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Jan 9, 2025
A Numbers Game | January 9, 2025 | Hour 1
A Numbers Game | January 9, 2025 | Hour 1
00:00
44:36
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Transcript
0:01
The numbers tell the story. They always do. You one of those idiots who believe in analytics? This is a Numbers Game with Gil Alexander on VSiN. Good Thursday morning to you.
0:10
It is a Numbers Game at VSiN, V Sports Betting Network, VSiN.com, Game Plus, iHeartRadio, YouTube TV. Every taking a sin, we appreciate it. Eight days away from SiriusXM. Let's go.
0:21
Added to that list, very excite, uh, Channel 158. It's Gil Alexander. That is Kelly Bidlin on a Thursday. Good morning to you, sir. How are you, first of all? Good morning, good morning.
0:31
I was about to, uh, gloss over the niceties. I wanna know how you're doing generally. Just, just confirming some things with, uh, with our guests 'cause, you know- Oh... I, I, I'm a horrible producer. That, that's why.
0:42
Kelly- Aaron, Aaron Shots yesterday, Felika I didn't really, uh, wasn't very specific with our guests for today. [laughs] I don't know if you know this about Kelly. The producing stuff, eh, you know, whatever.
0:53
Uh- Sh- Shots was funny yesterday. [laughs] You, we mess that up from time to time. Yeah. [laughs] Uh, it's Thursday.
0:58
That means Unscripted with the Crack Man Bill Krackenberger, hour number two, always looking forward to that. That need not be produced. He just shows up and we flow. That's right. That's what we do.
1:07
Uh, I'm very excited because, uh, Chris Felika, yes, will be here to, uh, talk, uh, college football with us. Yeah. Yes, for one segment. For one segment. Okay. Well, that's what it was supposed to be.
1:13
That's what he was confirming. [laughs] Yeah, yeah, that's what it was supposed to be. And then, and then- Part, well, hold on.
1:18
First part, first part of the Zach and Crack, uh, show is Zach Cohen, VSiN senior editor, talking tennis, uh, talking NBA with us, talking college football because a special Numbers game investigation reveals that the college football semifinals begins tonight.
1:34
So that's happening, Penn State and Notre Dame.
1:35
And then, and then what you were about to say, which is what you and I are most pumped about, ladies and gentlemen, the first ever Numbers Game NFL awards show, and by show I mean 10 to 12 minutes of polling.
1:48
We have polled. Kelly has done this himself. Mm-hmm. You have polled our regular guests. Yep. 10 different guests, eight different guests? How many is it? Uh, let me pull up the exact number. He didn't count. No.
1:59
Hold on. It's, it's Gil. That's me. That's, that, [laughs] that's him. Yeah. That's Kelly. That's me. That's you. Steve Fezzik, Chris Felika, Drew Dinsick, Will Hill, Jason Weingarten, JVT, Zach Cohen. That's nine total.
2:11
Nine. Nine total votes, and what we're trying to determine, everybody submits their ballots of, uh, who they would vote for for each of the NFL awards, which by the way, the ballots were submitted deadline yesterday.
2:22
Mm-hmm. Yesterday was the ballot for, uh, s- uh, deadline for awards. Monday was the, the, uh, deadline for the AP All-Pro team. Aaron Shots informs us all.
2:32
So, uh, we're just gonna see if this ends up being a reflection of what ends up happening, and my goal, my personal goal, is to make Kelly angry. That's all I really care about. Uh, d- don't worry, Gil. Yeah.
2:43
[laughs] I don't think you're the only one. A- as I, w- as people sent them in- Yeah... I didn't look at, at them immediately very thoroughly.
2:49
As, as I was gathering this all together for graphics, though, I'm like, "Oh, there's..." Like Jason Weingarten's is the most Jason Weingarten card you could possibly think of. Yeah.
2:58
And, um, yeah, there's a couple others that I think are just trolling me with a couple of them. Well, I, and let me just be clear, I, mine are exactly who I would vote for. It's not be to make you angry.
3:06
I'm hoping that the consensus makes you angry is what I'm saying. Yeah. And then Drew, Drew did it by the letter. He, he submitted five places for each of them, right? I feel so bad. Yeah. Yeah.
3:15
Look at, look, look at this. He literally put, he put five- Oh, man... for every single award. I love it. He took it seriously. It's like, "Drew, I just need the winner, man."
3:21
Uh, there's a few things here I wanna get before we get to our cavalcade of guests, 'cause we, we're not gonna be able to talk that much.
3:26
One, um, they just put out quarter of, a, uh, quarter markets for the Australian Open. I have not had a chance, literally just put them out at MGM two minutes before the show, or at least five minutes.
3:39
You know, I wasn't able to see them. So I don't have specific comments on quarters yet this morning.
3:44
Uh, Drew Dinsick and I, in addition to the Megapod yesterday, which we recorded with Cleve Ta, and thanks to everybody who showed up live to watch that, and who's also listening to obviously in podcast form.
3:52
But then Drew and I did the pre-draw, uh, Hardos, Tennis Hardos, uh, Australian Open's, um, meg- not Megapod, but Beating the Book pod yesterday.
4:01
We're gonna couple that with Zach and I doing the post-draw, and also get into the quarters tomorrow after this show.
4:08
So we'll put those two Australian Open segments together for a full podcast for those who missed the live versions on Twitter. I pulled up the quarters. Are there any prices would you like to know?
4:17
Well, I will just tell you this.
4:18
In, in v- I have had a chance to actually view the quarters, and let me just say everything I said yesterday here on this show, that things, if they break Iga's way, ends up being a great bet on Iga.
4:30
They broke Iga's way. This is- Minus 120 to win the quarter. Yeah. That's, that's reflective of what it, of what it is.
4:37
She, she has been in a stretch here where being the world number one, where she has always gotten the worst of it in these slams with the draws, like comically so, where it's like, "Oh, great, she's playing Ostapenko in the quarters if she gets that far again?"
4:47
You know, that kind of thing. She got the best of it. So, you know, what do I, what do I mean by that? Sabalenka and Dreva, if I go to my top 10, uh, women's players in terms of hardcore data, Iga and Rybakina.
5:04
Rybakina's Q3, Iga's Q4. The other eight are on the top half of the draw. Oh, wow.
5:10
So Sabal- I'm talking, so what I'm talking about is Sabalenka, uh, who's the world number one now, Muchova, Coco, Mirra Andreeva, Zhang Shuai, uh, Paula Badosa, Naomi Osaka, freaking Collins, Pegula. Well, Collins isn't.
