NFL: Good Morning FootballGMFB Friday Hour 1: Falcons-Bucs game of the Year? Diggs/Bills divorce, Game previews
Hour One of the Good Morning Football Podcast begins with hosts Sara Walsh, Kyle Brandt, Manti T’eo and Steve Wyche reacting to the Atlanta Falcons victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - could this be the game of the year? Jamie Erdahl gives an update from London ahead of the Jets-Vikings matchup and then they take a mad minute to preview Vikings-Jets, Ravens-Bengals, Browns-Commanders, Panthers-Bears, and Broncos-Raiders. Later, Kyle takes us inside the divorce between Stefon Diggs and the Buffalo Bills.
Good Football.
Welcome to Good Morning Football, presented by Old Trapper Beef Jerky. We are live in Los Angeles. I am Sarah Wallash, filling in for Jamie Ertall who is in London.
She will be joining us.
I'm alongside MANTAITEO. Kyle Brant is joining us from New York. But right here next to me is our sevewife making his very first appearance ever on Good Morning Football.
I'm completely honored to be sitting at the Big Kids table. You know, I was one of the original cast members for the launching pad for the show back when it was nfl AM. So to come full circle means everything. And Sarah to be with you, Kyle and my USO. Manti, this is my guy. You know I'm on the policy Football Hall of Fame selection committee. We got him in a couple of years ago. So brother, you know this means everything. Oh it's the best. It's family time.
The family just keeps getting bigger and I can't think of a better way than with the Big Bro Steve.
This get and he's wearing Kyle. He's wearing a sixty five shirt like yesterday.
I yes year.
That's great, Steve. So glad to have your class in the show up. It's about time and you know what the second Steve Weisch comes in. We have a Thursday night football game that is the clubhouse leader for game of the year. What an electric night? Should we get to it right now? Let's go to the State of Georgia.
Here we have it.
Matt Ryan conducted the Ring of Honor and have to have a lot of that going on with the Falcons this year. Tony Gonzalez comes from the Amazon desk to help him do it. Kirk Cousins primetime storyline is dead and buried. It's obnoxious, it's terrible and Darnel Mooney Stores.
That's Kirk Cousins. You know him.
If you don't know Ca Darryl Hodge, you do now because he gone ball game warm up. The Buses Falcons win walk off style.
That is Darryl.
Hodge, the pride of Prairie View, A and m. He has been around this league. He's a special teamer. He's all hearts and he just turns around and houses this sucker as a no.
Doubter or great moment from him. How great guys.
They carried him off the field, man Tyl like he was Rudy in South Been, Indiana in the seventies. We got the owner celebrating. We got swagged surfeet, if that's what it's called. They looked up and we got Rudy Hodge. If Rudy could run a four to three and was an all time professional in the NFL, which neither is true.
Here's what's true.
The Falcons three and two, the Falcons leading the NFC South, the Falcons winning overtime, and the Falcons quarterback is with our own legend, Cam Wolfe.
First time I played against him, told him how I've always kind of studied him and tried to learn from him.
And you know, he just a great.
Knight, great knight for the Falcons and proud of our team, proud of an organization.
Drake London said this week that you guys were close that the outbreak is coming.
I don't know if he knew it was gonna be quite like this, but what clicked for you guys today.
It wasn't always perfect. I mean, we left a lot out there. We should have come away with points at the end of the half and didn't. But uh, you know, we got a lot of a lot of guys. You can contribute. We spread it around to night. Zach called a great game, put the ball.
In my hands.
We protected well and proud of the way we thought.
What was that play?
The walk off the card Cadero Hawks, Can you check me?
There's man coverage which is really not man coverage. Is that that route is not a great route versus man covers. But the corner didn't attach right away, so I decided to be aggressive and driving in there. I thought it was gonna be a bang bang catch tackle. Red pulled out of it, Cadero pulled out of it, and then that points man cover. He just he made the rest half of a special player.
