GMFB Wednesday Hour 1: League Meetings, Ravens Outlook, Jaylin Noel, and Whiteboard Wednesday!

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Good Morning Football.

Yeah, that's right. Thanks for watching, everybody. This is Good Morning Football presented by Old Trapper Beef Jerky. Wednesday, October 21st. Jamie Erdahl, Manti Tale. Willie Colon at the breakfast table here in Los Angeles. Kyle is on an airplane somewhere. You'll find out where. On a jet. Tomorrow. Okay. That's the ultimate television tease. But you'll see KB once again, which is good. Normally on a Wednesday, he's in a suit in New York.

Oh, yeah.

Waiting to be fancy on a bunch of other ESPN shows. But we do have people in New York. They are dressed very nicely. They are all about the business at the NFL Fall League meeting, which is taking place, as I mentioned, in Manhattan. So let's go there where Judy Batista, Mike Garofalo, and Ian Rappaport are standing by. Mike G teased this for us yesterday that he was going to go into Manhattan. He wanted to hear everything about the league, but also the Eagles specifically. So guys, where do we land with that?

Yeah, and so much of the discussion here has been about the Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts, and no doubt there's other business here. There's votes happening. There's stadium matters. There's ownership matters. We're going to get to all of that. But yesterday, guys, as you know, Jalen Hurts took over the entire conversation. His blood clots, how the Philadelphia Eagles handled it, what the NFL thought of, not just the way the Eagles handled it, but some of the public discourse that really has taken over the media for the last, 72 hours or so, we heard from Dr. Alan Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer. We heard from Jeff Miller, an NFL executive. And I would say, guys, they were as fiery and passionate as they have ever been about

the way the Eagles handled it, the public response, the reporters' role in it. Listen to some of this sound, and we'll come back and we'll get through it a little bit.

Our first obligation as team physicians is always and evermore will be to the patient. to do the right thing.

Why?

Because that's what we're licensed to do. That's our standard of care. That's the standard we're held to. That's the standard we're licensed to. That's the oath that we've pledged.

And that's what happens.

And so any idea or any suggestion that a team physician is ever being influenced by a coach, a general manager, a team owner, it just doesn't happen. I can't speak to what happened in the dark ages when Jeff started working for the league, but I can tell you in my 30 years in sports medicine and today, there is no doctor who is taking orders from a football person, a non-medical person, period. And very importantly, today in medicine we're all about shared decision making. You know, if any one of you comes and sits with me in my office and we talk about your situation, I'm gonna give you the data, the facts, and my opinion, but ultimately we're gonna make a shared decision together in which your

voice as the patient really matters. The notion that there are external factors or that any of our physicians would put a player in harm's way, that's nonsense. And I think also anybody who is not sitting in that room, if you're not sitting in that room with that patient and you don't have all the data, if you are speculating as a physician on what should have been done, you are unprofessional and unethical in doing that. I'll just sum it up by saying that I have complete confidence in the Eagles medical staff and their handling of this situation, and I would characterize their work as very conservative, very patient-focused, and appropriately guarded at every step.

Several points to get through here. Now, I would say, first of all, guys, the NFL firmly believes that the Philadelphia Eagles did the right thing in their handling of Jalen Hurts after he went to the Cleveland Clinic in London, allowing him to play with what they believe was a superficial blood clot, the way they handled it. Afterward, there was a lot of discussion of sleep. Did he or did he not sleep? What was he advised to do?

The NFL does not believe that the Eagles made missteps here, which makes sense because the two were in concert all the way through deciding... how to handle the Jalen Hurts situation. So that is one part of it. The other part of it, Sills taking issue and NFL executives taking issue with the media's role in this and essentially insinuating that the media was saying, you know, the Eagles put the winning over the. well-being of Jalen Hurts also mentioning by the way that Jalen Hurts has a role in this and can decide what risks he is willing to take there's a lot to get through Mike and late late last night we heard from the NFL PA as they weighed in on the situation as well.

Well whenever there's a player of or an issue of potentially player health and safety you always wonder what the union is thinking about it and the union had been quiet on this now that didn't mean that they weren't monitoring the situation and communicating with those involved but we just hadn't heard from them until the NFL came out yesterday and and basically said that the Eagles did no wrong through the entire process here. So the union then steps in, and they released a statement last night indicating that they would like a full investigation into the matter.

We have seen this previously. Here is the full statement from the NFLPA. We have seen this previously. We see this when it comes to concussion protocol. Now, even with a standard concussion protocol evaluation, It takes a while. So for the union to say, well, you closed the case on this in just a matter of a couple of days here and decided that everything was conducted properly. No, we are now going to act not only on behalf of Jalen Hurts, but their entire representation, the entire league for all players involved. I mean, that's something that new executive director J.C. Tretter has been. adamant about player safety when it comes to surfaces, playing surfaces and whatnot with regard to player safety. So not surprised that the union

has had their say in this calling for an investigation. We will ask Roger Goodell later how the NFL plans to proceed. But here comes the union stepping in here again on behalf of Jalen Hurts.

