The Bill Simmons Podcast

Episode: The Juggernaut Packers, Realistic Clippers Punishments, and Week 2 NFL Picks
Guests: Joe House, Jason Concepcion, Chris Ryan
Date: September 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into three major sports topics with Bill Simmons and his crew:

1. The dominance of the Green Bay Packers after their Thursday Night Football win over the Washington Commanders.
2. The Steve Ballmer/Clippers scandal — how it developed, the media firestorm, and what (if any) punishments the NBA could realistically deliver.
3. NFL Week 2: in-depth discussion and picks for the weekend’s games, plus a candid segment on fantasy football and league gossip.

1. Packers as Juggernaut: Reaction to Green Bay vs. Washington

[03:00–20:20]
Speakers: Bill Simmons, Joe House

Key Points

• Packers’ Dominance: Green Bay routed Washington on Thursday night, confirming Bill’s preseason take that Green Bay could be an NFC heavyweight.
• Washington's Struggles: House, a Commanders fan, vents about travel disadvantages on a short week, key injuries, and the struggles of an older roster.
  • “It was a schedule loss...the injury stuff, man. Jaden Reed’s out. Echler looks like he's out. Noah Brown got hurt. ...I hate these early season Thursday games.” — Joe House, [04:58]
• Washington Offense Stalled: Commanders couldn’t run the ball; Packers’ speed on defense suffocated them.
  • “They were trying to do the Eagles slow possession thing, trying to limit the number of possessions... Not how I would’ve attacked the Packers.” — Bill, [07:10]
• Green Bay’s Complete Roster:
  • Jordan Love efficient (15-for-17 first half).
  • Tucker Kraft emerging as a reliable tight end (Bill and House both hit on Kraft prop bets).
  • “...as Schrager said on TV this week, they don’t have a number one receiver, but have a lot of number twos.” — Bill, [08:23]
  • Defense praised for speed and balance: “That defense is as fast as defense. They are. They can get horizontal and they can get vertical…” — House, [09:26]
• Jordan Love as MVP Candidate:
  • Bill highlights updated odds: “Allen is 3-1, Jackson’s +380, and Jordan Love is now 9-1 in the three spot. ...the NFC-leading MVP begetter.” [10:01]
• Packers and NFC Hierarchy: Packers now among the top four Super Bowl favorites.
  • “...Green Bay...all have basically the same odds to win the Super Bowl now.” — Bill, [11:19]
• Washington’s Playoff Chances: House calls it a “jump ball”, projecting 9–10 wins as a hopeful wildcard.
• League-Wide NFC Outlook: Quick rundown of potential wildcards; concern about Jaden Daniels’ ceiling as a franchise QB.

Memorable Quote:
"If you have a tight end with a skill level that Kraft seems to possess and they can run the ball...this is a footprint reminiscent of how the Eagles had their success all last year." — House, [09:05]

2. The Clippers/Ballmer NBA Scandal: "So Much Smoke"

[23:00–52:52]
Speakers: Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan (CR), Jason Concepcion (JC)

Key Points

• Ballmer/Kawhi/Aspiration Scandal:
  • Jason: “It’s a suffocating...suffocating in the smoke. Smoking gun? Maybe not. But enough ambient smoke that something untoward happened.” [23:08]
  • CR: Stunned at the absence of any comment from Uncle Dennis or Kawhi.
  • Bill: "If this happened to LeBron or KD or even one of the younger stars…it would be an episode of The West Wing with how they got their response together. With Kawhi, I can’t tell if he’s oblivious or doesn’t care." [25:54]
  • The group riffs on how low-profile Uncle Dennis is, and how his silence has insulated Kawhi.
  • Satirical take: Maybe Kawhi never knew about any of it — “maybe this is like the Billy Joel doc,” Bill jokes, referring to infamous family mismanagement. [37:10]
• How the NBA Handles Punishments:
  • “If you’re going to lower the salary cap, then the deterrents for going over should increase.” — JC, [27:15]
  • On possible punishments:
    • Docking picks hurts fans, not Ballmer.
    • Forcing a sale is possible but would require more “smoking gun” evidence.
    • Most likely: Banish Ballmer from team activities for a period, akin to sports owner suspensions (e.g., George Steinbrenner).
  • Satirical possible outcomes: Ballmer builds the Dome then has to walk away; the franchise is so cursed maybe they just have to move to Seattle.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• "Honestly, it feels very plausible. If you’re a pro athlete, you really aren’t thinking about much other than, like, workout, get ready, what’s the game?" — JC (on Kawhi being in the dark), [38:08]
• “The appearance of impropriety is sufficient. ...You can’t have the thing that they did.” — Joe House, [105:03](recalled at show end)
• “If we have rules, and you really want to enforce them, then clean them up. Or don’t — but don’t punish one to make a show.” — JC, [51:03]
• Reflection on why fans care about these stories:
  • “Are you into sports just because you want to watch basketball, or is it a window into fairness, antitrust, billionaires ruining things...” — CR, [51:03]