So you swag surfing after the game, there's been a lot. I love the environment. I love the nest over here of the crowd.
They're they're never down, They're bringing it no matter what the score is. And I love that swag surf song in the fourth quarter. It gets me going, it gets our crowd going. I really enjoyed the environment here the.
Last few weeks.
You look at him, the smile of his face, and that is what in the crowd there in Atlanta, and that's exactly what they envisioned when they brought this guy to Atlanta.
They thought this is what.
It was going to look like there, game of the Year candidate guy. So far, of everything we've seen Week five.
This kicks it out. Is this the best game we saw this year?
Steve Well, Yeah, especially the best finish. I mean, that's one of the amazing things about what Kirk Cousins has done. Remember we saw him do this a week ago against the New Orleans Saints. And one of the reasons why I thought it was so fantastic is the quarterback shootout. From the beginning, the Falcons came out in a no huddle, they got Kyle Pitts established, and by halftime, Kirk Cousins had two hundred and fifty three passing yards.
Baker Mayfield looked like the next coming.
The fact that these guys were hitting it like they were these offenses we were waiting for the Falcons offense to open up. It did, and then the second half the adjustments. Remember Tampa Bay only scored six points in the second half for hem. Morris and his staff figured things out. But so many things at the end of the game, from Baits punching.
Out that fumble to something that no one's really going to talk about.
There was a holding call on the Buccaneers on their final drive that stopped.
The clock and push them back ten yards. That forced a punt.
That instead of the punter kicking it out of bounds or cough and cornering it, it goes into the end zones. So Kirk Cousins gets to start the twenty for that drive. But mantime, to me, the play of everything is Kirk Cousins on that now healthy Achilles, as we saw, clocking it getting downfield. That is great coaching and practice. That is rehearsing over and over. So in that circumstance you can get down and clock it to give one second for young Waiku to kick that field goal to send it into overtime.
Yeah. Yeah.
To Steve's point, understanding all of the components to what happened in that last play to clock it, the details, the amount of yards that you have to go in order to catch the ball and get down. You can't go a yard further if you do, that's too much time on the clock for the receiver to get up and drink Lendon to hand the ball to of the You don't hand it to the center, handed the ball to the ref so the reft can put the ball down for Kirk to get up there and clock the ball, there's one second left. Like everything was so perfectly timed. And in order for you to get that kind of detail where he Morris and his team has to be able to go over this thing over and over again in practice. What I wanted to highlight a little bit was yesterday on GMFB, we talked about the connection between Baker and Mike Evans and then also Drake and London, and we I mean Drake London and Kirk Cousins, and we were kind of debating on what's better. Both both parties came out to play last night and we kind of highlighted a little bit the Batman and Robin between Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Well, last night we just found out that Atlanta has a little Batman and Robin going on as well for themselves with Drake London and Darnald Mooney. Donald Mooney, I played with him when we're in Chicago. Donald Mooney had a game. Now, this guy was all over the field. It seems like him and Kirk Cousins had a little report kind of going on on that side of the field, and I'm looking forward to him on continuing to grow there. I also KB saw that our boy Kyle Pitts came came alive a little bit last night, and so it was.
It was one of those games you watch it.
It's a classic NFC self matchup and it was definitely in my opinion, so for in a twenty twenty four season, it was the game of the year.
Listen, Matt's I couldn't be more with you, one hundred percent pure entertainment from start to finish. I know the defensive purists didn't like it. I know you wanted more tag that was so fun. And if you talked about the game of the year, they're in the clubhouse having Arnold Palmers right now. It's Cardero Hodge, it's Kirk Cousins, Arhee Morris, it's Baker Mayfield. They are sitting around saying, show me a better game than that in the whole slate and this is only week five right now. I loved it from start to finish. But I have a visual aid to help if anyone didn't experience it. Do you want to see what one hundred and eighty million dollars looks like? Just bring it here is what one hundred and eighty million dollars.
Look, Yo, that's Kirk.
