May 15, 2025 • 47 mins
Colin goes all in on the full release of the NFL's 2025 schedule! He examines the Chiefs schedule and believes the NFL's dynasty is headed for some regression after playing in 3 straight Super Bowls. He also turns his attention to the NBA with the Warriors season officially coming to an end in a loss to the Timberwolves and what their future holds as superstars Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler might be past their primes. Colin talks to new Bears head coach Ben Johnson about his vision for Caleb Williams and Chicago's offense.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowver
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Here we Go.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It is a Thursday, our post NFL schedule release show.
The Warriors season is now officially done. Live. It's the
Herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Thanks for making us part of your day.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Well, you know, Jmac, there are certain things in sports
that gotta get weird over years ago. People used to
think it was a weirdo twenty years ago because I
love the draft so much. But everybody's coming around on
not the schedule release. It's another one of those that
I think it does matter. Especially most teams in this
league are playing on the margins. They're not Baltimore or
(01:06):
Philadelphia where they've got better personnel and star quarterbacks and
they're winning by ten to twelve points. A lot of
teams those you know, Tua playing up north in December
is a disadvantage for the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You have to look at that right, huge.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Yeah, and I got to thank the NFL for giving
my Jets a one or zero start to the season.
We get the Steelers that hold open and makes it
Rudolph not Aaron.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Well, let's start with this.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So my one takeaway the NFL schedule, and it's a
fairly obvious one. Kansas City that is rough. So Kansas
City does not have a great O line and they're
going to try to figure it out. And they're using
a backup at left tackle that hasn't really started and
been the man from the Niners. So and it's a
(01:50):
hard unit to create cohesion. And if you look at
their first ten games, even the teams that we view
as weaker teams like the Giants good pass rush, Jacksonville
pass rush raiders, Max Crosby, So even the Wu's could
create problems for them. Forget Denver that led the NFL
in sacks, you face them.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Conversely, the Chargers.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Jim Harball look at his career in year two, everywhere
he goes, Chargers revamped run game, high end left and
right tackles, have a cookie dough soft schedule in the
middle of the season to gain momentum. So my prediction
that the Chargers win this division with a weaker schedule
(02:38):
really plays in the middle of the season. You're starting
to get dinged up, you're not playing with full rosters.
It is really soft with the Chargers and I again,
we've watched We've watched the Chiefs and Mahomes get blown
out in two Super Bowls. It's always been the same reason,
old line's not right. Well, I think they're going into
a season where the old line's not right. Add another thing,
(03:02):
Kansas City opens in Brazil. They have the most seven
prime time games. That's what the NFL does once you're
the star attraction.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
They have the.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Lions on a short week. Oh that's not good. They
have the Buffalo Bills on a short week. Yeah, that's
not good either. Remember that Brazil game. Last year, Philadelphia
went to Brazil and beat Green Bay. The Eagles came
back groggy and the next week lost to the Atlanta Falcons.
So that'll take some that'll take some air out of
(03:32):
the sales. Here's what we know. Andy Reid and Mahomes
are as good as anybody in the world at what
they do. But again, this team played on the margins
last year, okay, and I think with this O line
the kryptonite to Kansas City in their two Super Bowl
blowout losses has been the O line. This going into
(03:53):
a season they lost Joe Toney is their weakest O line.
A little bit of finger crossing here. Last year's was
okay going into the season, a bit of a mess
at the end of the season. So this is not
a team like Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia with stacked rosters that
are not playing on the margins. They're getting seven or
eight blowout games a year when margins shrink, everything counts.
(04:13):
This team had the third lowest point differential in the
AFC West, so in their own division, Denver and the
Chargers had more blowout wins, and I think Denver and
the Chargers will be noticeably better bo Knicks now into
a second year with Peyton. They had some interesting draft
picks at running back and wide receiver. So the downside
(04:34):
to becoming America's team is that the NFL this is
what they do. And I can remember after the Giants
would win a Super Bowl in Conflin and Eli and
they'd put them on Sunday night and they'd flex them
in and everybody loved it except the giants and the
older players. So here is Travis Kelcey on his podcast
New Heights talking about that opener in Brazil.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
And I'll be there. Yeah, I'll be there pretty busy
in the heat. If it's human, I'm going to be miserable.
I'm gonna make it. I'm I'm gonna be just surrounded
by the Amazon rainforest. This is a good point. If
it's hot and humid and kind of what I'm expecting,
I'm going to be miserable. But we're going to find
a way to get a win.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Hip hip hooray.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
So my number one take Kansas City going into a
season with an offensive.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Line I don't love.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I mean, when you start looking last year at the
teams at the end of the season that are really
formidable and leaning on people, a lot of them Washington
was an exception, had really really buttoned up o lines.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
All right, So the Warriors lost.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
The oldest interesting team in the league is out Minnesota
that's got some age, but much deeper, bigger roster prevails
pretty easily. Jimmy Butler w on he took eleven shots.
Some of that is energy, some of that was Kaminga
had a lot of energy. Minnesota got great looks. All
you had to do is look at the box score
and it tells you Golden State was tired. Minnesota shot
(06:10):
sixty three percent, dominated in the paint, had almost double
the assists. They were moving very well. Julius Randall thirteen
of eighteen Bullyball. The three best Warriors, Butler, Steph, and
Draymond all out of their prime. Two thirty five year
olds and a thirty seven year old, and they're only
(06:31):
getting older. So all it took was a popped hamstring
and the house collapses. It's interesting Jonathan Kaminga, who just doesn't.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Work with Butler and staff. He's great.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
He was great when Steph got hurt, so they'll be
able to show that off. And he raised his market
value because everybody has sort of understood that the Steph offense,
that ecosystem, it's just not friendly the young players. James
Wiseman never got it going. Cominga can't be on the
floor with Butler and Steph. It just doesn't work. But
he was the one guy last night that jumped off
(07:04):
the TV. He was the one guy you looked at
and thought, oh, he can go toe to toe with
Minnesota's athletic bigs, so they'll have a market for him.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
And Pods is a guy you have to keep.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
He's got a market as well, but you're gonna have
to move off at least one of your really good
young players. So the Warriors to some degree have become
an antique store, and Okase is the Apple store right
next door. And I think the Warriors are gonna get
worse every year unless they pull off a big, big
(07:36):
deal for Kaminga. People are gonna want Pods and cominga,
they'll keep Pods. They view him as sort of a
staph an emerging shooter that works with Steph. But I
will say this, you know what, It really reminds me
of watching last night. So I and Belichick took the
hit for all of the shortcomings for the New England
(07:58):
offense right before Tom left. But just consider New England
and Belichick and Brady, the Warriors staff and Steve Kerr.
They built a very high intellect, sophisticated offense, both Kerr
and Curry and Draymond.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It's very sophisticated.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Young people struggle and for years, everybody always said, well,
why can't New England, why can't they draft the wide receiver. Well,
some of it was most of it was Belichick wasn't
a good drafter. Some of it was Tom didn't want
a babysit them. And so what you have. You have
the benefit of the brilliance of Belichick and the brilliance
of Steve Kerr. You have the benefit of Brady and Steph.
(08:41):
But these are so high functioning, almost academic offenses. They
don't play with kids. Well New England didn't. That's why
New England got old and slow, really fast. Brady went
young down in Tampa, and that's why it looked. When
you watch Okai and you watch Indiana, and you watch
(09:01):
these young teams Houston, and then you watch Golden State,
some of it is on this offense that just doesn't
play well with others under the age of twenty three
years old. That's what New England became. So I just
think they're just getting a year older. I think all
these Houston's, Indiana's maybe some degree in New York still
(09:24):
got some youth Cleveland. I think those teams are getting better.
I think the Warriors are getting older. But Steve Kerr
is still a believer.
Speaker 6 (09:34):
I know we had a shot. I know we could
have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn't have, but it
doesn't matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who
stays healthy and who gets hot. You know, are you
playing well at the right time, do you have multiple
guys step up in key games, make shots, and do
(09:55):
you have good health? And you know you see it
every year series and so there's a there's there's a
little bit of luck involved, you know, and we, like
I said, we've been on both sides of that and
that's just part of it.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
But I will say this, and I love Steve Kerr.
Older teams get hurt more often and older teams recover
more slowly, and the Warriors are just getting older. There
is a little bit of luck involved. But when you
got when you got Steph Curry running two miles per
(10:31):
game on that treadmill for that offense, and he is
so valuable. Without it, they're not even the same looking
watching team Warriors are a hard watch without Steph. So
I I you could say there's there's luck involved, but
remember we all know this the NBA, and it's helped
ratings is allowing more physical basketball. What does that mean
(10:54):
more injuries? My guess they will come to the older teams,
not the younger ones. And I really do believe the
NBA used to be go get three great players the
Heatles KD Steph Clay.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
I don't think that's it anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
I think the new CBA and the new Aprons, it's
all about roster construction. I mean the Celtics are often
weirdly as good or better without Tatum. I mean, like
Oklahoma City's roster. I think San Antonio's is going to
get very deep. Houston's already is. They just don't have
(11:31):
a second dominant great score. So I just Steve kerstill
believes it. You can talk yourself it's into luck. But
the new style of playoff basketball is not going to aid.
It's not going to aid the older rickety teams, two
thirty five year olds and a thirty seven year old,
So j mac it is. I got into this discussion
(11:53):
last night. Lebron's out of the playoffs, Steph Curry's out
of the playoffs. The Celtics brand, I think we'll lose
to New York. They'll be out of the playoffs. Do
you think Knicks Pacers.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I do.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I think it's compelling. Do you think Oklahoma City Minnesota?
Speaker 7 (12:07):
Like?
