How to Escape from NFL Purgatory.

[@deathsyth8888]

Saints: We're broke! Bengals: Our owner is cheap! Dallas: Our owner is a senile old man! Bears: Our owners/management are useless! Colts: Our owner is an airhead!

[@AnNFLfootball]

Pretty much

[@tmap92]

Colts should not count --They had Peyton Manning, and got a title with him. The colts should be disqualified from this discussion.

[@bennypanella9189]

​@@tmap92when the colts last won the Superbowl Anthony Richardson was 4 years old

[@garrettmanitzas5493]

Saints invented purgatory

[@kevindeangelis3159]

You misspelled *Bears

[@LukeCowan-gy2xy]

Catholics*

[@SuperMurray2009]

​@@kevindeangelis3159 The Saints are more purgatory then the Bears because they kept the sáme GM for like 20 years and refuse to trade their players

[@King_Immanuel]

ba dum tiss

[@Codeezey]

Pretty ironic with their name lol.

[@King_Immanuel]

On the eve of Thanksgiving i would like to thank you Brett because last year i shared your idea of putting chicken stock instead of water in the mashed potatoes and now the family thinks im a culinary genius

[@BootlegFootball]

it's delicious!

[@zavigotham3403]

Typically milk not water no?

[@matthewwright3599]

I actually tried this for the first time this last weekend when I made shepherd's pie and it was a massive hit.

[@jackfitzgerald6004]

The tip was to boil the potatoes in stock not water

[@WoodyWard]

Gross. 👎

[@The.GrayArea]

As a Bengals fan, when he said, "When do you buy a jersey?" That hit hard. The exact reason why I don't own a Tee Higgins jersey. I felt like he wouldn't even be around in a few years. Fast forward to now, and here we are... more likely, he walks than not.

[@TheRockpileReport]

Elite thumbnail.

[@ewiouhjohn1707]

I literally clicked just to say the same lmao

[@v2micca]

I'm not convinced Arch Manning Declares for the 2026 Draft. He's currently only 19 years old. He has absolutely no financial incentive to reach the NFL a year earlier. And If he declared for the 2026 draft that would only have allowed him a single year as the Starter at Texas. I think there is a better than 50% chance that he returns to Texas for the 2026 season and declares fore the 2027 draft.

[@gwynnblade9160]

Yes and no. For the individual year, no. However, every year that gets you closer to a second and third contract in the league is a LOT more money being nothing is ever guaranteed year to year in terms of health. I would still expect him to come out if he is ready

[@ryanrostkowski4244]

@@gwynnblade9160but that implies he’ll be good enough to get a big time deal. He could Crash out and become a backup in 4 years🤷‍♂️ crazier things have happened

[@angrydrunkengerman2819]

@@ryanrostkowski4244 When you see how many chances Daniel Jones was given only due to the resources given up to get him - imagine the denial that would take place if a Manning was not successful. Peyton was liquid azz his first 5 playoff games. There has not been a bad Manning QB. Even if he was the first the NFL would give him 10 years to prove it. He'll have a long career no matter how much he sucks.

[@lucrative6477]

No financial incentive? I’m sorry but wtf are you smoking lol. 300+ million dollar contracts are what I would consider financial incentive. Lay off the drugs.

[@noneofyourbusiness1114]

He’s a manning and his family still wants him to get an education. He’s already making a million in NIL deals, he’s in no rush .

[@guadalahonky4002]

The Jones Family. The Brown Family. The McCaskey Family. The Irsay Family. The problems begin with these organizations here.

[@SaneBSBfan98]

and they arent going away because... nepotism

[@jimmybob6740]

No matter what reasons you give for why they suck, it always comes back to ownership.

[@Big.steppa.reese0]

This is the actual problem that they couldn’t say

[@hyronvalkinson1749]

As a Commanders fan... you're goddamn right.

[@georgemoschos6603]

It seems like Steichen was able to sit down with AR and truly let him learn from his mistakes in previous games rather then just being peppered with the next scouting report for the following week and it has been a game changer in his approach. I still believe in the freaky upside he has and would love to see him continue to develop. People can't forget that he really has hardly played any football in his career compared to other prospects. The talent is there.

[@williamheller1362]

As a colts fan i tried telling everyone when they were 4-3, that it was a reflection of the weak offenses (backup + injured QBs), and not a reflection of how good they were. On OCT 23 I said they would go 1-4 over the next 5 against better comp... and they did.

[@angrydrunkengerman2819]

The Colts have never and will never dedicate themselves to protecting the QB. They finally got the idea once Luck was mentally broken and could take no more. The Colts will pick a guy with HOF potential and will force him to overcome bad O line play to succeed. This has happened all but one 4 years stretch of the last 30 years.

