was already on the staff, like he was a homer and everything. So I I'd like to see that work. Um, it wouldn't surprise me if he's a one and done guy, but who knows? We we'll have to wait and see. And uh, and I I I did specifically want to go there. Um, we we can if you'd like, uh, you know, give our rankings uh for for yeah, I was just about to ask if you if if you what are your rankings in terms of division? So the reason why I was like saying maybe it doesn't even pay to do it is because we we all we have we all put this out there when we did our top 10 teams, um, and and it was made very clear that we both have Chiefs number one um in the division, I have the Chargers two, you have the Broncos two. Um, I have the Broncos three, you have the Chargers three, and then we both have the Raiders uh number four. Um, and we'd both be pretty surprised to different extents if three of those teams did not end up in the AFC playoffs. As I mean, it's easier for me or even both of us to uh think of them all as the three best teams in the AFC uh overall. Like obviously the Bills are there, the Bengals are, you know, there are other teams there, but it would be less shocking if the three best teams next year were the Broncos, the Chiefs, and the Chargers than if even one of those teams did not make the playoffs, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_01Oh, you're well said, Ari, and I absolutely agree with you. And so fine to to put a button kind of in in the AFC West talk, give me a bold take for the AFC West this season.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, a bold take for the AFC West. Um, so I mean again, like it's kind of built into everything that I've been saying. Uh, for the Chargers to make it to the Super Bowl as the AFC uh uh as the as as the AFC uh what's that called? Conference representative? Thank you. That's what it's called. Um, to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl and for it to be an all-la super bowl. That's that is my call.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I like that. By the way, that would to quote Kirk Cousins, you like that? Um it would be very cool to actually have that Super Bowl because we very recently, you know, that that trend broke in 2020 with the Bucks, where there had never been a home team playing in their own stadium for the Super Bowl, then it happened with the Bucs, and then it happened again with the Rams. What's obviously never happened is when two teams um from the same stadium both make it to the Super Bowl. So just for that kind of anomaly in itself, it would be very cool to have that, but I it would not be shocking to see a Rams Chargers Super Bowl in the slightest. So I think that that's in LA, it's in SoFi, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it would be it would be the the most watched event in American history and the highest grossing revenue event probably of all time. Um, and that's the year of the cup, uh, the the world cup happening in America. So that that I I I think that like the the NFL money gods will line up on this and it just is it's gonna happen happen and create like this nuts buzz.
SPEAKER_01I think you mean the NFL script writers.
SPEAKER_02Oh, sure, yeah. You know, I would say some things and I I decided not to go there with uh some of the we all know the NFL script. Come on, Ari, don't be naive. Oh no, I was gonna say some some not nice things about uh uh the the Jews that are writing said script, and then I decided okay, all right, all right, hold back um and uh not say that in something that we are publishing on the internet, so especially during these times, and especially with uh uh the way some of us are considered and others, and we're all about liberal and equality here, and we want everyone to feel welcome. So uh with that being said, let's let's review defense. No, I'm kidding. I'm Ari. So, yeah, so please save me from what I'm saying and have something to say.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you are definitely suffering from some logger there, so I will save you from yourself. Um, my bold take for the AFC West is going to be Bo Nicks leading all QBs in the AFC West in touchdown passes.
SPEAKER_02That's a good one. That's a good one. I can so see that happening, also. That's that's a I I really like that. I really like that. So uh yours is really real. Mine is like a cool fantasy. So I I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01No, I like dude. I think yours is like is like like, yes, would it be cool if Bonix ended up leading in touchdown um passes? Great, yeah, sure. If we had a Chargers Rams Super Bowl in so fight, oh come on, that's so much cooler.