That is the dude born in the eighties running around on a repaired Achilles in front of a new fan base that has no history with him, no attachment with him. Teammates the same exact, same thing, and this guy just threw for five hundred bleeping yards on Amazon, on National whatever the hell we call it these days. An amazing, amazing night for Kirk Cousins. I said it yesterday. The stupid beaten to a pulp primetime Kirk Cousins sucks in primetime storyline is dead. Now it is dead and buried. We can't even get into it anymore. This was a really huge win. This is the kind of win that we like the entertainment value of it. But when we're in December and we look back, but who's going to win the South team?
Remember that crazy overtime game.
Back in the first week of October that the Falcons got in overtime. That's the difference between a home playoff game and not making the playoffs whatsoever.
It was history last night.
Guys, Is someone his age to throw that many yards that well, it's guys like Drew Breesey's pass why a tittle, Kurt Warner, and again, this is just the m up for Atlanta. They should be on the way up. We still haven't really gotten Beijon cooking yet. He will. All these guys there with teammates, there with people they know. Kirk Cousins is still a new kid on the block and he probably listens to new kids on the buck. It's just all fitting up guys. It is on the way up. I still think the best is yet to come for Atlanta. Tampa Bay's defense had a whole bunch of issues, but I'm just thrilled that this is working for raheem, thrilled for Kirk, and thrilled as an NFL fan, like that is the product. All we've been hearing about Steve over the last several weeks is.
The offense is down, scoring is down. What's going on? Bad football? Blah blah blah. Did you watch that last night? That's the products? Thank you Atlanta and Tampa Bay and.
Kyle you know, talk about the Falcons offense going to continue to blossom. Remember it's not just Kirk coming in and new faces.
Zach Robinson, the play caller.
This is the first time he's done this, so he's getting used to these guys. And Kyle, since you're talking about Kirk Cousins being born in the eighties, I had graduated high school by the time Kirk Cousins was born, and so back then when people were doing this, we were saying hip hop ray.
That was not my nature.
So that's where we are, right. Yeah.
You mentioned it, Kyle too, when you're in December, what this game is going to mean. And I think any team that goes on a run, which people think Atlanta could and should do, there's always a game you point back to. And I can go back to Atlanta in the Tom Brady era in twenty twenty. The Bucks were there and that very same stadium. They were down seventeen to nothing to the Falcons. They came all the way back, They scored on the five straight drives to start the second.
Half and won that game.
And in a vacuum, you looked at that game and you're like, hmm, there's something special there. They never lost again. They went on to win the Super Bowl. IM not saying the Falcons are never going to lose again. They're going to run up to the Super Bowl. But I think in every organization, you in any season, you go back and go that's the game, good or bad. Like that maybe flips the switch and I think that might be the game for the Falcons. We want to bring in our Ian rapaport because that was.
Just the kickoff to Week five.
We got a lot of games to go, and we finally got a little more clarity on Rashid Rice this week.
What's the latest with his status moving forward?
We got some clarity on the chief star receiver Rashi Rice, who really has emerged as one of the best young receivers in the NFL. He was eventually placed on injured reserve yesterday.
By the Chiefs.
That means he is out the next four games at least.
We don't have full clarity on Rashid Rice though.
He has more imaging, more tests this coming week Monday or Tuesday, just to determine what other damage is in the knee.
Really, what is there and how long he is going to be out.
The initial thought was that it was a significant ligamentary likely in acl certainly that is still very possible, but more information will be there after this testing and then we will find out is there some sort of way that Rashi Rice can possibly come back this season, or is the knee injury so significant that he is out for the season. Chiefs, of course, have plenty of time to determine all of that. Meanwhile, Malik Neighbors, the Giants young star, their rookie who has been a high, high volume receiver for them when he has been on the field. He is still in the NFL's concussion protocol, has not practiced this week after that hit you're seeing right there. That obviously does not vote well for his availability this week. He is not a ruled out, but not practicing Wednesday and Thursday usually means you are not able to make it through the protocol by Sunday. Somewhat similar situation, different injury for Jonathan Taylor, the Colts young star running back who's off to an excellent start for his team. He's dealing with a high ankle sprain from that game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He has not practiced this week.
