Craig Horlbeck
Appearances
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Is that a Stefan dig subtweet?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah, we joked last week on the Fantasy Pod that last week was Josh Allen's Apex Mountain, right? Engaged to Haley Steinfeld. Had the big night game whole thing. Literally a week later, he already beat it. Even though he lost to the Rams, I would say now this is his Apex Mountain. He had the greatest day in fantasy football history, basically. 52 points. And he locked up the MVP.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
You think it's done?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
It's hard. Two years ago, the Eagles made the Super Bowl with Miles Sanders. Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Again, they were like the best team in the league with Miles Sanders too.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
I'm holding my breath a little bit. They have a really tough— Crazy Steelers fan. I'm a Steelers fan. He's being super careful. This is a tough four-game stretch they're heading into. It's been pretty easy the last four weeks. Now they're Eagles, Chiefs, Bengals. Bengals? No. Eagles, Chiefs, Bengals. It's a tough stretch.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
It's every week. You'd be shocked? I'd be shocked if the Chiefs lost. I was like, oh, you know, if the Bills play the Chiefs again in the playoffs, this is what we see every year. The Bills beat Mahomes in the regular season. Mahomes beats Allen in the playoffs. It's the same thing every single year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
It's so weird. I feel like last year was the year the Chiefs were supposed to lose. And then the criticisms would come. What did they go, 11-6? And it was like, yeah, you know, this is what we were saying. You can't do this again. Not with these weapons.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah, I don't think anybody knows what to do now, now that they come out of this weird 11-6 year where they shouldn't have won the Super Bowl, but they did. And now they're 12-1, and they've won 16 straight games that were one score. Yeah. It's the most improbable run. I mean, can you think of anything like this in the last 20, 30 years in the NFL? No, it's not.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah. He was still fringed. First guy who went off the board in drafts. It was like him and Laporta.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah. I think Arthur Smith and Russ are really starting to work well, especially last week without Pickens, which I do think Tomlin held Pickens. I think Pickens could have played in that game. I think they knew they had this gauntlet coming up. They held them against the Browns.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
They were at home. I think that was a very smart move by Tomlin.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
There were more open guys in that game than there have been all season for Pittsburgh. So I do think Arthur Smith and Russ are really starting to gel. I just worry that in January, they're in Buffalo. They need to score 35 to beat the Bills. They're doing too high. They're taking off all the top end stuff for Russ. You really got to rely on like Najee Harris having a good game running the ball.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
And then if it's not Pickens, it gets real thin real quick. I'm a little worried. I almost wonder if like they could muck it up with the Chiefs and win a game like 1970. That's where I feel.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
They looked bad. I mean, Stafford, Nakua and Pukar is like the highest degree of difficulty offense in the league. Like it is so hard, but they do it because they're so good. And I'm like, I will worry a little bit.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
They're overachieving this year. Like, it's impressive already what Harbaugh's done year one. This was supposed to be kind of like, all right, we'll get our line and we build from the inside out, see what we got. We'll see what we have in Ladd McConkie. He's already one of the better rookie wide receivers in the league. You know what's funny? We talk about football all the time.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah, in retrospect, looking at Rodgers and Sala, it's like, you know, I like Robert Sala. Were you big on them, Craig? Yeah, I think everybody was a little bit.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
I know. My big thing in fantasy this year was, like, try to eliminate – As much randomness as you can. Like only bet on things that you can depend on that you know are going to happen. Coaching quarterback. And then I just was completely blind to the Jets, like a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a torn Achilles. My biggest miss.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
I mean, Bryce Young won that game. We'll get dropped. Yeah, I know.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Are they waiting for the collapse? Because remember, the Eagles were like 10-1 last year, but it was the weirdest Super Bowl hangover where everybody was miserable, but they were 10-1. No, they're supposed to be good. Their defense is awesome. It's amazing. They retooled immediately.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
I don't know. It's probably easier when the star is the quarterback. When it's the running back, it probably rubs A.J. Brown the wrong way. He's like, I'm just as good as that guy. Look, I can't play quarterback. That's true. It's the running back? Really? It's true.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Watch another episode. That was Schitt's Creek for me.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
You got to watch. I mean, dude, I'm on three seasons in. I don't like the show. It's a sitcom.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Well, I was going to ask. I don't know. What do they have to do in the playoffs where it becomes a problem for the Minnesota front office thinking, well, now what?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