SPEAKER_02All right, I'll take it. I'll take it. All right, so um uh let's talk uh uh defense and and structures uh a little bit. We we we missed it on last week's uh pod. Um I actually just want to be on the record and go ahead and say that I sent you something wrong in in our notes. Um, and we're covering uh covers five through eight and not fours through four through six. I apologize for that. Um, but there are there's still a lot of good uh uh information there. And and basically I'll just go into saying that that coverages five through eight are kind of made up and they're all just offshoots off of variations of covers two through four. Um, and these were all created by uh pretty much two people specifically, and that's Nick Sabin and Vic Fangio. Um, Bill Belichick was like the first one to really uh play around with mirror concepts on defense, which means that you have man coverage on one side of the ball and zone coverage on the other side of the ball. Nick Sabin, as uh uh one of Belichick's most um important disciples, is uh uh really took this to the next level at Alabama when they kept on winning, and uh when when spread offenses in college just went, you know, just exploded. And then when people like Andy Reid, um Nick Siriani, and a few others started adapting those spread concepts into the West Coast offense in the NFL, um, more and more teams started using the uh Saban style defense of what's called shells and meg. And we'll go into all of this in a little bit more detail, but not too crazy. And Vic Fangio pioneered a just predominant two safety shell template that basically allows him to roll into different coverages and disguise, whether he is blitzing, uh playing zone, playing man, or basically he has this concept where before the snap the two safeties can switch, and they literally just switch what they're doing. So, say, say, for example, you're facing the Chiefs, and this is back. We'll make it simple for everyone, and we'll we'll call it you know, you have Tyreek Hill in the slot on one side, and you have uh uh Travis Kelsey on the line of scrimmage on the other side, and all of a sudden, Tyreek Hill, uh a pre-snap moves the other side of the ball. And previously you had zone brackets to cover Tyreek on one side of the ball and man concept on the other. You can literally flip that around and you can play one man coverage on whomever the receiver was left out wide on one side, and then you can play a bunch of different kinds of zones on the other side, and this would be a flipping of cover six to cover eight, and that's basically what Fangio uh created. So everything that Fangio does is too deep for under uh uh out of that basic zone shell. And then the way that it works, if you think of the safeties at the top and the corners at the bottom and the linebackers in the middle with a nickel, um, is just the difference between how many players are going to basically cover each specific player and determining whether it's going to be via zone or via man and which players get which kind of treatment. So, Ari, I'll throw it back to you. I just threw out a bunch of information. Um, did what do you what did you take out of everything uh that that I said? And and do you have any follow-up questions?
SPEAKER_01So I think first of all, thank you for the detailed explanation. And you know, for me it's kind of cool because I had heard of all these terms, you know, in in various forms, sports broadcasters, etc. And even I being the uh NFL um, you know, mega fan that I am, I never fully had like that deep understanding of the different coverages and the way that you kind of um laid them out. So I just on my end kind of found that to be very interesting to have an understanding of what I'm seeing um on the field. What I think is interesting is the way the NFL continues to be this chess match where offenses continue to evolve and like you know, think of the rise, you know, we spoke about this in the past of like 12 personnel, 13 personnel, and how you now in turn have to adapt with your defense in order to do that. And it's just and then on the flip side, you've got like newer coverages, or like you know, now we see it at an all-time high. We see all these defensive coordinators who they mix and match, and all of a sudden, you know, the same look, one play, nine guys are blitzing, the next play, um, four guys are dropping to coverage, and then the third play after that, it's like a mix of both. So we're moving away. Like, I feel like base defenses um have even the base themselves have evolved, and then what those base defenses quickly kind of spawn off into makes it even more interesting. So, kind of being able to have a better understanding of exactly what these coverages are, um, is very interesting to me. Now, I have a question though. Um in the same way that we've seen defenses kind of evolve, we've seen these, you know, different, um, you know, very famous, legendary, whether they were head coaches or just as as DCs, really make these insane uh defenses that you know everybody mimics, right? So you would mention Fangio, Sabin, and Belichick. Who, in your opinion, uh cross the NFL now amongst the DCs andor head coaches, who are the next kind of innovators and coaches that we're gonna then say, oh, this is a system that Coach Minter, you know, just throwing a name out there, Coach Minter, he was the one who came up with uh coverage uh six, seven, um, and which is now being used across the NFL today. So, who in your opinion are those let's say newer or already are and or are trending towards being those types of coaches?