[@NouhhhhhhSoSa]

@@angrydrunkengerman2819You very clearly know nothing about the colts because they currently have one of the best O lines in the NFL.

[@williamheller1362]

@NouhhhhhhSoSa run blocking, yes, but they're middling in pass pro unfortunately. Even when fully healthy

[@t4d0W]

@@NouhhhhhhSoSa For Run blocking. Watch the pass reps and see a clear fucking difference. Also a big reason why Flacco and his insane 3rd down success rate wasn't sustainable especially against defenses who have the guys to win pass rushes on those long passing downs.

[@lucrative6477]

“Their floor is 8 wins” - Brett about the bears not even 3 months ago

[@Spartan5984]

They probably should be there right now.

[@bigsmacked]

“NFL prediction was wrong” wow, what a shocker. Not like that ever happens.

[@ХорхеГарсия-э5е]

I know you can make this argument for almost literally every team, but the Bears have lost some crazy games: Hail Mary against Washington, blocked FG against Packers, yesterday botched the clock to at least try a FG to tie the game against Detroit.

[@lucrative6477]

@ choking 3 times is the sign of a bad team, not a good one. You aren’t making much sense.

[@Spartan5984]

@@lucrative6477 Its a sign of a badly coached team. At least 25 of the nfl head coaches and others would be able to lead this team to at least 7-5. With a top ten coach they could be 9-3 (flip colts, commanders, packers, vikings, lions)

[@Snoil]

This is a brilliant topic. Every time I am at an adult beverage serving house and start in on this topic, I'll hear it being discussed 4 chairs and/or 4 tables away in 30 minutes or so.

[@ihowdyi]

The Colts have MADE IT to the Bootleg podcast! 🎉

[@Aaron-dw4fr]

Not for the reason we want tho. Why does this team feel so much worse than last year vibes wise

[@sting6ph]

​@@Aaron-dw4frnot bad but underwhelming. We good on paper but not enough juice 😅

[@LoftLion]

lol and he complimented Zaire. That dude sucks!

[@ihowdyi]

@LoftLion I wouldn't say he sucks, but I would say he's went from highly underrated to a bit overrated. Especially by box score watchers

[@LoftLion]

@ I’d agree with that take. Although I do feel he’s had a significant drop off in play this year compared to last. I’ve been disappointed this year to say the least.

[@SuperMurray2009]

I would argue that most NFL teams cant get out of NFL purgatory due Bad ownership. Especially so for Teams like the Raiders, Saints, and Giants

[@iancampbell4394]

Some NFL teams aren't really NFL teams. They're just the owner's personal welfare schemes, and it shows.

[@kevintrueblood1057]

That's basically the common factor across all of these teams. The strategies that they followed to get where they are, and the likelihood of all of them being able to pivot, basically comes down to whether ownership can get out of the way (with maaaaaybe the exception of the colts).

[@michaelahurt]

​@@kevintrueblood1057 It's harder to win with cheap and/or meddlesome owners but ultimately that's just an excuse we use. You have good players or you don't. It's that simple. Take the Lions. William Clay Ford was a very supportive owner who stayed out of the way. But _he_ was the problem. His daughter does the same thing and she's a good owner. The only difference is the team has more good players now. Jerry Jones is a 'bad' owner yet Dallas won 3 Super Bowls. Why? Because they drafted really good players. If we're all honest team building is 90% luck.

[@murt5121]

@@michaelahurtJerry is absolutely a bad owner, his team building did not win them any superbowls

[@michaelahurt]

@@murt5121 Didn't stop them from winning either They nailed the draft from 88-91. They had more talent than everyone else so they won.

[@Poisonpointt]

3 things are certain in life: Death, Taxes, and Mickey Loomis being the Saints GM

[@j.r.3945]

Note: this does not apply to the giants, as they are somehow about 7 levels below purgatory. Sure, you would think there’s only 1 tier below purgatory. But no, they and the jets are well below that.

[@unexpectedparolemadwerewol6565]

Below purgatory would imply good pick, which would improve the team. I think you mean 7 levels inside purgatory?

[@blueleader392]

@@unexpectedparolemadwerewol6565 Luckily for the giants they are on track to get a good pick

[@GolumTR]

Seventh circle of hell is for the violent. They’re more the 8th circle, fraud!

[@TheAoalec14]

The bills during their 17 year playoff drought pre-Allen were the definition of purgatory. I don’t remember a top 5 pick once in those years. Hell, Allen wasn’t even a top 5 pick..sometimes it literally takes a miracle to get out of purgatory.