My understanding is it was a mild sprain, but likely to miss some time. This would be the time it would be a surprise if he is able to get on the field for the Colts. Meanwhile, Anthony Richardson, their quarterback, is practiced every day this week. Good sign for him.
That dignified music means it is time to head over to a very classy duo. We want to bring in our Stacy Dale's and Jamie Earle. By the way, if you were starting a basketball team, you want to start with these two. See pointed that out to me. We're sending it over to two hoopers who are hanging out in London. Very color coordinated this morning.
Guys, what's going on.
We are having a great day, Sarah, so great to see you. Great to be on GMFB. We did not plan this. This is just we're natural teammates this way.
Yeah, that's how we roll.
And we took the toss from a footballer in the now Walsh like power women moment.
Absolutely.
Yeah, we are on the sidelines for the game this weekend Stacy and I. You will be on the Viking sideline. I will be on the Jets sideline. We are in Watford, which is some would call the English countryside at the Vikings team hotel. Just got done with those production meetings and we gleaned a lot of information out of this team. Yeah, we're so impressive.
We heard from head coach with the Vikings, Kevin O'Connell, Sam Donald, who leads the National Football League and passing touchdowns. We talked to Justin Jefferson and Jonathan Grenard. One of the storylines, obviously, when you talk about the quarterbacks and the way Sam Donald Jane is playing, is that he's going to face his former team. He spent three seasons obviously in the start of his career there in New York. But I loved what he told us in our meetings. We can't reveal everything from our meetings, but he has flushed New York from his memory. Yeah, and he's thriving in Minnesota.
He really has adopted this be in the present mentality. We hear his head coach talk about that all the time. For Sam Donald, he likes to say, I'm taking it one breath at a time, which is very much right in the moment. On the quarterback topic, though important to say the Jets have arrived this morning to London and Aaron Rodgers having suffered a bit of a knee slight knee injury at the end of that game on Sunday against the Broncos. He was saying this week that it was swollen, that knee was banged up. He was a full participant at practice yesterday for the Jets before they boarded the plane to come here. But we also talked a lot with this Viking team about what it would be like for them going up against a really, really good secondary led by a Sauce Gardener, and the fact that Justin Jefferson now has a big task in front of him.
He has a big task in front of him. But the mentality of Justin Jefferson is it's important because he thinks he's the best football player on the field. He talked to me about it last week ahead of the Green Bay game, and we just sat in meetings with him. Of all twenty two, he thinks he's the best football player. He doesn't care if it's Sauce or the worst corner in the league. But Sauce Gardner is a very good football player, and we're going to talk to him tomorrow.
We are going to talk to him tomorrow, and you will not be rid of us just yet. We will continue Sarah with our coverage here in London on GMFE.
Hey, Jamie, I just wanted to find out if you got the same Stacy Dale's experience in an international game production meeting as I did last year because we were with Mike McDaniel and he brought her to tear. Stacey, did anyone make you emotional this morning in these meetings?
Maybe the coffee I had because it was really damn strong, But.
Ye ye, yet just the fact that we are here all day is bringing us to tears. Get back to business, you know, back to the studio. You guys have a rundown you have to stick to. We're trying to follow the rules here. Yeah, thank you, ladies.
We'll see. We'll see that she did.
Mike mcdannel gave this speech about like how important it is to believe in people, and I see Stacy in the back of the room start like sniffling.
And she's like if I had a coach like that growing up. Anyway, I digress.
Time for a round of mad minutes sixty seconds on the clock. We're going to keep the international theme going. So here we go the four no vikings against the two and two jets. Steve can the vikings go five? And oh, by the way, don't take up all of Kyle's time. He's going to get very very anti go on.