Memorable Satirical Bits:

• The “Dennis & Dennis” pot idea (“get MPJ to sign them to his network”); [36:33]
• Movie conspiracy beats (“Who is the Donald Sutherland in this story?”); [40:31]
• Ballmer as stadium-less NBA owner; [45:05]
• “So many generations would have to pass for the Clippers to rival the Lakers”; [36:07]

3. NFL Week 2 Picks with Joe House

[60:25–106:11]

Key Points

• Recap of Week 1 Misses: Many close calls; defensive back injuries for the Bears doomed a pick (“If only the game was only 45 minutes…”—House, [61:03]).
• Game-by-Game Analysis:
  • Stay Aways: Jags-Bengals, Niners-Saints (Purdy out, Rattler vs. Mac Jones), Cardinals-Panthers (“never put Kyler in a tease”), Texans-Bucs.
  • Possibles:
    • Titans +5.5 vs Rams (Vrabel bashing: "He's a moron...he doesn't know the rules" — House, [65:13])
    • Jets +6.5 vs Bills: both think the line is 3 points too high; extensive discussion of Fields’ promising play. [67:31]
    • Ravens-Browns: Cincinnati underachieved, Cleveland self-destructed.
    • Falcons +3.5 vs Vikings: Falcons looked strong; House calls the line “ridiculous.” [92:17]
    • Seahawks-Steelers: staying away due to distrust of Seattle’s offense and the coach’s lack of faith. [73:01]
    • Giants-Cowboys: too many injury variables, but line is “too high.”
    • Eagles-Chiefs: Philly favored in Arrowhead; both lean Eagles but wary of Mahomes/Reid.
• Final Picks:
  1. Falcons +3.5: House’s pick, citing line value and potential for backdoor cover.
  2. Jets +6.5: Both agree the game will be close.
  3. Cardinals/Eagles Parlay: Moneyline Cardinals over Panthers + Eagles +4.5 in KC at -114.
  4. Broncos -2.5 at Colts: Bill’s confident pick (AFC West strength).
  5. Patriots +1.5 at Dolphins: Bill argues “Miami shouldn’t be favored over anyone except Carolina”; House likes it if Gonzalez is back. [85:31]
• Fantasy Football Banter: Amusing anecdotes from their guillotine league; House finished first, Bill’s trauma with George Kittle injuries, strategizing fab/bids.
• Brief Return to Ballmer: House reiterates, “...the appearance of impropriety is enough... It looks bad to the other owners.” [105:03]

Notable Quotes:

• "The reason I had it bolded was it's one of my favorite scenarios: the old offensive coordinator knows every little button to push...” — Bill on Bears-Lions, [80:05]
• "I trust Kyler more than I trust Caleb.” — House, on betting QBs [97:00]

Miscellaneous Segments

[Throughout; see timestamps]

• Podcast/TV Chatter:
  • "Task," the new HBO series from the creator of "Mare of Easttown," is the crew's latest TV obsession; CR jokes about the show referencing him.
• Future Content Teases:
  • Rider Cup preview coming on “Fairway Rolling.”
  • Prestige TV Podcast upcoming for “Task.”

Segment Timestamps

| Topic | Start | End | |---|---|---| | Packers-Commanders Recap, Packers Juggernaut | 03:00 | 20:20 | | Clippers/Ballmer Scandal (with JC & CR) | 23:00 | 52:52 | | NFL Week 2 Picks (with House) | 60:25 | 106:11 | | Fantasy Football, Guillotine League | 102:17 | 104:49 | | Ballmer Scandal Wrap & Aspirations Studio Jokes | 105:03 | 106:11 |

Closing Thoughts & Notable Moments

• Bill on Clippers Consequences: “You can’t find Ballmer, he’s worth $150 billion. The huge card would be you have to sell the team... But I think we need a bigger smoking gun.” [44:52]
• On sports fandom: “The older you get, the more you find yourself thinking about the cap, the law, and taxes, and rumors and innuendo.” — CR, [51:57]
• House on NFL picks: “If only the game was only 45 minutes... the last 15 minutes really got us.” [61:03]

For listeners and non-listeners alike, this episode is packed with:

• A thoughtful breakdown of why the Packers now look like the NFC’s team to beat
• Sharp (and comedic) analysis of the NBA’s latest off-court mess
• Relatable and well-argued NFL picks — complete with healthy self-skepticism and laugh-out-loud fantasy football digressions

Podcast remains classic Simmons: inside-baseball, stats-laden, but always a bit irreverent and plenty sly about how the business of sports — and being a sports fan — really works.