Young Detroit Lions safety Morice Norris went down in a preseason game, and 67,500 people went silent, while rival players became an instant brotherhood. We start there: the moment both sidelines chose humanity over the scoreboard. From there, we wrestle with the myth of “the show must go on” and what it actually asks of the 21 men who have to play the next snap after seeing something they can’t unsee.

Then we go big-picture: is tackle football headed for a flag future? We make the case (rules trending safer, the Pro Bowl test run, the NFL logo on elementary-school flag-football flyers) and ask the real fan question: would we still watch? Also: if the NFL ever does flip to flags, Marshall has a prediction of who the prototype player would be—and it's one Detroit Lions fans know well.. After all, you can’t grab what you can’t touch.

We get personal about dads in the stands and our own anger. And we land on a confession only long-suffering Lions fans will understand: if Detroit wins one Lombardi before the flags fly, we could make peace with whatever comes next.

Because on that day, the headline writes itself.

Theme song: Mr. Jukes and Barney Artist, "Blowin Steam (Open Up Your Mind)"

We’ve got ten minutes and one big question: what does this Detroit Lions offense look like without the trickery?

In this episode, we ponder what offensive life will like post-Ben Johnson. We say goodbye to the razzle-dazzle of the former Lions offensive coordinator's bag of tricks—and ask if maybe we ought to be saying good riddance. We recall the joys of watching wide receivers block like stunt doubles and plays that felt like heists…but we also long for a grit-aligned "run it up the gut" mentality.

And we wonder: now that Johnson's gone, will they Lions be content to just win straight up? No misdirection. Just willpower.

Will the team miss the creativity? Or is this season about something deeper?

Theme music: Mr. Jukes and Barney Artist, "Blowin Steam (Open Up Your Mind)"

This one’s about the lies people tell—and the ones we tell ourselves.

We start with an update on David's beef with the Arts and Leisure department: that there's no real update, just silence. AI's suspicion as to why helps us transition to a new Netflix docuseries on the 1995 O.J. Simpson double-murder case, and how, thirty years later and with a clearer lens on American truth, Marshall sees the verdict with new eyes.

From there it’s on to football, where truth gets slippery too. From Aaron Rodgers "yada yada-ing" Aaron Glenn's involvement in his New York Jets release, to the Chicago Bears giving their 15-36 general manager an early contract extension, proof for Marshall that denial still runs deep in Chicago.

But this episode’s not cynical. It’s hopeful. Because from Frank Ragnow’s foot to Levi Onwuzurike’s back, this team appears to know the truth about its players. And if you’ve followed this franchise as long as we have, you know how rare—and refreshing—that kind of honesty can be.

Theme music: Mr. Jukes and Barney Artist, "Blowin Steam (Open Up Your Mind)"