Episode 622

Scorpio Trouble

Hosts	Arif Hasan, James Pogatshnik
Guests	Jeremy Reisman (Pride of Detroit)
Type	Preview

Norse Code Episode 622: Scorpio Trouble was a preview episode covering the upcoming Vikings–Lions Week 8 matchup, featuring an interview with Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit — described by James as "one of Arif's enemies." The episode opened with an extended cold-open comparison between Christian Watson's surprise return during a Packers blowout and three canonical professional wrestling moments, and then pivoted to an Al Michaels tangent about Aaron Rodgers' injury return against the Bears. The guest interview constituted the episode's main body, covering the Lions' offensive line youth movement, Jared Goff's unusual historical success against Brian Flores defences, Jameer Gibbs' workload concerns, Amon-Ra St. Brown's rank among wide receivers in a listener-driven bracket, and the Lions' secondary crisis. The mailbag featured an extended consultation of an AI assistant (referred to throughout as "Sumer Brain") on the phases of the moon and Jared Goff, the origins of the Arif Hates Big Cats Corner, and an astrology-themed birthday question whose answer supplied the episode title. The closing segment surfaced Discord reaction to the Olive Garden story from Episode 621, confirmed that both hosts had accidentally committed acts of minor domestic violence against their children, and established Tolkien Canadian as Arif's sole public defender.

Overview

Cold Open: The Christian Watson Comparison

James opened by noting that on the list of things he was not expecting that evening, Christian Watson returning to the field during a Packers game when they were already up 16 was near the top. Arif immediately proposed that James must have three wrestling moments the situation compared to, and James confirmed he had exactly three.

The first: Steve Austin in the ambulance match against Triple H — the ambulance door opens, Austin flips the bird from the back and then clotheslines Triple H on the ramp. The second: Kurt Angle taking a pedigree on a table, suffering a massive concussion when the table collapsed the wrong way, being taken to the back by medical staff, and then returning to the ring while still visibly impaired, completing the rest of the match with no memory of it that he has been able to recover since. The third, and most famous: Undertaker vs. Mankind, Hell in a Cell — Mankind is tossed off the top of the cage through the announce table, wheeled away on a stretcher, strapped down, taken to the back, and then returns while the Undertaker is still climbing the cage, with consequences for Mankind that James described as significantly worse than what had already happened. James noted that two of the three people involved in these incidents do not remember the matches in question.

Al Michaels then became the subject of a secondary tangent: Michaels had mentioned on air that he remembered an occasion where Aaron Rodgers left the field, was taken to a hospital, returned, and won the game against the Bears. James recalled the game because of a running joke about Rodgers having adopted a southern accent by the end of it. The segment drifted into whether this was a victory-lap year for Michaels and whether Kirk Herbstreit had a contract clause allowing his removal only if Sean McVay was available as a broadcaster.

Announcements

James plugged Patreon (patreon.com/NorseCode) and PayPal (paypal.me/NorseCode), reiterated the Boston live show — December 8th, 7:30 PM, 730 Tavern Kitchen and Patio, Cambridge, Massachusetts — and noted that listeners interested in Arif admitting to crimes should go back to the first six minutes of Episode 621. James's description of the Olive Garden incident: "Arif kind of sort of admitted to crimes last episode. That's not a crime, it's just rude. That's totally different."

Guest Interview: Jeremy Reisman (Pride of Detroit)

Arif introduced Jeremy Reisman of the "eminently Googleable POD cast" (Pride of Detroit) as his "lukewarm friend." Jeremy confirmed that after spending an hour with Arif on his own podcast earlier that day, lukewarm was approximately how he felt.

Lions Offensive Line

Jeremy characterised the Lions' offensive line as younger than at any point in recent memory — Penei Sewell at 26, Blake Miller in his first year, Tate Ratledge in his second year at right guard, and Christian Mahogany in his third year at left guard — replacing the veteran group of Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, and Kevin Zeitler that had defined the Lions offensive identity. He described the communication issues as mostly pre-snap in nature: guys not identifying the right assignments on second-level blocks, not being on the same page at the line. He considered PFF's #1 offensive line ranking improbable but thought pass protection was legitimately strong, with the run game being where the inconsistencies showed up most visibly. Arif noted that communication problems seemed particularly relevant for a week against a defence that disguises its coverage pre-snap at one of the highest rates in the NFL.

