Join Alex Hardy and Nick Ferguson as they dive into the NFC East division, analyzing team performances, key player changes, and what to expect this season. From the Philadelphia Eagles’ dominance to the New York Giants’ challenges, get insights on each team’s prospects.
Key Highlights:
Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl win and their strong roster. Washington Commanders’ rise with Jaden Daniels and Dan Quinn. New York Giants’ strategic moves and roster challenges. Dallas Cowboys’ management and team dynamics.
Hosts:
Alex Hardy Nick Ferguson
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Twitter: @NickFerguson_25 YouTube: Ride the Wave Media
Hashtags: #NFCEast #NFLPreview #FootballTalk
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I’m Alex Hardy. He’s Nick Ferguson. And we are those guys here back for the 2025 season. Off a little hiatus. Uh we could have kept going on the off seasonason, but it’s time for ball. Nick Ferguson, my man. Former 10ear NFL safety. You can find him in the Denver market, national media, wherever you want. Nick Ferguson_25. Good to see you, brother. What’s going on? Hey, man. It is time for uh some football. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been anxiously waiting. I’ve had to go through a hockey season. Uh, Rocky’s baseball, but it is football time. I’m excited. Rockies baseball probably does more damage to your head than playing actual football did for being totally honest here. Uh, Nick, I know you turn around, put on one of those helmets, strap up, you’re that ready to go. So, I thought, look, we’ve got uh just short of a couple weeks here before the NFL season kicks off. So, we’d be doing our due diligence and at least talking a little bit about every team. We’re going to preview division by division, making sure that we have all the bases covered. And again, not the most in-depth thing you’ve ever heard, but from the perspective of Nick Ferguson and and myself as a fan and someone that’s worked in the media for over a decade. Just curious, Nick, your thoughts as we progress through each of these divisions, kind of how teams stack up. Uh I’ll break this up when we ask about each and every team. Nick, a kind of question about how things looked in 2024 in the rear view, what our expectations are for 2025, number two, and finally kind of how things stack up. So, I personally think there’s no better place to start than with the reigning Super Bowl champions. The last time we spoke on these airwaves, the Philadelphia Eagles were named Super Bowl champs, and it wasn’t even close against the Kansas City Chiefs. So, Nick, what do you say about starting in the NFC East and with the Philadelphia Eagles? Well, as they would say, fly, Eagles fly. And you know what? Here’s something that’s interesting about the Eagles. A lot of things been said off season about Jayon Hurst and him not being ranked as a top 10 quarterback. I think that is a bunch of cow chips to me. This team, whether you you want to look at it, it’s not. Uh, but it is led by one Jaylen Herz. Yeah. You have a great defense led by Vic Fangio and you have Saquon Barkley and you have those receivers outside Brown and Devonte. But for me, it starts with that guy on the center. I mean, he is the oil that keeps things going. And here’s a great thing about the Eagles. They can lean on their run game. They can lean on their their defense. And there’s a multitude of different things that they can do. And everyone’s under this assumption that, well, your quarterback has to throw for these goddy numbers. No, you you don’t really have to do that. Just keep the offense in rhythm. Take what the defense is giving you. As cliche as that saying, lean on your defense and then hand the ball off to Saquon Barkley because this isn’t golf. You know, this is a team sport. This is the ultimate team sport. So Jaylen Hurst and the Eagles, in my opinion, they’re going to fly this year as they did last year. So pick up right where they left off, right? The Super Bowl champs and they are the early favorites to repeat. one because we’re not original and two they’ve just been as good as you’ve described and that was you know the major part of the start of this offseason Nick this is kind of the rearview portion of it for those of you listening watching uh those guys that’s us we talked about a potential rule change with uh the competition committee potentially removing a tush push a brotherly shove whatever you want to call it I just say ban the nickname it’s a terrible nickname I don’t need hear tush push 800 times, but I it’s a play that essentially if if you can’t stop it, try to eliminate it from the game. That was avoided. I’m thrilled that was avoided, but if this play is something that teams would vote to ban, then we can just lean on that again. Teams aren’t going to be able to stop it. Is that what makes it so much of an advantage for Philadelphia? Not just the tush push specifically, that kind of encap encapsulates what they are. They were the most physical team on both sides of the ball last year. And is the tush push representative of that? Is eliminating that play all of a sudden taking them out of Super Bowl uh contention? Um kind of Nick where this team is from last year and how they look moving forward. Well, this doesn’t take them out of contention. And I thought it was Well, they get to run it, right? So, yeah, they get to run it, but there’s a bunch of hocus pocus with all these teams and and I guess the Buffalo Bills and some other teams thought that, yeah, the league should ban this play. It’s not safe. I’m like, well, there hasn’t been a player that’s been injured or if you wanted to say that Chris Jones was the only player to be injured in the Super Bowl. Why? because idiotically he turns his body sideways exposing his neck. But that was the only player that’s ever been injured based on his play. And to me, it’s about competition. You don’t penalize a team because they figured out a scheme. They coach it well and the low man wins. I mean, all those cliches. Philadelphia just dominates in that category. I know you don’t want to hear the brotherly shove. You don’t want to hear the tush push. You know what? Here’s what you can say. it. Here it comes. That’s what you call a play. That’s what you call it from here on out because every time they run it, it’s a conversion. Now, the Buffalo Bills and other teams have tried to attempt to duplicate this, but they haven’t been successful. Once again, to me, this is great coaching. This is great teaching of the technique and and why, as a football fan, why take out one of the better plays in football just because other teams can’t do their due diligence, study it, and stop it? So, the Eagles were at an advantage based on the physicality we’ve talked about and moving into 2025. I think it’s worth noting really the big shakeup uh is on the offensive side of the football and Jaylen Herz’s production performance, the way that offense hummed has a lot to do with Kell Moore, who was their play caller, who is now the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Um, this happens typically, Nick, right? teams that win the Super Bowl, even teams that are in contention to win one, uh, have a lot of turnover on the roster and with the coaching staff. But other than Kell Moore, this team did a really good job of keeping the main pieces largely intact, resigning their own, making sure Lane Johnson, Zack Bonn are both back. Um, and and really when I bring up Kell Moore to sort of transition moving forward, the identity of the team doesn’t change. They promote from within and they make sure that they put Jaylen Herz in that offense. They put um that incredible defensive line in the best position that they can to win. So, specifically with the offense, I just want to get bogged down in sort of who pops up um from within the system. Kevin Patulo, who has extensive experience. Now, listen, he served underneath Kell Moore. He also served underneath Nick uh Nick uh Shane Stiken when he ran that offense the first time they went to the Super Bowl. He’s been lying in weight and now he gets his opportunity to call plays. And I I’m wondering Nick about Parks Frasier specifically. He comes over from Indianapolis and the ripe old age of 33 years old takes over as the passing game coordinator for Pulo. Now get this. I’m gonna feel old all of a sudden because at 35 years old now the coaches, not just the player, the coaches are older than me now. He was calling plays at 30 years old when Frank Reich was fired because that’s their connection. He worked under Sirriani and Indie. He called plays for Jeff Saturday when Frank Reich was fired. And so, listen, I just say Parks Frasier now because kind of a buzzy name for those kind of offensive coordinator type coaches that could be considered for a head