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I think these are really good series? But I'm more
NBA die hard than the casuals. I this whole thing
about the NBA being rigged. You wouldn't have OKAC and
Minnesota in and Stephan Lebron out. What do you make
of what potentially is our final four?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:22):
The way I look at as I talk to buddies
and they're like, hey, hey, let's go out to hang out,
And I'm like, well, there's an NBA Finals game and
Lebron's in it. I'm not missing that. I would be
okay missing a conference semi conference finals matchup between and SGA, Like,
it's not mandatory viewing.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I mean, it's a great matchup, no doubt. I'm gonna
watch the game.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
But if something comes up, you know, you want to
go to a Dodgers game, Sure, I'll go to a
Dodgers game. But Colin, it's just it's not the sexy.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Matchups that we want. Right.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
If Curry's playing, I'm glued to the TV. Lebron I'm glued,
but SGA, I'm just not there yet.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 7 (12:56):
I hope that doesn't make me an elitist.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yeah, no, I think I think this is the transition.
I think when Michael Jordan left, the league lost fifty
percent of its numbers. But I do think I do
think there's a little Lebron fatigue, where stylistically, Curry is
still a great watch, but I do think Lebron is
an older player. I'm more fascinated I am with Luca
(13:21):
than Lebron because I've seen all Lebron's game, Luca's growth,
his cardio, lack of defense, a bit controversial part of
a trade. So I don't think you're going to see
a massive drop off. I just I don't think the
Warriors are what Steve Kerr believes, just bad luck away
from advancing. I think they're just going to be a
year older, and I think Oklahoma City, with all this
(13:42):
experience Indiana, they're just going to be better.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Don't forget to love hate the polarization. If you really
love or hate Lebron and that's what he is, you're
gonna watch. I just don't feel like anybody hates SGA,
but he hates it.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
They haven't done anything to be hateable. Lebron's won a
lot moved around teams.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
People just dislike him, but I do believe, you know,
maybe there's that element with the Knicks, but they still
have to pull it out. Colin, Are you sure there're
a lock to win this series? All the pressures on them?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Yeah, I'm not good points.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
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Speaker 1 (14:20):
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Speaker 3 (14:29):
The NFL.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Is very intentional with it schedule. It's making bets on things.
I still think the Cowboys are on TV way too
much and I work for Fox, but there's a couple
of schedules that are interesting. The Chicago Bear schedule is interesting,
a very soft middle and big brands late Philly, Green Bay,
(14:53):
Green Bay, San Francisco rivalry game with Detroit. So it's
a rough six weeks at the end. But with all
these new offensive line pieces, and we've talked about this
cohesion for the Bears on line, it won't be great
in August, in September, they should have their act together late.
So the NFL sent a message we think Chicago is
(15:16):
going to be a viable TV product at the end
of this year. They have that many They have the
clever new coach, an ascending player at quarterback, a lot
of good weapons, so that at the end of the season,
it's Philly, it's San Francisco, it's Green Bay twice. League
thinks are going to be good and interesting, and so
do I. So five of their last six games are
(15:39):
either on TV with against big brands, or they're flexible
and it's a very soft middle of the schedule, right
there's a chance to get some wins here. So it's
a very purpose, purposeful act by the NFL on the
Chicago Bears. The other one that jumped out to me
was Washington and the Commanders. I mean they went from
a franchise that was radio active waste to how many
(16:01):
times can we get Jaden Daniels on television? So Washington
has eight straight games with no one o'clock window. Okay,
that's where they were buried for years. Get Washington out
of the way. Jaden Daniels, to me, has and this
was sort of his comp I said he was going
to be like Lamar Jackson light not quite the runner,
(16:24):
but better in the pocket early on crazy fun. NFL
defensive coordinators last year just had trouble figuring him out.
So I mean, it's very rare when the NFL goes
by year two. Yeah, we're putting him in the biggest spots.
Monday Night Football against Mahomes. It's Washington, that's because a
(16:44):
one guy. And then the end of the year Philadelphia
on Fox standalone game Saturday. Oh, the following week Christmas
against the Cowboys. Then the following week probably the biggest
game of the week against Philadelphia. And my take is
they'll be battling either for Washington a playoff spot. I'll
(17:05):
think they'll be in. I'll they'll be battling for the
NFC East Crown. I think Dallas and the Giants are
significantly weaker. But the Bear schedule Marquee games late. They
don't want to they don't want to throw a lot
of Carolina Panthers Saints in Cleveland late. They got Bears
on a lot of those big TV games, and they'll
be flexible. And Washington they're out of a one o'clock
(17:26):
window already already. Even CJ. Stroud didn't get Houston. This
kind of schedule in year two. That tells you that
Washington's been a sleeping giant in this sport forever. There
used to be one hundred year waiting list when they
had a different name, and now year two like we're
stacking them all over. Chiefs Monday Night Football against Mahomes Cowboys.
(17:51):
No coincidences with NFL scheduling.
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Speaker 1 (18:58):
I understand if you're a Celtic fan, you take this
as a shot at Jason Tatum. It's just data. Is
the Celtics without Jason Tatum. Boston blows out New York
last night. The last two seasons without him, they're seventeen
and three. That would be better than any winning percentage
(19:19):
in the league. They're points per game are one hundred
and twenty, number one in the league the last two years.
This is a sample size twenty games without Jason Tatum,
They're virtually offensively number one in every category except field
goal percentage.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
They plummet the fourth.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Okay, so I've never seen anything like this in basketball historically.
Now the Bulls when they lost Jordan, remember he went
and played baseball. They went fifty seven wins champions to
fifty five wins. Now they had bj Armstrong, Coup, coach,
Horace Grant, Scottie Pippen. They were a very good team.
They were a number three seed, but they were not
nearly as good closing games without Michael. Celtics are Celtics are?
(20:02):
I mean last night Jerrick White stepped up. Peyton Pritchard,
Are Mason, Jalen Brown, Luke Cornett, whatever that was. They
have so many their roster construction is so good. They
have so many B plus players that they feel empowered.
When Jason's gone, they get more touches and looks. So
it's the only comparison because this is so rare in
(20:23):
basketball history. You watch you watch the Warriors without Steph unwatchable.
You watched Denver when Jokic hits the bench, brutal, even
if Jokic just tired, brutal. The only comparison to the
Celtics historically to me is like Joe gibbson Washington where
(20:44):
they were winning Super Bowls. The star quarterback did not
It was a stout defense, dominant offensive, lines, very good
run game, and like Mark Ribbin at quarterback or Doug
Williams at quarterback, they were certainly capable, but they were
not led by a quarterback. And that's what we expect, right,
(21:04):
And I think part of this is that in basketball
and to some degree in international soccer, we love the collective,
but we want a Messi or a Ronaldo or and Boppey.
We want you know, Rooney. We want our guys and
in basketball we're just not historically used to and the
(21:25):
rating show we.
Speaker 7 (21:26):
Don't like it.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
The seventies NBA where it's is it a start? Now?
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Walton, I'd argue was a star. I would argue Elvin
Hayes was a star. Doctor j was a star. Rick
Berry was a star. So we always say, like the
seventies was just good teams, not great. You had some
really Rick Berry was pre Larry Bird. But we want
our champion to have a superhero in basketball, Kobe and Shack,
Michael Jordan, magic Bird. We want a superhero and the
(21:55):
Celtics don't have one, and we're uncomfortable with it. That's
the basketball culture, and so that's why you offer and
see the fans and the media trying to project James
Harden into a superstar or Stevie Francis into a superstar,
and they're just really good players.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
So I think it's.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
We want, you know, we want Mission Impossible from our
NBA champ, big brand, Tom Cruise. We don't necessarily love
Ocean's eleven. And that's kind of that's kind of what
Boston is. If you look at these numbers the last
two years, it's not a shot at Jason Tatum. It's
(22:32):
the Joe Gibbs Washington teams. The quarterback was just way
more replaceable than he would have been in Kansas City,
New England, San Francisco with Joe Montan. The numbers don't lie.
They don't even go down. Sometimes their net rating goes
up in certain stats. So it's just not we don't
love our basketball to be like that. We want the
(22:55):
superhero where when he steps out or he gets in
foul trouble, there's a clear breach, there is a clear drop.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
And now I.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Do think Jason Tatum gone for three games is different
than Jason Tatum gone.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
For eighty two.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
And I also think they're gonna move off Horford and Porzingis,
so they're gonna lose some size. They're gonna you know,
they're Tatum Brown and Derek White making a lot of
money and those contracts are just starting. But I think
Drew Holliday could be gone. So I think the Celtics
will be a playoff team next year. But they are
historically unique, Tatum's gone, and they mow through a very
(23:32):
good next team. All right, I will address the San
Francisco forty nine Ers schedule. By most terms, it's egregious.
Who knew Canadian Football League teams could get inserted in
to the NFL schedule? Live in Chicago, it's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
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Speaker 4 (23:57):
The lights in prime time as the mem This show
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Speaker 1 (24:09):
So I have been a skeptic on the last couple
of drafts for the San Francisco forty nine Ers. I
have said this, they're getting old and expensive. I don't
like their offensive line. I thought this year's draft with
a lot of hit and miss, with eleven picks four
or five. I like five or six. I didn't, But
they have the easiest NFL schedule. I'm not joking since
(24:32):
the twenty to fifteen Atlanta Falcons. And it's based on
two metrics. Number one is last year's results, so they're
playing a lot of teams that were bad last year.
And the second metric is a lot of teams that
are projected to be lousy this year. So on two
different metrics, they've got the easiest schedule. Now, I will
(24:53):
say this, if you gave Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Matt Stafford,
Josh Allen, this schedule is thirteen to fourteen wins. This
is an affront to competitive football. And I don't want
to hear fifty five million dollars brock Purty. I don't
want to hear any excuses or I don't want to
hear any Pom poms when he wins ten games with
(25:14):
this mess of a schedule. Sanford's not only is this
schedule littered with mediocrity, they don't face a single team
off a buye okay, outside of Matt Stafford twice and c. J.