5:25
Collins is not part of it. But Pegula, they're all in the top half. Okay. So Iga chop around, Iga plus 450 now at DraftKings. I- She was plus 550. Is that not- I a-... not enough of a move?
5:36
I added five to one last night- Okay. Yeah... at MGM on Iga. Yeah. So not enough of a move in the odds. Still too long. I, I think so. Mm. I think so. Yeah. Now, it, you know, it's tennis.
5:48
You have one bad match, it's over, but she couldn't have gotten a better draw, that's for sure.
5:53
Um, and then my other girls, Muchova and, uh, Andreeva, as I just mentioned, both end up on the top half of the draw, not only the top half- But Muchova and Andreeva, well, M- uh, Andreeva ends up in Sabalenka's Q1.
6:08
Muchova ends up in the Coco Gauff quarter. Coco Gauff got the worst of it, 'cause she got Muchova, Osaka, Bencic, Badosa, Pegula all in her quarter. Oh, man. Yeah, Coco got, uh, the worst of it. So we'll see.
6:18
Uh, and on the men's side, again, it's not that mu- it's not that interesting on the men's side because value is in quotes.
6:23
It's still Sinner or Alcaraz, but just know that Djokovic is the seventh seed and he's in Alcaraz's quarter. Oh, man.
6:29
Yeah, which is, which, you know, is, is correct, but is startling to those of us who have followed- Yeah... tennis so c- so closely for all these years. Um- I got some first round leader bets.
6:38
Can I give those out while we're country clubbing real quick? Please. We're country clubbing. Yeah, country clubbing. Uh, we got three first round leader bets for the Sony Open today.
6:44
Luke Clayton, 50 to 1, Taylor Pendrith, 50 to 1, Ben Griffin, 55 to 1. That tee, they tee off in, like, two hours, so. Sony Open. Yep, Sony Open. Okay. Uh, college football tonight, Notre Dame, Penn State.
6:56
Um, when last we saw these teams, if you recall, and this is, again, I, I say this about the college football format here, where it's just long enough where you need the reminder, or at least I- Yes, yeah...
7:06
you know, that kind of thing. Um, Notre Dame- I definitely do...
7:08
Notre Dame, as you recall, against Georgia in the quarters, Notre Dame scored 17 points in a 58-second span, uh, where they kicked a field goal, then they got the strip sack.
7:19
They scored on a, a one-play short field touchdown late in the first half, and then they got the kickoff return for a touchdown to begin the second half.
7:26
So that was what, uh, buoyed Notre Dame to, uh, their victory over Georgia in the quarters. And then Boise State and Penn State, remember, Penn State got here.
7:35
They end up, remember, that was the game afterwards where we're like, "Okay, if we're better, let's do the whole which was the right side conversation." Mm-hmm. Penn State went up 14 to nothing.
7:42
It got close at one point. It got to 17-14, then Penn State ends up covering. But it was, it was sort of like, okay, which was really were the right side? And our conclusion was you could have made a case on either side.
7:53
Well, and, and which was the, which, which was the real Penn State, right? The one that was in a dog fight or the one that was running it up seem, uh, pretty easily at times on Boise State?
8:02
Well, the one, or the, how I would put it is the one that just sort of played with their food, as the kids like to say now. Mm.
8:07
Which is let's just, let's just do some random ridiculous play calls just for the heck of it and see what happens, when they were gashing them, right? Yeah. Where you just should have stick, stuck with it.
8:16
And the other big thing, and it's the biggest thing heading into tonight is, what's the status of Abdul Carter?
8:21
Abdul Carter, who, uh, is, uh, part of the 11 legacy of LaVar Arrington and Micah Parsons, of course, at Penn State.
8:27
Abdul Carter, as of this moment, as we do this show just after 7:00 AM, uh, Pacific, 10:00 AM Eastern, on the morning of the game, is a game time decision. Game time decision.
8:37
Uh, James Franklin, "We anticipate Abdul playing. He's doing everything he possibly can to play. His approach has been awesome. He's lived in the training room, but it w- a game time decision and we'll see."
8:46
And it's an, it's a apparent upper body injury. We don't know exactly what it is. But when he held up the Fiesta Bowl trophy, he did it with his right arm. His left arm is just, you know, sitting there.
8:56
Um, because what was it? He, uh, they, he came back into the game for a second. So no swim move for him. No, yeah, there's not gonna be a swim move, I don't think. But, but his left arm was, was strapped up.
9:05
Anyway, 11 sacks this year for Abdul Carter. Ranked second nationally with 21 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, three pass deflections, 63 tackles.
9:13
Um, Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist mid-season, Bednarik Award, um, as well, mid-season semifinalist. Currently ranked as the number two player in April's NFL draft class.
9:24
So the question is, does he play or he doesn't?
9:26
Because, you know, with him, Penn State is sixth in EPA per rush in the country, and Notre Dame's left tackle, uh, Anthony Knap has allowed a s- you know, 13% pressure rate through two playoff games.
9:38
So that's obviously, I don't know, maybe the biggest thing on that side of the ball for sure.
9:42
And then, you know, all the damage that Tyler Warren does for Penn State, Notre Dame seemingly would have the answer with, uh, Xavier Watson, Shuler at the safety position.
9:51
So a lot of folks love the under, almost too many folks like the under. Oh, boy. Anecdotally, right? Of course. 45 and a half is what it is now.
9:59
Franklin quotes, uh, from yesterday on Carter, "We anticipate, uh, Abdul playing. He's doing everything he possibly can to play. His approach has been awesome.
10:07
He's lived in the training room, but it will be a game time decision and we'll see." Ellie, I just said that exactly. It, it sounds like he's a little bit closer leaning, leaning in than leaning out.
10:16
You just repeated the quote I just gave right there. [laughs] That's exactly what happened. Uh, yes, that is correct. But, but, so we don't know. It, it sounds like it, but who knows?
10:24
Uh, but 45 and a half is the total, and this is, you know, Notre Dame by one, so really coin flippy at this point. You have a play on it at all? No, I've got nothing, side or total. No.
10:34
I'm waiting to be convinced, uh, o- one way here or the other. I mean, I think I'd go Notre Dame if it was picking a side, but nothing for me so far.
10:43
Well, we'll find out from Chris Fallica and from Zach Cohen what they have here momentarily on this. Real quick before we go, I would be remiss if I didn't mention this, go meeting to the guests.
10:51
Cavaliers beat the Thunder last night. Mm-hmm. The Cleveland Cavaliers are now 32 and 4. Yeah. And I just, as you are a basketball hardo, I just need to ask you this question.
