Hello and welcome to week one of the Man vs Machine Podcast, part of the Taxi Squad Pod Podcast Network. If you're not familiar Every week I pick every NFL game against Spread. So does AI. We go head to head, we see who has the better record at the end of the season. So last year I did this against Chat GPT. And we both ended up right around 500 towards the end of the season, a little bit above 500. Chat GPT was I think four games up on me going into the playoffs, and usually I'm money in the playoffs. So I was positive I was gonna catch Chat GBT and get a win for the humans. And then I went an unprecedented Unbelievable, un out of uncopyable, unrepeatable, one and twelve in the playoffs. by far the worst streak that I've ever had in my entire life. and ended up getting my my ass kicked by the machine. In the end, if you included the playoffs this year, we're stepping it up. It's me versus Anthropic's Claude Fable, which, if you're paying attention to the news, this is the AI that basically the all the experts are coming out and saying is gonna be the end of the world because it's so advanced. So we'll see how we we stack up against this. Now, if you didn't catch the first podcast, the the fantasy preview, you miss our early picks, both myself and the machine. Daniel Fetzner (01:58.467)were winners on the Patriots and the 49ers plus three and a half. So we both started the season two and off to a hot start. And let's get a quick rundown of the games for today. We are on the opposite sides of five different games. So it'll be a chance for one of us to make some moves and maybe get a little bit of a lead to kick off the season. The first game we've got is Bears minus three versus Carolina. We're matched up on this one when we're both on the Bears minus three. I hate this pick. I I really do. I listen, I love the Bears. They were so much fun to watch. They have so much talent. I'm a huge Ben Johnson guy. That's what I'm betting on. Is that I'm giving Ben Johnson the benefit of the doubt. The problem is that everybody, everybody has just been blowing the Bears all off season. Every person thinks that Luther Burden's a fantasy sleeper monster. Colson Level and it's gonna be a top three tight end. K Caleb's gonna, you know, launch himself into a top-tier quarterback conversation. Rome's gonna have have his, you know, finally have his year where he blows up because in if he can stay healthy. Like I get it. I like their team, they're fun, I like the coach, I like the players. But every year there's a team that everybody agrees is gonna be incredible and they fall apart. And it just feels like that's gonna be the Bears, unfortunately, because it's just so overwhelmingly positive. Everybody talking about them. But Ben Johnson gets the benefit of the doubt. Even though Carolina was a playoff team last year, it came out of the worst division in football. I don't think that they can stand up to the Bears first game of the season. Next up, Jags minus eight and a half at Cleveland. We're on the opposite sides of this one. I got the Jags minus eight and a half. The machine has Cleveland plus eight and a half. The Jags are the number two team that I'm scared. If it's not the Bears that suck dick this year because everyone loves them so much, it's gonna be the Jags. Daniel Fetzner (04:20.372)But again, I'm giving Lean Cohen the benefit of the doubt. Incredible coach. Offense should be really fun to watch. eight and a half points is a lot of points. I hate taking that many points. Almost any other team, I would never take minus eight and a half. But Cleveland's quarterback situation is just such a shit show. They're Harold Fannin's their main offensive weapon. He's a second year guy. They're Other receivers are rookies. Jerry Judy's washed. Like they traded their best defensive player. they're they're prepping for the future. They're in tank mode. They're planning to get their quarterback next year. The players are gonna be trying to win the game, but the GM, the owners, they don't really want them to win the game. we'll see. I I don't like this pick. It's too many points. I'm betting on Liam Cohen. But it's Cleveland, man. Can't you can't rely on the Browns. next up we got Saints plus seven at Detroit. We're matched up on this. We're both at New Orleans plus seven. Listen, New Orleans back half of the year last year, once they found Tyler Shook as their starter, went five and four. He was a top five fantasy QB. He was slinging it. He has uses his legs and runs the ball. They brought in Travis Etienne. like they They're a good scrappy team and they love Schuek there. They he's a leader of men. Detroit is also a powerhouse. They missed the playoffs last year, but they're the best team to miss the playoffs. In any other division, they make the playoffs. They just had an incredibly tough schedule. It's just too many points. This is the bottom line. Detroit probably wins, but seven's too many. We're taking the Saints. Daniel Fetzner (06:24.194)Next up, Falcons plus three and a half at Pittsburgh. So we're both I'm on Pittsburgh minus three and a half. Machine's on Atlanta plus three and a half. So Michael Pettdox is still hurt. Tua just got ruled out a few days ago. And the Falcons called up Cooper Rush off the street to come in and start this game for them. Now, that would make you think like this is a no brainer. Yeah. Steelers against Cooper Rush, like lock it up, lock it in. However, a few years ago in Dallas, Cooper Rush was the backup that Dak Prescott. Dak got hurt. So the next week Cooper Rush was starting. in my Survivor League, me and everybody else was like it was I think it was Minnesota. They were playing a good Minnesota team. it's like Minnesota can't lose to they'd probably be Dallas with Dak. They can't lose to Dallas with Cooper Rush. So everybody in Survivor picked the Cowboys to lose. And Cooper Rush came out and kicked Minnesota's dicks in and went five and one as the starter. For Dallas while Dak was hurt. So we've seen this before, we've been here before. Do you learn from history? Do you make the same mistakes? Apparently I don't. History is bound to repeat itself. I'm on Pittsburgh for this pick. I'm on Pittsburgh in Survivor. And I'm probably gonna lose. But that's gambling, baby. That's life. next up, we have got Jets plus one point five at Tennessee. We are both on the Jets. Listen, both these teams stunk last year. Daniel Fetzner (08:20.578)Both they were terrible. Jets were trotting out a poo-poo platter of quarterbacks. Justin Fields, I think Tyrod Taylor, who's actually not that bad, but he didn't play that much. I forget even who their third quarterback was, but they didn't have a quarterback for essentially the entire season. Tennessee had, you know, a rookie quarterback. They're both kind trotting out essentially the same teams. Except for the Jets now have Geno Smith. Now, is that an upgrade over the dog shit quarterbacks that they trotted out there to last year? It's debatable. But they were both terrible last year. They're both gonna be terrible this year. I think the Jets got at least a little bit of an upgrade at quarterback and they're getting points. So I'll take the one and a half. We're taking the Jets. Next up, this is gonna be. This is my favorite game, I think. Bucks plus three and a half at Cincy. People love Sincey in this game, and I just I don't get it. How many times do Zach Taylor and the Bengals have to lose week one for you to not pick the Bengals? They lost five of their last six season openers. They started Every season with Zach Taylor starts 0 3 or 0 and 4, and then they're the rest of their season they're trying to dig themselves out of a hole just to make the playoffs, which spoiler alert, they don't most of the times. He's been ...