Stroud once. They don't face what people view as an
(25:34):
elite quarterback. In fact, it's rookie quarterbacks. It's quarterbacks without
twenty total starts.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
So I'm done with it.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Brock pretty excuses and people will say, well, Colin, he's
missing this, and he's missing that. You know what, He's
missing back to back tough games all season. This is
as easy as a schedule gets. So this is bowling
with bumpers. This is a trust fund schedule, no discomfort.
And again does it make me think? And I'll say this,
(26:05):
I think the division is better. I think the Rams
are in a group of five Super Bowl favorite teams.
I think Arizona's defense, which they went all in on
free agency and draft with a defensive coach, is going
to be feisty. I think Seattle's got a great roster,
and I think Minnesota is going to regret I do.
I think They're going to regret moving off Sam Darnold.
(26:27):
So I think the division is really good. Not AFC West,
maybe not NFC North, but it's really good.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
But that schedule, what can I say?
Speaker 1 (26:38):
It starts easy a couple you know Rams a little,
and it ends easy.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
You don't get Rams in the first month.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
You know, you don't get a you don't get playoff
teams in the last month. Maybe they could complain their
buys too late, but it is I mean, you could
down the stretch have Schador Sanders and Cam war and
Anthony Richardson and it's a lot of nothing.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Come okay, real quick.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
If you're looking for a hiccup, there are four road
games in five weeks. That looks a little difficult there
in October at Rams, at Tampa, and then they got
Houston and the New York Giants.
Speaker 7 (27:19):
That could be difficult.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
Four road games of five weeks. You know, you got
a Trent Williams injury, you're kind of screwed.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Sorry, Yeah, that's a that's a real toughe right there
at the New York Giants, who shudder.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
That'll keep you awake at night.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
So the other thing that kind of jumps out to me,
as I had said every year, I'm proud of this
actually probably too much. So pick the team that I
think is going to double their win total. And of
course last year I had Washington, and I said Denver
was also going to be much better. The year before
the Rams, everybody said they'll be in a rebuild, and
Jay McK and I argued incessantly in the offseason year
(27:55):
before that, I think it was Minnesota. So I have
said the team the safest bet to double your win
total is New England, and they were four and thirteen
last year, so they were not a favorite in any
game last year. They're already a three and a half
point favorite in their opener hosting the Raiders. I would
probably take the Raiders at three and a half. But
(28:15):
so I use basically a math equation when I'm trying
to figure out how a team doubles their win total,
I go to math. So it's it's uncle Colin math.
But here is my math, and see if you can
follow this. So I think this is the coaching sport.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton, I thought that was a touchdown.
That was a touchdown swing Girrawd Mayo to Mike Rabel,
I'm going to say it's half that. I'm going to
say that's a three point improvement. One of the top
ten coaches to a guy that appears to be more
of a position or a coordinator. Again, Peyton to Hackett
was the difference between embarrassing in the playoffs with a
(28:53):
rookie quarterback. Drake may Is going into year two three
hundred and sixty five million in free agency spending I
think is worth a point that point and a half.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I mean, you got eight new starters.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Eleven draft picks, including a left tackle that's worth a
point much better depth, a starting left tackle Drake May
second year with a much better staff that feels like
to me, that's worth a point to a point and
a half. So that is seven total points. If this
team had seven total points last year, they would have
(29:24):
won ten games. So at four wins, I kind of
have them targeted for nine and a playoff team. I
think they're a nine and eight, maybe ten and seven
if they stay healthy. And that's just by Vrabel's a
field goal, starting left tackle, and eleven draft picks depth
a point three hundred and sixty five million in free
(29:44):
agency a point to a point and a half. Drake
May with better coaches year two a point to a
point and a half. If you look at New England's
first nine weeks, take out the Buffalo game right in
the middle of it, four before, at four after it.
If Drake May is as good as he he showed
last year with kind of a second level staff, if
he improves and with Rabel a better left tackle, a
(30:08):
little more weaponry. He will potentially be the best quarterback
in eight of the first nine weeks. So last year
I picked Washington and Denver. Year before Rams, I take
New England as the safest team to go from four
wins to at least eight. I think they're probably going
to be closer to nine. I also think you're gonna
(30:29):
have teams like Week eight for Cleveland, that could be
a transitioning team moving into Shduur standards. I think you've
also got some brand. I mean, like New Orleans week six,
who's starting for them at quarterback? You could be transitioning
into Okay, we're zero and five, let's give the next
Let's give the kid from is at Louisville, Let's give
(30:49):
him some starts. So I think, like New Orleans and Cleveland,
you get to start week six, seven, eight, the local
media's crushing, Yeah, you got one win. You could be
moving off Flacco to Shadure. You could be moving off
with starting in New Orleans to the rookie. So I
just think there's a lot of things here that work.
I think week thirteen it's gonna be Russell Wilson's team
to start. But you get into a week twelve and
(31:09):
thirteen and the Giants may just say we're shutting it down.
We want to see Jackson Dart for the last five
or six weeks. I could see getting Jackson Dart in
week thirteen with the Giants. Who knows what the Jets will.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Be at quarterback.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
So I think New England is pretty easy one to
me and I you know, not every team that makes
the playoffs is great. I don't think they're a team
probably gonna win a playoff game. But we've said this before.
Fourteen teams make the playoffs. You usually get five four
to five teams that we think will win the super Bowl,
and then about four to five to six teams that
(31:42):
we think can absolutely win a game, maybe a second.
There's a couple of playoff teams that sneak in that
we just don't. We don't think they're going to win
a playoff game, but we appreciate the effort. I think
New England's going to be closer to that than the
top or the second layer. I don't think they're a
team that still has enough juice on the perimeter. But
get you have eleven draft picks, you're going to get
at least three to four starters out of that, and
(32:04):
you spend three hundred and sixty five million dollars in
free agency, you're getting five or six starters on that.
And again this is the coaching sport. Go to Denver.
Denver was saddled with the Russell Wilson contract, so there
were moves Sean Payton wanted to make and couldn't. So
Mike Trable's not saddled with any.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Of that stuff.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
New staff. I mean you can look at that. I'll
tell you right now. Kyle Williams, that third round pick
for New England, could be one of the rookies that pops.
He is a really electric player. I saw a lot
of him in college, so you know, I look at
their offensive defensive line. Milton Williams got overpaid. That's a
(32:44):
starter week one, so feel pretty good about it. We
have to guess by the way our two's coming up.
Albert berstops by. When is shodder get a start?
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I got my week?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
I'm ready Hour two.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
The one More Heard. The Herd streams twenty four hours
a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app.
Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you,
like I thought.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Chicago's old line would get better. Last year, it felt worse.
He completed sixty two and a half percent of his throats,
running for his life, twenty touchdown passes, only six picks.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Now, he was sacked sixty eight times.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
But the numbers aren't you know, I mean, only six picks,
sixty two and a half percent completion somemversise running for
his life in a division that had Detroit, Green Band,
Minnesota all really good teams. So I don't think Minnesota's
going to be as good this year, and I think
Caleb's got a much better quarterback. Also, the story coming
out today Seth Wickersham had talked to Caleb's father, Carl Williams,
(33:49):
and reporting that Carl did not want his son initially
to play in Chicago, and Albert Breer addressed that an
hour ago.
Speaker 10 (33:57):
And his dad's a very smart and accomplished businessman, and
you know, taught his son to think differently.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
And the reality is, like this is.
Speaker 10 (34:06):
Something that all teams were looking into, and anybody that
was going to be in a position to draft him
was concerned about this. You can understand his concerns certainly,
you know, I think this is something that more and
more athletes think about, and you know, it's something we
heard about with Shadur a lot, you know, going into
his draft a lot of times. You know, I think
(34:26):
these guys were able to take a bigger picture view
of it, and the bigger picture view of it would
show that going to the right place isn't more is
absolutely more important than the game.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Drafted as high as you can.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Yeah, I think I think. Listen, I never had a problem.
I reported this a year ago. I said, you know,
his dad had some misgivings about it, but Caleb's like,
you know what, I'm going to go to Chicago. It's
a great American city and I'm going to be their
first great quarterback. So I always like Caleb. I got
along with him great. He's very respectful. I saw I
went to the Notre Dame USC game and I told
the story is I saw his dad said to his dad,
(35:00):
and Caleb was sitting in the front row with friends,
and I came down and just out of respect, I
just tapped him on the shoulder.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
I said, hey, buddy, just great seeing you.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
He got up made a point and I'm like, you
don't have to get up I just wanted to say, hey,
keep kicking butt, You're going to do great and very
respectful got up, came up the stairs. Caleb did, and
I was like, I just think he's a really I
really like him. And I also think it's sometimes it's
unfair that, you know, all these quarterbacks now the nil
they are stars coming out of college. Bill Parcell's a
brilliant guy, used to say, do not draft a celebrity quarterback. Well,
(35:30):
Baker Mayfield was a star. Sam Darold, you know he
was a star. Caleb's a star. I mean, yeah, it's
just the reality of it. I mean, bow Nick's at Oregon.
I mean everybody knew bow Nicks for the last five years.
So I think we the world's changed. These kids make
money in college. Take a deep breath with that. Ben
Johnson now is joining us. The new Bear's coach is.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Joining us live. So you know it's funny we you
forget about this coach?
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Is that you know, I was looking and people forget
Tua came out of college, didn't have a great fit
with the staff. You know, he and the Brian Flores
struggle got Mike McDaniels Pro Bowl, Jared Goff got a
defensive coach getting a great stuff boom, here comes McVeigh Popps.