11:01
What would it take for anyone to care nationally? [laughs] About what? About the Cleveland Cavaliers? Yes, because if they, I mean, 36 and 0, I assume they'd care.
11:10
If it were LeBron who was 32 and 4, I'd assume people would care. Yeah.
11:14
But because it's the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they're literally on a pace that is in the, in the ballpark right now with the greatest teams of all time record-wise. Pace, I get it. No one seems to care.
11:25
Here's the thing, Gil.
11:26
It's not just, it's not just the non-basketball hardos, 'cause, uh, we've seen, we've seen a little bit of this Cleveland story the past couple years, so it's, it, for me, it's always been how real are they?
11:37
And they're, they're proving they're more and more real here. Or is it the fact that the Warriors went 73 and 9 and then didn't win it all? I think there's some of that part of that as well. It's fascinating.
11:47
32 and 4, the Cavs. Zach Cohen next on Numbers Game A numbers game on VSiN, the sports betting network Ready to take your tailgates to the next level?
12:03
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12:13
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12:23
Flavor this good is just a click away. It's Gil Alexander. It's Kelly Billin. Kelly, uh, spent the, uh, the break in shame. [laughs] Yeah. [sighs] It's, you're repeating my, the quote from James [laughs] Franklin.
12:36
That's okay. We can do, if you, that should be a bit. Just repeat stuff I said. Just be my Flavor Flav for a little bit. I'd be like, "Well, he's, uh, [laughs] Gil's talking about Carter.
12:44
Let me see if I can find anything updated." [laughs] That's not great. It's really, it's really hard to Google and listen at the same time. I understand. We got tweets abating the book. Always appreciate the feedback.
12:52
Minding The Gap, New Jersey, I believe it is, NJ. He says, uh, "Today's semifinal is a bet against James Franklin, not with Notre Dame. Your thoughts? This winner loses in final." See, I can get behind this. Yeah.
13:04
I need to be talked into a bet, so th- this is helping. Well- That's a good point. Yeah... we'll get to Zach and Felike here in a moment. Maybe they'll talk you into it. Yep.
13:09
James Sott, "Question on the Aussie Open draw. How do they do it? I kind of expected Iga versus Kogo in semis two versus three, but that isn't the case. Is it like a World Cup draw?" You know what?
13:19
I'll be honest with you. I always get this confused. I know Wimbledon is the most seeding consistent, right? They're the ones, or, or are they the most seeding consistent, or are they the one that does their own thing?
13:30
I can never remember. I apologize for not being able to answer that on the spot, but I don't- 'Cause what? They go off of different rankings or something?
13:36
No, it's just that every slam d- not every slam, but Wimbledon is the outlier, and the others, there has to be some randomness.
13:42
See, see, the thing with tennis is if you just did it based on the seed, the, the r- the national rankings- Mm-hmm... or the global rankings, pardon me, you would get the same match-ups every single time, right? Oh.
13:54
You'd get 'em a lot. You know- Yeah. Yeah... oh look, so-and-so's playing so-and-so in the first round 'cause that person's one and that person's, you know, 128 or 64 if they have a bye, whatever.
14:02
So they have to have randomness to it. Um, and so that's what makes it, and we're about to talk to Zach briefly about tennis, but it's, there's a lot of great first round matches that you're like, "Oh, man."
14:12
So is it like a- Yeah... is this like a model of some kind? Like, it's weighted, like, 80% off your seedings and then we throw in a little bit of, like, 20% of randomness? Like, how's this...
14:22
I don't know, I'm fascinated. I just said- Sorry... I wasn't sure about this one. [laughs] 3JAGH3131. Does the m- My sack [laughs]... does the move to SiriusXM mean podcast language can be used during the show?
14:33
Oh, great question. 78 days until MLB opening day. That'll be the first question I ask people. Can I go back to Megapod language? I'm gonna go with no- Yeah, I'm gonna go no... 'cause we're still on other radio stations.
14:42
That's true. That's a good point. Shooter McGammon, "Appreciate the shout-out on the show and the Megapod yesterday. I will continue to update the Dumbo tracker next season.
14:48
I think Raheem Morris will open as the short shot to win."
14:50
Yes, thank you Shooter McGammon, otherwise known as Brent Hurley VII, who kept track of all of our Dumbo of the Week nominations throughout the football season and let us know yesterday that Antonio Pierce was the nominee winner, doubling up everybody else with six nominations this past year.
15:05
Uh, LosVegas514, "Yo, make sure the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers has a role in tallying these votes. No shenanigans, lol," talking about our awards votes coming up.
15:14
And then, uh, Rick Olier, "Hey guys, first time, long time. Can we get the quote from Coach Franklin about Abdul Carter? [laughs] Thanks in advance." [laughs] That's great.
15:23
Uh, ladies and gentlemen, he is, uh, part of the Zack- Yeah... and Crack comedy duo.
15:26
Zach Cohen, senior editor here at VSiN, and part of the glue that holds this whole operation together, courtesy of the Progressive Guest Line. What's happening, Zach? Not much. I'm excited for the Australian Open.
15:35
Yes, man. Uh, so you and I, we're gonna do the post draw 'cause, uh, Drew and I did the pre-draw yesterday.
15:39
I'm looking forward to that, so I don't wanna spoil our conversation, but just give me one reaction to what you're seeing. Yeah, I, I, I thought that Djokovic got a pretty tough draw.
15:49
I think that having to face Carlos, uh, potentially in the quarterfinals i, is really, really difficult. So I, I think that was my main takeaway. I thought that Novak had a really good shot of winning this tournament.
15:58
Maybe he still does, but, you know, one of those two is hurting today because they're gonna have to face each other. Yeah, all right.
16:03
We're gonna be on Twitter Live tomorrow, you and I doing this, and then for those who miss that, we'll put it in podcast form with the Drew pre-draw. Very exciting.
16:10
By the way, the quarters, quarter prices just coming out now at BetMGM, so, uh, looking forward to talking about those with you as well.
16:17
Um, let me s- let me start with you with the last question I asked of Kelly, which is, what do you gotta do if you're the Cleveland Cavaliers to, like, capture the national, you know, attention? You're 32 and 4 now.
16:28
You took down the Thunder last night. W- I, I suggested, you know, last segment, maybe it's 'cause the Warriors, when they went 73 and 9, they lost, and so no one really cares.
16:38
Um, or is it just the fact that simply when you ask people, "Hey, who do you think's gonna be in the NBA finals?" Virtually no one says the Cavaliers 32 or 4, 32 and 4 or not.