Jeremy's prognosis: a good offensive line in two to four years, possibly already performing at a reasonable level today, with the expectation that things would significantly improve by next season as the young players developed post-snap chemistry.

Jared Goff and the Flores Defence

Arif raised Goff's historical split against the Brian Flores defence — sometimes historically good, sometimes very bad — and asked Jeremy to explain the variance. Jeremy pointed to Frank Ragnow's absence as a plausible partial explanation: Ragnow was the rare centre who could handle the pre-snap identification demands that the Flores scheme places on the offence, and when he was in the building the Lions had considerably more success. He allowed that the Ben Johnson / play-caller variable also played some role, though the fact that Johnson has not yet replicated that success in Chicago suggested it was not the whole story.

On what the Lions would likely do: Jeremy was honest about not knowing. Jared Goff had told him, after Jeremy suggested the Packers' defence as some kind of stepping stone, that the two defences were completely different and that the comparison did not translate. Jeremy agreed. He noted that the last year's approach — essentially having Jameer Gibbs just stand in the A-gaps to block rather than functioning as a pass-game weapon — had not worked, and he doubted they would try it again. Possible adjustments included using 21 personnel more often, deploying Sam LaPorta as a de facto fullback (LaPorta had logged eight snaps in the backfield against the Packers), and simply trusting Goff's quick processing to find answers when the rush arrives.

Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. the Field

Arif ran a listener-originated ranking exercise: Jeremy had to say whether he would take Amon-Ra St. Brown over each named receiver. The results: not over Justin Jefferson (no), Ja'Marr Chase (no), CeeDee Lamb (no), or Puka Nacua (no). Over George Pickens (yes); Zay Flowers (unknown — Jeremy hadn't watched Flowers play recently despite Flowers leading the league in receiving yards); Drake London (yes); T.J. Higgins (yes); Christian Watson (hesitant yes — "turns out having two hamstrings that are the same strength, big deal"); Nico Collins (yes); current-year Mike Evans (yes, with apology). Parker Washington was unfamiliar to Jeremy. A.J. Brown: possible no. The bracket became briefly contentious when Arif said he strongly disagreed with some of Jeremy's answers, and Jeremy defended Amon-Ra's ability to make catches in tight windows in zone coverage as being more valuable than highlight-reel separation.

On the question of whether Amon-Ra was struggling: Jeremy said no, attributed a quiet game against Arizona to the volume of skill players to feed and noted that Amon-Ra had just had nine catches against the Packers. "If he's not pissed, that's when you have to be like, are you okay?"

Jameer Gibbs

Jeremy described Gibbs as the most complete back in the NFL below the very top tier — not just an open-space specialist but effective between the tackles, capable of running through tight windows in A and B gaps, and not afraid of contact. He noted that Gibbs' longest run of the season was 22 yards, compared to four or five 50-plus-yard runs by the same point last year, and suggested this was partly a product of the offensive line's inconsistency, though Gibbs had still managed to turn negative gains into positive ones on many of those rushes. The workload was Jeremy's primary concern: Gibbs led the league in touches per game, the backup (Sione Vaki, a former safety at Utah) was a good role player but not a starter, and Isaiah Pacheco — acquired as the RB2 — was on injured reserve.

The "Sonic and Knuckles" breakup question: Jeremy acknowledged mild regret about ending the Montgomery–Gibbs partnership, primarily because the Lions' stated philosophy of running-back-by-committee had appeared to change the moment they realised they had Jameer Gibbs and could simply hand him 25 carries.

Lions Defence

Jeremy described the defence as genuinely improved over the past two weeks, primarily due to better game-planning: vs. Arizona, the Lions bracketed Trey McBride and Michael Wilson and dared Arizona to beat them with anyone else, which worked for three quarters; vs. Green Bay, they used a cornerback rotation reportedly inspired by the Cowboys' scheme, which neutralised the Packers' receivers over the top.