[@PlatypusVomit]

I loved the line from a couple Bootlegs ago, that Eberflus is the 7th best HC in the NFC North. Getting a competent replacement for him would literally double our win total. But yeah it's flabberghasting how terrible Poles has been at building an offensive line, given that he was an offensive lineman when he was a player.

[@Rekcha]

Their OL is average in pass protection this year, if you go by PFF and ESPN rankings. I don’t really understand why people think the OL is so bad

[@Poisonpointt]

The atrocious play calling makes the OL “look” bad. They’re actually pretty average by the metrics, and would likely trend toward a top 10-12 group with competent coaches.

[@lucrative6477]

Poles was a bad offensive linemen tho. Why would you assume a failed linemen knows how to build a line?

[@Hahlen]

It’s hilarious that this comment was made before yesterday happened

[@MustacheDLuffy]

@@RekchaIt’s bad because most bears fans want to blame something on the general manager

[@dbc1579]

The Dolphins are the defintion of a team in Purgatory and STILL the Bootleg Football podcast refuses to talk about them

[@JoeFromCincinnati]

I love how most of the teams are like, "they need to hire the right coach and allow their cap to reset," or "they need to be more decisive about when they pay their players," or "They need to fire their lame duck coach and get a legitimate offensive mastermind." But then the Bengals, it's just like, "They need to get a new owner." Great. Sounds attainable.

[@diamondrg3556]

I am slightly optimistic that the owner gets a little more aggressive because of how much they spent on Burrow.

[@TiffanyBasner]

The Lions were in that area till Shelia. The bears and browns are there right now where they need a new owner

[@t4d0W]

@@diamondrg3556 Depends on what kind of aggression. I'd say this Bengals season is symbolic in a sense that Burrow is having one of his better years in production. With obvious caveats with how the offense is structured but the Bengals live and die with that. The defense however has regressed to a point where even DC Lou Anarumo can't help them. O-line could be better but even Burrow's ability to navigate the pocket under pressure just to find an open receiver has been a huge equalizer.

[@diamondrg3556]

@@t4d0W I said owner because I expect changes to most of the staff. Several coaches need to go, the process of finding players in the draft and FA needs to change.

[@BENgalFan1369]

20:30 EXACTLY!!! I'm a diehard Bengals fan, and Iosivas is my favorite player I've been on the Yoshi hype train from day 1 and I'm scared to get a jersey bc ik even mid-level talent the Bengals don't have the cajones to pay

[@kalroy1230]

Love that the thumbnail has the colts and BOTH of their only Super Bowl opponents. Apparently the answer is wait for an off year/years.

[@BENgalFan1369]

Brett I need you to know I couldn't watch this as a Bengals fan until 10 days after it came out I'm convinced the Bengals cause the most pain to their fan base this year with how everything has turned out....

[@youngf.l.y.1467]

Madden approach lmao blow up everything of value and hope to mail the draft and find coaching easier said than done but 9-7 every year is hell

[@FR-nc3vb]

The Chicago Bears are just a source of depression, alcoholism and domestic violence as always BUT with a QB

[@Snoil]

Drinking town with a football problem!

[@Anouar-xd3zq]

@@Snoillol

[@matts3526]

damn the jets aren't even good enough to make this list 😭

[@StormblessedRadiant]

I have had day dreams about a Saints rebuild that results in Arch Manning getting drafted. Would be amazing.

[@rudeusgreyrat5236]

0:20 Alternate Version of this System Elite Ascending Purgatory Rebuilding

[@lucrative6477]

You are missing the Vikings / cowboys tier in the middle. The “you can have 14 wins and everyone knows you will still choke” tier.

[@DawgfoLife1000]

@@lucrative6477would that be called regular season champs

[@beastmodemills3435]

As a falcons fan I’ve had nightmares of the saints getting Arch

[@shinglesshingles]

Colts fan for 20 years... we've been in purgatory for WAY TOO LONG😮‍💨😂

[@jblz86]

As a Browns fan, we're not even in NFL purgatory; we're fully at the bottom circle of the Dante's Inferno-esque NFL Hell. 😂

[@philipswede7299]

Love this pod, happy Thanksgiving!

[@jabarwright4333]

Happy Thanksgiving everybody and also turkey sliders sound incredible and that is definitely what I'm going to make the day after Thanksgiving. I hope everybody has a great day watching football and eating lots of food.

[@Nonhuman13567]

Bengals fan. I have a rule about the jersey thing. I will not get a jersey until they pay a player or(more often) if they are good immediately and then I get a few years out of it

[@ChumblesMumbles]

Starting with the Saints? That's a bold and daring move. I wouldn't even want to think of entering Saints hell.

