Fox & Fallon

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). 

It's another weekend podcast as Tanya quickly recaps the Patriots second preseason game and dives into the complexities of what is happening for fans and media as the reality of Cam Newton as the starter begins to sink in (3:18). Then it's over to the NBA where LeBron feels disrespected by scouts and execs after being left out of a recent ESPN poll of the best player in the league,, and Tanya wonders whether LeBron really knows what he wants as a competitor (16:28). We head back to the NFL to break down three NFL teams and rosters that you may not be taking as seriously as you should heading into the 2021 season (21:47). And finally... a deep dive behind the scenes has thrown the Jeopardy hosting hire into utter chaos and Tanya is breaking it all down (31:58). 

NFL Nation got it's first glimpse at the re-tooled Patriots, an improved Cam Newton and a composed Mac Jones -- and everyone immediately forgot how to analyze the quarterback position. So Tanya kicks the show off with a breakdown of how the QBs looked and how media and fans reacted (2:32), and gets into some other highlights from the exhibition (15:05). Then she issues an early warning to Patriots Nation to brace themselves for the continued conversation around the Great Brady v Belichick Lie that national media is selling to undermine the greatest team dynasty ever (22:26). And finally, Tanya works through her outrage over Jeopardys choice for the successor(s?) to Alex Trebek (27:26).

There is one topic and one topic only for this week's show, and it's all about Cam Newton and the way the media has handled the reporting and analysis of his journey from last season through the second week of training camp (02:00). First Tanya goes no holds barred in laying out her beef with how the local media has mislead fans about what Cam is capable of as a starter and what is best for a team that has been as intentionally overhauled as the Patriots have over the last six months. Then she welcomes on Sara Marshall from FPC Patriots to continue the conversation and get a little more perspective from someone who's been paying close attention to training camp -- and has also received heat for defending Cam through a tumultuous offseason (14:20). Then Tanya lightens things up by making Sara play a quick game of Give Me More, Go Away: NFL Training Camp Edition (38:08).

It's an all Tanya show straight from her family home in Massachusetts, so she kicks things off with a little recap of where things stand with Cam Newton and Mac Jones as Patriots camp begins (4:20). Then she checks in with the Aaron Rodgers situation with the Packers after a bizarre candid press conference that may not win the fans over the way he thinks it will (11:57). Finally, the biggest news of the Olympics so far has been Simone Biles dropping out of the team and all-around competitions for mental health reasons, and there's a lot of record straightening to be done (23:43).

This is the first seasonal mailbag EVER on the Almost Shameless podcast, so strap in to get to know Tanya a little better while also getting your weekly does of sports hot takes sprinkled in. From the Patriots QB depth chart to the social media importance of The Office, there's a little something for everyone. 

There's no better way to prepare for Patriots training camp than with an old school attack on the Patriot Way! Mike D'Abate of SI Maven and Locked on Patriots joins Tanya to discuss Julian Edelman's thoughts on the fun of winning, and to whom he will pass the leadership baton on offense (5:00). Then Mike shares a few of the more underrated and overlooked storylines for fans and media to watch out for once training camp kicks off, and Tanya makes a case for why Josh McDaniels is the guy to keep an eye on (18:50). Finally, Tanya and Mike play a game of This or That: 2021 Patriots Edition (30:35).

It's been a weird off-season for the Patriots with a QB battle for the first time since January of 2002, but this week the target of national scrutiny is maligned WR N'Keal Harry, who wants a trade from the only team that wanted to draft him in the first round, and Tanya explains why this is a lose-lose for everyone involved (5:09). Then it's a long overdue clapback at Aaron Rodger's eat, pray, love summer of sucking up to Tom Brady and rolling his eyes at the Packers (15:00), and finally a classic Tanya rant about American sports' fans contentious relationship with soccer and why anonymous people on Twitter don't get to have their opinions taken seriously (25:15). 

The Boston Celtics have entered their new era with the hiring of Ime Udoka (01:48), and it wouldn't be a major breaking story in 2021 without someone epically embarrassing themselves on Twitter (04:15). Then Tanya breaks down the importance of Carl Nassib as the first active NFL player to come out and what it's been like to watch the evolution of how the sports world dealt with the news (12:53). Finally, Tanya takes down the negativity and misinformation coming from Patriots media and explains why it's time to let go of Tom Brady and embrace the GOAT that's still in New England (22:44).   John Amaechi soundbite from the Twitter feed of the Dan Le Batard Show with StuGotz. Theme music: Quittin' Time by Patrick Lee

Yet another Twitter debate regarding analytics in the NBA was sparked late last week, culminating in the accusation that people who prefer the study of efficiency are nerds who are ruining sports fandom. So Tanya brought on Bryan Kalbrosky, writer  for HoopsHype and For The Win, to break down the disconnect between the highlight purists and the people paying closer attention to the numbers behind the curtain. (3:25) They also dispel some myths about exactly what analytics are (22:27) and debate whether NBA media is more beholden to the opinions of athletes than media covering other leagues (32:21). 

Tanya reunited with friend and former co-host Courtney Fallon of the Bad Signal Podcast and The Game Day NFL to host a very special reunion episode of Fox & Fallon. After getting the audience reacquainted with their banter they kick things off by ranking on a scale of 1-10 just how much Patrick Mahomes was to blame for the Chiefs' meltdown on Sunday (07:00). Then it's on to the GOAT, and Tanya wonders whether a colleague at FS1 is over-correcting by giving Tom Brady too much credit for the Buccaneers championship season (18:21), and Courtney suggests that perhaps this is the final nail in the coffin for the bizarre brigade of delusional Tom Brady Haters (29:24). And of course there couldn't be a Fox & Fallon reunion without a ridiculous game to cap off the episode, so now that Tom Brady has 7 rings, Tanya and Courtney attempt to assign a week day to each one of his Super Bowl wins (36:51).