The secondary crisis was extensive. Ifeatu Melifonwu was out, Vonte Maddox had been lost in Week 1 or 2, Thomas Harper was out indefinitely, and Christian Isian had been benched after several bad games. A sixth-round rookie corner, Keith Abney, had been moved to safety roughly three weeks prior after the Lions asked him if he'd ever played the position ("once, in high school"). Brian Branch's return provided a needed stabilising presence — he played both as a near-the-line-of-scrimmage defender and as a deep safety and had made the play on Jordan Love's interception the previous week.

On Kirby Joseph: Jeremy read out the tweet Kirby had posted upon returning to practice — involving battery emotes, storm emotes, tornado emotes, and a "husky with a pointing finger right at the camera" — and noted that Kirby had then apparently deleted his Twitter account again, as he had done several times before. Jeremy described Brian Branch as softer-spoken on the field but emotionally volatile off it; after punching JuJu Smith-Schuster the prior year, Branch had been "a mess" in the locker room and had needed to call his pastor to process it. Both hosts agreed that Kirby Joseph's social media presence suggested a somewhat different psychological profile.

On the linebackers: Jack Campbell and Derek Barnes had both allowed passer ratings above 110 in coverage per PFF's nearest-coverage-player metric. Jeremy noted that this may be partially by design — the Lions' linebackers took two steps toward the line of scrimmage on almost every play to defend the run, then had to scramble back into their zones — but allowed that it remained a real vulnerability. Devin White had been brought in, played one game, and the Lions had immediately identified why he had been unsigned into training camp; he was placed on the sideline and had since broken his forearm. Trevor Nooski, a long-time special teamer, had been getting more work at the third linebacker spot than anyone had anticipated and had been promising in zone coverage.

On the pass rush: Alim McNeill was the primary improvement driver relative to last season, having returned from injury and looked like himself again. Aidan Hutchinson remained the most disruptive player and commanded extra attention from every opponent. Tyler Williams had added a pass-rush element to his run-defence skillset. D.J. Wonnum was capable when left unblocked. Skylar Gale-Howard, a sixth-round rookie, had been a revelation early in the season but had quieted down over the past two weeks. Jeremy reiterated that the Lions had scaled back their blitz rate from early-season experiments — they had tried to be aggressive and disguise coverages, but realised their linebackers and secondary weren't good enough in coverage to support it, so reverted to fundamentals.

The Lions' blitz rate was approximately 32.3%, which Arif found startling after months of tracking the Vikings' historically high rate. Jeremy: "Not every team is insane."

Special Teams and Game Prediction

Jeremy confirmed the Lions were #5 in special teams DVOA against the Vikings' #1. Tom Kennedy, who had been their punt and kick returner, suffered a season-ending injury; DeAndre Carter was signed as the replacement and had nearly broken two returns against the Packers. Jake Bates had again begun training camp at roughly 70% accuracy in practice, then been automatic in-season; Jeremy described this as a yearly tradition he did not understand. Jack Fox was an outstanding punter whose precision mattered more than distance given the Lions' tendency to punt from near midfield.

The game was a 3–3.5 point Lions favourite, with a huge playoff-probability swing involved: a Lions win moved their playoff probability to 62%, a loss dropped it to 46%. Jeremy called it a genuine toss-up. His bar: anything better than the Christmas game (the Brock Brosmer game, which featured nine net passing yards from the Vikings' quarterback). Arif described that as an appropriately humble target. Jeremy: "And it felt like the Colts came the closest to finding out what works against this defence and they scored 10 points."

Jeremy's contact information: prideatdetroit.com for the main site, prideatdetroit.com/subscribe for the premium newsletter, Pride Detroit on YouTube, Pride Detroit on Twitch, and @DetroitOnLion on Twitter ("Detroit on Lion, on lion, Gates" — he noted that no one ever gets the joke).