And all players.

Well, certainly no surprise that the union wants a role in this. The NFL considers the matter essentially closed. They feel like the Eagles handled it appropriately and that Jalen Hurts is getting now the appropriate care going forward. I would just go back to a few things. I've never seen Dr. Seals that angry when he was addressing— the speculation and the questions about how it was handled. He certainly did not appreciate the ethics of team doctors or league officials being questioned in this case. I would also add that maybe a little more transparency at the front of this would have saved everybody a whole lot of angst, because they finally gave us the rundown of events and how this played out in London, and they finally made

clear that he went to the Cleveland Clinic, that he was receiving top-level care, as somebody put it, the same care he would receive if he were in midtown Manhattan when this happened. Again, if maybe somebody had made that clear at the outset, perhaps there would not have been this much concern. There's still concern about, are we getting the whole story? Because, of course, we have not really heard— Much candor from the Eagles side, and we haven't heard from Jalen Hurts at all. Kind of doubt we're going to hear from those principals any further than we've already heard.

But I certainly don't think this is over if the union keeps pressing for an investigation, even though, again, the league feels the matter is closed and now it is all about Jalen Hurts' well-being coming up.

Can I add one more thing? I don't think that there was anything nefarious here. I don't think it was, oh, the Eagles, oh, you got a blood clot?

So what?

You got to go out and play.

You're our quarterback. Go put your life on the line. I don't think it was anything like that. I don't even think the union thinks that it was anything like that. But there's a process and there's a checks and balances from their standpoint. And I believe that that's the approach they're taking. And like you said, Judy, it's not done.

It's not done.

OK, but there is other business going on at this meeting. Yesterday, Peter O'Reilly, who is the league executive in charge of international games, said that the league is probably going to try to play 10 international games next season. They are playing nine this season. Ten is as many as they can play without negotiating more with the players union. That's what's allowed in the current CBA. So they would play 10 games. He did not say where they would play, although he indicated they would probably be going back to some of their previous locations. A little birdie told me maybe Dublin. Maybe they would be playing in another city in a country that they have already played, and they have gotten what they say is fantastic reaction to the

international games, not just abroad, but internationally, the way the games are broadcast. So they're really happy with where That is headed. They also talked a little bit about officiating. Penalties are up. The thing that is up that they're concerned about is offensive holding, and they are telling the officials, please stop calling offensive holding if it's away from the play.

If it's involved in the play, fine. They want to get away from calling penalties that are away from the play. And as a result, by the way, time of game is up.

Let's get our attention back on the field. Obviously, still plenty to get through here, guys. But back on the field for the Green Bay Packers, one of the biggest stories in the NFL for the first part of the season has been the status of Josh Jacobs, who was cleared earlier this week. Obviously, he has been on the commissioner's exempt list dealing with a matter involving a significant other.

Of course, his legal matter was settled. several weeks ago and at that point it was really just when would the NFL investigation take place would they be able to see a video of the incident they have not I would say Jacobs has been preliminarily cleared and is expected to play this week he is going to practice he's going to be on the field they say he has kept in good shape and the Green Bay Packers who have had a really solid start to the season probably could use a little bit of a improved running game and they get Josh Jacobs in week seven to come.

In and do it guys Ian, Mike, thank you for all that intense information. It was a lot to get through. Judy, one more thing as it pertains to the international games. 10 next year is all well and good, but we got one this weekend in Paris, and the headlines don't look great for those of us who are consuming them from the continental United States.

So what's the league stance on what's happening? in Paris right now ahead of Steelers Saints?

It is all systems go for the Paris game this Sunday. Pedro Reilly, again, the league executive in charge of international games, told us that the NFL never considered moving the game, postponing the game. They are going ahead. I talked briefly to Art Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he said they feel comfortable. They've had people on the ground there for a few days. The team doesn't get there until Friday. The Saints have been there all week.

By the way, the team hotels are away from central Paris. The stadium is actually not near where the unrest is happening. One thing to keep an eye on, though, there is a big protest planned for Saturday, the day before the game. The NFL has emphasized, though, they always have very big security outfits at international games. And, obviously, it's going to be even more heightened for this, with the civil unrest going on. But the NFL feels comfortable going forward. And right now— and I would expect that it will continue to be— the Paris game is on as scheduled.

Yeah, I've sensed that, Judy. I appreciate that. But it's ever-present. So all that information was a lot. Thank you for unpacking it for us to start GMFB here. As Rap Sheet so eloquently said, let's take it back to a game this weekend that we are looking forward to, and that is Lions-Packers. The Packers coming off back-to-back wins. The lions are coming off an emotional win because it was a bi-week and you can rest your body and you can get right and fix a couple of things that might have not been going well for you in the first half of the season. For example, the lions are coughing up the third most points per game in the league.

