When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping Kroger for thousands of appetizing ingredients that inspire countless mouth-watering meals. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices, plus extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week and up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with points, so you can get big flavors and big savings, Kroger, fresh for everyone, fuel restrictions apply. We are back on get up as we begin our number two. We're live from the sea port. We're brought to you by Gray Goose. We are loaded up this morning. Ryan Clark is with us with this football group. It's a full-scale football Friday, but there's really only one place that we can begin. And that is with what may very well have been the greatest individual performance that any player has ever had on any day in American sports. Joe Heotani and the Dodgers, visiting the Marlins, top of one, no score, we're just getting started. That one might be, it could be, it isn't. It's a double. It's going to go off the wall. Heotani, it's second. And later in the inning, he's still a second, and then all of a sudden, he isn't a second anymore. He's going to take off for third and steal his 50th base of the year. Dan, it's a close. Look at that nice slide. It's a good throw. And the tag just misses. I mean, I'm sure he's got some Jedi mind tricks going on, he's making people miss tags and stuff. And he'll steal later in the game. Now, to the sixth inning, we go, Dodgers are up seven to three, he's got the 50s steals. So the question is, can he hit two more home runs this year to create the 50-50 club? There's his 49th. That's in the sixth, it gives the Dodgers a 9-3 lead. And then in the seventh, the history-making moment, Joe Davis on the call. On a 1-2, Otani sends him in the air the other way, back it goes, gone. One of a kind player, one of a kind season, Shohei Otani starts the 50-50 club. Wow, are you pitching to the minute? No, that's not. We had to pitch the ball. You thought meatballs out there cool. And wait a minute. You think he was done? Think again. You all are watching this guy. Oh my gosh, Shohei Otani, the greatest day in baseball history. There's the cliche that you never know what you're going to see when you go to the park. You got to change that cliche from now on. There's one thing you know you'll never see, what you saw today. All right, so the Dodgers who win this game 20-4, oh by the way, they cleared the playoff spot along the way, Otani was 6-6 with three home runs, 10 ribs and two steals. It is an unprecedentedly spectacular day and it comes on the day that he creates the 50-50 club in baseball history. Buster only was with us earlier, he called it the greatest day and greatest season in baseball history, Jess Mendoza and Jeff Passen will join us in this hour to discuss as well. In the meantime, from one transcendent star to another, oh a Ron last night, Jets Patriots. Rodgers, I'm going to call this his first game at MetLife. I'm going to pretend that one last year never happened. First quarter of the Jets, second drive they get it going, his old buddy Animal Mizzare. Oh yeah, you reached out teeth. Yes, excuse me sir. I got to renovate for six and in zone. Rodgers' first passing touchdown in MetLife Stadium as a jet and the Jets take the early seven-nothing lead, second quarter, they converted a bunch of third downs on this very long drive. You loved this one, Bart. Oh yeah, we call this sweet feet, Jess getting started showing the hey, I can get outside of the pocket, I got a little bit mobility left in me, watch out, I'm a knock, somebody's done, that's so fast. I'm not the field, don't get thrown off the club. Don't throw a block Aaron, whatever you do, meanwhile Dan, third and five, here's another third down conversion, that one to Garrett Wilson. Yeah, I mean the ball goes exactly where he wants to every time, vintage Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball and it caps off with this, Breeze Hall, it is eventually ruled a touchdown after review. So it's a 13-play 91-yard drive the Jets longest since December of 2021. No hug, no hug, Aaron explained it afterwards, he played it for you earlier, he says everything is fine with him as a coach, certainly everything was fine on the field, Dan, look at him escaping pressure. He's running number eight, 11-yard game 99, be careful, 11-yard pickup for Rodgers, there later in the drive, third and three from the 34, he's moving again, he can't stop us, it looks like Mahomes, throw it on and run, you know what, he was Mahomes, before Mahomes was Mahomes, that's Tyler Conklin, that's an 18-yard game, Jets were 10 of 15 on third downs and then finally, where's Garrett Wilson, there's Garrett Wilson, that is Aaron Rodgers first ever passing touchdown to a wide receiver who was drafted in the first round, incredibly, it was his 480th career passing touchdown overall. So the Jets pulled away, ran away and hit, dominated the game, we will show you a little bit of the debut, it's Drake May, thank you for asking, third pick in the draft, this is a fourth down play, he came and got his first NFL action, but most of the night for him and Jacobi Brissette looked like this, the Jets defense, the pass rush was dominant. Seven sacks on the night Grini, we eat, who needs his I read it? Jets went in 24-3. I felt pretty good at night, I was doing some things I did as a younger man, so I've said that as the games go on, I'm going to feel more comfortable moving around a little bit and there were a couple times where I need to extend play, so trying to change this whole attitude around here, you know, we're trying to build something special here, get these fans to believe in us, they've been tortured for a long time, so last year was obviously it's up here, but it's good to be back, but it's great to be a jet, great to have nights like this and even better to have a weekend off. So look, I think we've been