Mailbag

Optimism Castle Doctrine (Trade Deadline Corner) — Who are the Vikings going to trade for right after James publishes the episode? Quentin Nelson is off the table; the Colts are holding firm on a first-round pick for Jonathan Taylor, which Arif read as meaning they aren't receiving any offers anywhere near that value. A third and a fourth would be acceptable for Taylor; a second would be uncomfortable. Other running backs available: "Fadal" (looked decent with the Chargers), Braelon Allen (with the Jets). The ideal scenario: Eric McCoy from the Saints, which Arif acknowledged was not happening.

A Second Jet Has Hit Drew Blood (slightly inappropriate questions) — How are James and Arif going to deal with revisiting the Beating Goff Corner given that James is now married? James noted that Kirk Cousins beat Goff quite often and is famously married; the corner proceeded without incident.

(James) (Beating Goff Corner) — Jared Goff has averaged 261.5 yards, 1.5 touchdowns, and a 103 passer rating per game against Flores defences over six games. Why is he so hard to beat consistently? Arif pulled his database of quarterbacks against Brian Flores defences since 2023 (minimum 25 pass attempts): Goff ranked 5th in EPA per play and 7th in passer rating. The players who had outperformed him were Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Brock Purdy. Arif attributed Goff's success to the same traits he shares with most of the top performers: quick release, decisive post-snap reads, and the specific ability to look off the defence on play action and re-diagnose when he turns back. Drew Petzing had mentioned in a press conference that Goff's capacity to look pre-snap, turn his back on the defence during a play-action fake, and then immediately re-diagnose what he sees when he turns back was central to what made him effective. Arif contrasted this with Tyler Shough, who was a cerebral quarterback without the processing speed to get it out in time, and Malik Willis, who was not a processing quarterback at all.

Reef's Tormentor (Full Moon Corner) — Does Jared Goff play worse under a full moon, and how does Sunday's third-quarter moon phase bode for the Vikings defence? Arif had consulted Sumer Brain (the AI assistant), which answered this question immediately and without hesitation. No statistical correlation between lunar distance and Goff's performance was found. However, Sumer Brain produced an interesting narrative argument from 2019: Goff's best playoff game coincided with what it described as a "Super Blood Wolf Moon" (perigee plus total lunar eclipse plus full moon simultaneously). Two weeks later, before the Super Bowl, the moon was at less than 1% illumination — the darkest it could be. The Rams scored three points. Two other instances of near-perfect passer ratings in 2018 and 2024 also occurred immediately following full moons; the 2024 instance was described as a "Beaver Supermoon" against Jacksonville. Arif noted that he would be staying near a witch bookstore in Boston during the live show and would consult them about this.

Kyle Segal (Arif Hates Big Cats Corner) — How is Arif preparing for three consecutive games against teams bearing the iconography of his most despised foe: is he tossing people into tiger pits, encouraging leopard poaching, randomly punching ocelots? Arif was briefly confused about the third big-cat team before realising. He rejected the tiger-pit framing on the grounds that throwing people into tiger pits would benefit, rather than harm, the tigers. The corner devolved into a Tiger King and Carol Baskin tangent — James confirmed he remembered "Here Kitty Kitty" specifically because of the Offspring cover, which he described as phenomenally good.

Arif's Midlife Crisis (Astrology Corner / Episode Title) — A listener's birthday had been that week; when they mentioned it to a colleague, the colleague said "I suspected you were Scorpio trouble." What does that mean and is Arif annoyed he didn't get a happy birthday? Arif stated clearly that he was not up for a philosophy that determined someone's behaviour based on birth factors outside their control. He consulted Sumer Brain, which responded immediately ("happy birthday") and produced seventeen descriptors for Scorpios — including intense, passionate, magnetic, mysterious, fiercely loyal, and sharp-witted with a bit of a sting if crossed — which Arif described as extremely annoying given that AI usually lists things in threes. His translation of "Scorpio trouble": your colleague was being playful and suggesting you're mischievous. His recommendation: bring it up with HR. James revealed he had left a relationship after someone said "that makes sense, you're a Gemini." Arif revealed he had been romantically interested in someone at one point but could not let it go when they said "that makes sense, you're a Libra."