So Dan Campbell, how do you combat that with the fact that you have a red hot Packers team to face this weekend?

You can't defend all of it. So you better pick your poison and what you think is means the most to you to stop. Um, And we can't let this run game get going. And they're going to try to establish the run. He's done that every week, and nothing's going to change. I would anticipate Jacobs is going to be back. He brings another element to him. And so if they're able to get that thing really lit up and going now, it's problematic.

So the Bears are on a short week. Consider that. They're the Thursday night game. The Vikings are also coming off a bye. They're undefeated. Then the Packers and the Lions are playing each other. This will actually be the first division game for the Lions. For the Packers side of things, they still don't have Micah Parsons back, but it sounds like their run game will get going with the return of Josh Jacobs. Manti, this NFC North division, we highly anticipated it before the season started, and now it is truly delivering. So how do you see it playing out?

Why everybody's in this little scrum right now. And every, I think every team in that division is at different points in the season right now. You talk about, you know, the lines, I look at the lines, Willie, they're like the Buffalo bills, very good offense, a defense that just gives up a bunch of points and how sustainable is that?

I don't know to the Packers. I mean, Coach Campbell talked about they really want to emphasize their run game. I don't think so. I think Dave Matt before has taken another angle to this. We don't have a run game, but what we do have is a deep ball and we're going to open up the run game by throwing the ball deep down the foot down the football field.

And now that you have Josh Jacobs potentially playing, that is the missing piece. It's not necessarily Josh Jacobs is he's a guy that sustained that run game. And I know their quarterback has been playing really good in Jordan Love, but he's He's even better with a run game. Defensively, they don't have Michael Parsons back, yet they've been still taking the ball away. I think the Minnesota Vikings right now, best defense in the National Football League, and it's not even close. Nobody wants to go against Brian Flores in that defense right now. It is a nightmare for anybody. Offensively, it's like you have a plethora of dishes at the table, and you just need somebody to go out there and take advantage of those beautiful dishes and those hors d'oeuvres.

That's Kyler Murray. You're waiting for him to come into play. It's like, Kyler, we need you to play this. You have Justin Jefferson. You have Jordan Addison. You have TJ Hawkinson, who had a great game like two, three weeks ago. And you have a successful run game, and Jordan Mason hasn't come back yet. So I'm looking at this division.

It's all of these teams that are just finding their stride. I haven't even mentioned the Chicago Bears, who last week against the Falcons played the most complete game I've ever seen a Chicago Bears team play in some years. Special teams, defense, and offense with Caleb Williams coming back. So what do I see in this division? I see a division that's kind of spearheaded offensively. what this conference, the NFC, is at its best, right? This is when football is great.

It's like when the AFC North is great. When the NFC North is good and everybody is fighting for this top spot, and you got the Bears, you got the Packers, you got the Lions, all of those guys, the Vikings, that is when football is fun to watch. I don't know who's going to take the lead right now because since they're all in this little group, Willie, one little mistake can cost them, and I think that's when football is very entertaining.

Yeah, listen, the NFC North right now is a heavyweight fight. There's no tune-up fights because everybody's ready to roll. And I think to your point, when you talk about the Minnesota Vikings, yeah, Brian Flores has his defense humming at a high level. Kind of expected because that's part of his resume, so I'm not surprised by that. Seems like Caleb Williams that we talked a little bit about yesterday, he's on a revenge tour. He heard a clue to me. Caleb, I was talking about you. Right?

My bad.

Right?

It's good to have... Accountability helps. It's good to have acceptance of that, Willie.

I made a mistake.

Right.

Whenever you hear your voice in one of those videos, you're like, my bad, my bad.

But I also think for the Detroit Lions who's scoring over 30 points a game, man, you know they can score, but they can't stop a cold, right?

And that's their biggest bugaboo.

But the team that's really making me say, there's something here is the Groom 8 Packers because of their defense. And Jonathan Gannon doesn't get enough credit. I mean, he's, over the last two weeks, he's held opponents for, with his defense rather, has held opponents to 14 points or fewer. And what they're doing is pressure takeaways. And I don't know if you know this. They have a safety by the name of Evan Williams. That's an absolute doll. I mean, the guy's flying off, popping off the tape. And then you have Zaire Franklin. Then you're talking about this front seven with this pressure. So collectively, this unit without Michael Parsons, by the way.

Yes.

And showing up and playing big-time football. They made a statement against the Cowboys and said, hey, man, we know what you can do, but we're going to do it better, right? We're not going to take the ball away, but we're going to make you regret coming out here in Lambeau Field thinking you were going to light up the scoreboard.

And they made it hell for Dak Prescott. So, overall, man, I love the Packers right now, especially defensively because they play with an edge, they play with a purpose, and they're making a statement. So, I think the Packers are going to win the division.

The crazy thing about this division is that all the teams had a first half of the season bye. And by that, I mean the Packers have the latest in week 11. Then you're taking off. It is going to be a challenge for them.