very restrained so far because as I've gotten older, I've tried very hard to mature, but there is one thing I do need to do, uh oh, today, and ah! Hailey Cow, Aaron Rodgers with the single greatest performance at any jet quarterback has ever had. Say it with your test Grini in my lifetime, I'm quite literally saying it with my chest, mine clerk, jump in here if you would please, as I will proudly display the Aaron Jersey that I've kept hidden all morning long, but I keep him close to my heart as I see all jet fans could. What did you see from number eight last night? You know, Grini, I don't necessarily believe all these things you believe about this performance, but my goodness, was it encouraging? This is what jet fans have been waiting on, but I don't believe that this is the ceiling, which is the exciting part. Yeah, we watched him get outside the pocket and make plays. We saw him run down the field for no reason, probably other than that he just felt extremely good to get the football out to Allen Lazar to be able to run down the field and catch up with him for Grini and all of his family to be screaming, "Don't block, don't block." That's what we saw from Aaron, but we also saw pinpoint accuracy. We also saw an ability to find the right matchup at the line of scrimmage. We saw him have a chance to say, "Okay, now I'm being pressured in the pocket. Let me escape and push the football down the field accurately." That is Aaron Rodgers. That is who we grew accustomed to seeing in a Green Bay Packer uniform, but now we've seen him elevate the play of the people around him on a jet's football field in MetLife. And I saw the defense understand that we now have Aaron Rodgers, but we have to step up and be better too, and without CJ Mosley, they were able to do that. Yeah, and so look, the first game was a very tough night in San Francisco. You all got to see it on a Monday night. Last week, for those who didn't get to see the game against Tennessee, there were some signs in the second half that it was going to look a lot better. What did you see from Rodgers in particular? Again, that's the first, well, no, he had won a game last week, I keep saying that. It's been 600 and something days before this, before he really got it going. So maybe the idea that there'd be some rust would make sense. I mean, I saw a master at the top of his game. You talk about completing eight balls, I mean, balls to eight different receivers, 75%, you know, the nuance of the game, you know, the subtle things that only the greats know how to do, moving the safeties and the linebackers with his eyes, you know, being able to work into pinpoint accuracy, throwing off platform. All those throws when he's running out about his feet has never said he's always been one of the most accurate quarterbacks while running. Get in the chemistry for the scramble drills, get in outside, showing that you can't play me like I'm Drew Bledsoe. I'm not a deer in stuck-in headlights and being able to make sure that he has masterful things. And with that being said, this wasn't even close to how good it could have been. He had maybe three or four passes where him and Garrett Wilson wasn't on the same pace. But the fact that you can't just take Garrett Wilson away because I'll find a different way to beat you is encouraging for jet fans and allow that defense to be able to say, "Okay, you know what? We don't have our two pass rushers. We're going to blitz at 40% clip and we understand that now we can do things that we couldn't do before because we don't have to play perfect. That is a huge burden off of the defense's back. Graziano, the comparison that of course people are going to make is to Tom Brady going down at Tampa, taking over a team that was quite talented but hadn't figured out how to win. And that started slow for those of you who remember the beginning part of that season. It was well after week three that Brady thought there was a fifth down and we thought that maybe he and Bruce Arians weren't seeing eye to eye but he never shoved him away. We're looking for a hug but that's a whole separate topic. Does this have that feel to you? That's what the fans of this team are going to be hoping for. Yeah, I mean, you put me in a difficult spot because I don't want to rain on anyone's parade. Brady had won six Super Bowls. He was in the habit of winning Super Bowls somewhat recently when he went to Tampa Bay. Aaron Rodgers hasn't won in Super Bowl in 14 years, right? If he's going to have high level playoff, I'm going to make sure you say this staring at the age. Go ahead. Here's the deal. Yeah. I don't necessarily believe he can't have high level playoff success at age 40. I think he's that good a player. Only one person ever has. Right. And that's the thing. So like, look, this is what it's supposed to look like. Last night was the Jets perfect like, I mean, imagine what it was supposed to look like. This was it. Eight different guys catching both. Breeze Hall didn't even have to be the leading rusher. Like, I mean, seven sacks for the defense. Everything looks fantastic. Brady, you know what's interesting about the number eight, the most important statistic from a Jeff perspective was last night, he was six to six for 88 yards outside of the pocket. And here's why that's so important. When you can break and tame and get the ball down the field that puts so much pressure, we got Bart RC, they know how much that really impacts an opposing defense. If he could do that consistently with the two backs, they will be really hard to beat. The question is, can he keep this up throughout the rest of the season? Yeah. So RC, again, for those who don't know, you played against him in that Super Bowl that he won. That was a very long time ago. There's been a lot of talk this year about how, well, Rogers just needs to be a game manager. That defense is going to be so dominant. Last night they were. I think the season will likely show the Patriots are