16:48
Yeah, I, I think it's just that people don't believe in them. To win a big playoff series against a team like the Celtics, and possibly even, you know, the Knicks, I just think that we've seen them play Boston this year.
16:58
Uh, I, I thought it was a pretty lopsided game for three quarters, and they, you know, the refs kind of brought 'em back into it.
17:03
Uh, but I do think that they're just outclassed a little bit in terms of shot-making against a team like Boston.
17:08
And I do think that we've seen in the playoffs, you know, this Cavaliers team is very, very good, but that double big lineup has some question marks.
17:15
They were great last night, Allen and Mobley, a- against the Thunder, but I do think that there are going to be teams that can, you know, shoot them off the floor.
17:22
Uh, and I do think that that bench, as good as it is, it will be tightened up in the playoffs, so that strength kind of goes away a little bit.
17:29
They're a 10 deep team that, you know, they're probably only gonna wanna be playing eight as other teams really shrink their rotations.
17:34
Is it possible, and I hear everything you're saying, that rotation thing is a big playoff handicapping thing that people should know for the NBA, so we're reminded of that every year. Rotations shrink, as they should.
17:46
Is it possible we're all missing the boat on this team? Possible. It's definitely possible.
17:52
I, I think that, like, I have a little bit of bias against them just from seeing things what you've seen in the last couple of years.
17:57
Uh, I, I think that, you know, they went into this season, made a huge coaching change, one that obviously has worked out really well. Yeah.
18:03
Kenny Atkins is a guy that I, I thought would do a good job with this team, maybe not this good. [laughs] But I do think that it's the same exact roster as it was last year.
18:11
So it's a little hard to believe in them, you know, going really deep in the Eastern Conference playoffs. I mean, it's definitely possible. I, I would not be shocked if I'm wrong.
18:19
I just, I, I do think that I need to see it to believe it. Anything NBA tonight? Uh, I like the Hornets plus nine against the Lakers. I always come on here and bring you, bring you the great teams.
18:29
[laughs] So I, I, I like Charlotte plus nine tonight. Uh, it, it's just the Lakers team that I think is still really reluctant to shoot the three ball, even under JJ.
18:37
And Charlotte, for as bad as they are, they're eighth in the league in three-point makes per game. Uh, they can really shoot the ball. They've covered in four of their last five games.
18:45
I think that there's a chance that the difference, you know, in the three-point math just makes this a little bit of a closer game than you'd expect.
18:50
And I do think, you know, not that this really you wanna add this to a handicap, happy, uh, angles, but there is a lot going on in LA. You wonder if Los Angeles will be, you know, focused right now.
18:59
We saw the Clippers get absolutely blown out last night. Yeah. We may, we may have an NFL Wild Card weekend game that gets moved. We may- Yeah... on Monday night to, uh, Arizona perhaps.
19:09
Uh, we'll see if the, uh, if the situation lingers, the awful situation in California. By the way, Zach, I love that you come on this show every week.
19:16
You're like, "You people will watch the Charlotte Hornets if the last thing I do." [laughs] Um- Yeah, it's terrible. Yeah. I mean, [laughs] I di- I did l- uh, lean that way as well tonight, Zach.
19:25
I di- I didn't play it yet, but i- are they really gonna play this game? Like, the Kings just canceled a game in LA last night. They're supposed to be in LA tonight. I was wondering that myself. I can't imagine.
19:33
I really do. I, right, yeah. I really can't imagine that they are. Me too. I'm surprised they haven't canceled this already.
19:37
Um, college football tonight, semifinal Notre Dame, Penn State, or, or you could bleed into tomorrow night. What do you like best?
19:43
So I have a future on Notre Dame to win the playoff at nine to one, so I'm not gonna touch it, but I do think that I like Notre Dame if you are going with this game.
19:50
I think that i- i- it's a really, uh, played out thing by now, but I do think that Freeman's the more trustworthy coach in this game.
19:57
I actually was saying last night on Prime Time, I think he might be the most trustworthy of the four coaches- Wow...
20:01
in the entire college football playoff, which is crazy considering just how unproven he is, and, you know, the other guys have been around. But I just don't trust Penn State when all is said and done.
20:10
I do think that Drew Aller, uh, for as good as he looks in potentially being the number one pick in the NFL draft, either this year [laughs] or next year, if he were to choose to come out, I, I just think that this is a Notre Dame, uh, secondary that can be trusted.
20:21
It's, uh, number one in drop back EPA per play allowed. And I also just like the way that Riley Leonard ran the football against Georgia last week.
20:28
I think that, you know, doing that against that really good defensive line says that he could probably do it again.
20:33
So even if Jeremiah Love is banged up, I think they're gonna be able to score enough points to, to win this game. Did you take a side in Ohio State-Texas tomorrow? Yeah, so that's the only one that I'm actually playing.
20:42
I do have Texas plus six in that game. That was really just a play on the number. Like I, I saw last week's look ahead line was one and a half.
20:49
Uh, Mackinnon at the website at the matchup pages has Ohio State by 1.6 as estimated line. So the fact that we're all the way up to six just because of these last two weeks kinda didn't sit right with me.
20:59
H- having said that, I, I do think Ohio State's probably gonna win the game, but yeah, I, I just grabbed the number.
21:04
Like, I think Texas' defense is good enough to slow down Ohio State, especially, you know, if there's any second-guessing at the game plan like we saw against Michigan.
21:11
Freeman is the most trustworthy of the remaining [laughs] four coaches. Wrap your head around that for a second. All right, NFL, it is no longer called, we learned yesterday, Super Wild Card Weekend.
21:21
Apparently, it's only Wild Card Weekend now again. They have, uh, removed the Super from the title. What do you like- I think it's super. I, I still feel like it's super too, really. [laughs] I, I do.
21:29
Um, what do you like best among the six games? H- honestly, I like the Texans money line the best.
21:36
I, I think it's really easy kinda get, to get swept up in the Harbaugh stuff and just kinda put trust in him in a big game. But at the same time, Los Angeles' defense was a shell of itself in the second half of the year.
21:45
Uh, that secondary was throwable on. I, I, I think that Stroud, for as bad as he has looked at times this season, and he has looked bad, there are going to be passes to be made in this game.
21:54
I think that Collins is going to be open pretty regularly. And I really like the matchup for the Texans defense. They have a really good rushing defense.
22:01
I think that they're not gonna be able to let Los Angeles, you know, get the ground game going, which, you know, the Chargers definitely wanna do. They wanna make things easier on Herbert.