SPEAKER_02So that that's a fantastic question. And and just to go backward one second, um, whether if we have time for it in our next podcast or the one after that, I think that the the the the next evolution of what we're discussing here is discussing it actually the as an evolution, meaning uh now people like Sean McVeigh and Kyle Shanahan and Clint Kubiak and and all of those people of that specific Shanahan uh West Coast uh system are starting to build in these three tight end packages, which if you think about the field as two halves, the way that you totally blow that up is by running a lot of big guys into the middle of the field that are athletic and tight ends are more athletic and better, more adept at catching passes than ever before. So this concept is going to be something of a challenge for defensive coordinators. And I gotta say that one person in space it uh comes to mind specifically that handled this in a completely different way than before, and is very adept at um knowing how to stop the run as the key element in playing defense, unlike Fangio, Sabin, um, or Belichick later on in his career, obviously started off that way, and that's Brian Flores. Brian Flores to me, who by the way comes from the same uh tree as Belichick and Sabin, but um the way that he's kind of uh revolutionized defense um and what he did with the Vikings last year, with with really like not not such uh uh not such noteworthy players and put together this this defense that just played as a unit that knew how to take assignments, knew how to stop the run, and had everything stem from there. Um, I think is is very possibly the next trend setting defense. I'd like to see it for one more year. You know, I'd like to see him uh able to do this uh one more year. We've all seen, you know, the uh uh uh please remind me the defense coordinator of the Giants, uh uh big guy with the goatee. Um, he was great with the Ravens, and he was really good with the Giants for Winkard. Oh, Wink Bardendale. Yes, that guy. So that's like the classic DC where it's like he'll have randomly like a top five defense for like a year and a half, and then it just like go, and it's just like a smoke in mirrors routine. So I don't think that that's the case with Brian Flores, but I would like to see it for two full seasons before anointing him with this. And there's this whole trend of like these young defensive coordinators and head coaches like Mike McDonald or Robert Sala, even that we can definitely see shape that next uh uh era of defensive thought, but it's it's too pre-baked at this point. We really gotta see how, and everyone's talking about this, how much McVay, Shannon, and Kubiak are gonna lean into that three tight ends. And the fact that the the the next uh uh constellation of the three tight end uh heavy offenses is going back to an even heavier run game because you have so much weight in the middle of the field. Um, it's gonna be much easier to have a lot of run fits and great numbers in the box. So we're at a very interesting time in the NFL. We've gone we've gone so far into like passing being a thing that I think that maybe it's not this season, but next season or 2028, we're gonna start seeing uh uh flowback in the opposite direction of uh of teams getting like a big ass running back like Jerome Bettis and running three tight end sets. Brandon Jacobs. Exactly, exactly, and just and just running the ball down people's throats. So I'm very curious to see um what that is because if you can trap uh five to six DBs on the field when you have like eight large men on the field, I mean you're you're gonna you're gonna run the crap out of the other team.
SPEAKER_01Okay, and I got a question for you though, Ari. Following up to that. So I have never been a fan of the bend on break defenses that that that we've seen. Like I remember when Patrick Ram was running it with the Giants, and like that just bothered me. Um, are we gonna finally start seeing the end of these bend on break defenses? Or do you still think that that's something that we're gonna kind of roll out of where, yep, let's just not give up the big play? We'll we'll we'll you know, we'll always keep him in front of us, we'll just kind of give him those chunk plays, but then don't break. Are we gonna see? Are we seeing a trend in your opinion away finally from that? And if we are, is it gonna make a comeback?
SPEAKER_02We're definitely seeing a trend uh away from that, but it's actually because of something else, it's because of all of the analytics um that have uh encroached into the NFL, starting with like Doug Peterson, where he kind of like stopped punting at fourth and short, just period. Um, and and you know, if it was like less than four yards, he would just wouldn't punt. Um, because analytics dictated as such, and and analytics, like we all have seen for our entire lives watching football, bend don't break, don't work. Nope. And and and so, yeah, but but these shell concepts, and I think that that's a big part of it, the evolution of these shell concepts in defenses and the fact that they've been widely accepted kind of uh leads uh you know the the prevent defense style just to fall by the wayside because it's just pointless. Will teams still be running out like guys just like four defensive backs on the boundaries um late in games to make sure that guys can't run out of bounds? I'm sure. But um, I think we're we've been seeing a downtrend in prevent defenses lately, and I'd be very, very sad to see them come back because it doesn't matter who you're a fan of, it's just not fun to watch.
SPEAKER_01No, and they also like uh I I just feel like though they never look, you want to win football games, it's the fourth quarter, you have got to be able to stop the Other team because those bend don't break, it's chunk play, chunk play, chunk play, chunk play, touchdown, and then you've not only given up the points, you've wasted a tremendous amount of time off the clock as well. So you need the NFL needs as a winning formula. If you want to be able to win games, you need to be able to not bend but not break. You need to be able to break the other team and get your offense back on the ball, especially if you're playing from behind and need that comeback. You cannot let the other team chunk play down the down the field and chew up eight precious minutes. It just doesn't work.
