A Numbers Game | August 4, 2026 | Hour 1

**Dustin Swedelson** (0:00)
The numbers told the story, they always do.

**Kelley Bydlon** (0:02)
One of those idiots who believe in analytics.

**Dustin Swedelson** (0:05)
This is A Numbers Game with Gil Alexander on VSiN.
August the 4th, be with you on a Tuesday morning. Welcome on Into a Numbers Game. That's Kelley Bydlon, I'm Dustin Swedelson. We got you covered for the next three hours on VSiN, the sports betting network. The baseball trade deadline, it has come and gone. I will tell you, the winners, losers, and the pennant and World Series bet that I placed yesterday because of that. There's another team's win total that I think we have to look at. As far as that is concerned, we'll touch on that and more. Throughout the program today, the Heisman Trophy, historically, who's winning that award? The favorite hasn't won since Marcus Mariota. Every time I say Mariota correctly, I feel like John Miller saying Carlos Beltran on Sunday Night Baseball. We will examine the Heisman Trophy. I think I've waterboarded everyone at this point enough with my Darien Mensah play. The others, I am considering of adding to the portfolio, Interception Market, in the NFL, who is going to lead it from a quarterback standpoint. Also, I forced Kelley to do a little homework. Our top five head coach quarterback combos that we like to bet on. Not the best, who we like to bet on and why, we'll examine that later on in the program. And we begin, my friend, with the National Football League in just a moment, but how you feeling on a Tuesday a.m.?

**Kelley Bydlon** (1:31)
Feeling great, glad to be here, glad you're here. Glad you're hearing those amazing glasses.

**Dustin Swedelson** (1:36)
Yeah, we can acknowledge the glasses.

**Kelley Bydlon** (1:39)
It's a power look by you today. I like it, I really like it.

**Dustin Swedelson** (1:43)
I am wearing new glasses, for those of you watching YouTube TV, the Visa Watch app, if you're listening on SiriusXM, I think that this is a good reason to sign up, so you can check out the video. I have these big, bold glasses on. I used to wear similar glasses to this, and as my head has gotten bigger, it's been harder to shop for them, so it's very rare I find a pair of glasses that I like. I bought these, I love them, I stand by, I love them, I think it's an interesting, different look, but the one issue I have is I look like I should be driving a Subaru right now, okay? That's the vibe I'm giving off with these glasses. They're just a little bit more extra than I anticipated.

**Kelley Bydlon** (2:19)
I think they're great, I think they're great. It's a power to look from Dustin Swedelson today. I like it, man.

**Dustin Swedelson** (2:24)
We're gonna roll with it. We're gonna see what happens. And at the very least, it's gonna be different.

**Kelley Bydlon** (2:29)
That's what I'll say.

**Dustin Swedelson** (2:30)
But the NFL is where we begin today, Kelley, on a Tuesday because this is the time of year where it just takes over the headlines. And news out of Atlanta as Bijan Robinson and the Falcons have agreed to an extension, an agreement, three years, worth up to 75 million that will make him the highest paid running back in NFL history. He will receive 51 million guaranteed, including 37 million at signing. That is the deal for Bijan, who becomes the highest paid running back in history. Ahead of Saquon Barkley, a head of Christian McCaffrey, Devon Aitchin, Derek Henry and Brice Hall. That is until Jameer Gibbs signs his new deal. Right now, I think for Bijan Robinson, I'm going to talk out of both sides of my mouth here for a moment. One, I love the player. I think he's a superstar. The offense revolves around him because the elements he brings to the passing game. I mean, I think he had like 800 receiving yards a year ago, something like that.
He is a dual threat in every sense of the word, but the thing that concerns me about a guy like Bijan Robinson.

**Kelley Bydlon** (3:28)
820

**Dustin Swedelson** (3:29)
Yes.
And he's coming off the last two years where he's led the league combined the last two seasons in scrimmage yards, but I would never pay a running back. This is why I'd also never invest a first-round draft pick into a running back unless it was the last piece to put me over the top, because the Falcons are projected right now to be the worst team in this division in the NFC South. They have all this money tied up in the running back position. You can be as special as you want, but if you look in reality, the teams that win Super Bowls, and that's the objective here, you want to win Super Bowls.