going to struggle on offense. The line isn't bad. A lot of the year. Yeah. So I don't know exactly what to take away from that. But the Rogers that we saw last night, some variation on that theme, is that good enough in your mind for this team to be a legitimate contender at the end of the season and a loaded AFC. Yeah, I think they can be a legitimate contender. I believe that looking at this team thus far, Aaron Rodgers has to play on an MVP level for this team to be an AFC champion. I think Aaron Rodgers is going to have to continue to elevate everyone. We obviously see that Allen Lazard is a better player when Aaron Rodgers is available. He's still working on that connection with Garrett Wilson, but I feel like it's coming that allows Garrett Wilson to ascend into that top tier of wide receivers. And Mike T mentioned this in the first half of the show, but Mike Williams, now becoming a piece of this offense, catching 50-50 balls. Being able to win his one-on-one matchup when he has the physical advantage is all important to this team. What we saw last night was that this is a roster offensively that has playmakers as long as there's someone that could distribute the ball, and we saw that. But Aaron Rodgers just playing good doesn't allow his team to win a championship. He has to be great. He doesn't have to be the vintage Aaron Rodgers that I've played, and I thought it was the best player that ever played the game, but he has to be a guy that could take a team and put it on his back. I feel like the eight was being blocked out by the topic bar there. I feel the need was just to make sure the eight is very fully recognizable, and they saw it greening. We can say it. Yeah, noted it. Final word. Here's one thing I know I don't have to worry about. I know that Aaron Rodgers, if he's on one sideline and he's looking at Patrick Mahomes, he's not going to be intimidated like a lot of guys, a guy named Joe Burrow is. He's a guy that has answers to the test, he's a guy that has the experience and the arrogance to go toe to toe with that guy who we think is the baddest man in the planet and Patrick Mahomes right now. Yeah. If it still looks like this, and at the end of December, beginning of January, then you have every reason to dream. They're just getting started. The biggest dreams. They're just getting started. Mike Williams is still on a pitch count. The question is, well, that jersey still be on in December. I mean, there's no obvious reason why I won't be. No look, I mean, the reality of it is just let him stay healthy. I've said it before. I'll say it again. Take me instead. We need this so badly coming up much more on an NFL Friday here, a football Friday. Why the Eagles match up against the Saints could change the entire course of the season for Philly. We'll be all over that. Plus, much more on what could have been the greatest single day in baseball history. Where did it put Shoei Otani in the GOAT conversation? Well, as Jeff and Jess that question, and then don't miss a very special edition of First Take, Top of the Hour, live from Howard University, Molly, Stephen A, Shannon, much more on Aaron Rodgers and his big night and everything else. It's First Take's first HPCU road show of the fall, and it's coming up right after we wrap up this morning on ESPN. Passion, drive, and patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. Superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has you covered. With over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die, you'll always find exactly what you're looking for. And with eBay guaranteed fit, your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back. Because with eBay Motors, you're burning rubber, not cash. With all the parts you need and the prices you want, it's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins. Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only, exclusions apply. When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping Kroger for thousands of appetizing ingredients that inspire countless mouth-watering meals. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices. Plus, extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week and up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with points so you can get big flavors and big savings, Kroger, fresh for everyone, fuel restrictions apply. This episode is brought to you by Microsoft Azure. Turn your ideas into reality with an Azure-free account. Get everything you need to develop apps across cloud and hybrid environments, scale workloads, cloud-connected mobile experiences and so much more. Discover what you can create with popular services free for 12 months. Learn more at azure.com. That's azure.com and sign up for a free account to start building in the cloud today. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] Show a all time. [MUSIC] >> Auto 12, Otani, says one in the air, the other way, there it goes, good. >> One of a kind player, one of a kind season. Show Hay Otani starts the 50-50 club. >> We all are watching this guy. >> My gosh, Show Hay Otani, the greatest day in baseball history. >> I don't think I've ever heard a play-by-play call just start with, my God, but it really seemed like the only way to sum up what might have been the greatest day any player ever had. Otani, 10 RBIs, most by a leadoff batter since that became an official statistic in 1920. Five extra base hits, tied for the most in any game since 1901. And as mentioned repeatedly, he created the 50-50 club yesterday. So we had Buster earlier and we have Jess Mendoza and Jeff Passen here to try and put into some perspective what we saw yesterday. Jeff, I'll start with you as, did he have the best day in the history of baseball yesterday? >> The thing about us baseball nerds, Greenie, is that we revere particular games. I have looked at Shawn Green, six for six, four home run, 19 total base game as the greatest individual game in baseball history. And