22:08
And I really like the Texans corners, uh, in this game. So I think they're gonna be able to keep McConkie in check too.
22:12
And also, you know, the last time we saw Stroud play a home playoff game, he absolutely lit up Cleveland. Uh, maybe there will be, you know, some good memories there.
22:20
But I just thought that this was a little closer to a 50/50 than the odds suggested, and I think that playing at home is gonna be big. I'm with you.
22:26
I ended up, I ended up playing the Texans yesterday, plus the points, not on the money line, but I took the three. I, I'm totally with you. I said it again yesterday.
22:33
Worst strength of victory among all the playoff teams, the Chargers, 348, the aggregate- Yeah... uh, win percentage of the teams they've beaten this year. They've beaten nobody. Zach- Yeah...
22:43
looking forward to talking tennis with you tomorrow, man. Thank you. Yeah, can't wait. Zach Cohen, everybody, @bettingonx. Coming back with Chris Fallica next.
22:50
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23:32
Gil Alexander, that is Kelly Bidlin. We get tweets at Beating The Book, always appreciated. Uh, Kevin Ryan @roadkingkr, "Gil is a longtime basketball, football, baseball, golf fan.
23:42
[laughs] What the NBA has done to itself over the last few years, I don't even watch it anymore until the playoffs. I don't think I'm alone here at this time. I'd much prefer college basketball."
23:49
Brian Young Will the Crag man be on this morning for his unscripted segment on a numbers game? Yes, he will be. Top of the hour. Uh, we still got Falica though, uh, and our NFL awards in between. Mr.
24:00
Masterline, thanks for the Dumbo memories, or should I say nightmares of Freddie Kitchens. Uh, I apologize. We...
24:06
I don't think, I don't remember the Freddie Kitchens Dumbo of the week moments, but they, they were plentiful. I do... I don't remember specifics.
24:13
Uh, LFC title records, join Vsin+++ after the show to listen to Kelly re-quote Gil for an hour using colorful language. [laughs] This might be an actual option for Sirius. Oh, we could get into that as well.
24:24
Uh, we have spoken- Yeah... uh, maybe, and I think we counted one time, maybe 11 different sports that Chris Falica has come on this show and had bets on. He joins us now courtesy of Progressive Guest Line
24:35
@ChrisFalica, F-A-L-I-C-A, on Twitter. He is known as The Bear over there at Fox Sports. How you doing, man? I, I, I'm good. Just, uh, enjoying the morning.
24:43
Looked at the, uh, the old Apple iTunes library on shuffle before. I had a little Avicii come on before the show, so I'm, uh, I am woken up now. [laughs] Okay. Very good. Just a little inside joke there, everybody.
24:54
Um, all right, uh- It is a great song though... let's start with, uh, let's start with tennis real quick. Did you bet anything? I did not bet anything yet.
25:03
I haven't had a, a full chance to digest the, uh, the quarters, being that they really, they came out essentially when I was getting ready to go to bed, like at 11:30 last night, midnight.
25:13
But, uh, a- again, I wanna be the, uh, the, the fair and balance to, uh, kind of, kind of weigh, weigh, weigh against the, uh, the propaganda that, that you're spewing with Iga.
25:22
[laughs] But, but, but in a, but in, but in a very fair and balanced way. Like, I- I'm being fair and balanced...
25:27
I, what, what you, what you had said before about the easiest possible draw, I think that's gonna really, uh, bring her, her price, like, ridiculously out of whack.
25:36
And again, I know, I know you hate the number, 17 non-French Open slams. She's won the quarter twice, in two of them.
25:45
She'll probably- From 15 to 17, she's failed to win the quarter, and you look at, you look at Australia specifically. Last year she lost to an unseeded player in, in Niskova. In tw- in 2023, Rybakina was seeded 22nd.
25:57
Uh, she lost to Halep in '21. That's no embarrassment there. Halep was seeded higher than her. 2020 she lost to Anett Kontaveit, who was 28.
26:04
So it's not like she's been losing to top 10 players, like, i- i- in getting beat by elite players in the, in these draws, and it's because, because of a tough draw.
26:13
She's been losing to the type of player that she's gonna have to face here, whether it's Emma Navarro, whether it's, uh, Emma Raducanu. I mean, there, there are plenty of obstacles there, uh, in, in that draw for her.
26:23
So if I can find a yes, no on, uh, on Iga to win the quarter and bet the no, I will be doing that. By the way, he's talking about Iga Swiatek, uh, Iga Swiatek, who, uh- At the Australian Open...
26:34
who is, who is 23 years old. [laughs] That's right. We should probably mention this. Tennis. [laughs] And has won 22 tournaments at 23 years old- Mm-hmm... and five slams. Yep. So what the hell is he talking about?
26:42
Anyway, okay. Sorry. [laughs] It's like that day Ben Wilson filled in and dared to take Sabalenka over Iga in a match. Oh my gosh. What the hell are you guys talking about?
26:51
[laughs] Saba- Sabalenka, Coco, semifinal will be ridiculous. Uh- I think y- you, you are 100%... But the Coco's dr- Coco's path is incredibly difficult. If she wins, she's over. Oh, she got, she got screwed for sure.
27:03
Uh, J-Rod, I'm sicking J-Rod on you, by the way, on Twitter. It's gonna be a good one for you. Oh, he al- he already chimed in. Don't worry. Yeah. [laughs] He, he- I'm sure he did...
27:11
the, the DM from him last night was, "I dare you to bet against Iga." [laughs] That's right. So don't worry, you're not gonna have- I dare you... don't worry, you don't have to dare me. I'm gonna do it.
27:19
[laughs] Okay, uh, any horses today we should know about? I'll throw that at you. No, no. I, I, I, I, not, not examined, uh, a Gulf Stream today, uh, uh- Okay...
27:29
I, I actually, I had a brutal beat on, on, on Sunday, by the way, when all those NFL games were going on.
27:34
Hadn't played a lot of horses lately, but, uh, I did hop in one of the, hop in a pig- pick Big 5 Gulf Stream and, uh, got, had a tough one. Uh- Will, will, will the wife- Now that the co- now that football's- Yeah.
27:44
What's that? Will the wife live stream you watching one of your bets again? You ha- she hasn't done that in a while. [laughs] It's very entertaining. She, she...
27:50
Yeah, there, there haven't been that many lately that I've been r- really super, super wound up in.
