Almost Shameless

The Patriots secured their biggest win of the season on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers with a classic Bill Belichick defensive performance and some old-school possession offense. Now that people are paying attention to the GOAT and his rookie up in New England, can they deliver on the promise they've shown and make a real playoff run? Tanya addresses that, where they stand in the AFC playoff picture as of now, and what it will take to sustain this momentum (2:40). Then she lays into Aaron Rodgers for being a know-it-all fraud who asserted his dominance all over Green Bay only to now hand his potential replacement the biggest opportunity of his career (18:55).

Tanya is back and kicks things off with examining the harsh realities of Roger Goodell's reign over the NFL, and a critique of the way fans and media respond to the lack of transparency in league culture and investigations (3:00). Then she moves onto Thursday night's wild game between the Cardinals and Packers, and the resulting praise of Aaron Rodgers that took a turn back into the delusional GOAT discussion that won't go away (17:12). 

Tanya welcomes Jarrett Bailey, Fansided NFL contributor and co-host of the Laces Out Podcast, to take a look across the league as we head into Week 6 and the real meat of the NFL season. First though, Tanya and Jarrett breakdown and react to the fallout from Jon Gruden's resignation after the leak of a slew of racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails between he and former Washington Football team President, Bruce Allen (2:06). Then they move into assessing which of the NFL's top-tier teams are for real Super Bowl contenders, and which might be headed for a downturn as the season moves on (25:25). Finally Tanya forces Jarrett to face the real possibility that his Steelers and her Patriots may very well face a battle down the stretch for the final wild card playoff spot in the AFC (55:00). 

Tanya kicks things off by sharing some of her favorite reactions to the Red Sox beating the Yankees in the wild card game, including an absolute masterpiece from a former Yankee himself (5:02). Then it's onto reactions to Patriots Bucs, but specifically analyzing where Mac Jones is at through 4 games of the regular season (10:45). She also breaks down why she's not as worked up about the Stephon Gilmore trade as some others in the media (28:51), then looks ahead at the next six games of the season to assess what the Patriots are dealing with now that the biggest game of the year is out of the way (31:09). Stick around to the end to hear about the epic way Tanya got to watch Tom Brady's homecoming. 

The fall AMA mailbag is here to lighten things up ahead of maybe the most stressful regular season game that Patriots fans will ever watch, so sit back and grab your fall beverage of choice and get to know Tanya a little better while also getting your weekly does of sports hot takes sprinkled in. From Halloween movies and aggressive wrestling fans to preparing your emotions for Patriots v Bucs, there's a little something for everyone. 

This week Tom Brady Sr. spoke with NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran and said he thinks his son has been vindicated by winning in Tampa Bay. But what exactly is Brady's gripe with 20 years of unprecedented success again? (2:51) Plus Tanya proposes a batshit idea for getting the NFL to back off of their taunting rules for on-field celebrations (25:21). 

As we all wrap up our Week 1 analysis, Tanya checks in on where the Patriots stand as they prepare to bounce back in Week 2 against the Jets - and dives a little deeper into exactly what Bill Belichick is looking to get from Mac Jones this season and whether it's a formula that can stand up long term against the current powers of the AFC (2:34). Then she expands the conversation to the rest of the NFL to take a look at 3 teams we can expect to look a lot different in Week 2 than they did in Week 1 (20:09), and does the same exercise for 3 QBs whose Week 2 performances may have us second-guessing what we saw from them in their season debuts (27:08).

It's the last podcast of the NFL offseason before the most wonderful time of the year kicks off on Thursday night, and this week's episode is setting some ground rules for the Almost Shameless listeners, watchers and followers. First Tanya addresses the trolls and broader misogynist community that seemingly cannot move themselves into the 21st century to adjust to the new reality of a diversifying sports landscape (3:50). Then she clarifies her stance on Mac Jones, and why she won't be eating any of that humble pie some people keep trying to serve. Happy Week 1 everybody, and welcome to the Almost Shameless NFL season experience (11:05). 

In a twist no one saw coming, Cam Newton didn't just lose the starting Patriots QB job -- he lost his job altogether. Tanya quickly breaks down her thoughts on the mysteries surrounding the surprising cut as well as Bill Belichick's somewhat alarming comments about COVID vaccination in the NFL (4:00). Then she checks in on the recent history of rookie QB success, and explains the three major hurdles the Patriots MUST clear to make a playoff run with the rookie Mac Jones at the helm (13:26). Finally, with his official firing as Executive Producer of Jeopardy, Mike Richards offers us a clear picture of what real accountability looks like amidst the "cancel culture" panic (27:19). 

Tanya cuts to the chase as she launches into a breakdown and critique of Scott Zolak's problematic comments about Cam Newton's on-field demeanor at Patriots practice, and how his viewpoint is a reflection of a much larger issue with the way too many people all around New England speak about Newton in general (2:50). The show wraps up with a quick plea to the listeners to step outside their comfort zones and (gasp!) watch some English soccer -- in the name of Ted Lasso (23:57).