That's actually a perfect.

Time to have a bye, Jamie. Oh, is it week 11?

Towards the middle.

Yeah, you want to be in the.

Middle of it.

So if we have heart eyes for the NFC North, how do we feel about the NFC East? We're going to find out on Monday because we're going to be in Philadelphia for Cowboys-Eagles. GMFB Roadshow is happening. Come see us right by the stadium, Stateside Live. Tickets are available to come hang with us on social media. We'll put the links out. It's 8 a.m.

Eastern.

It's our time. It's a three-hour special, and we have a couple extra guests coming on to host with us, Seth and Irv, and, of course, Kyle and Manti and myself. Plus, I'm sure other friends. I heard there's a mascot coming. Oh, what? But I'm not going to tell you which mascot it is. Coming up on our show, he came out of the 2025 draft. He's now really, really, his impact is being felt for the Texans offense. Over the weekend, specifically, you watched Jalen Knoll play in London. We got him on the show, guys. This comeback win for Houston was great.

They needed it. Let's talk Texans, man.

Can't wait to talk to Jalen. It's going to be awesome. We've seen some star quarterbacks out with injuries, but we might finally see them once again take the field. We'll get the latest on their possible returns and what that means for their respective teams. And when Good Morning Football comes back, it's going to be showtime on the Gridiron.

Back on GMFB, we got to check in with the insiders once again. Rapsha, you look great. Let's get the latest from a couple quarterbacks around the way.

I like that.

We just come right on camera with no warning.

This is good.

We should do this more often.

Just like cut in.

We're just sitting here.

Mike, see, if you had a tie to fix, I'd say you look great too. But here we go.

Nope.

And we're up.

Don't start on the ties. It's been a sore subject this morning. He's got rules that don't really exist that are in his head.

Here, I'll start, guys. I'm obviously the serious one wearing a tie.

Must wear a tie.

Yeah, well, no, it's just, if you're on Good Morning Football, you've got to wear a tie for the insider. Yes, the most dressed-up show we have, sure. That's been the rule for several years.

Ties make us very uncomfortable.

Anyway, let's talk about injuries. Not a fun topic, certainly for the Washington Commanders. We'll talk about Terry McLaurin. Their standout receiver suffered a brutal, brutal, devastating injury yesterday. A torn patellar tendon for Terry McLaurin. If you watch the game, you saw him go down. It's exactly... what it looked like he was going to have a season-ending surgery, again, out for the season for the Commanders. Already, Mike, have had a trying, trying season, just trying to figure out a way to have good late-game situations and get a win, losing your top receiver. would be something that would be hard to overcome from, but that is now the Washington commanders reality. And obviously not the only injury situation we're monitoring.

I just feel bad for McLaren.

Good dude.

Who last year with that contract situation in training camp felt like that really got him off on the wrong foot and sort of hung over the entire season. He was so upbeat and so energetic and so optimistic about this season. And then for this to happen to him, we wish Terry McLaren the best in his recovery. Speaking of recoveries, Baker Mayfield is in the middle of one from that dislocated thumb. He had a couple of weeks ago, is attempting to practice.

That's a good way of putting it.

Thank you there, Control Room, because he's got to show the bucks that he can throw the football. And as they came into the week, they weren't sure where he'd be. So the next couple of days, as he returns to practice here and tries to show them that he can grip the football. And it's about that. It's about functionality, not about pain tolerance. If it was about pain tolerance, Baker Mayfield probably back a couple of weeks ago, maybe doesn't miss a time at all. Cause you know how tough he is. So we'll see what Mayfield can do over the next couple of days. They sort of came into the week expecting it to be Jalen Daniels, and if it's Mayfield, it's a surprise to the upside. So let's see how it goes the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens have been focusing on Lamar Jackson, trying to get him back on the field. It has been two weeks that he has missed with an ankle sprain. The hope is that he will be on the field today for the Baltimore Ravens. That would be great news. He is making progress. They have said potentially he could be on the field, which... Fair to say, it was kind of the same thing they said last week. Lamar's still fighting through it, still trying to get to be 100%, which is where he wants to be when he sees the field. Some more information coming, but at least there is optimism from Baltimore that Lamar could be practicing today, guys.

I have optimism that you guys will continue to bicker about the rule of the ties at the annual league meeting. And let us know how that fight ends up between Mike G and Ian Rappaport.

Looks great, by the way.

It does. It does.

Did you ask Chad GPT again today?

No.

I use Claude, actually.

Wow, Rav.

See, you just sunned us with your Claude reference. Thank you, guys. We'll talk to you in a little bit. You just can't get that kind of snark from ChatGPT either. You know what I mean? No, it was spicy. All right. So the Ravens are coming off that loss to the Browns in week six, which to consider what the Ravens have been through.

They played the Falcons on Sunday night.