[@brycehawes38]

“They need a deep third safety” his name is Jordan battle and they refuse to play him for some reason while geno stone is the worst db in the nfl

[@5hugoshin]

“You can’t kill what’s already dead” on the Chicago bears. Sir you clearly haven’t played enough D&D

[@TiffanyBasner]

Well you can desecrate the dead I had the barbarian cut off enemy's head just to see how much damage am I spell did to said enemy

[@tmap92]

A lot of Bengals FO issues is that the Bengals are the sole source of income for the Brown family, and despite going in the right direction like Burrow, selling naming rights for the stadium and other things, you still need money to get the best coaching and talent. I honestly believe the Bengals need a second deep-pocketed person or group with a binding agreement to not move the Bengals from Cincinnati to truly be able to make the required moves to keep Bengals as a legitimate contender.

[@BoomMC_Inc]

That's the Vikings home. Only 500 team never to win a superbowl because of their historic average streak.

[@FoeFinn]

Trey Hendrickson is holding that defense together with his bare hands and nothing else

[@asdfjkl5713]

You really need to look at the statistical breakdown on Latu vs. Verse. Verse hasn’t really done that much more on a per snap basis. Verse has played 100+ more snaps than Latu.

[@lucrative6477]

You say that like it’s a good thing. Playing 100 more snaps means you are better.

[@KermRiv]

You can sum up dallas in two words... Jerry Jones

[@donjohnson5172]

43:15 you tall about the Colts GM and the mistake of drafting Latu over verse. I watched all of yalls draft coverage. I don't remember hearing you guys say that you didn't like Latu. In fact I recall you guys being pretty excited about him.

[@r08l83]

As a Chicago Bears fan we are constantly mid… But we are the most entertaining mid team!

[@bearcats513]

Mahomes was drafted in the purgatory zone, there is always hope.

[@someperson3883]

The Chiefs were good before Mahomes. If he weren’t in Kansas City he’d be great, but I don’t think he wouldn’t have 3 rings.

[@bearcats513]

@@someperson3883 They were good but the whole point is they were in purgatory. They weren't good enough to ever be a serious postseason threat, but they weren't bad enough to land a top 10 draft pick. The 2019 Buccaneers were a similar purgatory situation. It's not a matter of good team vs bad team, teams in purgatory are usually decent.

[@someperson3883]

@@bearcats513Even still in 2016 the Chiefs earned the 27th pick, well beyond Purgatory range. They traded up for Mahomes

[@BENgalFan1369]

16:30 damn that made my gut sink, bc I've been thinking the same damn thing in the back of my head the last year and a half...

[@sambirch5153]

Watching this after tonight's game and i have one thought: bears gonna bear

[@williamheller1362]

I am a 25-year-old adult that has not been able to go to a Colts playoff game because they haven't won the division to host one since I was in middle school. Arguably the worst division in football. It suckkks man

[@colinburroughs9871]

I don't know why anyone under say.. 30 would be into the Colts. Most of us showed up as locals who said "we'll go watch Peyton Manning" and got into that way. You guys have had no reason to support the team. None.

[@williamheller1362]

@colinburroughs9871 i mean i was still able to watch like 7 years of Peyton Manning in a Colts uniform. I got to stand in his locker in Lucas Oil when it was opening. I still made those childhood attachments before everything went to sh-t

[@booker4984]

As a commanders fan I’ve been there for the better part of 20 years

[@nblaw95]

I think the question you have to ask re: the Colts and specifically Ballard is: Are you keeping Steichen? Forcing AR to learn a new offense when hes just barely learning the first one doesnt seem ideal, but I dont think its a good idea to replace the gm while keeping your HC either. Im a Bears fan, Ive seen what happens when you do this stuff out of order lol

[@williamheller1362]

@@nblaw95 i don't think we're keeping Ballard to even be able to ask that question...

[@smurphy98844]

Howdy! I think with these things you have to consider what teams would actually do. I have a very hard time seeing the Saints tank, especially since the owner has gone on record saying that tanking hasn't worked for other teams.

[@matthewphillips5911]

Bears fans at the beginning of the season saying "this is our year" and I always responded with "I have *no* faith in Eberflus. It's not like the Bears haven't wasted young QBs before." Now Eberflus is gone (and the Bears are going to try and snipe Ben Johnson, I guess... Lion's would not like that).

[@raynel8495]

Did he do one of these for past drafts

[@kenshinelite]

So you've done the best, now you've done the middle, can you do the worst? I'd love a deep dive into the Panthers. And other teams in that range.