27:55
So, uh, yeah, w- when, when, when, when there's a big five, six figure score at stake, we'll make sure she, uh, chimes in. All right, Notre Dame, Penn State tonight. Notre Dame a one-point favorite.
28:05
The total's 45 and a half. What did you bet, sir? I bet two props, and I hate myself for it 'cause I, I know people kind of got a little upset, like I really didn't have a strong opinion on the game.
28:18
But, like, the, the play I would have made would have been under in this game, but it, it's hard for me to give out under 44 and a half or whatever when the total was 48 and a half or, or somewhere around there.
28:30
So, like, so much of the value has been gone. So I, uh, I actually resorted to a couple of props. I played Nick Singleton over 58 and a half rushing yards.
28:39
Uh, this is a guy who's had a 40-yard carry four times this year, including the Big 10 championship against Oregon, including the quarterfinal win against, against Boise. Last three games,
28:50
three of the biggest games of the year, two playoff games and the Big 10 championship game, he's averaging eight yards a carry.
28:56
I, I wonder now with the injuries up front for Notre Dame, uh, fa- facing a physical Georgia front last game, maybe this is where it kind of shows its, uh, the, the effects of that.
29:08
And again, Singleton had a little bit of a lull during the middle of the year, uh, injuries and whatever, and I think Penn State, their offense now and him especially are better off for it now.
29:17
His legs are probably fresher. So I played Nick Singleton over 58 and a half rush yards, and I played Notre Dame's first possession to end in a punt. And again, it's always a little bit of a risk. You never know- Yeah...
29:26
where they're gonna take over. But, but again, you, you look at Notre Dame's two touchdown drives, uh, ag- against Georgia.
29:33
One, well, that one wasn't a drive 'cause one was a kickoff return, and the other one was a 13-yard play after a play that Georgia probably shouldn't even have run.
29:40
Now, they kick some field goals as well, a 98-yard run, uh, against Indiana. So they haven't really been able to drive the ball the length of the field for touchdowns. So, uh, Notre Dame's first, uh-...
29:51
possession to end in a punt What did you have to lay on that? Well, 105 actually. Oh, okay. Yeah. It w- it wasn't bad at all, 105, and then Singleton was 114. Okay.
30:02
Um, before we get to Texas/Ohio State, 'cause it came up with Zach. He says, uh, he says Marcus Freeman is the most trustworthy of the remaining coaches. How about you?
30:10
Freeman, Franklin, Day, Sark, who's the most trustworthy? That...
30:14
It, it's an interesting comment, 'cause that's something that we were kicking around on the pod, at least in terms of this, uh, match up that we kind of feel...
30:22
And I think Jeff and, and, and our guys kind of felt the same way. Like, Freeman, at least in, in Penn State probably does ha- or, uh, Notre Dame, they probably do have the coaching advantage in this game.
30:32
Uh, you, you look at, uh, James Franklin at Penn State.
30:34
Uh, the 18th, the last 18 times they've been an underdog, and I know they haven't been ranked in all of them, and they faced some ranked teams and some good teams, but 18 times as an underdog they've lost outright 16 of them.
30:45
They pulled two upsets, winning at Wisconsin.
30:47
These are typically the kind of games that they don't win, and, uh, a lot of times you've seen, uh, you see, you see better coaches find a way to win games that maybe they're not supposed to.
30:56
In a short little, uh, underdog line, getting a point here. They are a dog. I, I will say this.
31:01
Uh, someone that I talked to, uh, on one of the playoff teams who was scouting all the teams, uh, did think that on film when he was watching both of these teams that Notre Dame was a better team than Penn State.
31:14
But take that for what it's worth. Um, I, I'm not, I'm not gonna have a bet on the side of the total. Maybe I'll jump in on something during the game if I notice something.
31:22
And remember when they lost to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, and every- and there were so many people who were like, "Well, they can't make the playoff." Please. Yep.
31:27
We're all like, "Well, one loss Notre-" I, I was count- I w- I was counting my under 10 and a half wins bet. I, I was like, "Okay, they're gonna... Sure, they'll lose one more time." Wasn't expecting this one. Okay.
31:37
Yeah. Let's go to Texas/Ohio State. Did you make a bet there? Well, I, I bet Ohio State at the open minus four and a half, so again, I, I can't say bet six here. Um,
31:48
I kinda think it's gonna be a, a more of a low-scoring game. I think Texas' defense, uh, is gonna come to play. A- and I think they're gonna limit a lot of those big plays that Ohio State has had.
31:58
Uh, this is a better secondary than what they faced against either, uh, Tennessee or Oregon. Uh, so I d- I bet, bet Ohio State at the open minus four and a half.
32:07
Didn't really get any deeper than that, 'cause I got so many Ohio State futures, uh, tied up. But I'd look at the under tonight, and I did play Will Howard over 10 and a half rush yards.
32:17
Again, I'm not usually a big prop guy, but with so, so many of these markets just battered to death, the numbers gone by the time I recorded the podcast, I needed to find something.
32:27
But we haven't seen Will Howard really run a ton late in the season, and I wonder if this is gonna be a little bit of a wrinkle that maybe Chip throws in, uh, tomorrow night, just to kinda maybe keep Texas's, uh, secondary, bring them maybe a little closer to the line.
32:40
Maybe he gets a big, uh, scramble on a, a, on a r- on a play where he's looking to avoid a pass rush. So, uh, uh, Will...
32:48
And sack yardage is in, is, is deducted, uh, as rushing yards, so there's a little bit of a risk, but 10 and a half seems pretty, pretty low for Will Howard, who in the past has been a very, very dominant runner.
32:58
And real quick, what'd you bet Wild Card Weekend? Uh, I am, uh, going oppo the public sentiment here, and I know you're probably not gonna like this. Only thing I'd bet right now were the Vikings.
33:09
Uh, I got the Vikings in a pick, and I, I, I think they're minus one now. It's bouncing back and forth. Uh, like that game last week I think there's been a little bit of an overreaction.
33:18
They had so many plays inside the 10 and couldn't score. Uh, that, that game was on Sam Darnold for not finding open wide receivers.
33:25
That could have been a very, very different outcome a- and I think the Vikings hate right now is, uh, is at an all-time high and probably not really deserved.
33:34
Well, I think both things are true, 'cause I, I made the case for the Vikings also. I said it was not the blowout. You know, the scoreboard did not reflect the actual game. Uh, Chris, thank you. Enjoy. Appreciate it.
33:43
Chris Fallica, everybody. Our NFL awards next. [upbeat music] A numbers game on VSiN, the sports betting network. You're in luck.