SPEAKER_02Agreed. I couldn't I couldn't agree more. And uh good riddance if we're if we're if we're done with it. So uh so yeah. So um Ari, do you want to move into uh uh guess that number?
SPEAKER_01Yes, and now everybody, let's go ahead and move on over to our favorite segment, which is guess that number. This is our favorite segment. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback. So, guys, we're happy to continue doing it. Um, and it's definitely been a lot of fun. All right, to remind everyone in terms of the numbers, so the numbers that we went with for this week, um, Ari, you went with 31 and I went with number seven. Okay, so reminder 31 and 7. I believe that last week um I guessed first, if memory serves me correctly. So, Ari, would you like to go ahead and guess first?
SPEAKER_02By all means.
SPEAKER_01Okay, before we begin, as we always do this, before I give you any sort of hint, do you know who I'm thinking of? I'm number seven. Is it a wide receiver? It is not. Okay, so then no. I do not. Okay, all right, so the first hint is he doesn't just play one position. He plays multiple positions.
SPEAKER_00Does that help you in any way?
SPEAKER_02Shaq Thompson?
SPEAKER_00No, it is not Shaq Thompson.
SPEAKER_02Isaiah Simmons. It is not Isaiah Simmons or he's a defensive player. He is not a defensive player. Okay, wow. All right. Um, I'm really on the I'm really on the ball with this one, Ari. Um, number seven plays multiple positions, so it's not it's not a defensive player. It can't be a kicker because no kickers punt as well. So that wouldn't be multiple positions. Um, oh, it must be Tyson Hill. There we go.
SPEAKER_01Very good, nicely done. My next hint for you, by the way, was gonna be he once this player once signed a 140 million dollar contract for a hundred and um that really in reality was a one-year contract because it had four votable years at the end. Um, but yes, you are absolutely correct. It is Tyson Hill, who if like it's just so cool. Like, the guy's obviously not going to the Hall of Fame, right? That that's obviously not happening. But the fact that the dude has lined up at QB, tight end, and running back, and when he's on the field, you never really know what you're gonna get. He is really a one-of-a-kind player that I don't know if we're ever gonna see a player quite like him again, and you just he's never gonna be an elite quarterback, tight end, or running back, but there are so many times when deployed correctly, and you need a pass thrown, a ball ran in in short yardage, or a you know, red zone touchdown caught from the tight end position, you can absolutely run out of Taysom Hill, and he's electric and fun to watch, so that's why there are definitely other famous number sevens that were worn, um, including Michael Vick, but he was my choice um at number seven because I think he's just a cool player and a little bit different and a little bit out there. So, Ari, nice and done.
SPEAKER_02That's a great one, Ari. I I love it. That's exactly the kind of guy that like I really hope by doing this segment we can talk a little bit more about. Um, he's just a fantastic football player and a team and a player that makes this team better overall. I just wanted to add in one other thing, which is that he's uh the punter's personal protector, um, which is a huge, hugely important role in and of itself. But the fact that you can then snap the ball directly to him is a huge card up the special teams coach's sleeve. Um, so he contributes on multiple phases of the ball. Taysom Hill, what a football player, what a career at this point.
SPEAKER_01I agree. All right, Ari, that brings us over to your number. You chose um 31.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I chose 31. Um, mainly because he came up in last week's podcast. So that is my first uh clue to you.
SPEAKER_01Oh okay, and my first question would be did he wear this number throughout his entire career?
SPEAKER_02Um he played for one team for his the entirety of his career, except for his final season. Um, in his final season, he played for a different team and did not wear that number.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Um final season did not wear that number. Is he an offensive player?
SPEAKER_02He is a defensive player, and um I'm ready to give you your second hint if you want it. Okay, go for it, please. He wore the same exact jersey that you're wearing, and he actually shares the initials with the guy that you're wearing the jersey of. Oh my god. So Eli Manning. So oh no, no, no, no, no. Sorry, sorry. I thought you were wearing I'm wearing number 10, dude. Oh no, okay, fine. So the zero threw me off. I thought you were wearing your Jeremy Shockey jersey, so I apologize. So he wore 80. No, no, he wore uh he was on the Giants and he has the same initials as Jeremy Shockey. That that's the clue. That was what's supposed to be the clue.