[@Wil_lyp]

Saints fan here. We are definitely in purgatory

[@davidlinehat4657]

Let Ron Rivera run your team for 4 years, then you're out of purgatory

[@bumsinblue5624]

Raiders bustin out of purgatory this year

[@Poisonpointt]

Busting out straight to the bottom lol

[@Alex_P_19]

Just watch them draft a qb who turns out to be mid while the other guy they could have had becomes a stud. It's the raider way

[@WoodyWard]

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

[@t4d0W]

What happen to believing in Zombie Al Davis just screaming from the great beyond, 'Just Win baby!'

[@zgsrandomnesshub7561]

I've always maintained that the NFL draft needs to find a way to reward the teams that are able to pick up wins and put in the effort week in and week out despite their underwhelming roster. Picks going to bad teams (aka Bryce Young to the Panthers) are often wasted because the team didn't bother to prepare for their new additions at all. Luckily, Washington and Houston has done that in their re-builds, but again, the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers of the world continue to squander picks. Compare that to the likes of Denver's 8-9 season last year, or perhaps Seattle, or Cincinnati. These teams, especially Payton's Broncos, have made the best out of a bad situation, and therefore deserves better picks to get out of purgatory. Instead, these teams are almost punished for being good. Imagine a rebuilding team like Washington goes 10-7 this year, exceeding expectations, but with obvious holes in the roster. Sometimes the 2nd/3rd/4th rounds are filled with talent, and if you find them and develop them, cool! (I bet they wish they could've had Devaughn Vele (7th rounder) this year) But often times, you don't get that lucky, and sometimes you even regress (just ask Green Bay or Houston, who despite their winning records, are clearly trying to squeeze talent out of less resources than they had last year). There are teams out there who successfully rebuild from purgatory, but it's incredibly rare. You have to have a strong culture already, a head coach who has experience developing a roster, have a big budget (that means cutting veterans a LOT), and of course striking gold in rounds 2-4 and/or 5-7, or undrafted free agents, or on the trade deadline. This is definitely a quality I see in Pittsburgh a lot, as Tomlin has never had a losing season, but he rarely sees past the wild card round. Yet, he has sufficiently rebuilt Pittsburgh about 2.5 times. Obviously, most of that was around Ben Roethlisberger, but Tomlin led Kenny Pickett to a winning record, and has now gotten the Wilson/Fields train on track. Although again, Pittsburgh just can't escape the 9-8/10-7 seasons, so I again point to Denver as the potential next squad to rebuild from purgatory. They have never had less than 4 wins in a season, and even during Joseph and Fangio, they usually hit 5-7 wins (purgatory). In fact, for Sean to even get Bo Nix after our 8-9 year, they had to rely on the AFC being so tight that a lot more teams than usual was better than them, and so they could hang out in the top 12. Yet, they did lamd Nix, cut a whole bunch of the older players for a young bunch that Sean could develop, and they had a potentially generational draft. Time will tell if Denver will survive the rebuild or fall back down, but for now they seem to be headed toward a 10-7 season despite cap hell and a thin roster. Anyways, what would I propose for the draft? I would either say alternate between good and bad teams (even picks could be the purgatory teams while odd picks could be the 1-4 win teams), or I say you run the first 15 picks backwards, which I think is fair. You don't want to make it easy for the Kansas City Chiefs of the world to keep stacking, but you want Cincinnati and Seattle to escape purgatory, and that's how you do it.

[@adamhodgson7174]

The Raiders have been in this purgatory as well, finally so bad that they have a chance to get a QB

[@SeanIgo]

The Vikings are really good at going in and out of it

[@blueredlover1060]

Brett is entirely right about the Cowboys. They could have gotten Dak for $55m had he been resigned before the Burrow extention, which is still a gross number, but he's at $60m over this contract. CeeDee will be making $35m, but if he were signed before the Justin Jefferson deal, he's only at $32m a year or something similar. Micah is still on his rookie deal, but he'll make $21m in 2025 and over $35m after that. Micah probably resets the EDGE market anyway, as he'd be able to argue higher value than TJ Watt. Though, that contract is probably closer to $32m a year since Bosa's contract wouldn't have been done. It's not a whole ton, but there's $11m, which can be a solid starter at a position.

[@t4d0W]

Yeah that has been the downfall of Jerry's recent payouts for Dak and CeeDee. He could have extended both before the market shifted their value even further. And can still make more moves in FA under the cap.

