Hour 1: Twenty To Eleven

Welcome back to Insights to Mediocrity—I’m Jeremy Tashé, and yes, we’re still doing this; Tony, with today’s cap and CBA, how do you feel about the explosion in max NBA salaries?

I love it—get paid; seeing guys like SGA, Tatum, and Brown command that money is great, and part of me wonders what I could’ve earned if politics and a tweener body hadn’t worked against me.

Do you ever feel bad for whoever’s lined up across from you?

Never; it’s mutual respect—he’s hurting and grinding just like I am, so I honor the sacrifice and go compete.

How are we not amazed by the Steelers? Eight or more wins for twenty-two straight years and only three coaches since 1969 is wild.

They’ll likely take the division, but no one’s scared of them right now.

If your bar is only titles, fine, but that kind of stability is rare and impressive.

Standards are so high there that Tomlin’s actually hearing it now, and it has been a while since their last playoff win.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have cycled through a parade of coaches this century, which shows how unusual Pittsburgh’s stability really is.

I could see both Tomlin and Harbaugh in new jobs next season—mutual partings, not firings.

Remember, Baltimore once readied a split with Harbaugh before Lamar heated up and they pivoted.

Both would be hired instantly, but let’s not oversell it—one ring in almost twenty years isn’t untouchable.

For my birthday, Greg, got a Back in My Day?

Absolutely not; maybe that bit’s retired, even if you keep checking every Tuesday.

Fine—then settle this: twenty-two eleven in military time had me alone on ‘having my six,’ and does anyone know where the Heisman ceremony even is now?

Across the street this weekend it’s Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul, and I’m stunned this is happening because Joshua is a legit heavyweight; here’s their back-and-forth.

I’m aiming to break him physically and mentally—the moment I sense him fading, I’ll keep pressing until the fight ends.

The weight’s on you, not me; I’m playing free, already proved plenty, and if I bank early rounds you’ll feel that pressure.

That’s respectful by Jake’s standards, but those first rounds will be brutally hard to win.

Joshua is a massive favorite, and if Jake lasts, the internet will scream fix; I still don’t buy conspiracies because people go to prison for that.

You can tell when someone’s being carried—see Mayweather-McGregor—but Joshua’s not a defensive minimalist, so if he isn’t throwing, that’ll be telling.

Oddsmakers have quick endings priced; many will tune in hoping Jake gets flattened.

I’d pay to see him get humbled, though knowing me I’ll talk big and still skip it.

We also saw Josh Hart and a reporter roast Jalen Brunson to his face; Knicks fans adore this group, and some even hesitate to trade for a megastar because the vibes are so good.

They haven’t loved a team like this since the ‘99 run.

It lands because their best player is undersized and beats giants nightly.

Where’s Tony—can we get eyes on him for the Top Five?

I’m on the water, no green screen, with a cool breeze and stunning emerald views, and yes, it’s ‘Miami cold’ out here.

Weekend notes: keep an eye on the Niners, Trey McBride’s rise is real, Duval is alive, the Bills surged behind their unicorn quarterback, I’m pinning Rams-Broncos as a sneaky title matchup, tossed in a Rivers health-care joke, and closed with a bit about Mahomes’ ACL and Dylan Raiola cosplay.

Tony’s view was gorgeous; back to football—Micah Parsons’ injury got buried by the Mahomes news, but Green Bay’s pass rush and ceiling drop without him, and injuries keep wrecking our early-season narratives.

Denver-Green Bay was the sneaky game of the week; sans Parsons, Green Bay’s defense looks ordinary and Detroit’s the better team.

It’s a bummer because Parsons was a joy to watch in that all-in plan, and they were starting to click before the setback.

Limited quarterbacks leaned on tight ends all night, and injuries to key skill guys leave even good teams losing to lesser ones.

By mid-December, approximately three hundred twenty players had multi-game injuries—about ten per team—so factor that when judging Detroit, whose secondary and line have been gutted, and remember takeaways swing wildly year to year.

Denver’s defense doesn’t need turnover luck right now because the rush is relentless, and Sean Payton’s plan protects Bo Nix; they pressured Jordan Love on more than half his dropbacks and sit around a forty percent season rate.

I get the Bo Nix doubts, but over two years his production stacks up with elite starters aside from yards per attempt.

A Denver-Seattle Super Bowl would be a defensive clinic that TV might groan at and I’d love.

He also leads in deep touchdowns since 2024, so maybe give Bo Nix the flowers usually reserved for ‘Drake Maye’s dad talking’ hype.