Snoop Huntley was backing up for Lamar Jackson, of course. But Lamar Jackson, as you just heard, he wants to get to 100 percent. Then you watch Deshaun Watson come back and have a game winning drive for the Browns to take the AFC North top spot once again. This is a divisional opponent now when it comes to Lamar Jackson and the Bengals. That's who they're facing this week.

So my fancy gentleman that I work with here at GMFB, the question becomes, can the Ravens afford taking on the Bengals? We gotta get Rap Sheet and Mike G back in here again. Can the Ravens afford taking on the Bengals without Lamar Jackson?

First of all, I apologize, Rap Sheet, you're right. There is a dress code on our show. There's a standard to which we try to uphold. And we put on ties, myself and Willie, to make sure that we uphold that standard. I don't want people thinking that because Kyle Brandt isn't here that we don't take this show seriously. So we put on ties while Rap Sheet was talking about his.

Now, what was the question, Jamie? Can the Ravens afford another game without Lamar Jackson, especially in a division game?

Yes, I think they can. And the reason why I think they can, Willie, is because they are 4-2. Now, they are third place in the division right now, but they're the same record as the guys that are in first and second. So it's not like... The situation with the Rams where the first place team is undefeated and you only have two wins, right? There's not a big drastic change or difference in your record. You're all right there.

The thing that doesn't work with them or the thing that works against them is they're next to opponents. Bengals, divisional opponent, they're coming off a bye. The second opponent is the Bills, and they'll be also coming off of a bye. So that doesn't... I wouldn't be sitting quite comfortably knowing that those two appointments are what they are coming off of what they're coming off of. However, if Lamar Jackson can't go full speed, if Lamar Jackson can't be Lamar, I would sit him two more weeks, one to two more weeks so that he can be.

The worst thing you.

Want to do, and you know this, Willie, is bring somebody back sooner than they're ready to. And then you have to restart that whole thing over in the event that he gets hurt again with an ankle injury. So I would sit him as long as you need, knowing that you're 4-2, same record as the guys who are in first and second.

I do feel very serious with this. You should.

Everything you're about to tell us is straight facts.

I know. I feel very dignified for some reason. Get right to it. Listen, there's no sympathy cards in the AFC North man. The Cleveland Browns proved it right. They they shut out the Ravens in the second half. But I think right now when you pay attention to the Baltimore Ravens offense, they just one-sided right? It comes down to Derrick Henry. He's not able to be efficient. They can't produce anything. I understand Tyler Huntley's one-on-one and he's been able to thrive within his system thus far. But when you look at their total body of work over these last couple weeks without Lamar Jackson, it's clunky. And this is a team who has high expectations. We've seen what they do whenever we have when that full go right.

This is a juggernaut was scary about the Lamar Jackson situation is it goes back to last year when they didn't have them how they look like they went through a real life identity crisis and King Henry couldn't carry the load and the defense was a shell of themselves. If you're Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle, your main objective is not to look like what it looked like last year.

And so you go into this situation right now, even with Lamar Jackson, you got to figure a way like, hey, hey, hey, I need you, right?

Whatever.

I know you're banged up, but we're in the thick of this thing right now. We got to stay afloat because the Steelers, the Browns, you know, obviously the Ravens, they're all fighting right now. So now you got a game against the Cincinnati Bengals where the Bengals feel like they can get them, right? Because everybody's beating each other in a division. The Ravens have ranked seventh in the league in scoring, so they could put up points. I think they're averaging 26 points a game. But the issue with them right now is if they're having missed field goals like they had against the Cleveland Browns and Derrick Henry's fumbling the ball, Now there's no options. So I think right now, if you're Lamar Jackson, you may have

to tape it up and save this thing before it gets out of control.

If the season ended today, the Ravens and the Bengals would be just out of the wildcard spots. Right now they're at 8th and 9th in the AFC. So there is room for growth. But right now it would be only the Browns and the Steelers representing the AFC North. Let's go. We got to talk to Jalen Null here. We were just yucking it up in the commercial break because we're so thrilled to have him on after putting on an absolute clinic at Wembley Stadium over the Jaguars.

Huge divisional win for the Texans. Welcome inside the breakfast table, Jalen Null.

Yes, sir.

Thank you all for having me.

Absolutely. It was so fun watching C.J. Stroud really have a fantastic game, perhaps his best of the season so far in 2026. He called you, though, big help to the offense, a baller after this win. So what has evolved for you from year one to year two to be able to shine on the international stage like that?

Yeah, for sure. I would say just the game's speeding down a little bit. You go into year one, everything's kind of moving at 1,000 miles per hour. You're jumping right into training camp and then into the season. So I would say this season, just seeing the field, honestly, being able to step on the field, knowing what I'm getting defensively, and just ready to go make plays and have the confidence to make the plays.

And you've been making a lot of plays, and the guy that's been getting the ball is your quarterback, and he's been on a tear the past couple weeks. Now, I am a big fan of C.J.

Stroud.