[@blueredlover1060]

@t4d0W Dak's contract was unavoidable. There's no real middle tier QB contracts. It's either veteran backup money, somewhere between 8 and 12 million, or else resetting the market contracts. Dak should be making closer to 40 million than 60 million. QBs basically reset the market every time that they come up to market. It's sad to say, but the closest contact signed by a QB around market value is Kirk Cousins.

[@t4d0W]

@@blueredlover1060 You say Dak should be making $40m but Jerry had no leverage. QBs of Dak's level are certainly in demand for $60m and if he leaves, Jerry has no legit QB to pilot his offense. Its more like Jerry would have saved a bit extending him earlier before the market continues to blow up. Which would reflect on him waiting on other premium positions than trying to extend them and see if he can save a little more.

[@blueredlover1060]

@t4d0W Perfect world, he's making $40m. I recognize the fact that Jerry screwed himself with the contracts that were handed out. Dak is the same tier of QB as Kirk Cousins, IMO, and Kirk hit the open market and got 4 years, $180m. That's far less than Dak. Hell, if Dak were to hit the open market this off season, I'd be surprised to see him get $60m. He's a 32 year old QB coming off a gruesome knee injury. He's getting less than his normal market value.

[@tylerrobertson7919]

Strongly disagree with the Latu take. I think the issue right now with Latu vs Verse is the scheme and the blitzing. In other words, the colts don’t. I think Latu could be SO much better with just a few blitzes a game

[@baronwynter6536]

Falcons - Haven't had a consistent pass rush since John Abraham

[@Klust413]

There's a team you haven't mentioned that I'd like you to talk about for their own type of purgatory, the Steelers. It wasn't that long ago there was chatter about whether they should get rid of their coach because they're getting to 500, but almost always nothing else.

[@TiffanyBasner]

The Marvin lewis effect a moderately successful coach but only gets you to a certain point

[@BoofHoover]

suprised you dont have the falcons on the thumbnail considering we're probably gonna be 7-10 for the 4th year in a row.

[@tylerclifton4759]

I thought it came out that Arch was going to stay all 4 years, so that would mean he’d be draft able in 27?

[@michaelahurt]

I'm not sure it is that hard in the NFL. In the NBA, yes, because the best players _overwhelmingly_ go in the top 3. But in the NFL there are SO many franchise changers outside the top 3-5 picks and even IF you nail your top 3 pick -- which is like 50/50 -- you still need 21 other guys. In the NFL _every_ team is one draft away. Case in point New Orleans had pick 11 in 2017 and Seattle pick 15 in 2012.

[@benburlingame4561]

mccain is typing...

[@michaelahurt]

@benburlingame4561 Let's maybe wait more than 20 games before we put him in the Hall of Fame. Philly is 4-14 and he's 12 for 41 his last 3 games.

[@benburlingame4561]

@@michaelahurt i'm jp you not wrong at all

[@cl5619]

NFL purgatory extends teams that regularly make the playoffs, but aren’t good enough to make far. These teams are the Steelers, Cowboys and Vikings

[@t4d0W]

In the Steelers case its more of the philosophy of the HC and how he chooses to win based where his talents are at. But also Tomlin hasn't had a capable offensive mind in his staff like Arthur Smith since... Bruce Arians? Also keep in mind Tomlin has made the postseason before guys like 'Rudolph' and 'Duck' as QBs. Similar case with the Cowboys where Jerry Jones will only hire a HC who will not overstep him. Also Tomlin and Jerry can claim to have a SB ring in their collection. Vikings fans have never seen their team win it. And many bad teams can only wish to have the playoffs a floor to their purgatory for the last 5 years or so.

[@tactful_colt8536]

I was a big Ballard supporter for years but the last two years it’s undeniable, he is a huge issue. He’s consistently signed the wrong players in free agency just to save 1-2 million. Always has great draft picks for a season or two and then they fall off a cliff. Every season he leaves a glaring weakness alone. LT w. Lavaren Clark one year. WRs, CBs and this year was Oline depth. But who could be a good replacement GM? You always hear about good OCs and DCs who can be HCs but you never hear about upcoming GMs besides when they showing Peyton manning lol

[@juanphan9047]

A lot of shifts in the right direction this year for the bears. They need a good head coach and a shift in culture. They still need o linemen. The NFC has great coaches making the division tough as it is.

[@ChriSX13]

as a vikings fan i know that zone all too well

[@calebgerdeman2296]

Great Video

[@BootlegFootball]

Appreciate it!