I just think if I'm Vegas, I'm paying them. They're like the anti-Chiefs because no matter how bad the Chiefs look, I think to myself, I'm still going to bet on the Holmes. No matter how good the Vikings look. It doesn't matter how good the Vikings look. I'm like, hey, in the playoffs, I'm going to bet against them.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
And you know how it's going to go because when he leaves and signs a four-year, 160 million Daniel Jones contract somewhere else, he's not going to be good because it's the Kevin O'Connell system of making Josh Dobbs good for three weeks. And it seems like Kevin O'Connell is like the guru quarterback whisperer now.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
And I just know Darnold is going to go sign a deal with like, God forbid, the Giants or something and be terrible.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Darnold had 40 touchdowns. Imagine the other way, though. They trade their top 10 pick, JJ McCarthy, who goes off and has a great career. And then next year, Sam Darnold turns back into a pumpkin. And it's like one of the worst front office moves of all time.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
This is the first Tom Brady, the first Tom Brady, Sam Darnold. Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
And it seemed like a miracle that they almost completed it. Russ is cocky right now. He's doing this like, you know. Yeah, he does. He's talking a lot of shit. He gets down on one knee and like points to the side. Has he always done that? Or is that a new move? I never saw it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
But then if they're going to end with Joker 2, that would be a bummer.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
I'm enjoying it one week at a time. He makes plays over and over and over again. I'm not looking ahead. I'm not looking into the future. I'm just every week I'm having a good time and...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
He's making that. He's been that guy. He's been the best offensive player in the Steelers for the last five years. I think he leads the league in points.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
It's funny. Russ has never been paid the right amount based on what his talent is at the moment. Like when he was on Seattle, when he first got drafted, he kind of like started that rookie quarterback model thing. He was making like 700 grand a year and leaving them to Superbowl. Then the Denver thing happens and he's making $43 million a year and he's terrible.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
And now he's a great again on Pittsburgh making $1 million a year. I know Denver's still paying him, but. Uh, and then he'll probably, I think the plan is, and I think this was what the Steelers envisioned the whole time. I think they are going to definitely resign Russ.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah, we always joke that McVay is the chef on Chopped. He's making bolognese out of mayonnaise.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Kyle.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
You said the Rams.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Can I have the holy shit, this team, there's no way this team is going to make the Super Bowl? No, that's not the question. You hate the Texans, right?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Everyone's like, black, oh. Yeah, Slovak I think is super overrated. I think Stroud's in his own head big brothering every quarterback at midfield and it's completely failed on him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Stroud's had a tough second half of the season. Great guy, I think.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
He's done it multiple times. Who else did he do it to? He did it with Drake May too. Yeah, three straight weeks after the Caleb thing and then he finally got off of it. I missed the Drake May 1. Yeah, he's been terrible.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah. I might go with the Chargers as well, probably, I would say. Just because of their ability to play cold weather. Herbert's so good. The only thing with Herbert is I'm worried that he's going to get hurt sometimes. Herbert is almost too good of a player. I think he's kind of like the Puka Nakua of quarterbacks where I'm like, you actually play the game with too much honor.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
You don't go out of bounds ever. If there's a throw and Herbert needs to make it and he knows he's going to get drilled, he will get drilled to make the throw. Yeah, that leg hit it. But he had to step in to make the throw. So don't worry about that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
No, when I think of a two-a-play in my head, it's Tyreek Hill turning around to catch an underthrown defense. Who's your fantasy MVP this year, Craig? Fantasy MVP? We all overthought Saquon so much. Him going in the second, and Derrick Henry, the two of them. Both of them going in the second round. Everybody was afraid of the veteran on the new team thing.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah. Also, just in general with fantasy, this is the healthiest running back season outside of McCaffrey, which that happened before the season, kind of in-season injuries for running backs. This has been the healthiest season in forever. And I think there's definitely, you know, it was always get a wide receiver in the first round for the last five years. Next year, it's going to swing way back.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Everyone's going to be back in on getting all these running backs in the first round. And it will probably regress back to the mean and like guys will start getting hurt again.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah, 100%. The key point is getting a guy who can move. I'm so done with pocket passers. I drafted Goff, who's been good. He's been solid. Stroud's like this too. It's been so tough because you basically need 280 and three touchdowns that'll go off every single week just for him to get by. Lamar, Josh.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Mahomes is terrible as a fantasy quarterback. You can't start him. He's the biggest bust at quarterback in fantasy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Rodgers tried his best. You know, he has that doc coming out in two weeks.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