coaching gig a few years down the road. And I’ll feel even older when we have, let’s say, you know, a coach even younger than um Shawn McVey taking over, right? Well, see, see, Alex, okay, here’s where I push back on that concept because remember Jonathan Ganon and Shane Stiken. They they were all on that coaching staff when the Philadelphia Eagles went to the Super Bowl, played against Kansas City. Those guys, yeah, they went to Indie, they went to Arizona, then Kell Moore enter the frey. I mean, the offense still operated and with the same level of efficiency, if not better. So the idea of you you losing a coach or a coordinator and two in this particular case and you lose Kevin Moore, you’re thinking, okay, well this team is going to now do a reverse of fortune, but I don’t see this with this team because look look at the personnel. I mean, you still have Vic Fan on the defensive side of the ball and as long as you can get pressure with your four guys, you’re fine. Philadelphia Eagles only issue is in their secondary and I’m sure with pressure there was there solve that. But I don’t have any issues or concerns with the Eagles being able to put up statistics as they put up last year. Even though I know it’s challenging to trump the year before, but th this team should be okay. Barring any setbacks due to injuries, they’re going to be right there in the thick of things, especially in a division where I mean, your only competition, let’s be totally honest, is Jaden Daniels and the Washington Commander. So, I don’t worry about or have any issues with the coordinator and issues like this because Nick Serriani, he’s been there. He knows what the offense needs and they have a clear understanding of what each guy needs to do. I’ll take you back for real real quickly. Remember when we saw, you know, AJ Brown on the sideline, he had these notes and everyone was trying to figure out what were the notes and what he was reading a book. Yeah. Yeah. The the self motivation, the health book. Yes. Because he wanted the P. He wanted the ball and that’s what you want your your wide receiver one to think about. But they found a way to distribute the ball around. I mean, they have so many weapons, running back, wide receiver, tight end at at the quarterback position. And for me, once again, this is going to be one of those teams that’s going to make it really difficult. and the Kansas City and and you think about the Baltimore, they’re now chasing the Philadelphia Eagles because they have playmakers all on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball too. You talked about uh the weakness in the secondary, you know, those rookies from last year, Blankenship and uh oh god um you know that one that had the huge pick in the Super Bowl. Why is his name escaping me? Out of Iowa. Abdane. Yes. Yes. Cooper Deene. Yes, those guys are stepping up. It makes a a CJ Gardner Johnson kind of expendable. They move him to Houston. Unfortunately, he had a huge injury in uh in training camp that’s kind of set his season off. But that’s the thing, right? You keep things moving whether it’s on the coaching side. Um you know uh uh you know when Howie calls and they make trades out of the front office uh it really sets the tone for what this team wants to do. It’s to be balanced on both sides of the football. You know, you talk about not necessarily an addition by subtraction, but you lose big players in free agency like Josh Sweat. You try to make that up in the aggregate and just finding the diamonds in the rough. Um, getting the best performance that you can out of your personnel. It’s up to the coaching. It’s up to the front office. And really, the Eagles are the be one of the best organizations to make that seamless transition. And speaking of a seamless transition, Nick, that’s kind of the model that the Commanders were after. And you mentioned Jaden Daniels in Washington. So let’s talk about in your opinion the Eagles top competition to win the NFC East. And hey, we just saw them face off in the NFC Championship game. Look, Jaden Daniels became the eighth rookie quarterback to get a team to the championship game. Brock Pury had done it. Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, Big Ben in the last 20 years. I mentioned those names specifically because well Mark Sanchez went to another one but the other names I mentioned there’s sustain there’s s sustained success for those and I’m wondering if Jaden Daniels and that team can do it under Dan Quinn who in his second goound has been excellent at least as far as year one is concerned. Well, the the commanders have done a great job, especially in the front office with Adam Peters, who I’m quite familiar with from I was going to say that’s a guy and for our listeners and viewers that aren’t aware. Nick spent some time with the San Francisco 49ers and we’ll kind of get into those relationships that Adam Peters has. How about the one he had with you, Nick? Well, yeah, it was great. AP was uh great. uh he he’s been around football and just think about the organizations that he he has gained a lot of experience from a scouting and personnel standpoint. The New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and the Denver Broncos. What do they all have in common? They’re championship teams. There’s that championship pedigree. So, he knows what goes into putting things together from a personnel standpoint. But the one piece that was missing, like with with so many teams, is you got to solve that quarterback position. He did that in Jaden Daniels. And then you mix that with Dan Quinn. Like Dan Quinn goes back to that Pete Carroll School of Coaching. When once again when I did my coaching internship with the Seattle Seahawks, Dan Quinn was there as the defensive coordinator. He took over for Gus Bradlet. And you should see how the players gravitate towards him. And being able to get the players to execute on the field what you’re teaching them in the classroom and do it at a high level. I mean, Dan Quinn can actually do that. And and when you talk about it here, coach, it’s can you be a motivator? I know a lot of coaches talk about being uh uh you know, leader of men, but Dave Quinn personifies it and that’s shown with what you saw the commanders do uh last season. And Jaden Daniels, man, everyone’s worried about this young man and will there be a sophomore slump? Well, I would say it would only be a sophomore slump from the point of being able or suffering the pressure of having to put up those same stats. If he doesn’t put up the same stats as far as rushing as he did as a rookie and a from the touchdown standpoint, people are going to say, “Well, you know what? There’s a sophomore slump.” I mean, people get the film now. I mean, they’re they’re going to learn to adjust. They’re going to know exactly what it is that he’s going to do. But, I mean, think about Cliff Kingsbury, one of the better coaches when it comes to quarterbacks that have a skill set like a Jaden Daniels. So th this this division is going to come down to Jaden Daniels and Jaylen Herz. Which team or which quarterback is going to be healthy towards the end of the season? And that who that’s the team I figure is going to kind of win a division, but it’s okay. We’ll get to that. It’s it’s a two- horse race at this particular point for me. Okay. Absolutely. And it it’s got to be so hard for all the switches to flip the right way in the first year. first year head coach, first year quarterback. I mean, Dan Quinn had his first goaround with Atlanta and listen, they were great up until they had a 283 to lead in the Super Bowl. Shout out Falcons. Shout out those New England Patriots. But he he he established a culture and Jaden Daniels was the one to personify it. So to have that type of success, you know, I mentioned Brock Party, I mentioned Joe Flacco, I mentioned Big Ben. They all had wellestablished coaches, right? We’re talking Mike Tomlin. We’re talking John Harbaugh. We’re talking Kyle Shanahan that the quarterbacks learn from. But Jaden and Dan Quinn were doing it together. But it’s far from a twoman operation. You mentioned your guy AP and the familiarity with San Francisco. We’ve already seen, you know, acquiring Debo, just sending Brian Robinson to San Francisco. Um, and they they brought in Javon Kinlaw as well, who was drafted by the Ners. So being able to get everything right and most importantly have a healthy offensive line for most of the season last year. I it it’s interesting to say look they identified quickly that Jaden Daniels is a star. You can win with him. So let’s build it around him. The additions of Debo Samuel, Laramie Tonsel, left tackle. um you know the other additions that they’ve made everything went right and they were ahead of schedule but on paper they’re better with those additions that they’ve made Nick. So are