Steve, Sarah, that's James and gentlemen.
The Vikings absolutely can go five and oh. And I like what Stacey was talking about, justin Jefferson thinking that he's the best player on the field, regardless of Sauce Gardner, that's gonna be the matchup. But JJ he doesn't think anybody can stop stop him, including Sauce.
There, I saved you some time.
Yeah.
No, I like the fact that the Vikings can go five and oh. And if they're able to continue that firepower on offense to the air with Sam Darnold, they will go five to zero because once they get that distance, now Brian Flores and that defense can get a little nasty with their blitz coverages and they're blitzing tactics. So I'm looking forward to seeing this game in London.
See Sarah and Mantiz.
What you don't know is sometimes you actually want the other people to talk longer, you want them to take up more time. But here's what I want. I've said this one before. It's just from a pure fan perspective. If you like the drama and if you like the storylines of the Jets, I'm so excited for the Jets first false start.
You know what's going to happen. Just do you know?
It's gonna give me one and that's going to USh this. The second day false start with Rogers. Caden's maybe in a game in London that might be in the rain. Who knows the shots of Rogers immediately, then the shots to Sala on the bench. The football will talk about the rest of the show. I need at least one false start for the human experience. I just want to watch it.
Kyle got almost thirty seconds there. Bengals get their first win of the season. They are a playing host now to the Ravens, who steamrolled the Bills last week.
Mantai, how are you seeing this play out?
Man?
I'm seeing this Ravens continue that that, that Ravens defense continued that dominance. Like watching them be able to discuys coverage, watching Kyle Hamilton come off the edge, watching Rokwan Smith run silent to a sideline. I'm really looking forward to watching them go against Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase and t Higgins and all the guys they got on that side with Cincinnati. So this is going to be another AFC North Classic or UFC North as off Boar likes to call it and I'm looking forward top.
Oh, it's because Kyle right there in the teleprompter.
That's on me. Guys.
I'm not exactly having my a game so far today, but I'm gonna get back. Listen, Lamar Jackson has won four out of five against Joe Burrow. That is a story. That is a story that lingers. They're in the same division. People aren't supposed to bet Joe Burrow like that. He's supposed to be Joe cool. Nobody has his number. I think Lamar might if he wins this one. That becomes a bigger storylines Steed.
Yeah, look, this is all about Derrick Henry and that offensive line coming together. They took a few games for them to figure out that run game. They're re lying on Derrick Henry. We have seen this Bengals defense really struggle. I do not think cin today he gets their first win. Right here, Lamar goes up, but this is going to be on the heels of number twenty two running the ball.
It gets okay.
So he's the rookie with all the hype going his way right now. Jaden Daniels taking the league by storm, he's got the Commander sitting at three and one. The Browns are coming into the Nation's capital hoping to win two games in a row. Kyle, what intrigues you the most in this matchup?
It's hard to say anything other than Jadon and Daniels. It really is.
As much respect as I have for the rest of the Commanders and whatever Cleveland's trying to scrape together right now, you can't tear your eyes off them. It drives me nuts that they don't have a primetime game, and so week eleven, the Vikings right now are probably the best story as they try to go five and zero.
But the best show, the best experience.
The coolest young thing going on in the NFL right now is Jayden Daniels. My man Scottie Hanson do a little bit of leaning into the Washington game. I don't care if they're necessarily in the red zone. Show a lot of Commanders Browns is the only way everybody can see him.
Yeah, it's interesting, how now Jaden Daniels is what Deshaun Watson was in terms of a player that exciting you must y yeah type of guy.
But what I am looking for, and I spoke to Dan Quinn.
We're gonna get to this a little bit later. Is can Washington sustain success? Now, when you're chasing something is one thing. Sustaining it is another thing. Now there's hype, now there's expectations. That's going to be the challenge against a Jim Schwartz defense for Cleveland that you never know what you're gonna get.