33:57
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34:15
Book your 2025 stay now at circullasvegas.com. That's circullasvegas.com, and use VSiN15 to get 15% off. Your Vegas adventure starts here. It's Gil Alexander. We had tweets at Beating the Book.
34:28
Uh, always appreciate the feedback from everybody. James Sott, "Obviously I'm a Clevelander here, and I was like everyone else thinking the Cavs have to prove it to me based on the last two years.
34:38
But watching them, the key to me is the evolution of Mobley." Absolutely. Talking about Evan Mobley. He says, "I... He can shoot the three and is far more aggressive now." Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely.
34:46
He's sh- uh, he's shooting over five, uh, threes a game.
34:48
His, uh, the evolution is he's an interesting most improved player candidate, Gil, because he's probably right there at the top, but the, just the counting stats that we I- or I believe in l- uh, lend to the w- uh, whoever wins that award so much, I don't know if they're gonna be enough to get them over the hump at the end of the day.
35:08
But man, he's been great. Jarrett Allen's awesome, and we still gotta remember both of them are so young. And it's, it is hard. Zach said, "Is it the same team?"
35:15
Yeah, it's pretty much the same team, but you got a couple young guys there with a lot of talent that are just getting better.
35:20
Am I doing the math correct in my head that they're on pace for 72 and nine with one game left in the season? Sure. Sounds right to me. Yeah. Which would be 7th...
35:29
Well, which would be a half game behind the record 73 and nine. Maybe my math is wrong, by the way. Zach, I like when there's sidebar conversations based on what we talked about on air.
35:37
Zach Cohen, who was on with us, responds to James Sott by saying, "Mobley is tremendous.
35:40
I just deep down believe they're gonna be the best version of themselves if they move Allen, uh, for a big wing- Plus slide Mobley up to full-time center Problem is I st- I still believe that too. Yeah.
35:50
I, I still think it, the, the long-term best interest of this team is to get... I- is probably to move Allen and get a q- more quality wing player. Country Club in here on the show.
35:59
Mustache Icon says, "Hey, Kelly, I won my first bet on the TGL. Let's go, The Bay. So I'd like to offer my services as analyst for TGL long shot spot that I assume is in the works." Well, oh, oh, if you...
36:08
I, I can almost guarantee, Gil, we will have, uh, some TGL bets on there the next time. It was... It's just a scouting mission right now. It's who is... 'Cause it's a very specific surface, right? It's a turf surface.
36:20
Yeah. And you're like, "Whoever can pick this up," and this is my opinion, but I'm like, some guys are gonna pick this up quicker than others.
36:26
And Ludvig already right away looked like he'd been playing on this thing, like, a million times. Ludvig. How are we pronouncing his last name now? Aubert. Aubert. Begins with an A, well, for our eyes, but it's an O.
36:36
Yeah, it's just an O. Long- Yeah. Just an O... long O. Uh, Joel Hundelt, "Will the Aussie Open preview be put on the Beating the Book platform?" Yes.
36:43
As soon as I record the post draw pod portion with Zach Cohen tomorrow, we will put the Drew pre, Drew Dinsick pre, and the Zach Cohen post together on the Beating the Book feed.
36:51
And then finally, Ryan Thompson, "Hard to think of a worse spot for a team in wildcard weekend than the Vikings.
36:55
Huge emotional win over Green Bay, then disappointing loss versus Detroit to go from potential 1 to 5 and now have to fly across the country to play the Rams."
37:04
Which brings us to a segment that I am more excited about than maybe any I can remember in the last, I don't know- Yeah, me too... week or two. Shut up, Kelly. Shut up about the Cavs. Let's get to the good stuff.
37:14
We're calling it our NFL awards. [upbeat music] Yeah. Wow. [laughs] Just wow. That's all it is. Nothing to open. Oh, that's it? There's just music for the background for this entire time. Yes, Gil. Coming up next.
37:30
I love the voiceover person at the end. Yeah. There's, there's not here, though. Oh, okay. Uh, all right, how do you wanna do this? Are you- We're just go- we're going through award. Oh. We're going award by award.
37:40
Award by award. Just- And w- you're gonna see right on the screen- Nine... what everybody voted for. Nine votes.
37:44
Let's see if this ends up being a reflection of what actually ends up happening for the actual Associated Press awards. MVP. Flash them up, everybody. What do we got? Oh-oh, five Lamar, four Josh. Yeah.
37:59
Me, Kelly, Drew Dinsick, Jason Weingarten, and Jonathan Von Tobel go with Lamar Jackson, while Steve Fezzik, Chris Fallica, Will Hill, and Zach Cohen go with Josh Allen. Will that be a reflection of the actual vote?
38:13
If it is, Lamar Jackson clips Josh Allen, who wins by a narrow margin. I'm gonna include highlights with what everybody sent in, uh- Yes... for each of these. Please.
38:23
The highlight was in an apology note from Zach Cohen ahead of time for his Josh Allen submission, 'cause he knows you and I are both loading up- Yeah... on Lamar tickets, so that was kinda funny.
38:31
[laughs] No apologies necessary. Vote your conscience. All right. Lamar, slight edge over Josh Allen at MVP. What's next? Offensive Player of the Year. This is n- is this going to be unanimous on Saquon? Nope. No.
38:43
It's not. Not even close to unanimous. Wow. Okay, six for Saquon out of the nine, but Chris Fallica- And Jason Weingarten... and Jason Weingarten, both after their Josh Allen vote, felt so guilty voting for Josh Allen.
38:59
Oh, no, wait a minute, that's not true. Fallica felt s- I'm just b- putting words in himself. Fallica went Josh Allen for MVP, right? Yes. He went Lamar Jackson- [laughs]... for Offensive Player of the Year.
39:09
Jason Weingarten, am I getting this correct? Yes, you are. Went Lamar Jackson for both. For both. [laughs] Because Jason Weingarten, who was the first to submit his ballot- [laughs]...
39:18
is like, "I don't understand how any of that makes sense. How can you be the MVP on offense but not be the Offensive Player of the Year?" It's a great ballot.
39:26
J- Jason has the most Weingarten, Weingarten ballot- I love it... you could ever think of. Absolutely love it.
39:31
So six on Saquon, two on Lamar for different reasons, and JVT goes Jamar Chase, who I have brought up by saying he's gon- he's gon' win the Tr- he won the Triple Crown.
39:42
When Cooper Kupp did it, what is it, four years ago now, three years ago, we were like, "This is the most amazing thing that's ever happened." Yeah. Jamar Chase does it. We, none of us say a word.
