The JD Bunkis Podcast

James Mirtle, senior writer at The Athletic, joins JD to dive into the pool of problems with the Maple Leafs (00:00). JD and James try to discern what the team's identity is, what the eye test and analytics is telling them about Toronto's poor defense, who deserves a slice of the blame pie and why, what the reason(s) for optimism are, and the strong play from John Tavares, William Nylander, Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson. The show ends with 'What We Missed!' (33:00) The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

JD reacts to the ugly weekend of hockey from the Maple Leafs (00:00). Brady Quinn, FOX NFL analyst and former NFL quarterback, helps JD (10:00) decipher teams who are contenders or pretenders, the Buffalo Bills brutal loss to the Miami Dolphins, different head coaching styles and what works in the modern game, Aaron Rodgers' reluctance to get hit, and JD's Seattle Seahawks. JD then offers a subtle warning to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

JD reacts to Blue Jays Preisdent Mark Shapiro and General Manager Ross Atkins speaking to the media. Ariel Helwani joins JD (7:00) to go through his sports trauma, why he's bitter about the Dodgers victory lap, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe on fight-fixing in the UFC. Next, JD gets into what he thought were the most important comments made at the conference by Shapiro and Atkins (36:00). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Shi Davidi, Sportsnet's senior MLB columnist, reflects on the comments from Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins and offers his read on why the President and General Manager didn't offer many meaningful thoughts (11:00). JD asks Shi about potential parrellel's between signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, what may sway Bichette, if the Jays payroll is expected to grow, Shane Bieber opting in, not being married to Jeff Hoffman as the bullpen closer in 2026, and which of the Jays starting pitchers may play a role next season. JD ends the week with his thoughts on the new Hockey Canada jerseys. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

JD reacts to Mark Shapiro's message to Blue Jays nation, reflects the front office's journey and what message(s) to expect from Shapiro and Ross Atkins (00:00). Jackie Redmond, from the NHL on TNT and WWE, joins JD (12:00) to lament about the end of the Blue Jays season, draw comparisons to the Maple Leafs, and outline the complicated feelings surrounding the Leafs. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, from the Real Kyper & Bourne, breaks down the biggest issues with the Leafs early in the season, the effort conundrum, the impact of undefined roles, how the powerplay might improve, what the Leafs could deal at the deadline and the best way to handle Easton Cowan. The show ends with 'What We Missed!' (33:00) The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith joins JD to detail Shane Bieber's decision to return to the Blue Jays (00:00). JD and Ben turn their attention to the other pitchers in the Jays 2025 starting rotation to discuss which pitchers could, or should, return to the Jays in 2026 (8:00). They foreshadow what the strategy of Jays ownership and management will be during the offseason, how they can take advantage of the Jays deep postseason run, and their thought process behind re-signing Bo Bichette. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

JD reacts to the news of Shane Bieber exercising his 2026 player option to stay with the Blue Jays (00:00). Joseph Casciaro from theScore joins JD to continue the conversation about the beloved Blue Jays, before turning the page to the Raptors (15:00). JD and Joseph sift through some early season impressions from the Raptors; RJ Barrett as the vocal leader, playmaking by committee, how Brandon Ingram is fitting in, Scottie Barnes' relentless defense, and Jamal Shead's impact. JD then touches on the moves at the NFL trade deadline (45:30). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

JD hopes the Leafs can use their comeback victory to begin formulating a team identity (0:00). James Mirtle, senior writer at The Athletic, joins JD to discuss the Leafs volatile effort, how the Leafs can separate from the mushy-middle of the Eastern Conference, if he's buying what he's seeing from Nick Robertson, Matias Macelli being healthy scratched by Craig Berube, Bobby McMann's role and fit on the team, a necessary powerplay shakeup, and Chris Tanev's health (14:00).  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Charles McDonald from Yahoo Sports joins JD to break down his takeaways from the Bills winning streak against the Chiefs in the regular season, why the Cowboys are buyers at the trade deadline, and what teams are real through Week 9 (00:00). Later, JD then explains why he thinks the Bills still have the best chance to knock-out the Chiefs in the AFC, before wrapping up the show with 'What We Missed!' (23:00) The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.