you calling this your division winner? Are can they build upon an NFC championship game? Stats are one thing but they just made it to an NFC Championship game. You could argue the roster is better. Is that the standard now for the Commanders? Of course. I mean each year for every team it’s you have to get better than you did last year. And the first measuring stick is that it’s in win total, right? And and the way you do that is you look and you assess your roster. You try to get better at weak positions. Look at what other teams are doing within your division and say, “Well, you have to find ways to counter it.” And from a defensive standpoint, what Dan Quinn decided to do, say, “Listen, you you already have Bobby Wagner as your mic linebacker, right? one of the smartest guys in the league and his durability, man, is is off the chart. So, you double down and you say, “You know what? We’re going to go out and get a third team third down specialist rather.” And that’s Von Miller. Right now, Vaughn is not where he used to be, but in somewhat of a reduced role where you can create third and long situations, allow him to come in and work. This is where this offense is going to improve because they’re going to have more opportunities because now the defense can give them more takeaways and and once again right right now I go back to what I said it’s a two- horse race right it’s a coin flip when you start talking about these two teams and not having Brian Robinson for the Washington Commanders once again that’s going to put a lot of pressure on Austin Eckler can he carry that workload can he be that do everything you know running back like he was with the Chargers. No, I’m not sure. So that may put a lot of pressure on Jaden Daniels. I I mean, yes, I think you put more pressure on Jaden Daniels. They’re also infatuated with the rookie Bill McCrosski Corit. Uh no, I just I butchered that entirely. Um Jakori Kroski Merritt. He goes by Bill. I’m infatuated with him. Chris Rodriguez is in for his third year. It’s going to be a committee. And for Brian Robinson who’s on the last year of his rookie deal, uh things kind of became expendable and they got some value in exchange for, you know, San Francisco needing a back because ironically every running back except Christian McCaffrey is injured for them right now. But we’ll get to the Niners and the NFC West. Probably my favorite division. Uh but we’ll we’ll pump the brakes on that because we’re still in the East. We’re talking about the NFC East. I’m Alex Hardy. He’s Nick Ferguson. We are those guys. And here’s the problem, Nick. We talked about the teams that we like in a twohorse division race. As you said, I want to do this New York Giants first because at least to me, they still seem as if they are a legitimate football team whose priority is to win games. U but we’ll get to our shots with the Cowboys in a moment. Um look, the New York Giants, the head coach, and the GM are still there. the embarrassment of putting yourself this time a year ago, they embarrassed themselves in front of the nation with the one and only offseason hard knocks, right? But now Brian Dball and Joe Shane have a lot of pressure on them to keep their jobs and they’re kind of split between one foot in the future. At the same time, they need to sustain some kind of formula to win enough games so that they can live to see another day. So, how do you sort of wrestle with that? And realistically, are the Giants more concerned about, let’s say, getting Jackson Dart and some of the younger players, you know, Abdul Carter going? I’m not actually worried about Abdul Carter. Uh, are they worried about getting the younger players on both sides of the football more run or is this let’s let’s cook with Russ and find a way to scratch out seven, eight wins if we possibly can so that we can stay employed for next year. The idea with the Giants, win at all costs. All your chips are pushed to the the center of the table. This is why you have two veteran quarterbacks on your roster and Jameus Winston and like you said, uh, Russell Wilson. So, the team wants to get out fast. They they want to be able to use the skill set of Malik Neighbors, hoping that that connection with Russell Wilson will actually turn into better production, and we’re yet to see that. So, that’s kind of where the they’re thinking things will go because if things don’t go well and say you start out the season and let’s say you 0 and4 or you one and four, then the Jackson Dark experiment is going to come to life right away because in New York, those fans are brutal. They they they speak their mind and when you draft a quarterback in the first round and things are not going well, they are pounding the table to get that rookie in. And should they throw Jackson Dart in right away? No. Once again, like I said, that New York median fan base, they are brutal. They’ll eat you alive. So, the idea is to throw Jackson Dart a lifeline. If for some reason Russ can’t get it done, then maybe you throw Jamus in for a while and then you allow Jackson Dart to kind of learn from the mistakes from those veterans and then later in the season you throw them in. But this is very difficult situation that Joe Shane and Brian Dable find themselves in because they may not even be there to enjoy the fruits of Jackson Dart’s labor because they could be fired if things don’t go well. Well, that’s the thing, right? If he works out, then Joe Shane and Brian Dable have something to hang their hats on. But how quickly are they going to want to throw him in understanding that there are, you know, huge issues that this team has uh and had a extremely depleted roster? Look, let’s look on the bright side of things. They do have some pieces, some units on this roster that are worth writing home about. Are you kidding me? Right there. There is a bright side. Tell me about Dexter Lawrence. Brian Burns and the addition of Abdul Carter. That Dline is sick and it is going to be hell. Look, we talked about Jaylen Herz, we talked about Jaden Daniels, even you know those the the the Dak Prescott. Like you needed you need a bunch of game wreckers to go toe-to-toe with those quarterbacks. And I think the Giants at least have that. Well, you know what? Yeah, from a personnel standpoint, did the Giants somewhat upgrade defensively? But I have to see how that comes together because they they are the Giants and this is an organization that went from the tops of the tops with, you know, Coughlin and Eli Manning to being a team that’s kind of in obscurity where no one, you know, really wants to watch the game, even their own fans. So, if you’re telling me that this defense with this uh new invigorated per personnel can help them change things, look, sign me up for it. But when the Giants are doing well, it makes the NFC East a better conference. It’s not that I’m saying as though I’m looking at them to overtake the Commanders or the Philadelphia Eagles. No, I’m not saying that, but being competitive, and I think that’s kind of the idea that Brian Dable and Joe Shane wants. Now, it’s not exactly what Giants fans want because they want you to talk about Super Bowl. This team is not in that window right now. But if the defensive guys can force some turnovers, if the offensive line can actually block and help protect the quarterbacks, now they’re in the conversation. Now we’re talking being competitive. And now we’re looking forward to 2026 and 2027. Jackson Dark taking over. And let’s see where he can take the team. Let’s play a game. We’ll do schedule watch because we’re talking about have to win games at all costs. Week one, they open at the Commanders. Week two at Dallas. Week three, they host on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs. Week four, they host the Chargers. Week five, they get the Saints at home. All right, we could we could probably pencil in a W. Yeah. Week Then they get the short turnaround and they get the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. I’m not even Nick, I’m not even done. Week seven, they get your Denver Broncos in at mile high. Week eight, they go to Philadelphia. Week nine, they host the 49ers. We’re getting, look, that’s the first nine weeks of the season. And what are we looking at here? Jackson Dartine could come in, but what are you going to do? Throw them in against the Eagles when they when you have to go to their house at the link. It’s going to be rough. And if it isn’t, then Brian Dball and Joe Shane deserve to keep their jobs. I think that’s all there is to it. Well, you know what? But by the time they get here to Denver, maybe uh things would have uh kind of resolved themselves and Jackson Dart could possibly be coming into Denver. No, that’s the that’s the Russ revenge game. What are you talking about? In front of Shawn Peyton. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That that is built as a Russ revenge game. But when Russ came here last time with the Steelers, he didn’t play right. So exactly. It was still He still hasn’t gotten his opportunity to crack back at Shawn Peyton. Well, see that now you have to pray to the football gods that the Giants are doing well enough at that point of the season that Brian Dable is still utilizing the talent and the skill set of Russell Wilson right as they face off against the Denver Broncos because if not based on the schedule that you gave that’s a murderous row of of tough teams that you get out of the gate and you got to think if you are a Giants fan you have to be kicking and screaming at schedulers saying, “Well, how could you put this team that was three and 14 last season in a difficult situation of where you put them in?” Because they could start off the the the beginning of the season, that could be like two and four, if not worse. Well, let’s wrap things up in the NFC East. Uh, the Dallas Cowboys. I said what I said because no, I have not succumbed to watching the Netflix documentary about how things used to be and some crocodile tears from an 83year-old owner who is pleading with, you know, a higher being. Why can’t we win football games? Why can’t we go back to the playoffs? Uh, I know because you took a check for $50 million from Netflix to make a documentary about yourself and you’re not even concerned about resigning, you know, the best pass rusher in the NFL. I I don’t know. The I look, I like the addition of George Pickins. Uh this team always has game records on defense. Uh they draft really well, but until they take themselves seriously and until they prioritize football over propping up the Jerry Jones brand and the family, what what is what is there to talk about? Nick, I’ll just let you you know, like you can do the Cowboys here for a couple minutes before we get on out of here. Well, if anyone is questioning why is it that the Cowboys haven’t returned to prominence, it is because a little of their owner, right? I mean, when I think about, you know, the owners in Dallas, like Mark Cuban was one of those guys as well, like like a owner usually delegates. He’s behind the scenes. He he he’s like u what was it? The Wizard of Oz, right? You only hear his voice. You never really see him. But in the case of Jerry, Jerry’s got to be out front. Jerry’s got a pre and postgame show. Well, the difference too is he’s the general manager, which Cuban never was. And there’s a reason why Dak Prescott is making $60 million. There’s a reason why, you know, Micah says he’ll take a contract a year ago and now he will have to be paid more than $40 million a year. Like, this is this is malpractice. I understand that we’re talking about saving a couple million here, a couple million there. that that is how you upgrade the roster. That’s how you retain certain players that just walk out the door, go to Washington, play it for Dan Quinn, and go to the NFC Championship game. That I I just when when I learn that football is more important than engagement and clicks and cameras on Jerry, then I’ll actually consider this team somebody worth watching. Well, yeah, but you talk about the wrong person because I mean, it’s Jerry world for a reason. I mean, you’re the owner and you’re the GM. There’s no buffer between the decision- making. The buck stops with with with Jerry. If Jerry wants to know why the team is not succeeding, then it’s Jerry. You can’t blame all these other people. You can try, but I’m not going to go for it. like like Jerry is great at making Jerry’s like Deion Sanders and it’s probably where Dion got it from, right? And they they’re able to promote the brand is about the brand and even though the Cowboys haven’t been relevant in about 30 years. I mean, they’re still on television. I mean, Stephen A did a sit down. The guy who kind of makes the fun the most fun out of the misery of the Cowboys sat down with Jerry Jones. Why? because it’s all about engagement and you’re not engaging your fan base in the way they want to be engaged, which is on the field, which is means W’s. And we’ve seen this movie before. Jerry has done this before. He did it with Emit. He did it with Dak. He did it with CD Lamb. He’s now repeating it with Micah Parson. It was like, we know how this movie ends. We have the cliff notes. You’re gonna wait to get to the beginning of the season and then you’re gonna give him to give the player their their money, but then you’re gonna end up overpaying, right? That you can’t tell me that’s great business practice. You can’t. Yeah, we’re we’re on the same page here. Uh let’s quickly stack the division here, Nick. I go uh same as last year. Let’s run it back. Eagles, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants. How do you see it? I see it uh basically the same. Well, you know, I see the same way with a possible flip at the bottom. Maybe the Giants overtaking the Dallas Cowboys. Boy, talk about that sticking in your Netflix crawl if you’re Jerry Jones. Eight episodes wasn’t enough. We’ll see episode nine when your uh prediction comes to fruition. Nick, this is the NFC East. You’re going to get a division preview from every single division. Um hopefully we can tighten things up, but we just get so fired up about Jara or let’s be honest about the strength that the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders bring because we’re doing you a service. That was the majority of our episode I think as far as I’m concerned. U but now doing a a service to ourselves really. Nick, I want to close things out with a post that I saw you put on uh X Nick Ferguson_25. Real talk, if Levon Bell had a food truck named Side Chick, I’m pulling up to check it out. First of all, this is just Levon Bell like Jerry Jones stealing engagement. This isn’t something he came up with. But here’s Levian’s post from earlier this month. Quote, “Hear me out. A food truck that sells chicken sandwiches. I’d park it next to Chick-fil-A and it’ll only be open Sundays. I’ll call it Side Chick.” End quote. That’s a great idea, Nick, because I understand it. I don’t do Chick-fil-A, but if I ever did, it would only be on a Sunday when the doors are closed. But what I’m interested in, Mr. Apple Cider Vinegar, real talk, Nick Ferguson, you’re pulling up to Chick-fil-A. What’s going on here, man? Well, see, I’m pulling up to side chick. Remember, Levon Bell said, “Hey, listen.” He knows that Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday. So, you just pull up, set up with the food truck, and you just kind of sell your chicken, right? They got all kind of Nashville hot chicken, deep chicken, whatever. Now, you got side chick. Who wouldn’t want some side chick, right? No, I’m under the impression that he’s just selling Chick-fil-A items on a Sunday. You think you think Levon Bell has the infrastructure to to get a quality kitchen built into a truck? What’s Nick? I mean, let’s be realistic here. Well, listen, if if he doesn’t have the wherewithal, he knows someone who knows someone else. All I’m saying, food trucks is a thing now. If you pull up in a uh Chick-fil-A parking lot on a Sunday, they’re not working. They don’t worry about who’s parking there. You just pull up, sell your chicken, right? And once again, who doesn’t like Side Chick, right? I mean, shout out shout out uh the Atlanta Falcons and the Mercedes-Benz stadium, right? I didn’t get that mixed up with uh New Orleans. I I think it’s I think Mercedes-Benz is Atlanta. If I’m wrong, just like, rate, and uh you know, write a comment about how wrong I am. They have a Chick-fil-A in the stadium that’s open for every Georgia Bulldogs game, and then come Sunday, they just brand it as a generic chicken sandwich place in the stadium. Haven’t banned, but apparently that’s the word. Um, listen, Levian, you took enough hits in the NFL and then you went in the boxing ring to take some more hits to the head. I I just I I just don’t see it happen. I just don’t see it happening. Look, man. People pulling up, especially if you want to do it in the Chick-fil-A parking lot, just pull up to a club on a Friday, Saturday night. Say, “Hey, man. Hey, you guys coming out of the club? I got that side chick right here. It’s going down. Come get you some of that side chick.” late late night come out when the bar is closing or the club is closing like that’s now now we’re talking Taco Bell territory now now you you hit Blaine up even Taco Bell hits well at that time I’m Alex Hardy he’s Nick Ferguson we are those guys we hope to be your guys and hey if these guys are doing really well why not those guys we’re going to hit you next with the NFC North next episode again every single division in the NFL before we kick off uh what is that September 5th Nick what do you have to say for the people on our way out.