There's been a lot of people and a lot of criticism surrounding him. When you watch him play, does it seem like he's taken all of that criticism and used it to kind of perform at his best right now?

You can definitely tell he's been motivated this season. His confidence, his poise. His leadership ability has been at an all-time high, and we're feeding off that, really. He's leading this team, and we're obviously not where we want to be at record-wise, but he's starting to just heat up and just keep going and giving us all the energy we need to make a run.

Let's get into that real quick. You referenced the record. It's kind of the elephant in the room when it comes to the Texans and how you guys start. What does Tameka Ryan say about just how challenging September and the first half of October can be for you guys? And what's the secret sauce to getting past that and not having the record weigh you guys down?

Yeah, I mean, we got to be where our feet are is what he would say. Have to take it one day at a time. Obviously learn from the things from the past games that gave us trouble and kind of slowed us down from having a winning record. So just taking it one day at a time, taking the momentum from these wins that we are, we have got these past couple weeks and building off that and learning from the mistakes and knowing that we have a great team and great guys on this team that are going to be able to lead us in the right direction.

You spoke about CJ Shroud being motivated. You got a crowded receiving room there, buddy. Talk about Tank Dell possibly being activated. Marvin Harrison Jr. now arrived, and of course, Nico Collins. You've been a young fella. How does this motivate you to stand up and to be on par with the rest of the room?

I mean, you have to come in every day ready to work because you know the type of guys you're around. Everybody's a dog in that room. Everybody is going to have a part in the success moving here forward, and Honestly, like you guys said, we got Tank coming back. We got Xavier Hutchinson, Keyshawn Boutte, Marv, Nico. Everybody's hungry and everybody wants to help the team win. So I'm excited for this room, knowing what we're capable of. And I know those guys are excited and we're ready just to go to work. There's a lot of unselfishness in that room and guys are willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Jalen, truth be told, we sit around here at the breakfast table in GMFB. We talk about football two hours a day, every day, year-round. I can't quite figure out the New York Giants. I don't know what they're about. The quarterback situation is challenging for them. How have you navigated watching their game tape and their defense, considering they have the fifth-best pass defense in the league? When you know that as a wide receiver, how do you challenge an opponent like that?

You just got to make them communicate on the back end, I feel like, just giving them looks that they might have They haven't seen yet, but it's the NFL. Every team you go against is going to be talented. And like you said, they're, they're. fifth ranked in past defense. So it's going to be a challenge going in there and competing against those guys. But that's what we live for. Pressure, pressure is what you want in this league. And going into this game, we know they're going to be ready to go, prepared, and we got to do the same.

Jalen, it's been fun to watch you play, but in the commercial break, we unearthed something great about your personal life. You're married. Your wife is trying to be a part of the Houston Texans community. And it sounds like the wives of the players on this team have found a new way to not only bond, yet somehow the bonding has turned to fierce competition. So could you tell us more about what's going on with the Texans wives?

Yeah, so the Lady Texans, man, they have this flag football thing they got going on, just women in sports and the youth women in sports and flag football. So they do this thing where they get together and have a little flag football competition. It was funny because I was texting my wife that same day.

She's texting me.

She's like, man, I'm not getting the.

Ball or nothing.

I don't know what to tell you there.

You just got to get the reps in. It's going to find you eventually.

Take us to dinner. Obviously, if she's not getting the ball, she's a receiver.

Okay.

You're a receiver.

Yeah.

Do you guys come at dinner when you guys are sharing a beautiful meal?

She'd tell you, I need some drills. Let's go outside.

What is that dynamic like with you and your wife knowing that you guys play the same position?

Well, it's funny because sometimes we're actually just tossing the football in the house and it's not me saying let's toss the football. She's picking up the football and she's telling me the football. So we're getting reps in at the house. She has a good arm too. So maybe she has to make the move to quarterback.

There you go.

I have to imagine there's some rules in the locker room that guys have to abide by. And now we got to add, let's not talk about our wives playing flag football.

That's a hell of a comment.

I mean, matching jug machines for Christmas?

Yeah.

Is that a thing?

His and hers.

Great. It's great. Jalen, you're such a gem. Thanks for coming on. Stay awesome. Stay healthy. And we'll talk to you again when the Texans keep their winning ways going.

For sure.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

God bless, brother.

My gosh. Well done, Jalen.

Well done.

There that man goes.

There that man goes. His left knee's the ball.

Throw her the ball. Come on. Who's the quarterback on that flag team?

Peter.

Good morning, football. Wait for Wednesday time on GMFB. One of you said earlier in the show that the NFL is better when the AFC and the NFC North are playing well. Well, interestingly, both of those divisions are the only two remaining where all four teams have winning records. This is the latest in the NFL season that that has ever happened for both groups. But now the tests really begin for the Lions as they are set to face their first divisional opponent this Sunday when they host the Green Bay Packers. And Dan Campbell is well aware of who makes the Packers so sweet.