you can argue it's still better than Otani's because Otani had only three home runs and one of them came off of a position player. But you add the steals, you have two stolen bases, and you add the context and gravity of the moment where he is not only becoming the single season home run leader for the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the most storied franchises in all of baseball, but starting the 50-50 club, yes, that was the greatest single performance I personally have ever seen in a regular season made Julie Baseball game. >> Jessica, you've put together some tape. I mean, show us how this unicorn is doing what he's doing. >> Being around Show Hay most of the season, one of the things about him is his particularness and emphasis on hitting a variety of pitches. I mean, I nerd it out on, yes, six hits, three of them home runs, but when you think about the variance of pitches, okay, so he takes a change of, this is his first double greenie. So him being able to get around this pitch, all right, so he gets this all the way to the wall, off the wall, this misses the home run by like four feet, and by the way, he's a little bit out front on his front foot, but that's the first hit, that is the next double. Okay, so this is 95 off the hand, look at the pitch location, up and in, and this is Show Hay to a tee, the strength that he has, now slider, down low, this is at the knees, this is the first home run of the game, and he absolutely annihilates this pitch. And when you think about the pitch that he hit before, and then this one is my favorite, nothing curveball, where he hits it, I mean, the power that he has opposite field. So we're talking slider, fastball, curveball, the change up, I mean, yes, change of the hits that he had greenie, but the fact that there was so many different kinds of pitches that he did shows you the type of hitter he is to be able to hit just about anything. Well, look, I mean, we're hearing from a lot of the goats, and Jessica, I mean, quite frankly, you fit in that category, and by the way, your bling is one of the great flexes I've ever seen in my entire life, but, but you are many, most people would acknowledge you're the greatest player in the history of your sport. Is he the best player you've ever seen, accomplishments are accomplishments as you watch him? Is he the best player you've ever seen? Yes, and it's about how he goes about his day, I mean, it's, it's literally ridiculous when you look at the variance of all of the things greenie that he does, and pass and just hit on this. Yes, the stolen bases, by the way, can we just mention the fact that this guy pitches, I mean, like this is where we're forgetting, and oh, by the way, we will see him, I believe pitch in October, like just mind blown at this point of all the things that this player can do, but being around him, it is unbelievable what he does, the emphasis, and honestly, all the greats that are around him in that lineup, and how they look to him being like, he's a whole nother level. You know, when you said that out loud, I can see him, but he just fell out of his chair, I think, and passed out. Jeff, is there a possibility, because I can't get a straight answer. Do we expect to see O'Tani pitch in the playoffs this year? Expect? No, but I will say this, greenie, I got some video from a scout a couple days ago from one of O'Tani's most recent bullpen sessions, and in this video, I had to slow it down to take a look, and I was like, is he throwing a splitter? Is he throwing a slider? Is he putting his wide array of pitches to use already? And the answer is yes. So while I'm not going to say that, O'Tani will pitch in October, he's sure acting like a guy who wants to pitch in October, and we can't forget, this is somebody who is going to be under contract greenie for another nine years. So the Dodgers aren't going to put the postseason in 2024 ahead of his health long term, but I thought it was a really nice touch for everything to go down yesterday, because yesterday greenie was the one year anniversary of Shohei O'Tani undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery, and he just so happened on that anniversary to have the best game any of us have ever seen. Look, I mean, let's put some finishing touches on this year. Think about the year he had. Think about where this year began. Think about all of the controversy before the season began with his best friend and all the money and all the things that have happened. Jeff, you're a sports writer and one of the best ones around. How do you write the story? What's the lead line right now on the story of the season, the 50/50 season that Shohei O'Tani has had? The player who has made a career out of doing impossible things has once again managed to surprise us and take down a bunch of things that we never believed could happen in Major League Baseball. And quickly, Jess, does he cap it with a World Series? If they go into this postseason and we understand baseball more than ever has a randomness, do you see them finishing this thing up with him on the biggest stage? Jamie, I'm going to stick with what I started. I mean, I hit some helmets when we started this season with the Dodgers winning it all. And yes, there's a whole conversation there on what kind of team they have now versus then. But yes, this would be the picture-perfect ending of a story for Shohei O'Tani to have that ring at the very end of the year. Guys, you were the best on a day where we're talking about the best. Thank you, Jeff Pass and Jess Mendoza. Sunday night, we've got baseball coming your way. Big time playoff implications as the Phillies play the match seven Eastern on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio coverage starts at six on ESPN 2 with baseball tonight. Coming up in the combination of Derek Henry and the desperate Ravens team spell disaster for the Cowboys. We're picking Sunday's games. Our group is split on that one, and then