Join Alex Hardy and Nick Ferguson as they dive into the NFC East division, analyzing team performances, key player changes, and what to expect this season. From the Philadelphia Eagles’ dominance to the New York Giants’ challenges, get insights on each team’s prospects.
Key Highlights:
Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl win and their strong roster. Washington Commanders’ rise with Jaden Daniels and Dan Quinn. New York Giants’ strategic moves and roster challenges. Dallas Cowboys’ management and team dynamics.
Hosts:
Alex Hardy Nick Ferguson
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Twitter: @NickFerguson_25 YouTube: Ride the Wave Media
Hashtags: #NFCEast #NFLPreview #FootballTalk
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I’m Alex Hardy. He’s Nick Ferguson. And we are those guys here back for the 2025 season. Off a little hiatus. Uh we could have kept going on the off seasonason, but it’s time for ball. Nick Ferguson, my man. Former 10ear NFL safety. You can find him in the Denver market, national media, wherever you want. Nick Ferguson_25. Good to see you, brother. What’s going on? Hey, man. It is time for uh some football. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been anxiously waiting. I’ve had to go through a hockey season. Uh, Rocky’s baseball, but it is football time. I’m excited. Rockies baseball probably does more damage to your head than playing actual football did for being totally honest here. Uh, Nick, I know you turn around, put on one of those helmets, strap up, you’re that ready to go. So, I thought, look, we’ve got uh just short of a couple weeks here before the NFL season kicks off. So, we’d be doing our due diligence and at least talking a little bit about every team. We’re going to preview division by division, making sure that we have all the bases covered. And again, not the most in-depth thing you’ve ever heard, but from the perspective of Nick Ferguson and and myself as a fan and someone that’s worked in the media for over a decade. Just curious, Nick, your thoughts as we progress through each of these divisions, kind of how teams stack up. Uh I’ll break this up when we ask about each and every team. Nick, a kind of question about how things looked in 2024 in the rear view, what our expectations are for 2025, number two, and finally kind of how things stack up. So, I personally think there’s no better place to start than with the reigning Super Bowl champions. The last time we spoke on these airwaves, the Philadelphia Eagles were named Super Bowl champs, and it wasn’t even close against the Kansas City Chiefs. So, Nick, what do you say about starting in the NFC East and with the Philadelphia Eagles? Well, as they would say, fly, Eagles fly. And you know what? Here’s something that’s interesting about the Eagles. A lot of things been said off season about Jayon Hurst and him not being ranked as a top 10 quarterback. I think that is a bunch of cow chips to me. This team, whether you you want to look at it, it’s not. Uh, but it is led by one Jaylen Herz. Yeah. You have a great defense led by Vic Fangio and you have Saquon Barkley and you have those receivers outside Brown and Devonte. But for me, it starts with that guy on the center. I mean, he is the oil that keeps things going. And here’s a great thing about the Eagles. They can lean on their run game. They can lean on their their defense. And there’s a multitude of different things that they can do. And everyone’s under this assumption that, well, your quarterback has to throw for these goddy numbers. No, you you don’t really have to do that. Just keep the offense in rhythm. Take what the defense is giving you. As cliche as that saying, lean on your defense and then hand the ball off to Saquon Barkley because this isn’t golf. You know, this is a team sport. This is the ultimate team sport. So Jaylen Hurst and the Eagles, in my opinion, they’re going to fly this year as they did last year. So pick up right where they left off, right? The Super Bowl champs and they are the early favorites to repeat. one because we’re not original and two they’ve just been as good as you’ve described and that was you know the major part of the start of this offseason Nick this is kind of the rearview portion of it for those of you listening watching uh those guys that’s us we talked about a potential rule change with uh the competition committee potentially removing a tush push a brotherly shove whatever you want to call it I just say ban the nickname it’s a terrible nickname I don’t need hear tush push 800 times, but I it’s a play that essentially if if you can’t stop it, try to eliminate it from the game. That was avoided. I’m thrilled that was avoided, but if this play is something that teams would vote to ban, then we can just lean on that again. Teams aren’t going to be able to stop it. Is that what makes it so much of an advantage for Philadelphia? Not just the tush push specifically, that kind of encap encapsulates what they are. They were the most physical team on both sides of the ball last year. And is the tush push representative of that? Is eliminating that play all of a sudden taking them out of Super Bowl uh contention? Um kind of Nick where this team is from last year and how they look moving forward. Well, this doesn’t take them out of contention. And I thought it was Well, they get to run it, right? So, yeah, they get to run it, but there’s a bunch of hocus pocus with all these teams and and I guess the Buffalo Bills and some other teams thought that, yeah, the league should ban this play. It’s not safe. I’m like, well, there hasn’t been a player that’s been injured or if you wanted to say that Chris Jones was the only player to be injured in the Super Bowl. Why? because idiotically he turns his body sideways exposing his neck. But that was the only player that’s ever been injured based on his play. And to me, it’s about competition. You don’t penalize a team because they figured out a scheme. They coach it well and the low man wins. I mean, all those cliches. Philadelphia just dominates in that category. I know you don’t want to hear the brotherly shove. You don’t want to hear the tush push. You know what? Here’s what you can say. it. Here it comes. That’s what you call a play. That’s what you call it from here on out because every time they run it, it’s a conversion. Now, the Buffalo Bills and other teams have tried to attempt to duplicate this, but they haven’t been successful. Once again, to me, this is great coaching. This is great teaching of the technique and and why, as a football fan, why take out one of the better plays in football just because other teams can’t do their due diligence, study it, and stop it? So, the Eagles were at an advantage based on the physicality we’ve talked about and moving into 2025. I think it’s worth noting really the big shakeup uh is on the offensive side of the football and Jaylen Herz’s production performance, the way that offense hummed has a lot to do with Kell Moore, who was their play caller, who is now the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Um, this happens typically, Nick, right? teams that win the Super Bowl, even teams that are in contention to win one, uh, have a lot of turnover on the roster and with the coaching staff. But other than Kell Moore, this team did a really good job of keeping the main pieces largely intact, resigning their own, making sure Lane Johnson, Zack Bonn are both back. Um, and and really when I bring up Kell Moore to sort of transition moving forward, the identity of the team doesn’t change. They promote from within and they make sure that they put Jaylen Herz in that offense. They put um that incredible defensive line in the best position that they can to win. So, specifically with the offense, I just want to get bogged down in sort of who pops up um from within the system. Kevin Patulo, who has extensive experience. Now, listen, he served underneath Kell Moore. He also served underneath Nick uh Nick uh Shane Stiken when he ran that offense the first time they went to the Super Bowl. He’s been lying in weight and now he gets his opportunity to call plays. And I I’m wondering Nick about Parks Frasier specifically. He comes over from Indianapolis and the ripe old age of 33 years old takes over as the passing game coordinator for Pulo. Now get this. I’m gonna feel old all of a sudden because at 35 years old now the coaches, not just the player, the coaches are older than me now. He was calling plays at 30 years old when Frank Reich was fired because that’s their connection. He worked under Sirriani and Indie. He called plays for Jeff Saturday when Frank Reich was fired. And so, listen, I just say Parks Frasier now because kind of a buzzy name for those kind of offensive coordinator type coaches that could be considered for a head coaching gig a