So listen, we all said last year, I said, it's
(36:16):
just easier.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
To get an offensive coach. Go ask Bo Nixon, Sean Baton.
It just helps.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
Did you feel when you have first sat down with Caleb,
I gotta build this kid's confidence up like a tool,
like a golf it's rough, it's a hard sport. Did
you feel that was part of your process. I want
to make sure this kid knows we really believe in him.
Speaker 7 (36:36):
Yeah, well, he does know that we believe in him,
there's no question about that. But Caleb Steele has never
been a confidence issue. He knows he's a high level player.
He's been that way since middle school, high school, college,
and it's going to continue to be that way here
in the NFL. But what we're trying to do is
we're trying to support him, give him some clarity on
(36:56):
what our expectations are on and off the field, and
help and grow and develop. And so far we've only
had call it six weeks now the off season program.
It's going really well.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
So you got two new coordinators, you're on first time
head coach. Caleb's in the year two, Who do you
lean on in that locker room?
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Ben? What player or maybe unit is it Tony? Is
it Dolman? Who do you lean on in that offense?
Speaker 7 (37:24):
We've got a number of players offensively and defensively that
have Pro Bowls under their belt, that have playoff game experience,
win experience, and so I think when you look at that,
those are the guys not just for Caleb, but for
the entire team that we're leaning on to show us
what good football looks like, what good teams do, and
to establish that standard for the rest of us to
(37:46):
fall into line. And so Tooney's a great name on offense.
I mean, I don't know that anybody's had quite the
level of success on our entire roster that he's had.
Call it six Super Bowls and he's won four of them.
I mean, it's outstanding. And then you go over to
face to drill workout on the field and he's busting
his rear end and he just had a Super Bowl
that he was in a few weeks ago. So I mean,
it's it's pretty outstanding. And it doesn't take long for
(38:09):
somebody that first time these rookies coming in, they turn
and they see how he goes about his business, and
pretty quick they understand, well, if I want to last
a long time, I need to just do what he does.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
So I asked a GM, a very very good GM
in the NFL recently, about you, and he said, you know,
he goes most coaches we hire CEOs now it's a
CEO job. He said, you get occasionally lucky with a
Shanahan or and Andy Reid that they're scheme geniuses and
they can do CEO. That's really hard. And he said
Ben has a chance to do that. Ben's excellent on
scheme and he has the personality. A lot of guys
(38:44):
in the league think Ben has the chance to.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
Be the CEO.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
But most it's a CEO job now more than it
is x'es and o's. So is the difficulty with you, Ben,
You're gonna be on that headset. How do you manage
yourself to go, oh, no, no, I'm the CEO here
because there are things that happen on a sideline in
game where you got to put the CEO hat on
and you can't be a mile deep on calling plays.
(39:08):
Will that be hard? On the first call you disagree
with coming to the headset.
Speaker 7 (39:13):
Well, shoot, I mean yeah, everything that everything I'm doing
right now springtime training, it's it's my first time doing it,
So there'll be some things that pop up that I
got to work through and find the best process for
not only myself, but what's best for the team. That's
the most important thing, and the fortunate thing is the
way this staff has been constructed is with that in mind.
(39:34):
A lot of my blind spots or the areas that
I could use the most help in. We've got some
really good experienced coaches with Dennis Allen or Richard high
Tower on defense and special teams on offense. We've got
Eric the Enemy that's that's coordinated in this league, Press
Taeler that's coordinated in this league. So there's there's a
lot of high level experience throughout this coaching staff that
they're gonna help help foresee any any bumps in the
(39:57):
road and help me navigate on game day. We got
to a great game management guy of the name Harry Freed.
He's done it for a long time and he's going
to be able to help me stay ahead of that
because I really haven't. As a play caller, you have
to be exposed to that and understand those situations. But
now it's a little bit different moving over to the
defensive side of the ball and being on the headset
with them when they're up.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
So one of the things I liked about Jayden Daniels
and Caleb Williams coming out of college, they move a lot.
You get all the upside, not a lot of picks.
It's a little Mahomes. Aaron Rodgers in his prime didn't
throw a lot of picks. Most great quarterbacks l Way
Manning far, they throw picks. That's Andrew Luck, it's part
of the deal. Caleb doesn't. Now some have said, well,
(40:39):
he holds the ball along whatever. I mean, he's a playmaker.
The criticism I heard out of college from GMS with
rings was he is so gifted. And we saw a
little bit of this with Mahomes. Sometimes you got to
just give him layups, just take what the defense gives you.
How do you coach that, because it's a strength, it
(41:03):
can be a little bit of a burden, that great athleticism.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
How do you coach that?
Speaker 7 (41:09):
Well, I think it starts with what we're doing right
now in the springtime is establishing the intent of every
play call, and that takes time, and it takes a
number of reps. But the more time we spend together
with myself with Declan Doyle or our offensive coordinator, with JT. Barrett,
our quarterback coach, in that room with the quarterbacks, the
(41:29):
more it comes to light and why we're calling plays
and where that ball should go. And the more the
quarterback understands the why the quicker he is to see
the defense and deliver the ball to the primary or
the secondary targets. So that's what we're working through right now.
At the end of the day, though, Caleb was taken
as a high draft pick because of that play making
(41:49):
ability that you're alluding to, and so we don't want
to newter that as well. So there's a fine line
of understanding what we're doing and how we're doing it.
But at the same time, when things don't go maybe
to plan, we're not going to discourage his playmaking ability
and his ability to create outside of the pocket as well.
So that's gonna be a fun balance for us to
(42:11):
go through both spring and training camp. I mean, can't
we can't get enough reps right now really as a team,
and so we're looking to maximize those going forward.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
So offensive line is to me the most underrated unit
in the sport, but it's also the hardest to create cohesion.
You've got a young guy, you got a rookie, You've
got Drew Dolman, you got Joe Tooney.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
You've got a lot of moving parts here.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
I think potentially it could be great, but I've seen
a bit of a trend over the last five to
six years that veterans aren't playing preseason football. So you're
going to have to September. You're going to get a
lot of the work in for the tunies. You don't
want to put him out there and get banged up.
What is a I looked at your schedule and I said, well,
the toughest part of their schedules late. They're going to
have until Thanksgiving to get that puppy rolling. You don't
(42:54):
want to face the toughest part in the first four weeks.
Not that your early schedule is easy, but at the
end you're facing defensive front that can be substantially tough.
How long what is realistic to say okay, Dolman, Tony
the rookie. What is a realistic time to go okay,
we are a cohesive?
Speaker 3 (43:14):
Top ten unit.
Speaker 7 (43:16):
Yeah, I think that's going to be the challenge there
during training camp is how quickly can we come together.
I mean they're really bonding as a unit right now
communication wise, but we don't have the pads on. I
think we need the pads on before we truly start
gelling together. So training camp is going to be critical
for us. I actually like where that bye week is
because it usually takes about four weeks into the season
(43:38):
to find out who you are as a team and
what you do well and which you don't do well,
and then that's at a good time so that we
can reflect on that as a coaching staff to really
hone in on what we want to be for that
the remaining three quarters of the season. I would say
my experience has been when you when you get a
new group together, it could take up to have to
(43:59):
see before they really start to mesh in and come together.
In terms of the run game more so than pass pro,
I think we should be a pretty good pass pro
unit right off the jump, but that run game, the communication,
the angles with which we're all going trusting each other,
particularly in the wide zone scheme that we're installing right
(44:20):
now in OTAs, that's something that we want to make
sure that we get plenty of time on task.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
On So all human beings are the same in one aspect.
If you're afraid of flying and you're on a plane
and the minute turbulence hits, where does your mind go
back to your fears? So I reported a year ago,
Seth Wickersham reported it today that Caleb was worried about
the history of the Bears offense and so you didn't
(44:47):
inherit it. That's not your issue. You don't care about that.
But there is a psychology, Ben that's true. He goes
into a two week losing streak and it's turbulence on
a plane that was he was scared to fly anyway,
How do you ensure that when there are bumps in
this division and there are bumps for him, that those
fears that are now reported of oh Man, this organization
(45:11):
and quarterback, he's had those. That's okay, some installed by
his dad, whatever, How do you ensure during the turbulence
of this season and there will be your division's too good,
there's too many good teams on the schedule, how do
you ensure he doesn't lose faith, faith and belief in
your system?
Speaker 3 (45:29):
Well, you talk.
Speaker 7 (45:30):
About fears, and I don't see it quite the same way.
I see, this is what a great opportunity we have
to do something that really has never been done. There
hasn't been a four thousand yard passer here in this franchise,
and I think Caleb is going to be the first one,
and one of many years, many seasons to come where
he's able to accomplish that feat. So I see a
(45:52):
chance for greatness here for him. He's been communicated that way,
and he feels the same way. I don't know what's
going on prior to him joining the organization, but he
he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear. That's
what our conversations have included. And he's really excited to
get to work right now and be the best version
of himself for twenty twenty five. There's no question we're
(46:17):
gonna face adversity both he will, he's not gonna We
want to see growth from here to here over the
course of the season, and it's not gonna be linear growth.
It's gonna be a little bit of ups and downs
and stair steps along the way. But we want to
see from game one the game seventeen that we're getting
better as a whole. And that's not just him, that's
us as a team as well. So I'm excited. That's
(46:39):
what makes coaching fun is when the hiccups occur, when
the adversity strikes, how do we respond to That's when
you find out who you are as a man.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Finally.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Was there a moment in your practices and seeing Caleb
It could have been a throw, it could have been
something that you went, oh, oh, that's pretty good. What
have you had one of those moments yet where you
were just like, yeah, no, no, I.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
See it. I see the number one pick. That's every day.