after we wrap up today, special edition of First Take, Top of the Hour Live from Howard University, Molly, Stephen A., and Shannon, talking about Aaron Rodgers and a whole lot more as they do their first HBCU roadshow of this fall. That's top of the hour here on ESPN. For the hour, we are back on Get Up, and let's keep it rolling with some football here. Sunday statements, who needs to make a statement this Sunday. Ryan Clark, I'll start with you. I'm going to go with Rock Purdy, and not because we don't know enough about Rock Purdy, but here's the time that he can step up for his team when he doesn't have the perfect situation around him. No Christian McCaffey, Deebo Samuel, Bingham, George Kittle, missing practice yesterday. This will be his chance against the Rams to show that he doesn't need everyone around him to lift him up, that he can lift up the people that need him most. Yeah, that team has been decimated here early. Mike T, who needs a statement? Derek Henry, early and often, last week, we had 79 of his 84 yards in the second half. Dallas gives up the most rushing touchdowns, five. Get Lamar Jackson on her center, he's only been under center about 18% of the time. Down under center, give Derek Henry an involved the first half and exploit this porous, douse, run defense. That's how Baltimore has a chance to get back on track. We're going to dive deep on that game in just a few minutes here. Graz, who needs to make a statement Sunday? Jared Goff, the Lions are believed to be a Super Bowl contender. They're one-in-one. Jared Goff hasn't played well. He's 25th in the league in QBR, just behind Justin Field and Daniel Jones. Jared Goff has to be better than that if the Lions are going to be as good as they want to be. He's not on a defense that can be had, he needs a big game this week. It's a good step. Bart, who needs to make a statement this Sunday? Granny Attitude reflects leadership and the unquestioned leader on the Philadelphia Eagles team now is Jalen Hurst. I didn't mind blaming him for last week's loss, but he has to get a difference in games where the other quarterback on the sideline is ranked probably lower than you and Derek Carr. He's going to have to be the difference. No Jason Kelsey, no Flip the Cox, he has to make sure that he can lead them and navigate them through tough waters, unlike last year when they collapsed. So let's dive into that, and we started it earlier in the show this morning and we ran out of time. So now we have a moment to get into it. RC, you were there on Monday night for what was a horrible loss, and that's a terrible game to lose if you were the Eagles, and the time for talking about whether they made the right play call, wrong play call, that's all over with. Here's what I do know that RC, we all spent all off season talking about, how will the Eagles handle adversity with all the stuff that happened to them in the second half of last season, how will they handle, well they've hit adversity. So what is your sense of how they get through it, what is your sense of what is at stake for them this week? Not only have they hit adversity, they're playing a team that seems to understand their identity more than any other team in the entire NFL right now in the New Orleans Saints. I think this is going to be a gut check week for the Philadelphia Eagles. How do you show up to the stadium, what sort of energy an attitude does this team have, and if they do get down, if they give up a big play on defense, who will be that guy, now that Fletcher Cox is going to step up and make a play, will Bryce Huff finally have a showing in this game, CJ Gardner Johnson going to be that emotional leader on the back end, and can Jalen Hurts elevate this offense enough that if he's not getting what he needs from his defense, they can still find a way to win. This won't make or break the Philadelphia Eagles season if they go out and approach it the right way, but that remains to be seen because what we saw after that 10-1 start last year was absolutely unacceptable. There have been a lot of questions about leadership there, right, Jalen Hurts taking sort of control, questions about the head coach and all of that in the wake of last year's call out. What are your thoughts? I mean that's what I was trying to allude to earlier, you talk about losing those leadership, so now you're the guy that people who come to a lean to when things get tough, and Jalen Hurts has to make sure that he's able to elevate and be a force multiplier with the people around him because I don't know how much these guys believe and what they're being told from an offensive defensive side of the football, they're learning two systems. So now you've got to have somebody that can keep everybody together, he has to be the voice but he has to continue to do it with his play, but he has to be able to inspire guys as well. Bar, I've got to push back on that. They're a Saquan Barkley drop away from being two and all with two new corners, that's good coaching. But we're here, but we're here already, but what I'm saying is now they face another team that maybe you can get two losses, no matter how you got there, you can get two losses back to back and we saw this team not handle adversity well last year, you talked about the relationship between the head coach and the quarterback, we got to keep everybody pulling the rope the same direction because we know what happens, you can have fractured locker rooms and people start talking and that seems to be what happened last year when they fell apart. I really think the problems on the other side of the ball, it's a team that can't keep. He's responsible for that too. No, absolutely, but you're bringing Vic Fangio, making one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators has all this experience. That's to me where the conversation should be. What Jalen Hurts is doing, again, they did everything within reason to win that game and then Atlanta goes down in five plays, 90 yards to win it, that to me is where the problem is. And by the way, Dan, against a struggling defense like the Eagles have, you saw up close and personal what that Saints offense might just do. That's the thing, I don't think the fact that the Eagles are one-on-one or suffered a tough loss is because of some systemic problem in their locker room, right? I think their locker room's okay. Most teams are kind of like the Eagles right now, right? They're still kind of feeling their way into the season, figuring out what they want to, you know, ineligible man down field penalties. I mean, stuff they need to clean up and likely will. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they have to go on a road and play one of the teams that is humming, like is already in mid-sensport, not dipping its toe into the season. Like the Saints are locked in right now. So I think the Eagles could lose this game absolutely, I don't think the important thing for the Eagles is whether they win or lose, I think it's how they look and how they feel. RC was absolutely right, like what are they like getting off the bus, like how prepared are they for the game? They could play great and get beaten on Sunday. Let's put the picks up on the screen so we see what everybody thinks. Will they find a way to bounce back? That is a clean sweep saying no, RC quickly, why do you like New Orleans? The Saints are just so damn good. When you watch the way Clint Kubiak has this offense humming, it is like, it's almost like watching two different offenses based on what they want to do to you. If they want to come out and punch you in the mouth and hand the ball to Alva Camara, they can dominate you physically at the line of scrimmage. If they want to push the football down the football field, they can max protect Derek Carr and he has an arm and there's a frickin' track meet on the outside with Priscilla Heat and Chris Alave. I love everything about this team and not to mention, they've always been championship caliber on defense since DiMario Davis has been there, but right now they run and they hit and they cover like nobody's business defensively and it's being fed by an offense that can put the other team behind on the scoreboard. So no one likes the Eagles in that one, let's stay in their division, monster game for the Cowboys this week as they take on the winless Baltimore Ravens, both Dak and Lamar Jackson have been trying to bounce back in a big way in Arlington. Cowboys of course have allowed 92 points in their last two home games while the Ravens are trying to fall into the kind of hole that almost no one digs out of, let me give you a stat here. In the last 25 seasons, 129 teams have started 0 and 3 and the 2018 Texans are the only ones who turned that around and made the playoffs. So you know, the guys I do Sunday count on with screamed at me last week when I suggested that something could be a must win in week two. Is this a must win for the Ravens in week three? I believe so and they have to also come to grips with what the identity is and I think they struggle with that. You know, I think it still is likely 12 personnel we saw last week, you know, the throws down the field. What should their personality be? Bart, I'm making you their coach. What should their offense be for them to get where everyone thinks they should be? For me, stand on brand with what the organization has always been. It's been about running the ball and being able to get, you know, favorable down the distance, commitment to the run and being able to take shots over the top. I think it should always start with the ground game. The unfortunate part is they have, they gave two of their best linemen to the Jets and out there struggling trying to find what combination they can have to be able to move but guys off the ball. Preview, you know, Darrell lost his hair earlier in the week. You put Lebard Jackson under center with those two tight ends. Give the ball, Derek Henry. Now you have play action to Zeflowers, Lamar's healthier and they're more explosive and again, he only has two touchdown passes so that's their problem. They can't convert and score touchdowns and that's why they need to change their personnel. Well, I mean, that, so that brings up the predictability of it. RC, let me come to you as a great defensive player for a long time and let me explain for those who didn't see it. What Dan Orlowski has basically said is the Ravens have the biggest tell, literally and figuratively in the NFL, which is that when Derek Henry is on the field, they go under center and they run it every single time and when he's not on the field, they go into the gun and they throw it pretty much all of the time. So you tell me, what's this going to look like this Sunday against a Dallas team that has been shredded on the defensive side? Yeah, so, so they do have a tell, but when you look at that game, especially probably in the middle of it, second and third quarter, when they got some things rolling, there was play action with Derek Henry in the game. Some of his bigger runs than the second half were from the gun and from the pistol. And so I'm not saying that Todd Monkett and this team figured this thing out, but there were some good signs that said they could continue moving forward with playing in the way that makes Lamar Jackson comfortable. I think to totally change everything you do and make Lamar Jackson who played under Bobby and Petrino, so he was in spread and could see everything from the shotgun in college and then now in the league, you build everything around him, so he was a shotgun quarterback. To say he's going to go into center and live there, it's difficult. I think you mix it in, but you find a way to allow Derek Henry to be successful in what makes Lamar Jackson comfortable and that's the way we're moving and that's who I believe the Ravens will be. So as we put the picks up on the screen, Graziano, I'll admit, I'm surprised by your