SPEAKER_01Oh, wait a minute. If we spoke about him last week, it must have been Jason Seahorn. There we go.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes, he came to mind. He was such a great quarterback. It was crazy that there the NFL went over two decades without another white cornerback. Um, and I just felt like he needed to be mentioned again, and it would be cool because you're you're uh a crazy ass Giants fan, Ari. Um, but yeah, so so yeah, that that's that's the guy, Jason Seahorn. He was a fantastic football player, and and anyone that does isn't familiar with him, go check out his stats on ProFootball Reference or on NFL.com. And with that being said, I want to tell anyone who's a you know a very serious football, fantasy football addict, or just likes football overall. Um, a friend of mine built this new game, and the website is called fantasyeras.com, in which you can play fantasy football with a computer with another person, okay, throughout multiple eras of football. So basically, you can have a play, you can have Bret Favre and you can have um Ronnie uh Brown, and you could also have Amun Rah Saint Brown all on the same team. And it's really cool. You can see how many Johnsons you have at wide receiver because we all know there have been a ton, and it's just a very fun game for all of us who are missing football and missing fantasy football. So I just wanted to give a shout out and a brief overview of what you can get from fantasyeras.com. I am not big into games overall, I that's just not how I spend my time. And honestly, I I've I've played like a hundred rounds of a game already. So I I really enjoyed uh the experience and I urge everyone else to give it a try, including you, Ari.
SPEAKER_01Well, I gotta tell you, as you were saying it, I literally looked up the website for the first time. Um, I have not yet even heard about this prior to you bringing it up, but I am so happy that you brought it to my attention because this looks really, really, really fun and something that really is just right, right up my alley. Um, and from what it seems here is that it goes all the database has information all the way back to 1999 from what I see in the small print. So wow, that's pretty cool. So essentially, it's not gonna have people prior to that, but I would say certainly for our modern day game, this will be very cool, and I am very excited to go ahead and try this out. And Ari, I know this wasn't done this way on purpose, but this was actually our first unofficial ad read. So there you go. There you go, yeah. So if you would like your website, your game, your product to be mentioned and get exposure on the RE Square podcast, please drop us a line, whether it's through social media, email, WhatsApp, you name it, get in touch with us guys, and we will be happy in the same way that we just product plays for fantasyeras.com, which is definitely a game that I suggested you all check out. I would strongly suggest that if you are interested in building out your own brand or your own product, reach out to us today and we will be happy to do a fantasy eras in this case. Shout out for you. And I'd like to say, you know what, Ari, I'm gonna take this even a step further. And Fantasy Eras, I hope you appreciate this. This week's Gets That Number was brought to you by fantasyeras.com. Fantasyeras.com where you can go ahead and play head-to-head against either a computer or your friends and really expand and build out your football knowledge. So go ahead and visit fantasyeras.com today.
SPEAKER_02That is that is quite the shout out, Ari. And I love how you do those adderies. It's so official. It gives me like a tingle in my spine the way that you pulled that off, like off cuff. That was awesome. That was awesome. So I just know that we said that we were gonna close out with a bit of a teaser for for the wide receiver rankings, and there are so many guys, and I know I was supposed to send you a few names for us to discuss, and I I got too focused on other things. There's so many receivers. I had uh trouble even doing 15. Um, I personally I made my list last week and it had 21 names on it. And then I have no idea, and I just was I've been looking for that list. I don't know where I saved it. If it was on Word, if it was on Drive, it was in you know some kind of AI. Uh uh, I have no idea where it is, but basically what I can tell you never been seized yet, R. Yeah, exactly. That that's the most likely um you know scenario here. Or or or it went by the wayside of Brandon Smoker. Uh who knows? But uh but the bottom line is that uh uh what I wanted to put out is um in these eight guys, and we'll we'll get into it more uh next week, is I realized that there's a bunch of Ohio State guys, um, and there are two guys named T Mac, one Ted McMillan and one Terry McLaurin. Um, I only realized this because of the confused AI when I said T Mac, and I meant uh Terry McLaurin, and they put Ted McMillan. I was like, no, he's later on my list, but it's the same, anyways. That was very cool. And I'll tease one thing about my list for next week, and that is that Malik Neighbors is higher than Garrett Wilson on my list.
SPEAKER_01Oh nice. First of all, I'm happy to hear that. And yes, unbiasedly to our teams for a moment, I do believe that Malik Neighbors is a better wide receiver than Garrett Wilson is. I do think that we need him to come back fully healthy from his injury, and I'm hoping he's able to buck the trend of wide receivers that come back from knee injuries that need a little bit more ramp up time and don't quite look like themselves. So I'm hoping when we do get neighbors back this season, we do get him back at full Malik Neighbors form. But yeah, there's no listen, Malik Neighbors, if he can come back and recover accordingly, he has the potential to put his name right up there with the Justin Jefferson's, Jamar Chase's of the oh, you know, of the world. I believe that he can be in that conversation and we'll see how that plays out.