You can see he had his first 300-yard game as a Jet this week. He was on the press tour. He was trying to get viewers. Now what? A 3-11 Jets team?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
They were moving the ball.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Preventative air cast for Aiden O'Connell, yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Probably A-. See? I think it's been really fun. I mean, the Lions storyline is amazing. I feel like everybody in America wants the Lions to win a Super Bowl.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
When Jamar Gibbs is in the game, I'm like, I don't even know if I'm on a fantasy team.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
The golf storyline is great. The weird 12-1 Chiefs. Saquon going to the Eagles and then maybe breaking the rushing record is unbelievable. I think it's been a really fun year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Well, it's like Iberflues leaves, the defense probably gets worse. And then you, you, you promote the guy running the offense. So now you have a different person running the offense. It gets messy quick. You get suckered by that though.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Who do you, do you want to receive?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Do you want a tackle or a wide receiver in the draft?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
Yeah, probably not one worthy of a top three pick.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
There was a conspiracy theory that Shador was tweeting, thank you, Lord, every time the Raiders lost because he wanted to go to the Raiders. It happened for 11 weeks. It was perfect. Even when they were on a bye, he didn't tweet it that week. But the Raiders, I think, won and then he tweeted it. And so it turns out not true.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
OKC’s Revenge, NBA Cup Nitpicks, and NFL Season Fun Grades with David Jacoby, Kirk Goldsberry, Kyle Brandt, and Craig Horlbeck
But there was a while there where I was like, Shador and Dion are angling to get to Vegas.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I don't really know if it's a sleeper. I'm not going to pretend like I'm super dialed in on the offensive tackle situation in the draft this year. But the guy who I think could go top four, maybe for a slight trade-up, I just think there's a lot of teams in the top 10 who need wide receivers. I think Ted McMillan out of Arizona is awesome and really underrated.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
And I think because it's a weak wide receiver class, he's at number one, and I think people kind of undersell him a little bit because the rest of the class is weak, so it's hard to determine how good he is. But I really think he is one of the better wide receivers we've seen in the last five years. The Pats need a wide receiver. The Jags need a wide receiver. The Raiders need a wide receiver.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
The Panthers need a wide receiver. All these teams are top 10, and I think all of them could make a move to get Tett.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It's like a Missouri 10, but an LA 5.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It does feel like we're obsessed with saying that a new tight end is generational every year. It was like Kyle Pants with Brock Bowers. You never know if it's going to work.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
They need like a big guy who's fast, who can go deep, kind of spread the field. Who can tilt the field.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I think Kevin O'Connell is too good of a quarterback's coach where I don't think I would ever take a quarterback from the Vikings because the situation is so perfect. The offensive line, the weapons, Kevin O'Connell turned Josh Dobbs into a Hall of Famer for a month. Going to Seattle with very minimal weapons in a terrible offensive line.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Bill Barnwell wrote that the Seahawks have spent the least amount of money on their offensive line in the league right now, 2025. This sounds like a disaster. The interior offensive line is getting blown up in front of Geno Smith's face every game. And now we're expecting Sam Darnold to deal with that. I wouldn't look.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It's like a little bit. Oh, no.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
38.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