Speaker 7 (47:10):
That's every day we're out there routes versus air. We're
changing maybe some footwork and some coaching points with what
we're working through right now. But today it was a
post route that he just he probably threw it sixty
yards right on the money. A few days ago it
was a it was a keeper. He's out of the
pocket going to the left and he just able to
flip his hips and fling that thing right on the money.
(47:31):
So he's got he's got such great God given ability
that we're looking to tap into. You see it every
day right now, and Like I said, it's going to
be more fun once we get the competitive nature of
offense versus defense a little bit o.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Tas coach, it is great seeing you. All I see
is a smile. All you coaches smile so much during
this period. Keep the smile.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
Through the sea. Don't let the league beat you down.
As a head coach, it's great seeing you.
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio
or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowver
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Here we Go.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It is a Thursday, our post NFL schedule release show.
The Warriors season is now officially done. Live. It's the
Herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Thanks for making us part of your day.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Well, you know, Jmac, there are certain things in sports
that gotta get weird over years ago. People used to
think it was a weirdo twenty years ago because I
love the draft so much. But everybody's coming around on
not the schedule release. It's another one of those that
I think it does matter. Especially most teams in this
league are playing on the margins. They're not Baltimore or
(01:06):
Philadelphia where they've got better personnel and star quarterbacks and
they're winning by ten to twelve points. A lot of
teams those you know, Tua playing up north in December
is a disadvantage for the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You have to look at that right, huge.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Yeah, and I got to thank the NFL for giving
my Jets a one or zero start to the season.
We get the Steelers that hold open and makes it
Rudolph not Aaron.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Well, let's start with this.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
So my one takeaway the NFL schedule, and it's a
fairly obvious one. Kansas City that is rough. So Kansas
City does not have a great O line and they're
going to try to figure it out. And they're using
a backup at left tackle that hasn't really started and
been the man from the Niners. So and it's a
(01:50):
hard unit to create cohesion. And if you look at
their first ten games, even the teams that we view
as weaker teams like the Giants good pass rush, Jacksonville
pass rush raiders, Max Crosby, So even the Wu's could
create problems for them. Forget Denver that led the NFL
in sacks, you face them.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Conversely, the Chargers.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Jim Harball look at his career in year two, everywhere
he goes, Chargers revamped run game, high end left and
right tackles, have a cookie dough soft schedule in the
middle of the season to gain momentum. So my prediction
that the Chargers win this division with a weaker schedule
(02:38):
really plays in the middle of the season. You're starting
to get dinged up, you're not playing with full rosters.
It is really soft with the Chargers and I again,
we've watched We've watched the Chiefs and Mahomes get blown
out in two Super Bowls. It's always been the same reason,
old line's not right. Well, I think they're going into
a season where the old line's not right. Add another thing,
(03:02):
Kansas City opens in Brazil. They have the most seven
prime time games. That's what the NFL does once you're
the star attraction.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
They have the.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Lions on a short week. Oh that's not good. They
have the Buffalo Bills on a short week. Yeah, that's
not good either. Remember that Brazil game. Last year, Philadelphia
went to Brazil and beat Green Bay. The Eagles came
back groggy and the next week lost to the Atlanta Falcons.
So that'll take some that'll take some air out of
(03:32):
the sales. Here's what we know. Andy Reid and Mahomes
are as good as anybody in the world at what
they do. But again, this team played on the margins
last year, okay, and I think with this O line
the kryptonite to Kansas City in their two Super Bowl
blowout losses has been the O line. This going into
(03:53):
a season they lost Joe Toney is their weakest O line.
A little bit of finger crossing here. Last year's was
okay going into the season, a bit of a mess
at the end of the season. So this is not
a team like Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia with stacked rosters that
are not playing on the margins. They're getting seven or
eight blowout games a year when margins shrink, everything counts.
(04:13):
This team had the third lowest point differential in the
AFC West, so in their own division, Denver and the
Chargers had more blowout wins, and I think Denver and
the Chargers will be noticeably better bo Knicks now into
a second year with Peyton. They had some interesting draft
picks at running back and wide receiver. So the downside
(04:34):
to becoming America's team is that the NFL this is
what they do. And I can remember after the Giants
would win a Super Bowl in Conflin and Eli and
they'd put them on Sunday night and they'd flex them
in and everybody loved it except the giants and the
older players. So here is Travis Kelcey on his podcast
New Heights talking about that opener in Brazil.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
And I'll be there. Yeah, I'll be there pretty busy
in the heat. If it's human, I'm going to be miserable.
I'm gonna make it. I'm I'm gonna be just surrounded
by the Amazon rainforest. This is a good point. If
it's hot and humid and kind of what I'm expecting,
I'm going to be miserable. But we're going to find
a way to get a win.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Hip hip hooray.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
So my number one take Kansas City going into a
season with an offensive.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Line I don't love.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I mean, when you start looking last year at the
teams at the end of the season that are really
formidable and leaning on people, a lot of them Washington
was an exception, had really really buttoned up o lines.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
All right, So the Warriors lost.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
The oldest interesting team in the league is out Minnesota
that's got some age, but much deeper, bigger roster prevails
pretty easily. Jimmy Butler w on he took eleven shots.
Some of that is energy, some of that was Kaminga
had a lot of energy. Minnesota got great looks. All
you had to do is look at the box score
and it tells you Golden State was tired. Minnesota shot
(06:10):
sixty three percent, dominated in the paint, had almost double
the assists. They were moving very well. Julius Randall thirteen
of eighteen Bullyball. The three best Warriors, Butler, Steph, and
Draymond all out of their prime. Two thirty five year
olds and a thirty seven year old, and they're only
(06:31):
getting older. So all it took was a popped hamstring
and the house collapses. It's interesting Jonathan Kaminga, who just doesn't.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Work with Butler and staff. He's great.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
He was great when Steph got hurt, so they'll be
able to show that off. And he raised his market
value because everybody has sort of understood that the Steph offense,
that ecosystem, it's just not friendly the young players. James
Wiseman never got it going. Cominga can't be on the
floor with Butler and Steph. It just doesn't work. But
he was the one guy last night that jumped off
(07:04):
the TV. He was the one guy you looked at
and thought, oh, he can go toe to toe with
Minnesota's athletic bigs, so they'll have a market for him.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
And Pods is a guy you have to keep.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
He's got a market as well, but you're gonna have
to move off at least one of your really good
young players. So the Warriors to some degree have become
an antique store, and Okase is the Apple store right
next door. And I think the Warriors are gonna get
worse every year unless they pull off a big, big
(07:36):
deal for Kaminga. People are gonna want Pods and cominga,
they'll keep Pods. They view him as sort of a
staph an emerging shooter that works with Steph. But I
will say this, you know what, It really reminds me
of watching last night. So I and Belichick took the
hit for all of the shortcomings for the New England
(07:58):
offense right before Tom left. But just consider New England
and Belichick and Brady, the Warriors staff and Steve Kerr.
They built a very high intellect, sophisticated offense, both Kerr
and Curry and Draymond.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It's very sophisticated.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Young people struggle and for years, everybody always said, well,
why can't New England, why can't they draft the wide receiver. Well,
some of it was most of it was Belichick wasn't
a good drafter. Some of it was Tom didn't want
a babysit them. And so what you have. You have
the benefit of the brilliance of Belichick and the brilliance
of Steve Kerr. You have the benefit of Brady and Steph.
(08:41):
But these are so high functioning, almost academic offenses. They
don't play with kids. Well New England didn't. That's why
New England got old and slow, really fast. Brady went
young down in Tampa, and that's why it looked. When
you watch Okai and you watch Indiana, and you watch
(09:01):
these young teams Houston, and then you watch Golden State,
some of it is on this offense that just doesn't
play well with others under the age of twenty three
years old. That's what New England became. So I just
think they're just getting a year older. I think all
these Houston's, Indiana's maybe some degree in New York still
(09:24):
got some youth Cleveland. I think those teams are getting better.
I think the Warriors are getting older. But Steve Kerr
is still a believer.
Speaker 6 (09:34):
I know we had a shot. I know we could
have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn't have, but it
doesn't matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who
stays healthy and who gets hot. You know, are you
playing well at the right time, do you have multiple
guys step up in key games, make shots, and do
(09:55):
you have good health? And you know you see it
every year series and so there's a there's there's a
little bit of luck involved, you know, and we, like
I said, we've been on both sides of that and
that's just part of it.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
But I will say this, and I love Steve Kerr.
Older teams get hurt more often and older teams recover
more slowly, and the Warriors are just getting older. There
is a little bit of luck involved. But when you
got when you got Steph Curry running two miles per
(10:31):
game on that treadmill for that offense, and he is
so valuable. Without it, they're not even the same looking
watching team Warriors are a hard watch without Steph. So
I I you could say there's there's luck involved, but
remember we all know this the NBA, and it's helped
ratings is allowing more physical basketball. What does that mean
(10:54):
more injuries? My guess they will come to the older teams,
not the younger ones. And I really do believe the
NBA used to be go get three great players the
Heatles KD Steph Clay.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
I don't think that's it anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
I think the new CBA and the new Aprons, it's
all about roster construction. I mean the Celtics are often
weirdly as good or better without Tatum. I mean, like
Oklahoma City's roster. I think San Antonio's is going to
get very deep. Houston's already is. They just don't have
(11:31):
a second dominant great score. So I just Steve kerstill
believes it. You can talk yourself it's into luck. But
the new style of playoff basketball is not going to aid.
It's not going to aid the older rickety teams, two
thirty five year olds and a thirty seven year old,
So j mac it is. I got into this discussion
(11:53):
last night. Lebron's out of the playoffs, Steph Curry's out
of the playoffs. The Celtics brand, I think we'll lose
to New York. They'll be out of the playoffs. Do
you think Knicks Pacers.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I do.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I think it's compelling. Do you think Oklahoma City Minnesota?
