Chat New England Podcast, Episode 12: That's Why They Play the Game.

Given the slow news lately, we kept ourselves to an hour today (we really did..it's just longer because of the music). This is something we'd like to do more moving forward.

If you're looking for hope Giants fans, you've got it here.

In today's episode, Babcock and I take a closer look at the balance of power in the NFC East, and whether or not it has really shifted. Should Giants fans really be upset based on what has gone down this offseason? Why aren't fans ever as excited about resigning a great player as they are about signing someone new? Would we rather have Michael Vick or Eli Manning under center? Do the Eagles actually have a better secondary than the Giants? Did the Eagles sacrifice depth by taking on several large contracts? Can their new guys live up to the hype?

Other topics include: standouts from preseason games thus far, schools named California that are located in Pennsylvania, and how much care should go in to choosing what basketball jersey to wear while doing yardwork outdoors.

Fair warning: I'm pretty rambly for about the first 20 minutes or so. Then I feel like I hit my stride. Remember that this is still a work in progress (12 episodes). By the time we get to episode 120, we expect to have this down.  Also, in relistening, I noticed there's one part where Babcock mentions "the past couple years" with Jason Pierre-Paul.  He misspoke, as Pierre-Paul was a rookie last year.

Here is this week's humble offering:

We're feeling nostalgic today, so you're listening to Uncle Tupelo on the front and back ends.