pick. You were, you covered the game last week in Dallas. You saw that defense get humiliated, I don't even know what the right word is to describe it. Why do you like the Cowboys in this game? They were humiliated by an offense that knows exactly what it is and what it wants to be. And I think all the conversation we're having here about the Ravens underlines the fact that they aren't yet, right? Are they going to be able to go under center enough to get Derek Henry going? If they do, Lamar Jackson's uncomfortable. Are they going to be able to run Derek Henry out of the shotgun? If they do, then Derek Henry's uncomfortable. You know what I mean? So they're still piecing together how much of each element they need and they're doing it with three new starters on the offensive line and that is taking a lot of adjusting and they're doing it with a new defensive coordinator and some changes on that side of the ball. It's just a team that doesn't feel like it's all the way together yet. Let me give a number. Stick, give me my ear again. The Cowboys are a one-point home underdog in this game. What's the last time they were an underdog at home? I saw the stat before I came in and I forgot what it was. It goes back. It was Tom Brady coming in as a buccaneer against the Cowboys. And I believe Dak didn't play in that game, right? That was against the Cooper Rush Cowboys if I remember correctly. I don't remember. That was the last time Dak was a home underdog. We're doing this on the fly. So that's the last time. So these are pretty rare games. Super quick. I'll give you another stat. Dallas is 12 and 2 after a loss since 2021. I know Baltimore is desperate, but so are the Cowboys. Yep. And Bart is picking Baltimore because he's Bart. And we can always count down that. Lamar Jackson's record against NFC. He doesn't lose it NFC. So let's pull that stat up to Mike. He needs a chance to play them at the very end of the year. That's what he needs. We'll see what he does on Sunday. WNBA playoffs tip off this Sunday. We'll have all four first round games. The dream in the Liberty, one Eastern on ESPN. Fever Sun, 2.30 on ABC. The Mercury play the links at 5 on ESPN and the Storm and the Aces. We'll tip off at 10 Eastern on ESPN. Coming up, Aaron Rodgers with a vintage performance. He put the rest of the AFC on notice last night. We'll answer that question after we see if Rosiano can answer this one. Who was prior to last night the last Jets coach to beat the Patriots at least 20 points in a game? Answer is next. Fasten your seat belts people. This ride is going to get bumpy. Evie Beauty right here. The pancakes are gone. Somebody ate the cake. Hey. Oh. Hey. You see that hip. Wow. Wow. Oh my goodness. You got to love it baby. I hate it. I do not love it. Good morning and it's time to get up with the moment of truth. Oh my god. Make them houses so funny. It's like a movie you've seen a hundred times and yet the writing is so brilliant it still makes you laugh. Stay where you are guys. Don't walk in my shack. What I would have done is dove right through his knees because I'm breaking something. He was a football player. You never forget. What's going on? It's only week two. What is going on up here? You're too grown to be acting like that. Oh the truth. Line drunk? No. Maybe you were on a little bit of that gray goose. You have to get loose. Who's the new guy? Hembo. Hembo's back. Dunk on him. If you ever look up the ingredients and I don't know if you feel a little stunk. Josh Myers throws up on the ball bringing new meaning to the term "chunk play" in the end. You're not blowing that dead. That was funny guys. It's been a fun week. We thank you every time you choose to get up with us again. If you're just joining us the Jets with a great performance last night I will slip back into something a little bit more comfortable here to ask Rosiano the following question. Prior to last night. Who was the last Jets coach to beat the Patriots by at least 20 points? I mean I thought it couldn't be anybody that played him while Bill Belichick was with the Patriots. I'm thinking it could be somebody that played him while Bill Belichick was with the Jets and so my guess is going to be Bill Parsell. No one is better at anything than you are at this that is absolutely right. December 27th of 98 the Jets went 52 games against New England between 20 points. Do you know who the coach was of New England in that game? No. Pete Carroll. Pete Carroll that makes sense. Pete Carroll game parsells against his former team. Makes sense. Here's the win. Once again the score last night. How about wanting me to get Al Groh? Yeah. Telling wrong answers over there. Working against here. Rosiano there's more one-sided than last night was as we bring it back over here for the conversation. So R.C I'll ask you an interesting question Ryan Clark with us this morning 14 years ago or 13 years ago you competed against Aaron Rodgers in the Super Bowl in what remains the only Super Bowl that Rodgers ever won. If that guy was a 10 because in that game and that season he was about as good as anyone has ever been. If that guy was a 10 what did he look like last night and what do you think he realistically can get to this year at the age of 40? So I want to be frank that guy was the 10 of 10s before we met Patrick Mahomes. There was no quarterback in my opinion who's ever played the position singularly better than Aaron Rodgers did during that stretch. Last night he's probably six and a half to seven of that. I think he could get to an eight he can get to eight and a half he can get to a place where he continually raises the level of play of the people around him. I think the thing that stood out more to me than anything is how sharp Aaron Rodgers is mentally. The way that Aaron Rodgers is able to dissect the defense before even getting to the line of scrimmage always finding the right matchup and then his accuracy was off the charts. There's still some things