Speaker 7 (12:07):
Like?
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I think these are really good series? But I'm more
NBA die hard than the casuals. I this whole thing
about the NBA being rigged. You wouldn't have OKAC and
Minnesota in and Stephan Lebron out. What do you make
of what potentially is our final four?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:22):
The way I look at as I talk to buddies
and they're like, hey, hey, let's go out to hang out,
And I'm like, well, there's an NBA Finals game and
Lebron's in it. I'm not missing that. I would be
okay missing a conference semi conference finals matchup between and SGA, Like,
it's not mandatory viewing.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I mean, it's a great matchup, no doubt. I'm gonna
watch the game.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
But if something comes up, you know, you want to
go to a Dodgers game, Sure, I'll go to a
Dodgers game. But Colin, it's just it's not the sexy.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Matchups that we want. Right.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
If Curry's playing, I'm glued to the TV. Lebron I'm glued,
but SGA, I'm just not there yet.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 7 (12:56):
I hope that doesn't make me an elitist.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yeah, no, I think I think this is the transition.
I think when Michael Jordan left, the league lost fifty
percent of its numbers. But I do think I do
think there's a little Lebron fatigue, where stylistically, Curry is
still a great watch, but I do think Lebron is
an older player. I'm more fascinated I am with Luca
(13:21):
than Lebron because I've seen all Lebron's game, Luca's growth,
his cardio, lack of defense, a bit controversial part of
a trade. So I don't think you're going to see
a massive drop off. I just I don't think the
Warriors are what Steve Kerr believes, just bad luck away
from advancing. I think they're just going to be a
year older, and I think Oklahoma City, with all this
(13:42):
experience Indiana, they're just going to be better.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Don't forget to love hate the polarization. If you really
love or hate Lebron and that's what he is, you're
gonna watch. I just don't feel like anybody hates SGA,
but he hates it.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
They haven't done anything to be hateable. Lebron's won a
lot moved around teams.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
People just dislike him, but I do believe, you know,
maybe there's that element with the Knicks, but they still
have to pull it out. Colin, Are you sure there're
a lock to win this series? All the pressures on them?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Yeah, I'm not good points.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in noon Easter not a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
App are now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by
Credible Great Raids and None of the bull so listen.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
The NFL.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Is very intentional with it schedule. It's making bets on things.
I still think the Cowboys are on TV way too
much and I work for Fox, but there's a couple
of schedules that are interesting. The Chicago Bear schedule is interesting,
a very soft middle and big brands late Philly, Green Bay,
(14:53):
Green Bay, San Francisco rivalry game with Detroit. So it's
a rough six weeks at the end. But with all
these new offensive line pieces, and we've talked about this
cohesion for the Bears on line, it won't be great
in August, in September, they should have their act together late.
So the NFL sent a message we think Chicago is
(15:16):
going to be a viable TV product at the end
of this year. They have that many They have the
clever new coach, an ascending player at quarterback, a lot
of good weapons, so that at the end of the season,
it's Philly, it's San Francisco, it's Green Bay twice. League
thinks are going to be good and interesting, and so
do I. So five of their last six games are
(15:39):
either on TV with against big brands, or they're flexible
and it's a very soft middle of the schedule, right
there's a chance to get some wins here. So it's
a very purpose, purposeful act by the NFL on the
Chicago Bears. The other one that jumped out to me
was Washington and the Commanders. I mean they went from
a franchise that was radio active waste to how many
(16:01):
times can we get Jaden Daniels on television? So Washington
has eight straight games with no one o'clock window. Okay,
that's where they were buried for years. Get Washington out
of the way. Jaden Daniels, to me, has and this
was sort of his comp I said he was going
to be like Lamar Jackson light not quite the runner,
(16:24):
but better in the pocket early on crazy fun. NFL
defensive coordinators last year just had trouble figuring him out.
So I mean, it's very rare when the NFL goes
by year two. Yeah, we're putting him in the biggest spots.
Monday Night Football against Mahomes. It's Washington, that's because a
(16:44):
one guy. And then the end of the year Philadelphia
on Fox standalone game Saturday. Oh, the following week Christmas
against the Cowboys. Then the following week probably the biggest
game of the week against Philadelphia. And my take is
they'll be battling either for Washington a playoff spot. I'll
(17:05):
think they'll be in. I'll they'll be battling for the
NFC East Crown. I think Dallas and the Giants are
significantly weaker. But the Bear schedule Marquee games late. They
don't want to they don't want to throw a lot
of Carolina Panthers Saints in Cleveland late. They got Bears
on a lot of those big TV games, and they'll
be flexible. And Washington they're out of a one o'clock
(17:26):
window already already. Even CJ. Stroud didn't get Houston. This
kind of schedule in year two. That tells you that
Washington's been a sleeping giant in this sport forever. There
used to be one hundred year waiting list when they
had a different name, and now year two like we're
stacking them all over. Chiefs Monday Night Football against Mahomes Cowboys.
(17:51):
No coincidences with NFL scheduling.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter n am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (18:02):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 9 (18:08):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
of course the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (18:15):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 9 (18:17):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world.
Speaker 8 (18:21):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
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time to discuss.
Speaker 9 (18:29):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
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So check us out.
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We like to get you involved too, take your phone calls,
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Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on
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Speaker 1 (18:58):
I understand if you're a Celtic fan, you take this
as a shot at Jason Tatum. It's just data. Is
the Celtics without Jason Tatum. Boston blows out New York
last night. The last two seasons without him, they're seventeen
and three. That would be better than any winning percentage
(19:19):
in the league. They're points per game are one hundred
and twenty, number one in the league the last two years.
This is a sample size twenty games without Jason Tatum,
They're virtually offensively number one in every category except field
goal percentage.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
They plummet the fourth.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Okay, so I've never seen anything like this in basketball historically.
Now the Bulls when they lost Jordan, remember he went
and played baseball. They went fifty seven wins champions to
fifty five wins. Now they had bj Armstrong, Coup, coach,
Horace Grant, Scottie Pippen. They were a very good team.
They were a number three seed, but they were not
nearly as good closing games without Michael. Celtics are Celtics are?
(20:02):
I mean last night Jerrick White stepped up. Peyton Pritchard,
Are Mason, Jalen Brown, Luke Cornett, whatever that was. They
have so many their roster construction is so good. They
have so many B plus players that they feel empowered.
When Jason's gone, they get more touches and looks. So
it's the only comparison because this is so rare in
(20:23):
basketball history. You watch you watch the Warriors without Steph unwatchable.
You watched Denver when Jokic hits the bench, brutal, even
if Jokic just tired, brutal. The only comparison to the
Celtics historically to me is like Joe gibbson Washington where
(20:44):
they were winning Super Bowls. The star quarterback did not
It was a stout defense, dominant offensive, lines, very good
run game, and like Mark Ribbin at quarterback or Doug
Williams at quarterback, they were certainly capable, but they were
not led by a quarterback. And that's what we expect, right,
(21:04):
And I think part of this is that in basketball
and to some degree in international soccer, we love the collective,
but we want a Messi or a Ronaldo or and Boppey.
We want you know, Rooney. We want our guys and
in basketball we're just not historically used to and the
(21:25):
rating show we.
Speaker 7 (21:26):
Don't like it.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
The seventies NBA where it's is it a start? Now?
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Walton, I'd argue was a star. I would argue Elvin
Hayes was a star. Doctor j was a star. Rick
Berry was a star. So we always say, like the
seventies was just good teams, not great. You had some
really Rick Berry was pre Larry Bird. But we want
our champion to have a superhero in basketball, Kobe and Shack,
Michael Jordan, magic Bird. We want a superhero and the
(21:55):
Celtics don't have one, and we're uncomfortable with it. That's
the basketball culture, and so that's why you offer and
see the fans and the media trying to project James
Harden into a superstar or Stevie Francis into a superstar,
and they're just really good players.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
So I think it's.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
We want, you know, we want Mission Impossible from our
NBA champ, big brand, Tom Cruise. We don't necessarily love
Ocean's eleven. And that's kind of that's kind of what
Boston is. If you look at these numbers the last
two years, it's not a shot at Jason Tatum. It's
(22:32):
the Joe Gibbs Washington teams. The quarterback was just way
more replaceable than he would have been in Kansas City,
New England, San Francisco with Joe Montan. The numbers don't lie.
They don't even go down. Sometimes their net rating goes
up in certain stats. So it's just not we don't
love our basketball to be like that. We want the
(22:55):
superhero where when he steps out or he gets in
foul trouble, there's a clear breach, there is a clear drop.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
And now I.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Do think Jason Tatum gone for three games is different
than Jason Tatum gone.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
For eighty two.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
And I also think they're gonna move off Horford and Porzingis,
so they're gonna lose some size. They're gonna you know,
they're Tatum Brown and Derek White making a lot of
money and those contracts are just starting. But I think
Drew Holliday could be gone. So I think the Celtics
will be a playoff team next year. But they are
historically unique, Tatum's gone, and they mow through a very
(23:32):
good next team. All right, I will address the San
Francisco forty nine Ers schedule. By most terms, it's egregious.
Who knew Canadian Football League teams could get inserted in
to the NFL schedule? Live in Chicago, it's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and newon Easter, not a em Pacific under.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
The lights in prime time as the mem This show
Boats take on the San Antonio Bramas Fox UFL Friday
kicks off at eight em Eastern.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
So I have been a skeptic on the last couple
of drafts for the San Francisco forty nine Ers. I
have said this, they're getting old and expensive. I don't
like their offensive line. I thought this year's draft with
a lot of hit and miss, with eleven picks four
or five. I like five or six. I didn't, But
they have the easiest NFL schedule. I'm not joking since
(24:32):
the twenty to fifteen Atlanta Falcons. And it's based on
two metrics. Number one is last year's results, so they're
playing a lot of teams that were bad last year.