If he got $50 million guaranteed by the Titans, Dan Moore, four years, $82 million, $50 million guaranteed. The Steelers' offensive line has been bad for as long as I can remember. It was your biggest weakness. And Dan Moore was never a sight for sore eyes on that offensive line. I'm happy to see him go. I offered to fly him to Tennessee.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It's a fight to the death between my team and Danny Heifetz's team over 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers. Literally death. It's wonderful. Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Is he like the MVP?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I want him more. Craig actually does want him. I do. I do want him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I think I'm an Anchorman 1 guy in every respect over Anchorman 2.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Look, as with most free agent signings, you can talk yourself into it very, very quickly. Every team right now is pretty much excited. Any signing, any D-lineman that some team overspends and gives $50 million to, like your Patriots to Milton Williams, people get overly excited about that stuff. Rodgers is easy. We're in win-now mode. He's better than any other option.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Oh, yeah. Matt Collins.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Josh Dobbs.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Matt Collins, you save money on shoes because he doesn't wear them. So that's nice. There you go. Right. Sounds great.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Kyle Duggar healthy. Yeah, he's got to do the song first.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It's getting kind of hard to believe things are going to get better. No, I can't tell. Dracula musical. Dracula. I can do something else. No, I think you've, you've, I don't know if it's just me reading your tweets or what, but I do think that what the Patriots have done is rock solid. It's not sexy. It's not flashy, but they've brought in a lot of guys that feel like Vrabel guys.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Some of them have history with Vrabel. Carlton Davis, cornerback, great pick. Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, Morgan Moses, Milton Williams.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
We always talk on our show. We always talk about culture and how that's the most important thing. And if you build that first, everything else follows. And it does feel like, I mean, the Patriots did not have a culture last year. I don't have to tell you that. And Vrabel is bringing in guys who build a culture.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
So even though no one here is super flashy and my dad's not going to text me about any of these signings. It makes a lot of sense, and it's rock solid.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
We've already seen the Russell Wilson experiment. I don't want to do that again. Can Aaron Rodgers throw deep balls to George Pickens and DK Metcalf? I think so.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Uh, I understand that it would be for you. I don't know if it would be for me the most exciting, but Heifetz has convinced me on Travis Hunter that wherever he goes, it will be incredibly exciting. I think I was a little bit lukewarm on him. Um, but I've come around now that maybe the guy who played two positions in college and nobody said he could do that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Maybe he can just continue doing that in the pros.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
And if I see Van Helsing, I swear I will slay him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
There are certain guys with a rushing floor, but such a limited ceiling where you're so trapped in mediocrity where Justin Fields is just fine enough that if the rest of the team is okay, you can win seven, eight games, which is probably what the Steelers would have done had he stayed the starter. But... The Jets, Heifetz went on a whole rant. I should just have him do it again.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Do it again, Heifetz. Justin Fields is the most Jetsy quarterback ever.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
He will get a great win. That's one other aspect of a Jets quarterback, much like Zach Wilson. Zach Wilson beat the Chiefs one game. Justin Fields will beat the Bills in week six, and everybody will love it. And then that'll be the only thing they can talk about for the next eight weeks when they go one and seven.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
That's good. I can match his size a little bit. I'll tell him to pick on some of your own size.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It's like, they're procrastinating. It's like they have a big paper due and instead they're like organizing their closet and signing so much.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I feel like he already has.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
No, she's tried. She made that like Barb and star go to Boca Raton or whatever. I didn't watch that. It hasn't worked for her. Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
No, sadly, no.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
That's what I'm doing. I'm just looking at the touchdown interception ratio and I'm watching Enigma on repeat, mainly the ayahuasca episode. And I'm ready to go.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
That sounds like the worst idea ever. Or the best one. Is it so sane that I just blew your mind? I have in mind a different Stepbrothers quote, which is when Dale and Brennan first meet and they're standing in the driveway and Dale's like, I'm Dale, but you have to call me Dragon. And Brennan's like, well, then you have to call me Nighthawk.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
That is George Pickens and DK Metcalf meeting each other. These guys are going to be unbelievable. It's going to be like a WWE event every time they have to block two 5-10 corners. Are corners going to be more scared of any team than the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town? No. Look, I'm all for this entire circus coming through Pittsburgh.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I think with the Giants, if Rogers goes to the Giants, he could do what he did to the Jets, blow it all up. Everyone's fired. Dayball, Shane are out. I don't really think that can happen. I don't think Rodgers can take down Mike Tomlin. I think it's a safer bet. And they are in this weird situation where it's like the roster and the defense is kind of good enough now to make a little bit of a run.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Oh, here we go. Let's hear it. We're going streaking!