few years down the road. And I’ll feel even older when we have, let’s say, you know, a coach even younger than um Shawn McVey taking over, right? Well, see, see, Alex, okay, here’s where I push back on that concept because remember Jonathan Ganon and Shane Stiken. They they were all on that coaching staff when the Philadelphia Eagles went to the Super Bowl, played against Kansas City. Those guys, yeah, they went to Indie, they went to Arizona, then Kell Moore enter the frey. I mean, the offense still operated and with the same level of efficiency, if not better. So the idea of you you losing a coach or a coordinator and two in this particular case and you lose Kevin Moore, you’re thinking, okay, well this team is going to now do a reverse of fortune, but I don’t see this with this team because look look at the personnel. I mean, you still have Vic Fan on the defensive side of the ball and as long as you can get pressure with your four guys, you’re fine. Philadelphia Eagles only issue is in their secondary and I’m sure with pressure there was there solve that. But I don’t have any issues or concerns with the Eagles being able to put up statistics as they put up last year. Even though I know it’s challenging to trump the year before, but th this team should be okay. Barring any setbacks due to injuries, they’re going to be right there in the thick of things, especially in a division where I mean, your only competition, let’s be totally honest, is Jaden Daniels and the Washington Commander. So, I don’t worry about or have any issues with the coordinator and issues like this because Nick Serriani, he’s been there. He knows what the offense needs and they have a clear understanding of what each guy needs to do. I’ll take you back for real real quickly. Remember when we saw, you know, AJ Brown on the sideline, he had these notes and everyone was trying to figure out what were the notes and what he was reading a book. Yeah. Yeah. The the self motivation, the health book. Yes. Because he wanted the P. He wanted the ball and that’s what you want your your wide receiver one to think about. But they found a way to distribute the ball around. I mean, they have so many weapons, running back, wide receiver, tight end at at the quarterback position. And for me, once again, this is going to be one of those teams that’s going to make it really difficult. and the Kansas City and and you think about the Baltimore, they’re now chasing the Philadelphia Eagles because they have playmakers all on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball too. You talked about uh the weakness in the secondary, you know, those rookies from last year, Blankenship and uh oh god um you know that one that had the huge pick in the Super Bowl. Why is his name escaping me? Out of Iowa. Abdane. Yes. Yes. Cooper Deene. Yes, those guys are stepping up. It makes a a CJ Gardner Johnson kind of expendable. They move him to Houston. Unfortunately, he had a huge injury in uh in training camp that’s kind of set his season off. But that’s the thing, right? You keep things moving whether it’s on the coaching side. Um you know uh uh you know when Howie calls and they make trades out of the front office uh it really sets the tone for what this team wants to do. It’s to be balanced on both sides of the football. You know, you talk about not necessarily an addition by subtraction, but you lose big players in free agency like Josh Sweat. You try to make that up in the aggregate and just finding the diamonds in the rough. Um, getting the best performance that you can out of your personnel. It’s up to the coaching. It’s up to the front office. And really, the Eagles are the be one of the best organizations to make that seamless transition. And speaking of a seamless transition, Nick, that’s kind of the model that the Commanders were after. And you mentioned Jaden Daniels in Washington. So let’s talk about in your opinion the Eagles top competition to win the NFC East. And hey, we just saw them face off in the NFC Championship game. Look, Jaden Daniels became the eighth rookie quarterback to get a team to the championship game. Brock Pury had done it. Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, Big Ben in the last 20 years. I mentioned those names specifically because well Mark Sanchez went to another one but the other names I mentioned there’s sustain there’s s sustained success for those and I’m wondering if Jaden Daniels and that team can do it under Dan Quinn who in his second goound has been excellent at least as far as year one is concerned. Well, the the commanders have done a great job, especially in the front office with Adam Peters, who I’m quite familiar with from I was going to say that’s a guy and for our listeners and viewers that aren’t aware. Nick spent some time with the San Francisco 49ers and we’ll kind of get into those relationships that Adam Peters has. How about the one he had with you, Nick? Well, yeah, it was great. AP was uh great. uh he he’s been around football and just think about the organizations that he he has gained a lot of experience from a scouting and personnel standpoint. The New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and the Denver Broncos. What do they all have in common? They’re championship teams. There’s that championship pedigree. So, he knows what goes into putting things together from a personnel standpoint. But the one piece that was missing, like with with so many teams, is you got to solve that quarterback position. He did that in Jaden Daniels. And then you mix that with Dan Quinn. Like Dan Quinn goes back to that Pete Carroll School of Coaching. When once again when I did my coaching internship with the Seattle Seahawks, Dan Quinn was there as the defensive coordinator. He took over for Gus Bradlet. And you should see how the players gravitate towards him. And being able to get the players to execute on the field what you’re teaching them in the classroom and do it at a high level. I mean, Dan Quinn can actually do that. And and when you talk about it here, coach, it’s can you be a motivator? I know a lot of coaches talk about being uh uh you know, leader of men, but Dave Quinn personifies it and that’s shown with what you saw the commanders do uh last season. And Jaden Daniels, man, everyone’s worried about this young man and will there be a sophomore slump? Well, I would say it would only be a sophomore slump from the point of being able or suffering the pressure of having to put up those same stats. If he doesn’t put up the same stats as far as rushing as he did as a rookie and a from the touchdown standpoint, people are going to say, “Well, you know what? There’s a sophomore slump.” I mean, people get the film now. I mean, they’re they’re going to learn to adjust. They’re going to know exactly what it is that he’s going to do. But, I mean, think about Cliff Kingsbury, one of the better coaches when it comes to quarterbacks that have a skill set like a Jaden Daniels. So th this this division is going to come down to Jaden Daniels and Jaylen Herz. Which team or which quarterback is going to be healthy towards the end of the season? And that who that’s the team I figure is going to kind of win a division, but it’s okay. We’ll get to that. It’s it’s a two- horse race at this particular point for me. Okay. Absolutely. And it it’s got to be so hard for all the switches to flip the right way in the first year. first year head coach, first year quarterback. I mean, Dan Quinn had his first goaround with Atlanta and listen, they were great up until they had a 283 to lead in the Super Bowl. Shout out Falcons. Shout out those New England Patriots. But he he he established a culture and Jaden Daniels was the one to personify it. So to have that type of success, you know, I mentioned Brock Party, I mentioned Joe Flacco, I mentioned Big Ben. They all had wellestablished coaches, right? We’re talking Mike Tomlin. We’re talking John Harbaugh. We’re talking Kyle Shanahan that the quarterbacks learn from. But Jaden and Dan Quinn were doing it together. But it’s far from a twoman operation. You mentioned your guy AP and the familiarity with San Francisco. We’ve already seen, you know, acquiring Debo, just sending Brian Robinson to San Francisco. Um, and they they brought in Javon Kinlaw as well, who was drafted by the Ners. So being able to get everything right and most importantly have a healthy offensive line for most of the season last year. I it it’s interesting to say look they identified quickly that Jaden Daniels is a star. You can win with him. So let’s build it around him. The additions of Debo Samuel, Laramie Tonsel, left tackle. um you know the other additions that they’ve made everything went right and they were ahead of schedule but on paper they’re better with those additions that they’ve made Nick. So are you calling this your