Four of Reefs (Francis Ford Coppola Masks / Bombs to London Corner) — A follow-up to Episode 621's Falcons Nazi iconography corner: the Falcons' offensive plan this week also involves "bombs to London" (wide receiver Drake London plus the wartime reference). Arif noted there was also a La'Kaylin London on the Falcons' defensive line, representing an unusual concentration of Londons on the roster. He catalogued other possible puns: Charles Snowden (vague potential), Mike Ford (Ford family involvement with the Third Reich, if you were stretching). The consensus was that the Drake London pun was so good it did not need to be extended.

Mad Max Brosmer (Moral Deficiency Corner) — As a non-voting minority shareholder of the Kansas City Chiefs, how does Arif justify signing paychecks for Harrison Butker and Justin Tucker? Arif clarified that as a non-voting shareholder he had logged his complaints, which were promptly ignored — a pattern he noted was consistent with his experience in other areas. James observed that a pattern in the roster was emerging.

Mad Max Brosmer (Norse Code Child Abuse and Cool Crimes Corner) — Is the show ending because the lawyers have ordered them to stop incriminating themselves? Or is child abuse a cool crime? James revealed the origin of his entry: he had been saying goodnight to his son, the son was being annoying, James was lying on him attempting to "squish him," his elbow accidentally hit the son's ear, and the son's first words the following morning were "please do not hit me in the ear again." Arif revealed that he had tripped his own child — deliberately, for revenge — and asked whether "revenge" could constitute child abuse. Both hosts agreed their crimes were cool, but not this kind of cool.

Key Bits & Lore

The episode title "Scorpio Trouble" derives from the Astrology Corner mailbag entry: a listener's colleague, upon learning it was their birthday, said "I suspected you were Scorpio trouble." This provoked Arif's characteristic rejection of astrology as a philosophy that determines behaviour based on birth factors outside one's control.
Arif's Big Cats Corner was established across multiple previous episodes based on Arif's antipathy toward big cats as a category; Episode 622 identified three upcoming games against big-cat-branded teams (Lions, Panthers, and a third the hosts declined to specify), prompting a Tiger King tangent and the confirmation that the Offspring's cover of "Here Kitty Kitty" is genuinely excellent.
Sumer Brain, the AI assistant Arif and James consult for questions that exceed their expertise (phases of the moon, Scorpio personality traits), was consulted twice in this episode and found no statistical correlation between lunar phase and Jared Goff's performance, while producing a compelling narrative argument that maybe there was one anyway.
The 2019 "Super Blood Wolf Moon" (perigee + total lunar eclipse + full moon) coincided with what Sumer Brain described as one of Jared Goff's best playoff performances; he then played his worst game of the season immediately before the darkest moon possible. Arif plans to consult a witch bookstore near the venue for the Boston live show.
The Discord community's reaction to the Olive Garden story from Episode 621 was described as wanting to imprison the 17-year-old version of Arif. His sole defender was "Tolkien Canadian," who argued: what else was he going to do, tell them he threw up? Arif: "The public reckoning I've taken from the masses who listen to the podcast is more than sufficient." James: "Karmically you have paid this debt several times over."
James accidentally hit his son in the ear with his elbow while saying goodnight; Arif deliberately tripped his child for revenge. Both agreed these were not the kind of cool crimes referenced in Episode 621.
Jeremy Reisman is of "the eminently Googleable POD cast," which stands for Pride of Detroit. He is one of Arif's "lukewarm" enemies; after spending an hour with Arif on his own podcast before recording this interview, lukewarm was confirmed as the accurate temperature.
Kirby Joseph's reactivation tweet — featuring battery, storm, tornado, and lightning emotes, a husky with a pointed finger, and the message "Don't ever doubt me again your mother [censored], this my last tweet though for a while lol, I love God, I love my family, I love my fans and I love this game, CBFW 2026 forever, ZOOP Energy OTW" — was read aloud by Jeremy. Kirby had subsequently deleted his account again.