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Which was last year for Godwin. Last year was the year after the year after. And he led great. He was incredible.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
So what are we supposed to do? Get Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins? I didn't want Justin Fields back. I think it's the only thing that makes sense. Give him a two-year deal. You have a decent team. Go for it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I think there's a little bit of just like good guy tax, culture tax. Everybody loves Chris Godwin.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
There's a chance he's better for the Rams than he is for your fantasy team.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
What's happening? I guess he's not in anymore. Anthony Richardson is overthrowing running backs in the flat and getting impaled by telephone poles. Is it bad?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I think Daniel Jones has definitely become underrated, and I think he honestly probably just does all the things that Anthony Richardson does but better, which I can't believe I'm saying. But I understand wanting to commit to Anthony Richardson one more time, but you need a good backup who's going to come in and immediately be better and make all the fans upset.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
And that's what Daniel Jones will be this year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Well, Anthony Richardson can only throw it further than all of his receivers.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
feet in the freezer head in the oven and like together their average if they could just put like their skills together i think that they would be like i think daniel jones can complete passes which i think is important in the nfl in 2025 and for the the colts who can run the ball they have a good offensive line they have decent receivers they just need somebody to put the ball in guys laps and daniel jones could do that i think in the bathroom like juice box i think he's active i think daniel jones is actively bad i think it's i think anthony i think it's a wrap
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
And then Joe Flacco was better than him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I don't know. I had Anthony Richardson on my fantasy team last year. I watched every snap. I mean, that was tough. It was not a fun experience.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Yeah, that's why I'm bummed he's now in Buffalo. He's geographically as far away as he could possibly be from me. And we used to meet every week on In-N-Out. Look, it's a great deal. Three years, $36 million for Buffalo. They got a professional wide receiver who all the nerds out there and me, we get it. We understand. The underlying metrics are there with Josh Palmer.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It may not have worked last year. He was beat up a little bit last year. This guy has great hands. He has good size. He's a good route runner. He's immediately the best receiver on the bills other than Khalil Shakir. And he's just a professional football player. He makes every team better. I don't know who wouldn't want Josh Palmer.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Josh Palmer. Guess how old he is? 25 years old.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I love for the Pats. I was hoping to be a receiver in the NFL. I'm saying he's a contributor to a good team and the bills are a smart team and they know what they're doing. And Josh Palmer is going to be relevant and contribute to the bills.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
75% of it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Do you think during their negotiations with Miles Garrett, right? You know, when he was deciding, should I leave or should I stay? They said. Don't worry. We're going to bring in a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Yeah, we have somebody. We have somebody in our back pocket.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
A team wanted Dorian Thompson Robinson over Kenny Pickett. Right. Kenny Pickett facts.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
He had a little fourth quarter Tebow magic to him. And nobody wants to admit that, but he did. There were moments. In the Eli year. There were moments. I'll still never forget that fourth quarter, like over the shoulder touchdown to Najee Harris, that one in the game. He still, he has moments.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
The best moment of the last three years in the NFL media was during the preseason of Kenny Pickett's second year. He was like 15 for 15, 180 yards and two touchdowns. They made him a captain. And for a week, everybody was like, we knew this was coming. He showed signs. He's a professional now. Joe Montana. He's comfortable. This is the guy. He's got the clutch gene.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Then he was fucking terrible immediately.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
They need speed. They signed Najee Harris, which is like the opposite of what... They need people who can run fast, not Najee Harris.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I agree. I haven't seen it in a while. I need to watch it again, but I loved I Love You Man.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Brian Thomas, 25th? If a movie like I Love You Man came out now, I would camp out overnight at the theater to see it. Oh, my God. I'm so curiously.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I'm going to stay in-house. And I'm going to say Darius Slade of the Steelers, who... pretty much just have one solid corner in Joey Porter. And he's a great veteran presence. I mean, the guy was a starter all through the playoffs for the Eagles. And just like a sneaky, he's 34 years old, but this is the perfect type of guy to come in when you're in this like win now mode.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
So I think him opposite Joey Porter is an awesome one-year deal.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Yeah. He's going to wait to release Enema.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Well, I think Heifetz, you know, maybe you should want Aaron Rodgers because if he blows up the New York Giants and cleans house.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
And we haven't won a playoff game since.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
It's tough. His whole, I mean, he is like a Jimmy G overthrow away from having a completely different career trajectory.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I think you can cross off the Raiders as a Sanders destination more so than the Jets. I think Fields is a bit of a bridge quarterback that you could play for a little while while Shador kind of gets his feet wet and gets his sea legs. I think the Raiders, DK has said this, I don't think Pete Carroll wants to get started with a new guy. I think he was there when Geno was in Seattle. Because he's 80?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Oh, man. Bang.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I'm watching it tonight.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Yeah. Because, yeah, they're the same age. Gino and Pete Carroll are the same age, which he loves. They can talk about the same things.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
And, like, I think Pete Carroll wants to hit the ground running, get eight, nine, ten wins, and prove that the Raiders are, like, a legitimate organization, build an infrastructure, and attract free agents and try to be, like, a real team again and, like, completely change the culture. The Jets, I think they could still bring somebody in while Justin Fields is kind of a floater.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I think there's always a chance that bad quarterbacks go way too soon in the draft. This is what's wrong with the draft process. It's too long. You end up talking yourself into this stuff. You get desperate. So the first three picks in the draft all need quarterbacks, the Titans, the Browns, and the Giants. I think I'd be surprised if two quarterbacks don't go in the first three picks.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
I actually have kind of long arms. I'm like a 6'5 wingspan. So you could probably plug me into an offensive line.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The 2025 NFL Free Agency Awards With Danny Heifetz, Craig Horlbeck, and Danny Kelly
Half inch matters a lot to some people. Half inch is not everything, Craig.