we haven't seen him do pushing the football down the field for the New York Jets which at the time of his height he was better than anybody in the entire league of doing. That's where he needs to get. They need to be able to create those chug pass plays if this team is going to have a chance to compete for an AFC Championship. Well it's because teams are playing that lousy too high safety look. Well they got to get rid of that. They've got a lot of attention here yesterday and that's one of the reasons why. But let's, so I mean look I'm going to be nuts because I'm nuts and that's the way it's going to be. Let's try and ask some sane people this question. If you get that, if the Jets get that Aaron Rodgers with the schedule that they have which all things considered is one of the easiest in the AFC and everything else. What is the realistic, what is the realistic hope for this team with Rodgers playing at that level? I mean I don't think it's hyperbole when we say that the Jets are a contender especially because we don't think the AFC is as deep as we thought it was. We thought that Cincinnati was going to be better. We thought that Baltimore was going to be better. We thought that other teams were going to be able to step up to the plate but the Jets may be right, right place, right time. And you talk about this is arguably my opinion one of the most talented teams that he's been on per player since the championship. He has a complimentary defense where he doesn't have to be Superman all the time. You know people always talk about Tom Brady, I'm talking about Peyton Manning when he won the championship. When he was a little bit more than just a passenger on the way there and Rodgers still offers more than that Peyton Manning offer but it still has all the elements. Tremendous run game, great defense and now it's not just one superstar player you have to be able to focus on. I think one of the most encouraging things of the game yesterday was the fact that he completed eight passes to eight different mean passes to eight different receivers. So look you see that bottom of your screen there, the Jets have the easiest remaining schedule in the AFC East and you pointed out earlier, I mean it's awful but there's a significant injury to the quarterback in Miami. I mean don't know exactly when or if he will be back, he's on IR right now. The Patriots I think we saw last night, that's a team that is probably not going to challenge for the division. So it does look like that could be an interesting two team race. And the other thing that you got to give Robert solid credit is if the New York Jets of last night played the New York Jets that played the 49ers they would have destroyed that team. They are a lot better in a short amount of time. You've got to give credit to the coaching staff and Aaron Rodgers look better. So if the rate of improvement continues with all these other teams having issues, they have a real chance to be there at the end. The big key is, and I've been around Testa Verde and far work with Marino, they all say the same thing. It was their legs. They lost confidence in their legs and their short area of quickness. It actually looks better now than it did two weeks ago. The big question is, we'll look the same in November and December. Right, that's the question. That's the question with any team, right? Do you hold on? Right, throughout the entire season. A lot of times like your season's success depends on how good your backup offensive line men are, how good your backup quarterback. As you mentioned, they're better there than they were last year. So if it looks like this, at the end of December, beginning of January, they will be as scary as any team in the AFC playoffs that does not wear red. There's no question about it, but they have to get there. And last night was an incredibly good sign. I agree completely, like the diversity of the ability to complete passes to eight different receivers. Right at the rookie running back, Braille and Allen, looks like a real contributor, not just a brief, all backup. The rookie tackle they're able to put in when one of the veteran tackles gets hurt, right? That was a pick that was supposed to be a luxury, but it ends up mattering. I think they looked great last night. Can I finish this? That's what it's supposed to look like. One thing, on what was one of the really great sports days we've had in a long time. Can I show you one guy who didn't have such a great day? So Shohei Otani, when he hit his 50th home run and created the 50/50 club, you think that's going to be a pretty valuable souvenir, yes? Well, I want you to watch this guy who absolutely has every opportunity to catch this ball. And he just missed it by that much stake one. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, that hurts, yes? My understanding is the guy who doesn't have the ball is not giving it back to the Dodgers. Would you? Hell no. You got $700 million. You've got to give me some cheese on my top though. Oh, did I pay you enough? You can give the ball back. Not anymore cheese on my top though, but no. I've always said, there's no way you give the ball back. If I just handed you a million dollars, you wouldn't give it back to the Dodgers. You've just been handed a million dollars, and even that might be light, right? Yeah, Dodgers don't need that. No, the Dodgers. Oh, Oh, Donnie probably wants the ball, and God bless him. So it is. Nice for him to have it. What's it worth to you? Someone gets exactly right. Okay, first take is coming up live next from Howard University. What does the dominant Rodgers mean for the rest of the AFC? They'll talk about that and more. The crowd is ready. Molly Steven A. Shannon first takes HBCU road tour gets underway next on ESPN. All right, that's all the time that we have here, Abart for the day. Did you sleep in that last night? Wouldn't you like to know? Fun day. Thanks for getting up with us. First take now. [BLANK_AUDIO]