[@maxthillens1324]

I dont think poles needs to be fired yet you gotta give him a chance to draft good o line pieces. Its also something you can trade for or get in free agency and tbh they should probably do all 3. They gotta make sure they keep their contract cheap which they have been fantastic at. People also say caleb will ask for an insane amount of money but i think if he actually becomes very very good he might take a cut to keep his team good. I mean its the third biggest city in america whos never had a good qb if hes a long term guy hes gunna make so much money else where he wont need it. We will see in time but grabbing as many as 6 o linemen could be good thru any specific area. 2 in the first 2 rounds w the third to get either an edge or saftey maybe interior run stuffing guys because run defense is struggling. Cole kmets contract is coming up but hes a life long bears fan and tight end hes gunna be cheap. The bears have a lot of money to play around w. The saftey from the 49ers probably cant get paid and hell trey hendrickson could be an option. Especially if these new contract are set up intelligently to avoid dead cap if some guys needa get cut. They r looking at maybe finally getting over the hump

[@t4d0W]

Why would Caleb take a pay cut for his 2nd pro contract? Its up to the owner/GM to find an efficient way to build a team when they know a bunch of the cap will be committed to an important position. Mahomes' 10yr extension may seem crazy expensive but considering the QB market value, it was the 'best valued' deal to get a star QB on. Chiefs can always do yearly restructures if need be to help open a lil more of the cap to help attract O-line talent from the FA. While working day 2-3 of the draft to get interior guys. Meanwhile you got guys like Jerry who had to pay Dak because he took too long to commit to him long term. Along with having to pay some other positions a higher value because of a similar thing. Now Jerry doesn't have as much cap flexibility to make a quality FA signing and it shows with his very top heavy roster with little quality in depth to show for.

[@brandonchristopher9657]

This is very easy. First thing you have to do is draft a quarterback every two seasons until you have a great quarterback. The next thing you have to do is build around that quarterback with a great offensive line and weapons and spend money on defense There I fixed it. Oh also, if you want to stay good, trade away those other pieces for draft picks and only draft the most important positions in the sport. Here's the list of the most important positions quarterback left tackle right tackle either work depending on a if your quarterback's right handed or left-handed Defensive end or detackle pass rusher or outside linebacker pass rusher the key is to get someone who is a great pass. Rusher. Shut down corners and an offensive receiver that could be a tight end or a wider receiver. It really doesn't matter Everything else should be drafted in the second round or later

[@blakefrancisboggs7526]

Our tight ends suck because our GM prefers traits and potential over ACTUAL ABILITY.

[@bryanturner4686]

Bengals front office IS the problem. Everyone knew the defensive roster was terrible before the season started. They did nothing but add rookies. They removed leadership from the locker room. On the offensive side the did not sign Jamar which screwed up training camp and the beginning of the season. I wish the head coach play called more aggressively but over all a good coach. Who Dey! (I did not renew my season tickets because I know they will NEVER change.).

[@t4d0W]

Its less the aggression than predictability. Burrow thrives in playing in spread and shred but feels as comfy doing so in shotgun. Which limits how explosive the run game can be and how often play action runs can be called. Though there are 'modern' ways to pad the run game (via the short pass game to a RB) but the best QBs add a higher ceiling to their offense because they can play under center. So that will always be Burrow's ceiling for the time being regardless if he gets a new play caller that isn't Zac Taylor.

[@10ALundstrom]

After watching my Dolphins get schooled by Green Bay last night, I'd add them to this category to along with my Cowboys. Probably the worst place to be lol I wrote this sentence before Brett mentioned they almost put Miami here. I can safely say after last night they could be there

[@ThizzWay]

Arch isn’t coming out after only 1 full year as the starter. If he does we’re looking at another Bryce Young

[@maxberglind3275]

Chicago sports moment

[@Austin6403]

Bengals fan here. Chase Brown has been better than Mixon was imo, although im happy with both

[@stevenepstein6454]

By seeing Bengals and Coyboys I can say front office is the problem.

[@Alldayfootball45]

Another problem the bengals has is tee is gone. I’ve watched every game this Season the offense is mid to high Tier without tee and elite with him. The second option without tee is limited Andrei is solid option and Jermaine Burton is not in the mental state to be elite wideout even though he has all the talent to be one. I hope we draft a receiver in the 2nd round or pick one up in free agency(will never happen) cause without tee we are not the same offense.

[@architchawla6278]

I hope the Saints don’t just do one 180, but two 180s in the 2025 offseason.

[@CompoundingTime]

Look as a packers fan I think Caleb has the talent to be a top 5 QB. I look forward to seeing how the bears completely squander him.