39:49
It's like, yeah, Jamar Chase. Sure. It's wild. I, I- Triple Crown... when I saw hi- like J- like I also couldn't be angry at anybody putting Joe Burrow in this. Like wh- wh- what do you- But-...
39:57
with like the definition of an Offensive Player of the Year? That's- Like his offense was great... this is pretty interesting, though. I wonder if this is a reflection. Next. Defensive Player of the Year.
40:06
Okay, Defensive Player of the Year. This is fascinating. Okay, I can't even tell who wins at a glance. I think we have a tie. Yeah, we have a tie. Two on Trey Hendrickson. That's me and Jason. Two on Andrew Van Ginkel.
40:20
That's Kelly and Chris Fallica. [laughs] Let's go. And then the remaining five are all one vote each, right? Yep. Steve Fezzik goes Aidan Hutchinson. Is he aware that he hasn't played- [laughs]...
40:30
since the Eisenhower administration? [laughs] Unless he was referring to another Hutchinson- [laughs]... but I'm guessing, 'cause he just sent me last name, I'm thinking it's Aidan, though. Hmm.
40:38
Writing Steve's name down. That'll go on his permanent record. I mean, I, I think he'll s- tell you tomorrow when he left, by the time he got hurt, he was on a absolute amazing pace. On his permanent record.
40:48
Drew Dinsick went with Patrick Surtain. Will Hill went with Micah Parsons. Jonathan Von Tobel goes with Kirby Joseph. I like that as an inspired pick. And Zach Cohen goes TJ Watt.
40:58
So we have a tie for Defensive Player of the Year. Okay, next. Offensive Rookie of the Year. So Defensive Player of the Year so far the most splintered. It is not unanimous.
41:08
It is eight to one 'cause JVT had to be the different guy. He's- He goes Brock Bowers. Honestly, though, Gil- I think this is a perfect reflection of what's gonna happen...
41:17
with the conversation that's picked up the past week or two, and including the one we had with Aaron Schatz yesterday, I'm a little surprised this was as Jayden Daniels heavy as it is. I'm not. You know why?
41:25
'Cause he saved a fr- he's a savior of a franchise and of a whole entire region of the country. Shame on you, JVT. [laughs] Shame on you. Eight to one in favor of Jayden Daniels.
41:35
I think that will be an accurate reflection. All right, next. Defensive Rookie of the Year. Defensive Rookie of the Year is the one that I had the most trouble with. Yeah, don't worry. Oh, you put both of mine in there?
41:45
Yeah. Oh, I thought I gave you a one if, if you wanted me to stick to one. No, I thought, I thought you were g- giving a split vote or something Oh, no, no Okay I said it at the end.
41:51
Do you, do you read my text or you just- Yeah, yeah Okay I thought you... Well, you said Chop if you were gonna make you pick one. If you were gonna- I'm not making you pick one. Oh, okay.
41:57
Yeah, if you were gonna make me pick one, I would- 'Cause Fezzik didn't send one. [laughs] S- Fezzik refused. F- Fezzik is totally... This is a terrible, terrible demerit for, for Steve Fezzik here. Mm.
42:06
I c- I had the hardest time with this. I could not Chop, see what I did- Hey... between Jared Verse and Chop Robinson, because if you go the first 11 weeks of the year, it's Jared Verse- Right... by far. Right.
42:17
If you go the last half of the year, it's Chop Robinson by far, and Jared Verse falls off the, off the cliff. You and Falica and Jason, JBT, and Zach all went Jared Verse, so Jared Verse is gonna win this.
42:31
But Chop doesn't get a vote. Quinyon Mitchell gets two from Drew Dincic and Will Hill. Mm-hmm. Wow. Okay. So Jared Verse will win that according to our awards.
42:40
A- any- anything gonna surprise you with Defensive Player of the Year or Defensive Rookie of the Year? No. No. I'm still glad I don't have to. Well, I won't say anything won't surprise me, but in the, of the- Right...
42:47
of the candidates, yeah. All right, next. Coach of the Year. Oh, this will be the best. Oh, look at that. [laughs] Kevin O'Connell gets six of the nine.
42:56
Dan Quinn, Sean Peyton, Dan Campbell each get one from Drew Dincic, Will Hill, and Jason Weingarten respectively. But the rest of us went KOC.
43:04
Surprised me it was this O'Connell heavy, but I, uh, it, it's O'Connell to me still. Drew loves him some Dan Quinn. Yeah. Hey, man, I really appreciate that. I love Washington.
43:13
I would've, even I wouldn't have go Dan Quinn. Well, on this one I can pull up, uh, who he had number two. Dan Campbell he had number two. Kevin O'Connell he didn't have till three. I would've had Sean Peyton number two.
43:22
As much as I hate Sean Peyton as a human being, I would have him number two as, as coach. And finally, [laughs] and this is the one that's the best. Comeback Player of the Year. Is Kelly Bidlin gonna be angry?
43:34
Oh, [laughs] yes, he will be. Sam Darnold with five votes edges out Joe Burrow with three, and Jason Weingarten being the, uh- [laughs]... the, the rock that he is went with [laughs] DeMar Hamlin, which I respect.
43:47
I like that Zach Cohen, just to, just to anger you, went with Samuel Richard Darnold. Oh, I screwed this up. That was JBT. Oh, okay. So- JBT did it...
43:56
Zach just gave me, uh, plain Zach Darnold after, uh, trying to, after trying to, you know, uh, spike on me yesterday. Sam- Samuel Richard Darnold- Darnold... is what JBT said.
44:05
This is great 'cause I had no idea what the results were. Sam Darnold is your Comeback Player of the Year. What do you have to say for yourself, Kelly Bidlin? I'm gonna be pretty upset in a month or so.
44:14
These guys didn't care about the guidelines. And- Why should the actual voters? I know. I know. So I t- I think it's a good reflection of what, what could possibly happen.
44:21
Aaron Schatz yesterday was like, "I expect everybody to follow the guidelines." I don't. There was a, there was plenty of objections to this award as well.
44:28
P- people I put names down for that they, they were objecting to. [laughs] Crack Man unscripted next on a Numbers Game, a Visa, the sports betting network.
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A Numbers Game | September 16, 2026 | Hour 2
Sep 16, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 16, 2026 | Hour 1
Sep 16, 2026
Best of A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026
Sep 15, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026 | Hour 3
Sep 15, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026 | Hour 2
Sep 15, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026 | Hour 1
Sep 15, 2026
Best of A Numbers Game | September 11, 2026
Sep 11, 2026