But it's gonna be difficult regardless of what that is.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's all I'm gonna say.
Next.
That was a quick one.
Panthers are heading to Chicago to take on Caleb Williams and the Bears.
Steve how will it play out?
How will play out? The Bears offense going to continue to get better? I mean, the one thing we've seen the Carolina Panthers. We could talk about whatever, they don't have it. I just like to see the fact that their offense is getting better. Shane Waldron is tarting to mess a lot of pieces together. I think Caleb Williams is gonna get going. They're going to take some more shot plays. Enough of this quick game. Think there's gonna be some explosives for the Bears.
Yeah, I think they're getting a lot more comfortable, and I think that's what we've saw in the past two weeks. Their sons to catch a groove. Caleb Williams has started again in the groove. DeAndre Swift just went off last week, so this offense.
Has started to take shape a little bit.
And I'm looking forward to them going against the Carolina Panthers where we got the red rocket out there, Deontay Johnson. And then they're starting to get in a little group. So there's two programs that looking like they're starting to get into a little groove and I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out on Sunday.
I just like when Manti says, Programs, you're such a Clouds guy at heart.
I love it.
Man.
I does feel like.
Programs to me. And they got such young players. They do feel like college as well.
Guys. I don't know.
It's a little kept secret that the Chicago Bears have the longest home win streak in the NFL. No team has won more home games in a row than them. I think they're in a comfortable spot. Well, everyone talks about Jaden Caleb is taking baby steps and moving along in winning games.
They're two and two. I think after this game they're three and two. That matters, guys.
Hey, quick show plug Mayantai mentioned DeAndre Swift. He's going to join us on the show a little later on in the last game around Yeah, mad minute. The Raiders head to Denver, so they're.
Taking on John Payton and those Broncos. Who's leaving three and two? Mantai?
Who you know?
I've got history with Sean pay and Champagne and the Denver Broncos had a great game against the Jets last last week and that defense look, look, they look awesome, and so I know that Champayne is going to have those guys ready. It's AFC West, another division game, and when it comes to division games, those games are worth double So I know Sean Champayne really gets his guys going for that. So I'm looking forward to that.
I would just say prayers up for that devastating hamstring injury that Devanta Adams has.
We're really pulling for him. I know he's trying to fight for it and get on the field. I don't know if he's gonna make it. You know who I want to see Steve. I want to see ball out in this game.
The other Raiders, wide receivers, the other Raiders tight ends, the other Raiders weapons. That's going to be the crew you have in the maybe five minutes from now, we don't know. I'd like those guys to get a little chip on their shoulder and make some plays in Denver.
Yeah, this can be out Brock Bowers, Jacobe Meyers, guys like that step up.
But the one thing about the Raiders they know how to.
Deal with adversity because they're constantly.
Mired in it.
So this is you know, we'll we'll see. I just think this Broncos defense with advance Joseph is doing is real. That's gonna be a problem. Like Denver, come out.
With the w well while we're talking to yeah, receivers that you know, finding new homes still to come, Josh Allen, Stefan.
Diggs, Kyle, you know this.
It's a complicated relationship, isn't it.
Yeah, we're gonna get into it.
Alan was asked point blank, do you think there'll be a moment on the field when you guys shake hands and hug it out? He goes, Oh, I think so, I hope. So, I'm sure he'll reciprocators.
I hope you will.
He will.
I got thoughts on what this divorce was and what it wasn't. It's two good teams from two good players and two good places.
That is possible. Guys, welcome back.
Two x's will be at the same party this weekend, and the kids, as the fans, will have to sit around and watch it. It's a little awkward, it's a little uncomfortable, but it doesn't have to be evil. Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs will be on the same field in different uniforms, kind of like a courtroom session after a divorce.
Personally, I get.
Nostalgic and I think about the honeymoon phase March of twenty twenty, as the world was changing.
It was a very dark time.
It was an exhilarating time for the Bills, for Alan, for Diggs.