They've just steadily gotten better and better, and they're playing at a very high level right now. Offensively, love, man. He makes it go. He is the secret sauce. And Watson and Golden, man, they are dangerous threats down the field, and he's going to give them opportunities. That shows up every week.

All right, let's find the other secret sauces, sauce packets in the NFL. Who is another player for.

Their team that you think, Manti, is the secret sauce for the team?

Well, when I watched the Jaguars and the Houston Texans game, that was the best I've seen C.J. Stroud play since. His ability to throw the ball down the yard. And I really think this guy right here, Marvin Harrison Jr., is the secret sauce. Now, listen to me on this. Not only because he is his teammate, but last year around this time, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a trade, Jamie, for Jacoby Myers. And they were a good offensive outfit, but for some reason, when they made this trade for Jacoby, that is what we see with the Jacksonville Jaguars offense and how explosive it is. Can Harrison Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr., be the Jacoby Myers this year? I think he can.

It was already stacked wide receiver room, yet there are still some gaps that they needed to fill. And Marvin Harrison Jr.

I think, will be and is.

The secret sauce to that Houston, Texas offense and exploded. That's my secret sauce.

Yeah, you're talking about secret sauce. That'll be some Carolina barbecue sauce. And Tanguy Sweet.

I digress.

Nevertheless, man, let's talk about Bryce Young.

Please don't.

He is the secret sauce for the Carolina Panthers. You got to talk about a young man who's not only been benched. A lot of people have a lot of mean things to say. Too short, can't see over the office line. But this year, he has been able to elevate the offense. And he is one of the main reasons why they're humming at a high level, especially with the decorated pieces they have around them. Chubba Hubbard. You talk about Coker. You talk about this offensive line. Bryce Young has arrived, man. And I'm going to jump out there.

I'm going to say it. It's time to give this man an extension. He is your franchise.

Quarterback for the future.

Backed by a really good defense. Bryce Young this year has 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He's thrown for over 1,500 yards. This man has not only matured, but he has won me over. So I'm going with Bryce Young as a secret star.

What is that number going to be the longer he waits, huh? You know when you say like, oh, so-and-so is outpacing another guy at this position. Well, that's like embarrassing for the other guy. What if one player is outpacing an entire team? What if that one player is outpacing the team that let him walk after being their Super Bowl MVP?

Because Kenneth Walker III, who sits at 665 rushing yards through five games for the Kansas City Chiefs, officially has run the ball more yardage than the Seahawks in total yards. who have played six games at 643 yards this season. Kenneth Walker III, I cannot imagine how happy Patrick Mahomes is turning around and having that man come out of the backfield for the Chiefs. He is the Chiefs' secret sauce.

Mahomes can be an impeccable quarterback, but you're only as good as your run game goes, and they have to be very, very grateful that he is in Kansas City.

Very true.

Moving on. The Bills escaped a West Coast swing by beating the Rams in overtime and the Raiders in Vegas. Both of those games resulted in the win. That's fine. But the Bills also gave up 64 points on this trip. They're on the bye now with a 5-on-1 record. So here's Joe Brady begging his team to only focus on the future.

I told the guys this after the game, like our best football has to be ahead of us, right? Whatever, whatever that means, right? Like, and you never want to peak early in the season. You don't, if you're playing your best football in September, there's a problem. And so how do we continue to improve? How do we, um, how do we continue to learn coaches and players, how the game's being played, how teams are playing us? How do we learn how we're playing with one another, you know, with the newness and guys moving parts. And if we're playing our best football right now, it's not going to look good as the season goes. And so, um, I hope better is ahead. We didn't, you know, and, uh, And that's what we're chasing.

All right. Week six is in the books. Here we go on week seven, which means one third of the season is behind us.

Which team, Manti, would you say is hitting their stride right now?

OK, so this team weeks one through three was probably the team that everybody questioned the most. But the Patriots. Drake made, do you know how many passing touchdowns he threw the first three weeks of the season?

One.

You know how many he's thrown since then?

Ten.

When you talk about catching your stride, I think that's more like catching on fire. And you already know that that defense with Mike Vrabel at the helm of that thing has been the backbone of that team. You know, obviously, A.J.

Brown gets back last week.

He has a bunch of drop passes, but that comes with time off. I think he'll get back into that groove of catching the football and being the weapon that Drake May needs him to be. But this Patriots team has been on fire the past couple weeks. And Drake May, shout out to Drake May, somebody who was getting a lot of flack in media for his turnover situation, has been on fire. So I got the Patriots, Will.

Oh, let's go to Green Bay. It's obviously the Packers.

This team started off one and two, and a lot.

Of people was like, what's going on with the Pack attack?

Nothing.

Jonah Love has it all under control. We talk about Mara Golden. You talk about this office line with no run game, by the way. All that said, man, if they can't run it, they can throw it. And you talk about two significant wins they had. They beat the... Be careful here. They beat up on the Chicago Bears.