And the second metric is a lot of teams that
are projected to be lousy this year. So on two
different metrics, they've got the easiest schedule. Now, I will
(24:53):
say this, if you gave Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Matt Stafford,
Josh Allen, this schedule is thirteen to fourteen wins. This
is an affront to competitive football. And I don't want
to hear fifty five million dollars brock Purty. I don't
want to hear any excuses or I don't want to
hear any Pom poms when he wins ten games with
(25:14):
this mess of a schedule. Sanford's not only is this
schedule littered with mediocrity, they don't face a single team
off a buye okay, outside of Matt Stafford twice and c. J.
Stroud once. They don't face what people view as an
(25:34):
elite quarterback. In fact, it's rookie quarterbacks. It's quarterbacks without
twenty total starts.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
So I'm done with it.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Brock pretty excuses and people will say, well, Colin, he's
missing this, and he's missing that. You know what, He's
missing back to back tough games all season. This is
as easy as a schedule gets. So this is bowling
with bumpers. This is a trust fund schedule, no discomfort.
And again does it make me think? And I'll say this,
(26:05):
I think the division is better. I think the Rams
are in a group of five Super Bowl favorite teams.
I think Arizona's defense, which they went all in on
free agency and draft with a defensive coach, is going
to be feisty. I think Seattle's got a great roster,
and I think Minnesota is going to regret I do.
I think They're going to regret moving off Sam Darnold.
(26:27):
So I think the division is really good. Not AFC West,
maybe not NFC North, but it's really good.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
But that schedule, what can I say?
Speaker 1 (26:38):
It starts easy a couple you know Rams a little,
and it ends easy.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
You don't get Rams in the first month.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
You know, you don't get a you don't get playoff
teams in the last month. Maybe they could complain their
buys too late, but it is I mean, you could
down the stretch have Schador Sanders and Cam war and
Anthony Richardson and it's a lot of nothing.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Come okay, real quick.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
If you're looking for a hiccup, there are four road
games in five weeks. That looks a little difficult there
in October at Rams, at Tampa, and then they got
Houston and the New York Giants.
Speaker 7 (27:19):
That could be difficult.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
Four road games of five weeks. You know, you got
a Trent Williams injury, you're kind of screwed.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Sorry, Yeah, that's a that's a real toughe right there
at the New York Giants, who shudder.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
That'll keep you awake at night.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
So the other thing that kind of jumps out to me,
as I had said every year, I'm proud of this
actually probably too much. So pick the team that I
think is going to double their win total. And of
course last year I had Washington, and I said Denver
was also going to be much better. The year before
the Rams, everybody said they'll be in a rebuild, and
Jay McK and I argued incessantly in the offseason year
(27:55):
before that, I think it was Minnesota. So I have
said the team the safest bet to double your win
total is New England, and they were four and thirteen
last year, so they were not a favorite in any
game last year. They're already a three and a half
point favorite in their opener hosting the Raiders. I would
probably take the Raiders at three and a half. But
(28:15):
so I use basically a math equation when I'm trying
to figure out how a team doubles their win total,
I go to math. So it's it's uncle Colin math.
But here is my math, and see if you can
follow this. So I think this is the coaching sport.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton, I thought that was a touchdown.
That was a touchdown swing Girrawd Mayo to Mike Rabel,
I'm going to say it's half that. I'm going to
say that's a three point improvement. One of the top
ten coaches to a guy that appears to be more
of a position or a coordinator. Again, Peyton to Hackett
was the difference between embarrassing in the playoffs with a
(28:53):
rookie quarterback. Drake may Is going into year two three
hundred and sixty five million in free agency spending I
think is worth a point that point and a half.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I mean, you got eight new starters.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Eleven draft picks, including a left tackle that's worth a
point much better depth, a starting left tackle Drake May
second year with a much better staff that feels like
to me, that's worth a point to a point and
a half. So that is seven total points. If this
team had seven total points last year, they would have
(29:24):
won ten games. So at four wins, I kind of
have them targeted for nine and a playoff team. I
think they're a nine and eight, maybe ten and seven
if they stay healthy. And that's just by Vrabel's a
field goal, starting left tackle, and eleven draft picks depth
a point three hundred and sixty five million in free
(29:44):
agency a point to a point and a half. Drake
May with better coaches year two a point to a
point and a half. If you look at New England's
first nine weeks, take out the Buffalo game right in
the middle of it, four before, at four after it.
If Drake May is as good as he he showed
last year with kind of a second level staff, if
he improves and with Rabel a better left tackle, a
(30:08):
little more weaponry. He will potentially be the best quarterback
in eight of the first nine weeks. So last year
I picked Washington and Denver. Year before Rams, I take
New England as the safest team to go from four
wins to at least eight. I think they're probably going
to be closer to nine. I also think you're gonna
(30:29):
have teams like Week eight for Cleveland, that could be
a transitioning team moving into Shduur standards. I think you've
also got some brand. I mean, like New Orleans week six,
who's starting for them at quarterback? You could be transitioning
into Okay, we're zero and five, let's give the next
Let's give the kid from is at Louisville, Let's give
(30:49):
him some starts. So I think, like New Orleans and Cleveland,
you get to start week six, seven, eight, the local
media's crushing, Yeah, you got one win. You could be
moving off Flacco to Shadure. You could be moving off
with starting in New Orleans to the rookie. So I
just think there's a lot of things here that work.
I think week thirteen it's gonna be Russell Wilson's team
to start. But you get into a week twelve and
(31:09):
thirteen and the Giants may just say we're shutting it down.
We want to see Jackson Dart for the last five
or six weeks. I could see getting Jackson Dart in
week thirteen with the Giants. Who knows what the Jets will.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Be at quarterback.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
So I think New England is pretty easy one to
me and I you know, not every team that makes
the playoffs is great. I don't think they're a team
probably gonna win a playoff game. But we've said this before.
Fourteen teams make the playoffs. You usually get five four
to five teams that we think will win the super Bowl,
and then about four to five to six teams that
(31:42):
we think can absolutely win a game, maybe a second.
There's a couple of playoff teams that sneak in that
we just don't. We don't think they're going to win
a playoff game, but we appreciate the effort. I think
New England's going to be closer to that than the
top or the second layer. I don't think they're a
team that still has enough juice on the perimeter. But
get you have eleven draft picks, you're going to get
at least three to four starters out of that, and
(32:04):
you spend three hundred and sixty five million dollars in
free agency, you're getting five or six starters on that.
And again this is the coaching sport. Go to Denver.
Denver was saddled with the Russell Wilson contract, so there
were moves Sean Payton wanted to make and couldn't. So
Mike Trable's not saddled with any.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Of that stuff.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
New staff. I mean you can look at that. I'll
tell you right now. Kyle Williams, that third round pick
for New England, could be one of the rookies that pops.
He is a really electric player. I saw a lot
of him in college, so you know, I look at
their offensive defensive line. Milton Williams got overpaid. That's a
(32:44):
starter week one, so feel pretty good about it. We
have to guess by the way our two's coming up.
Albert berstops by. When is shodder get a start?
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I got my week?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
I'm ready Hour two.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
The one More Heard. The Herd streams twenty four hours
a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app.
Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you,
like I thought.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Chicago's old line would get better. Last year, it felt worse.
He completed sixty two and a half percent of his throats,
running for his life, twenty touchdown passes, only six picks.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Now, he was sacked sixty eight times.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
But the numbers aren't you know, I mean, only six picks,
sixty two and a half percent completion somemversise running for
his life in a division that had Detroit, Green Band,
Minnesota all really good teams. So I don't think Minnesota's
going to be as good this year, and I think
Caleb's got a much better quarterback. Also, the story coming
out today Seth Wickersham had talked to Caleb's father, Carl Williams,
(33:49):
and reporting that Carl did not want his son initially
to play in Chicago, and Albert Breer addressed that an
hour ago.
Speaker 10 (33:57):
And his dad's a very smart and accomplished businessman, and
you know, taught his son to think differently.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
And the reality is, like this is.
Speaker 10 (34:06):
Something that all teams were looking into, and anybody that
was going to be in a position to draft him
was concerned about this. You can understand his concerns certainly,
you know, I think this is something that more and
more athletes think about, and you know, it's something we
heard about with Shadur a lot, you know, going into
his draft a lot of times. You know, I think
(34:26):
these guys were able to take a bigger picture view
of it, and the bigger picture view of it would
show that going to the right place isn't more is
absolutely more important than the game.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Drafted as high as you can.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Yeah, I think I think. Listen, I never had a problem.
I reported this a year ago. I said, you know,
his dad had some misgivings about it, but Caleb's like,
you know what, I'm going to go to Chicago. It's
a great American city and I'm going to be their
first great quarterback. So I always like Caleb. I got
along with him great. He's very respectful. I saw I
went to the Notre Dame USC game and I told
the story is I saw his dad said to his dad,
(35:00):
and Caleb was sitting in the front row with friends,
and I came down and just out of respect, I
just tapped him on the shoulder.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
I said, hey, buddy, just great seeing you.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
He got up made a point and I'm like, you
don't have to get up I just wanted to say, hey,
keep kicking butt, You're going to do great and very
respectful got up, came up the stairs. Caleb did, and
I was like, I just think he's a really I
really like him. And I also think it's sometimes it's
unfair that, you know, all these quarterbacks now the nil
they are stars coming out of college. Bill Parcell's a
brilliant guy, used to say, do not draft a celebrity quarterback. Well,
(35:30):
Baker Mayfield was a star. Sam Darold, you know he
was a star. Caleb's a star. I mean, yeah, it's
just the reality of it. I mean, bow Nick's at Oregon.