Digs the new Buffalo Bill who couldn't.
Stop talking about how excited he was to play with Josh Diggs, who wrote a Player's Tribune piece about being giddy for wings, and Josh Allen Allan who said of his new receiver, I'm floating on cloud nine. He's going to be well with our wide receiver group. He's going to mesh well with.
Our locker room, and he did.
What followed was some of the best quarterback wide receiver production of this generation, some of the best Bills football in history.
They were a beautiful electric tandem.
And it's easy to forget these golden years now that the clouds of divorce have muddled the memories, but they were brilliant. Diggs was a killer in the twenty twenty wildcard round again in the Divisional round, the catch against Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. There were so many memories, so many great memories. There always will be. Stefan Diggs catching passes from Josh Allen was awesome. Josh said in twenty twenty one, I'm a big believer in off the field relationships, paying dividends. We get to hang out with each other a lot. Well, fast forward three years ago to this week, and he says he hasn't had any contact with Diggs since the trade. The party ended quickly, it ended dramatically, and it ended because Stefan Diggs wanted it to end. He wanted out of Buffalo, just like he wanted out of Minnesota, just like he'll want out of Houston at some point. Stefan Diggs is far from a bad guy. Sefan Diggs an emotional guy. He's a competitive guy and a passionate guy. Have you ever been around someone who's NonStop passionate about what they do?
At first, it's inspiring, then.
It's contagious, and after a while it becomes exhausting. And I believe it became exhausting for Josh Allen and for the Bill's entire organizations. And not only gets Stefan Diggs the ball a lot during the game, but to answer constant questions about it during the week, and that leads to quotes like this from the franchise player just a couple of weeks ago.
When guys get to buy into this and really understand, like I may not get the ball four or five times thrown to me a game, but the one or two times I do, I'm gonna have opportunities be in the zone. And you know, it's it's a fun and wonderful thing. When you had a bunch of guys that don't care about the stats, they don't care about the touchdowns.
All right, So is he trying to compliment and build up his young core of playmakers. Absolutely was there a bit of shade at the guy no longer there, guys. That's why the term shade exists.
That's it.
And you will hear soundbites like that in a divorce directed at the other person. It's inevitable, but so is also hearing from someone that the other person has moved on with, like when Diggs's new partner said this down in Houston.
No, I'm very happy for him, and you know, I'm glad that you know, he's finally you know, having fun playing the game and you know, doing what he loves to do because he loves football a lot.
CJ.
Stroud is harmless, of course, he's no home wrecker here, Diggs left on his own. Stroud was a freshman at Ohio State during Allen and Diggs's honeymoon. I wouldn't expect him to know how much fun Diggs had in Buffalo, but I remember the fans remember, and really I hope that Josh and Steph remember, because honestly, how could they forget playing.
With his guy, practicing with his guy. He's a guy that can do it. And as a as.
A player that you just want to you just want to play for him.
You know, he works hard, he busted his oh not Hey worry. He busses, hey worry, and I just love.
His guy man.
I said, hey, you guys, enjoy the celebration.
Congratulations.
That's the tandem I choose to remember.
And I think there are better places for Bills fans to put their ranker than it's Stefon Diggs. Stefan Diggs was a massive critical figure in ushering Josh Allen from NFL adolescence to adulthood.
And Steph does move on. He's moved on. He looks great, he seems happy for now. So is Josh.
He's got full custody of the Bills in the divorce, and like so many divorce settlements, are about the numbers.
We'll look at these numbers.
This is what makes Bills fans and Josh Allen sleep at nights. On the left column the Digs era, and the right column the post Diggs era. As young as it may be, it's better, it's more efficient, It's right where it should be. Josh Allen is not only okay without Diggs so far, he's better now. There will come a moment when the two of them will bro hug it out in Houston before the game.
And I, for one will be happy about it.
I don't expect Bills fans to root for Diggs for the rest of his career, but why bother rooting against him?
He was a great Bill.