SPEAKER_02So Mari, I just want to add one thing for anyone that doesn't know this. Do you know how many rookie receivers have ever had 90 plus receptions, 1200 plus yards, and five plus touchdowns in NFL history?
SPEAKER_01Not offhand, but if I just had to ballpark guess, I'm going to say that that list contains no more than eight wide receivers on it.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it contains two, and those guys are Malik Neighbors and Puka Nakua. Oh, yeah, and and Malik Neighbors is the only receiver rookie receiver to have a hundred receptions, and he had seven touchdowns and still over 1200 yards.
SPEAKER_01The rookie season was unparalleled, and um he he looks to be uh uh elite and and something else, absolutely, and what's slightly embarrassing is I actually knew all of those factoids about Malik Neighbors, and I'm a little embarrassed, and possibly considering removing my Giants jersey for the last few minutes of this podcast um in shape, but um, there's no question that he's going to be an awesome wide receiver. By the way, guys, just in uh in terms of teasing for next week and the wide receivers rankings, we are going to be ranking number one wide receivers. If we were doing it across the board, all wide receivers, that list conservatively would need to have like 50 people on it. So this is going to be number one or at least teams number one wide receivers. We're gonna do Ari, we said we're gonna do a total of 16 in the end, right? That's what we're gonna whittle it down to.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, we're gonna try to try to do you know around 15 to make the more you know to make it most efficient, and and we'll do it into tiers and we'll try to get through as many names as possible. There are just so many good receivers in the NFL, it's really crazy.
SPEAKER_01It absolutely is, and you know what's even crazier, Aries, is like we we now find ourselves, and it's crazy that we're already here where you know OTAs are done, mandatory mini camps are over, general managers are eating up boxes of Tums like nobody's business because they are all fearing that phone call that we have seen in the past few weeks come many, many, many, many times. Um, and we are almost approaching, we're now in July, which means it is officially Hall of Fame game month, officially training camp starting, and I cannot believe that we are already back at it, Ari. And I am so excited to bring Ari Square to our listeners with a brand new season, training camps, preseason games, and then of course the actual real NFL season, and we will blink Ari and it will be upon us. So I am so excited to continue bringing the awesome content that we are bringing to our listeners. And Ari, it's just always so much fun to record with you, my man.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely, and I just wanted to ask if it'll bit blink and it'll be upon us, like Gino was on his on his girlfriend the other day. Oh before that, before we forget, we have to pick our numbers for next week. And I just wanted to mention that um so we can do that quickly. I'm gonna choose uh number four, and just so you should know, it's not going to be a quarterback.
SPEAKER_01Okay, number four, and it's not going to be a quarterback. Okay, I will put that in my notes so that we have that Ari chose number four. Um now, hmm, what number do I want to pick?
SPEAKER_02Oh, and it's not Ernie Nevers, which I learned as someone in the NFL. Was historically very good.
SPEAKER_01I have never heard of that name before.
SPEAKER_02Oh, there we go. I just thought it was a cool name.
SPEAKER_01All right, I am going to go with you know what? I'm gonna go with number 10, but it is because I'm wearing a number 10 jersey right now, but it will not be Eli Manning. Okay, I don't, you know, it's funny, just for our listeners to know. So Ari and I work this number system a little differently. Ari thinks of a player and then suggests the number. I think of a number and then find a player. So I think it's a little good of a yin you can yang type of situation.
SPEAKER_02It kind of also it really encapsulates both of us and how we do things, so it's actually kind of cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, that really does kind of sum it up. And you know what else we're gonna sum up? This episode. So thank you for joining us for another episode of RE Squared. Please go ahead and go on YouTube, give us a subscribe, go on Instagram, give us a follow, go on your podcast platforms, hit an automatic download, leave five-star reviews wherever they are available to be left. And of course, if you are enjoying our content, guys, go ahead and share it with your friends. Do a good deed today and share it with your friends. So, in closing, happy Canada's Day, which was yesterday, also known as Bobby Vanilla Day. Shout out to you as a Mets fan. But to him, that too. And of course, a wishing all of our American listeners a happy 4th of July. And on behalf of us both here, peace. We out.