division winner? Are can they build upon an NFC championship game? Stats are one thing but they just made it to an NFC Championship game. You could argue the roster is better. Is that the standard now for the Commanders? Of course. I mean each year for every team it’s you have to get better than you did last year. And the first measuring stick is that it’s in win total, right? And and the way you do that is you look and you assess your roster. You try to get better at weak positions. Look at what other teams are doing within your division and say, “Well, you have to find ways to counter it.” And from a defensive standpoint, what Dan Quinn decided to do, say, “Listen, you you already have Bobby Wagner as your mic linebacker, right? one of the smartest guys in the league and his durability, man, is is off the chart. So, you double down and you say, “You know what? We’re going to go out and get a third team third down specialist rather.” And that’s Von Miller. Right now, Vaughn is not where he used to be, but in somewhat of a reduced role where you can create third and long situations, allow him to come in and work. This is where this offense is going to improve because they’re going to have more opportunities because now the defense can give them more takeaways and and once again right right now I go back to what I said it’s a two- horse race right it’s a coin flip when you start talking about these two teams and not having Brian Robinson for the Washington Commanders once again that’s going to put a lot of pressure on Austin Eckler can he carry that workload can he be that do everything you know running back like he was with the Chargers. No, I’m not sure. So that may put a lot of pressure on Jaden Daniels. I I mean, yes, I think you put more pressure on Jaden Daniels. They’re also infatuated with the rookie Bill McCrosski Corit. Uh no, I just I butchered that entirely. Um Jakori Kroski Merritt. He goes by Bill. I’m infatuated with him. Chris Rodriguez is in for his third year. It’s going to be a committee. And for Brian Robinson who’s on the last year of his rookie deal, uh things kind of became expendable and they got some value in exchange for, you know, San Francisco needing a back because ironically every running back except Christian McCaffrey is injured for them right now. But we’ll get to the Niners and the NFC West. Probably my favorite division. Uh but we’ll we’ll pump the brakes on that because we’re still in the East. We’re talking about the NFC East. I’m Alex Hardy. He’s Nick Ferguson. We are those guys. And here’s the problem, Nick. We talked about the teams that we like in a twohorse division race. As you said, I want to do this New York Giants first because at least to me, they still seem as if they are a legitimate football team whose priority is to win games. U but we’ll get to our shots with the Cowboys in a moment. Um look, the New York Giants, the head coach, and the GM are still there. the embarrassment of putting yourself this time a year ago, they embarrassed themselves in front of the nation with the one and only offseason hard knocks, right? But now Brian Dball and Joe Shane have a lot of pressure on them to keep their jobs and they’re kind of split between one foot in the future. At the same time, they need to sustain some kind of formula to win enough games so that they can live to see another day. So, how do you sort of wrestle with that? And realistically, are the Giants more concerned about, let’s say, getting Jackson Dart and some of the younger players, you know, Abdul Carter going? I’m not actually worried about Abdul Carter. Uh, are they worried about getting the younger players on both sides of the football more run or is this let’s let’s cook with Russ and find a way to scratch out seven, eight wins if we possibly can so that we can stay employed for next year. The idea with the Giants, win at all costs. All your chips are pushed to the the center of the table. This is why you have two veteran quarterbacks on your roster and Jameus Winston and like you said, uh, Russell Wilson. So, the team wants to get out fast. They they want to be able to use the skill set of Malik Neighbors, hoping that that connection with Russell Wilson will actually turn into better production, and we’re yet to see that. So, that’s kind of where the they’re thinking things will go because if things don’t go well and say you start out the season and let’s say you 0 and4 or you one and four, then the Jackson Dark experiment is going to come to life right away because in New York, those fans are brutal. They they they speak their mind and when you draft a quarterback in the first round and things are not going well, they are pounding the table to get that rookie in. And should they throw Jackson Dart in right away? No. Once again, like I said, that New York median fan base, they are brutal. They’ll eat you alive. So, the idea is to throw Jackson Dart a lifeline. If for some reason Russ can’t get it done, then maybe you throw Jamus in for a while and then you allow Jackson Dart to kind of learn from the mistakes from those veterans and then later in the season you throw them in. But this is very difficult situation that Joe Shane and Brian Dable find themselves in because they may not even be there to enjoy the fruits of Jackson Dart’s labor because they could be fired if things don’t go well. Well, that’s the thing, right? If he works out, then Joe Shane and Brian Dable have something to hang their hats on. But how quickly are they going to want to throw him in understanding that there are, you know, huge issues that this team has uh and had a extremely depleted roster? Look, let’s look on the bright side of things. They do have some pieces, some units on this roster that are worth writing home about. Are you kidding me? Right there. There is a bright side. Tell me about Dexter Lawrence. Brian Burns and the addition of Abdul Carter. That Dline is sick and it is going to be hell. Look, we talked about Jaylen Herz, we talked about Jaden Daniels, even you know those the the the Dak Prescott. Like you needed you need a bunch of game wreckers to go toe-to-toe with those quarterbacks. And I think the Giants at least have that. Well, you know what? Yeah, from a personnel standpoint, did the Giants somewhat upgrade defensively? But I have to see how that comes together because they they are the Giants and this is an organization that went from the tops of the tops with, you know, Coughlin and Eli Manning to being a team that’s kind of in obscurity where no one, you know, really wants to watch the game, even their own fans. So, if you’re telling me that this defense with this uh new invigorated per personnel can help them change things, look, sign me up for it. But when the Giants are doing well, it makes the NFC East a better conference. It’s not that I’m saying as though I’m looking at them to overtake the Commanders or the Philadelphia Eagles. No, I’m not saying that, but being competitive, and I think that’s kind of the idea that Brian Dable and Joe Shane wants. Now, it’s not exactly what Giants fans want because they want you to talk about Super Bowl. This team is not in that window right now. But if the defensive guys can force some turnovers, if the offensive line can actually block and help protect the quarterbacks, now they’re in the conversation. Now we’re talking being competitive. And now we’re looking forward to 2026 and 2027. Jackson Dark taking over. And let’s see where he can take the team. Let’s play a game. We’ll do schedule watch because we’re talking about have to win games at all costs. Week one, they open at the Commanders. Week two at Dallas. Week three, they host on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs. Week four, they host the Chargers. Week five, they get the Saints at home. All right, we could we could probably pencil in a W. Yeah. Week Then they get the short turnaround and they get the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. I’m not even Nick, I’m not even done. Week seven, they get your Denver Broncos in at mile high. Week eight, they go to Philadelphia. Week nine, they host the 49ers. We’re getting, look, that’s the first nine weeks of the season. And what are we looking at here? Jackson Dartine could come in, but what are you going to do? Throw them in against the Eagles when they when you have to go to their house at the link. It’s going to be rough. And if it isn’t, then Brian Dball and Joe Shane deserve to keep their jobs. I think that’s all there is to it. Well, you know what? But by the time they get here to Denver, maybe uh things would have uh kind of resolved themselves and Jackson Dart could possibly be coming into Denver. No, that’s the that’s the Russ revenge game. What are you talking about? In front of Shawn Peyton. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That that is built as a Russ revenge game. But when Russ came here last time with the Steelers, he didn’t play right. So exactly. It was still He still hasn’t gotten his opportunity to crack back at Shawn Peyton. Well, see that now you have to pray to the football gods that the Giants are doing well enough at that point of the season that Brian Dable is still utilizing the talent and the skill set of Russell Wilson right as they face off against the Denver Broncos because if not based on the schedule that you gave that’s a murderous row of of tough teams that you get out of the gate and you got to think if you are a Giants fan you have to be kicking and screaming at schedulers saying, “Well, how could you put this team that was three and 14 last season in a difficult situation of where you put them in?” Because they could start off the the the beginning of the season, that could be like two and four, if not worse. Well, let’s wrap things up in the NFC East. Uh, the Dallas Cowboys. I said what I said because no, I have not succumbed to watching the Netflix documentary about how things used to be and some crocodile tears from an 83year-old owner who is pleading with, you know, a higher being. Why can’t we win football games? Why can’t we go back to the playoffs? Uh, I know because you took a check for $50 million from Netflix to make a documentary about yourself and you’re not even concerned about resigning, you know, the best pass rusher in the NFL. I I don’t know. The I look, I like the addition of George Pickins. Uh this team always has game records on defense. Uh they draft really well, but until they take themselves seriously and until they prioritize football over propping up the Jerry Jones brand and the family, what what is what is there to talk about? Nick, I’ll just let you you know, like you can do the Cowboys here for a couple minutes before we get on out of here. Well, if anyone is questioning why is it that the Cowboys haven’t returned to prominence, it is because a little of their owner, right? I mean, when I think about, you know, the owners in Dallas, like Mark Cuban was one of those guys as well, like like a owner usually delegates. He’s behind the scenes. He he he’s like u what was it? The Wizard of Oz, right? You only hear his voice. You never really see him. But in the case of Jerry, Jerry’s got to be out front. Jerry’s got a pre and postgame show. Well, the difference too is he’s the general manager, which Cuban never was. And there’s a reason why Dak Prescott is making $60 million. There’s a reason why, you know, Micah says he’ll take a contract a year ago and now he will have to be paid more than $40 million a year. Like, this is this is malpractice. I understand that we’re talking about saving a couple million here, a couple million there. that that is how you upgrade the roster. That’s how you retain certain players that just walk out the door, go to Washington, play it for Dan Quinn, and go to the NFC Championship game. That I I just when when I learn that football is more important than engagement and clicks and cameras on Jerry, then I’ll actually consider this team somebody worth watching. Well, yeah, but you talk about the wrong person because I mean, it’s Jerry world for a reason. I mean, you’re the owner and you’re the GM. There’s no buffer between the decision- making. The buck stops with with with Jerry. If Jerry wants to know why the team is not succeeding, then it’s Jerry. You can’t blame all these other people. You can try, but I’m not going to go for it. like like Jerry is great at making Jerry’s like Deion Sanders and it’s probably where Dion got it from, right? And they they’re able to promote the brand is about the brand and even though the Cowboys haven’t been relevant in about 30 years. I mean, they’re still on television. I mean, Stephen A did a sit down. The guy who kind of makes the fun the most fun out of the misery of the Cowboys sat down with Jerry Jones. Why? because it’s all about engagement and you’re not engaging your fan base in the way they want to be engaged, which is on the field, which is means W’s. And we’ve seen this movie before. Jerry has done this before. He did it with Emit. He did it with Dak. He did it with CD Lamb. He’s now repeating it with Micah Parson. It was like, we know how this movie ends. We have the cliff notes. You’re gonna wait to get to the beginning of the season and then you’re gonna give him to give the player their their money, but then you’re gonna end up overpaying, right? That you can’t tell me that’s great business practice. You can’t. Yeah, we’re we’re on the same page here. Uh let’s quickly stack the division here, Nick. I go uh same as last year. Let’s run it back. Eagles, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants. How do you see it? I see it uh basically the same. Well, you know, I see the same way with a possible flip at the bottom. Maybe the Giants overtaking the Dallas Cowboys. Boy, talk about that sticking in your Netflix crawl if you’re Jerry Jones. Eight episodes wasn’t enough. We’ll see episode nine when your uh prediction comes to fruition. Nick, this is the NFC East. You’re going to get a division preview from every single division. Um hopefully we can tighten things up, but we just get so fired up about Jara or let’s be honest about the strength that the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders bring because we’re doing you a service. That was the majority of our episode I think as far as I’m concerned. U but now doing a a service to ourselves really. Nick, I want to close things out with a post that I saw you put on uh X Nick Ferguson_25. Real talk, if Levon Bell had a food truck named Side Chick, I’m pulling up to check it out. First of all, this is just Levon Bell like Jerry Jones stealing engagement. This isn’t something he came up with. But here’s Levian’s post from earlier this month. Quote, “Hear me out. A food truck that sells chicken sandwiches. I’d park it next to Chick-fil-A and it’ll only be open Sundays. I’ll call it Side Chick.” End quote. That’s a great idea, Nick, because I understand it. I don’t do Chick-fil-A, but if I ever did, it would only be on a Sunday when the doors are closed. But what I’m interested in, Mr. Apple Cider Vinegar, real talk, Nick Ferguson, you’re pulling up to Chick-fil-A. What’s going on here, man? Well, see, I’m pulling up to side chick. Remember, Levon Bell said, “Hey, listen.” He knows that Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday. So, you just pull up, set up with the food truck, and you just kind of sell your chicken, right? They got all kind of Nashville hot chicken, deep chicken, whatever. Now, you got side chick. Who wouldn’t want some side chick, right? No, I’m under the impression that he’s just selling Chick-fil-A items on a Sunday. You think you think Levon Bell has the infrastructure to to get a quality kitchen built into a truck? What’s Nick? I mean, let’s be realistic here. Well, listen, if if he doesn’t have the wherewithal, he knows someone who knows someone else. All I’m saying, food trucks is a thing now. If you pull up in a uh Chick-fil-A parking lot on a Sunday, they’re not working. They don’t worry about who’s parking there. You just pull up, sell your chicken, right? And once again, who doesn’t like Side Chick, right? I mean, shout out shout out uh the Atlanta Falcons and the Mercedes-Benz stadium, right? I didn’t get that mixed up with uh New Orleans. I I think it’s I think Mercedes-Benz is Atlanta. If I’m wrong, just like, rate, and uh you know, write a comment about how wrong I am. They have a Chick-fil-A in the stadium that’s open for every Georgia Bulldogs game, and then come Sunday, they just brand it as a generic chicken sandwich place in the stadium. Haven’t banned, but apparently that’s the word. Um, listen, Levian, you took enough hits in the NFL and then you went in the boxing ring to take some more hits to the head. I I just I I just don’t see it happen. I just don’t see it happening. Look, man. People pulling up, especially if you want to do it in the Chick-fil-A parking lot, just pull up to a club on a Friday, Saturday night. Say, “Hey, man. Hey, you guys coming out of the club? I got that side chick right here. It’s going down. Come get you some of that side chick.” late late night come out when the bar is closing or the club is closing like that’s now now we’re talking Taco Bell territory now now you you hit Blaine up even Taco Bell hits well at that time I’m Alex Hardy he’s Nick Ferguson we are those guys we hope to be your guys and hey if these guys are doing really well why not those guys we’re going to hit you next with the NFC North next episode again every single division in the NFL before we kick off uh what is that September 5th Nick what do you have to say for the people on our way out.
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