There have been so many guys who have come through that organization who were supposed to make plays and didn't. I think it's okay to still have a little love for someone who did.
Guys, what do you think?
Well, first of all, I think Kyle, you have a really great future as a divorce mediator. Really well said boy, Steve, your thoughts.
Look, I'm a child.
Of divorce, Steve, I'm speaking autobiographically. That's all my childhood. I just laid out.
It's tough.
Same here.
I've been their child child of divorce as well. Look, I thought that was really well done because you're telling a story of a narrative we've seen before. Remember too, that's my quarterback, you know, him and Tony Romo went through it.
But the first year, there there's the bay. In the second year there there's the bay.
And then, like you said, sometimes that passion becomes exhausted. Sometimes guys want to put themselves at a certain spot that are different.
We're seeing DeVante.
Adams go through that with the Raiders right now, So it's just part of it. The good thing is Defawon Diggs is in a place in a later part of his career. He's in place mentally and he's in a place physically where he can win ball games with a great young quarterback. I just think there was a very well thing that you said about don't no need to hate on Stefan Diggs. If you're the Bills, cheer for your guy Josh Allen, who's faring just as well without Stefan.
Yeah, cheer for him and and and and celebrate the greatness that was, you know with the Buffalo Bills and and Josh Allen von Diggs.
You know, KB you put it.
You pointed out Josh Allen's success after Diggs has left. It's it's really no surprise because it reminds me of Rock Party this year.
You know, brock Purty.
Doesn't have the debo for for some games, you know, a yuki he's come, he's getting the rust off. And when you have a quarterback and he doesn't have a play call where he knows, okay, this play, the ball has to go to this guy. He can sit back, he can read defenses, and get the ball work to the receiver that is supposed to go to. Sometimes, when you have these big character guys on your team and guys that expect the ball, offensive coordinators will design plays specifically to get the ball to that player. And for a quarterback sometimes that's frustrating because now I can't be a core Now, no matter what the play is, no matter what the down and distance is, this ball has to go to Stefan Diggs, this ball has to go to Deebo Samuel. But to your point, KB, with Josh Allen and his numbers in twenty twenty four, it reminds me a lot of Rock Perty and how we're seeing him with Juwan Jennings and that success there. No matter who's out there, He's able to go back there, go back there, drop back, and beer quarterback be able to drop back, diagnose the defense and get.
The ball where it's supposed to get to. So great job, KB.
What a great light that you shine, not only on that relationship but on the contrast between the two, the success of both going into the twenty twenty four season, well, we'll see.
I just don't think this is jersey burning time for Buffalo and I suspect that they're probably not doing it either, because there were so many great times.
Just a little bit of insight, you know, I've interviewed Josh many times.
I know a little bit about what makes everything tick behind the scenes there in Buffalo, and it was a problem after a while in the media sense. I genuinely think that there were sit down conversations between between the coach, the GM and the quarterback and the PR people about how are we going to handle this Stefan's story? What are we not going to say about this Stefan's story? And not once or twice, but a whole handful of times. So after a while you're like, we love him and he's a great player. I don't want to keep dealing with this. It's too much. And I genuinely think it stems from Stefan wanting to be part of the game, wanting to have his hands on the ball. It's the tail as old as time. It's eventually time to leave, and it's not like they cast them off to wide receiver Siberia so fun Diggs might be in the Super Bowl this year, it's the rare time it does exist when it looks like the early returns are an actually mutually happy divorce.
And I hope so and Kyle when you talked about the shade thing and made me think, sometimes those guys get put in a position where like, it's a no win for Josh, even if I know the shade exists for a reason, But anytime he's going to compliment those receivers, it's going to immediately be thought of as a shot. I just saw in Tampa last weekend when guys were saying it was fun with Baker. It's fun because they don't have the pressure of they had to win a super Bowl. But as soon as you say it's fun, it's a shot at Tom Brady and like, can't they just have fun?
It really is an no when's situation