[@pschultz3411]

😂😂 sorry - I really do love you guys and your content but did you just predict that the Dolphins will make the playoffs!? It gets colder as the season goes on and that team, not just Tua, do not perform well late in the season or in cold weather. Appreciate the video, excited to listen

[@BootlegFootball]

Didn’t really predict they would, but just acknowledged that they still had a sort of viable path to at the time so we left them out of this

[@pschultz3411]

@ I think I had a little confirmation bias from watching the Dolphins-Packers on Thanksgiving too. Wild NFL season we’re having - looking forward to more content and my annual summer of EJ and Brett talking through all 32 teams 😅

[@tiddiesattic]

Dallas has set themselves to have $100M in cap space.. which means they'll probably do nothing with it 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@matthewgabbard6415]

The Bengals will probably be ok if they can improve their defense. Although they are gonna lose a receiver next year.

[@Austin.Kilgore]

Colts can still make the playoffs… but our defense is incredibly frustrating to watch, they can’t tackle. Edit: Yeah I think I agree with your assessments of the Colts… I think we 100% need to fire Gus this offseason and get new DC. Not so sure about doing away with Ballard yet though, I’m about 50/50 there.

[@JohnClarkW]

The Saints should take notes from the Broncos, who are taking their cap medicine this season, and should be in a better place over the next couple years. Burrow is the top of the NFL for yards, and this is likely the last season with Higgins. The defense looks bad, and Mixon was more important than they wanted to acknowledge, but this is the most Bengals thing ever ( that comparison to the Luck era Colts was so accurate ).

[@1001011011010]

The Broncos look great honestly. I think Payton may be showing it wasn't just that he "lucked" into amazing talent with Brees.

[@JohnClarkW]

@@1001011011010 The easy counter to that is Russ. He had four coaches, two understood how to use him, and Payton wasn't one of those. That said, the other two were also super bowl winning coaches.

[@1001011011010]

@@JohnClarkW I imagine that sometimes a player and coach just don't get along, especially if one of those guys is an established vet who may be less "moldable" into what the coach wants. I think that's what happened with Payton and Wilson. He wasn't the type of guy he'd prefer. I don't think it's a coincidence Bo Nix is reminding people of Brees (though time should tell if he will truly see the same level of sustained success...) with the way he's doing things.

[@JohnClarkW]

@@1001011011010 Until he plays a few years, Nix is giving rookie year Daniel Jones. I don't think we will know much until he has a couple years, and a playoff game or 2 behind him.

[@nritsch]

Jets are also in purgatory but they aren’t getting an easy out.

[@hereticalgames3695]

Why do you think the Bears are good enough for Purgatory?

[@andylarsson8538]

Agree. The bears are not good enough for purgatory. this video was made a month ago. A lot has changed since then. I would put Miami and Arizona in purgatory over Chicago and Saints

[@JeepusMeepus]

No, yeah….dolphins are the definition of purgatory

[@justtimes9257]

the bengals defense line is the issue edit: that bear's organization cannot be taken seriously as long as Kevin Warren is the president of that team that man nearly ruined the big 10 a couple years ago and now you're putting him in charge of your football operations. I'm sorry they're found to fail as long as Kevin Warrenis interfering with football operations. She will allow this team to fail.

[@mtzion7480]

I would like to announce that the Panthers are having the decade season turn around where they make the playoffs then go to the Super Bowl the next year, 5-1 these next 6 weeks and a wildcard loss for the panthers this year!!

[@cowgirlqueen2636]

I would be shocked if they signed tee

[@addster124]

The bengals let defensive guys go in order to invest on the offensive line. Everyone seems to ignore that

[@t4d0W]

O-line additions were purely from the FA (Karras, OBrown Jr, Cappa) with Amarius Mims whose the real recent draft project. If anything the defensive guys taken from the draft so far haven't really hit as replacement for those other key defensive guys (Reader, Bates III, the other corners) who left. Not a good place for a defense that wants to play light boxes but not having quality bodies in the trenches to handle the run or pressure in key pass downs.

[@MrSavage28-7]

As a Saints fan I sadly have to admit we are “mid”😔

[@christophernichols4465]

Bengals: “just stop being poor”

[@RedAvalanche98]

Broncos have been in there for 10 years. Hopefully Nix gets us out

[@yuan81]

I am not a Bengals fan, but I did watch a few games when they played Eagles and in national TV. I get that their defense lacks talent, but I always feel that their offense did not help either. You need the run game to control the clock, to get the defense some rest, both physically and mentally. Their run game is absolutely atrocious, and it's not like they have a bad oline. Chase Brown is a fine gadget RB, but RB1? Hell no. You don't even need to invest that much to have a decent running back. so weird.

[@blueredlover1060]

Can we please take the astrick off of Jacksonville? They're playing Jacksonville in Jacksonville, where the Colts haven't won in a decade. That should have been expected.