I almost put one out there, Jamie. And they also had their way with the Dallas Cowboys. All that said, man, it's the Packers. They're heating up. The defense is playing at a high level. Offensively, they can score. They're getting stronger as they go.

And they're going to get guys back here soon enough. You know, have you seen those things on the Internet where it's like, oh, you're so mean, and then it says I could be meaner? I haven't been annoying enough about the Minnesota Vikings. I've waited. I've been very patient. This is what I mean.

Wow.

They're coming off a bye. And now the last two thirds of the season is what matters here. All right. They have the fewest yards per game scored by any or put on the field by any team that has been on a 10 game winning streak because that goes back to last season. They only allow 12 points per game, which is unheard of. In the league right now, you've got to come in there, the Colts, by the way, who just fired their GM, so they're kind of messy right now. I think the Vikings will win this weekend, but then I think they've got to play the Bills next.

And if that is, oh my gosh, because that's how we started this conversation. But the Bills give up some points, so here we go. I'm just warning you, it could get ugly if they keep winning. Lastly, after stumbling at the start of the season, as you mentioned, Manti, Patriots quarterback Drake May has returned to his 2025 form. He's got 10 TDs. He's got one pick. It's all well and good. But what is his secret sauce? Here we have the answer. In an interview with Men's Health recently, Drake May revealed his love for milkshakes, saying, quote, I try.

and do only two milkshakes a week. I could drink three times a day a milkshake, but I won't. So Drake May, he's minimizing his milkshake intake. Manti, what is your one guilty pleasure that you have to limit yourself?

Well, everybody knows my thing with chocolate chip cookies, so I'm going to reserve that for another day because this is equally just as important to me. Miss Vicky's Sour Cream Urban Onion Chips.

That one is kettle.

Don't take the bag. Just let me eat the whole thing. I always say that this is my last chip, and then 10 chips later, I'm still on my last chip. Miss Vicky's Sour Cream Urban Onion Chip. Try it.

You'll love it.

Goat's a pleasure. Yeah, I always appreciate a good gummy bear, that is. Albany's gummy bears, right? Love them, need them, appreciate them. Can't have enough of them. Absolutely delicious.

It's spooky season, and there's a lot of nut allergies in school, so all the peanut M & Ms have to stay at my house.

Ooh.

They get them at different Halloween events. Costco's got the big bucket, which then I just get my hand into. Maybe I keep it in my bedside table. Don't worry about it, okay? Drake May, you're the one that's quarterbacking. All I got to do is sit here and talk about football. I can have all the peanut M & Ms that I like.

It's that yellow bag.

There's the Costco bag.

Get in my belly.

That's my arm's weakness right there.

I got to text you, Sam.

Sam, get it off of the nightstand.

No, it's so good.

I got chips in there.

I got a popcorn bag. That's where the snacks are. Ben's at Campbell.

AJ got introduced after Drake made it yesterday.

Is that your idea, someone else's, or did you not even care?

I'm sorry?

AJ got introduced after Drake made it yesterday before the game.

Was it your idea?

There's things that I focus on and then I control, and there's things that I don't, and that's... That's not one of them that I focus on.

Rabel's got beef with that question, man. Time for What's Your Beef? presented by Old Trapper Beef Turkey. I'm just kidding. He has to address a lot of things in the media in New England. But deciding the player order for the starting lineup for the Patriots when they have a home game is not one of them.

The question was, why was A.J. Brown announced after Drake May?

Now, we're beefing in the commercial because I'm like, come on, wide receivers. Don't do this to me. I want to love you, but you're being a little high maintenance, and I hate that. Manti's like, it's not their choice.

Yeah, just a.

Little behind the scenes. It's not the head coach's choice. He really doesn't have any say in what happens. And usually what happens, right, Willie, is somebody comes into the locker room. No, they don't come. As we're walking out of the locker room, they'll say, hey, offense is being called up. You're first, you're second, you're third. And they set the list. Sometimes they'll have a paper.

As to who.

So I don't know who made that decision, but I know that Mike Frabel did it, Willie.

Yeah, I just kind of just, oh, lineman ready.

I like this teams that no matter what like only the defense gets announced. Yeah, and I feel like the Patriots used to be that and maybe were able to avoid all questions of being annoyed and perturbed with those situations and the presser should just go all defense for all the time.

There are some teams that they don't do the individual where they go both.

They do both. Yeah, it's not but you know what a defense called up is usually for like a prime time.

Willie, did you have like a weapon X move or anything when you had the starting lineup? When I came out, I was like, hold on. I'm like, I'll be right there. I'm going to give.

You help, guys.

Come on. I went from young to old.

When I was young, I was like, yeah, let's go. When I got older, I was like, we're almost there.

First quarter.

GMFB Wednesday Hour 1: League Meetings, Ravens Outlook, Jaylin Noel, and Whiteboard Wednesday!

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