I mean everybody knew bow Nicks for the last five years.
So I think we the world's changed. These kids make
money in college. Take a deep breath with that. Ben
Johnson now is joining us. The new Bear's coach is.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Joining us live. So you know it's funny we you
forget about this coach?
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Is that you know, I was looking and people forget
Tua came out of college, didn't have a great fit
with the staff. You know, he and the Brian Flores
struggle got Mike McDaniels Pro Bowl, Jared Goff got a
defensive coach getting a great stuff boom, here comes McVeigh Popps.
So listen, we all said last year, I said, it's
(36:16):
just easier.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
To get an offensive coach. Go ask Bo Nixon, Sean Baton.
It just helps.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
Did you feel when you have first sat down with Caleb,
I gotta build this kid's confidence up like a tool,
like a golf it's rough, it's a hard sport. Did
you feel that was part of your process. I want
to make sure this kid knows we really believe in him.
Speaker 7 (36:36):
Yeah, well, he does know that we believe in him,
there's no question about that. But Caleb Steele has never
been a confidence issue. He knows he's a high level player.
He's been that way since middle school, high school, college,
and it's going to continue to be that way here
in the NFL. But what we're trying to do is
we're trying to support him, give him some clarity on
(36:56):
what our expectations are on and off the field, and
help and grow and develop. And so far we've only
had call it six weeks now the off season program.
It's going really well.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
So you got two new coordinators, you're on first time
head coach. Caleb's in the year two, Who do you
lean on in that locker room?
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Ben? What player or maybe unit is it Tony? Is
it Dolman? Who do you lean on in that offense?
Speaker 7 (37:24):
We've got a number of players offensively and defensively that
have Pro Bowls under their belt, that have playoff game experience,
win experience, and so I think when you look at that,
those are the guys not just for Caleb, but for
the entire team that we're leaning on to show us
what good football looks like, what good teams do, and
to establish that standard for the rest of us to
(37:46):
fall into line. And so Tooney's a great name on offense.
I mean, I don't know that anybody's had quite the
level of success on our entire roster that he's had.
Call it six Super Bowls and he's won four of them.
I mean, it's outstanding. And then you go over to
face to drill workout on the field and he's busting
his rear end and he just had a Super Bowl
that he was in a few weeks ago. So I mean,
it's it's pretty outstanding. And it doesn't take long for
(38:09):
somebody that first time these rookies coming in, they turn
and they see how he goes about his business, and
pretty quick they understand, well, if I want to last
a long time, I need to just do what he does.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
So I asked a GM, a very very good GM
in the NFL recently, about you, and he said, you know,
he goes most coaches we hire CEOs now it's a
CEO job. He said, you get occasionally lucky with a
Shanahan or and Andy Reid that they're scheme geniuses and
they can do CEO. That's really hard. And he said
Ben has a chance to do that. Ben's excellent on
scheme and he has the personality. A lot of guys
(38:44):
in the league think Ben has the chance to.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
Be the CEO.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
But most it's a CEO job now more than it
is x'es and o's. So is the difficulty with you, Ben,
You're gonna be on that headset. How do you manage
yourself to go, oh, no, no, I'm the CEO here
because there are things that happen on a sideline in
game where you got to put the CEO hat on
and you can't be a mile deep on calling plays.
(39:08):
Will that be hard? On the first call you disagree
with coming to the headset.
Speaker 7 (39:13):
Well, shoot, I mean yeah, everything that everything I'm doing
right now springtime training, it's it's my first time doing it,
So there'll be some things that pop up that I
got to work through and find the best process for
not only myself, but what's best for the team. That's
the most important thing, and the fortunate thing is the
way this staff has been constructed is with that in mind.
(39:34):
A lot of my blind spots or the areas that
I could use the most help in. We've got some
really good experienced coaches with Dennis Allen or Richard high
Tower on defense and special teams on offense. We've got
Eric the Enemy that's that's coordinated in this league, Press
Taeler that's coordinated in this league. So there's there's a
lot of high level experience throughout this coaching staff that
they're gonna help help foresee any any bumps in the
(39:57):
road and help me navigate on game day. We got
to a great game management guy of the name Harry Freed.
He's done it for a long time and he's going
to be able to help me stay ahead of that
because I really haven't. As a play caller, you have
to be exposed to that and understand those situations. But
now it's a little bit different moving over to the
defensive side of the ball and being on the headset
with them when they're up.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
So one of the things I liked about Jayden Daniels
and Caleb Williams coming out of college, they move a lot.
You get all the upside, not a lot of picks.
It's a little Mahomes. Aaron Rodgers in his prime didn't
throw a lot of picks. Most great quarterbacks l Way
Manning far, they throw picks. That's Andrew Luck, it's part
of the deal. Caleb doesn't. Now some have said, well,
(40:39):
he holds the ball along whatever. I mean, he's a playmaker.
The criticism I heard out of college from GMS with
rings was he is so gifted. And we saw a
little bit of this with Mahomes. Sometimes you got to
just give him layups, just take what the defense gives you.
How do you coach that, because it's a strength, it
(41:03):
can be a little bit of a burden, that great athleticism.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
How do you coach that?
Speaker 7 (41:09):
Well, I think it starts with what we're doing right
now in the springtime is establishing the intent of every
play call, and that takes time, and it takes a
number of reps. But the more time we spend together
with myself with Declan Doyle or our offensive coordinator, with JT. Barrett,
our quarterback coach, in that room with the quarterbacks, the
(41:29):
more it comes to light and why we're calling plays
and where that ball should go. And the more the
quarterback understands the why the quicker he is to see
the defense and deliver the ball to the primary or
the secondary targets. So that's what we're working through right now.
At the end of the day, though, Caleb was taken
as a high draft pick because of that play making
(41:49):
ability that you're alluding to, and so we don't want
to newter that as well. So there's a fine line
of understanding what we're doing and how we're doing it.
But at the same time, when things don't go maybe
to plan, we're not going to discourage his playmaking ability
and his ability to create outside of the pocket as well.
So that's gonna be a fun balance for us to
(42:11):
go through both spring and training camp. I mean, can't
we can't get enough reps right now really as a team,
and so we're looking to maximize those going forward.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
So offensive line is to me the most underrated unit
in the sport, but it's also the hardest to create cohesion.
You've got a young guy, you got a rookie, You've
got Drew Dolman, you got Joe Tooney.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
You've got a lot of moving parts here.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
I think potentially it could be great, but I've seen
a bit of a trend over the last five to
six years that veterans aren't playing preseason football. So you're
going to have to September. You're going to get a
lot of the work in for the tunies. You don't
want to put him out there and get banged up.
What is a I looked at your schedule and I said, well,
the toughest part of their schedules late. They're going to
have until Thanksgiving to get that puppy rolling. You don't
(42:54):
want to face the toughest part in the first four weeks.
Not that your early schedule is easy, but at the
end you're facing defensive front that can be substantially tough.
How long what is realistic to say okay, Dolman, Tony
the rookie. What is a realistic time to go okay,
we are a cohesive?
Speaker 3 (43:14):
Top ten unit.
Speaker 7 (43:16):
Yeah, I think that's going to be the challenge there
during training camp is how quickly can we come together.
I mean they're really bonding as a unit right now
communication wise, but we don't have the pads on. I
think we need the pads on before we truly start
gelling together. So training camp is going to be critical
for us. I actually like where that bye week is
because it usually takes about four weeks into the season
(43:38):
to find out who you are as a team and
what you do well and which you don't do well,
and then that's at a good time so that we
can reflect on that as a coaching staff to really
hone in on what we want to be for that
the remaining three quarters of the season. I would say
my experience has been when you when you get a
new group together, it could take up to have to
(43:59):
see before they really start to mesh in and come together.
In terms of the run game more so than pass pro,
I think we should be a pretty good pass pro
unit right off the jump, but that run game, the communication,
the angles with which we're all going trusting each other,
particularly in the wide zone scheme that we're installing right
(44:20):
now in OTAs, that's something that we want to make
sure that we get plenty of time on task.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
On So all human beings are the same in one aspect.
If you're afraid of flying and you're on a plane
and the minute turbulence hits, where does your mind go
back to your fears? So I reported a year ago,
Seth Wickersham reported it today that Caleb was worried about
the history of the Bears offense and so you didn't
(44:47):
inherit it. That's not your issue. You don't care about that.
But there is a psychology, Ben that's true. He goes
into a two week losing streak and it's turbulence on
a plane that was he was scared to fly anyway,
How do you ensure that when there are bumps in
this division and there are bumps for him, that those
fears that are now reported of oh Man, this organization
(45:11):
and quarterback, he's had those. That's okay, some installed by
his dad, whatever, How do you ensure during the turbulence
of this season and there will be your division's too good,
there's too many good teams on the schedule, how do
you ensure he doesn't lose faith, faith and belief in
your system?
Speaker 3 (45:29):
Well, you talk.
Speaker 7 (45:30):
About fears, and I don't see it quite the same way.
I see, this is what a great opportunity we have
to do something that really has never been done. There
hasn't been a four thousand yard passer here in this franchise,
and I think Caleb is going to be the first one,
and one of many years, many seasons to come where
he's able to accomplish that feat. So I see a
(45:52):
chance for greatness here for him. He's been communicated that way,
and he feels the same way. I don't know what's
going on prior to him joining the organization, but he
he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear. That's
what our conversations have included. And he's really excited to
get to work right now and be the best version
of himself for twenty twenty five. There's no question we're
(46:17):
gonna face adversity both he will, he's not gonna We
want to see growth from here to here over the
course of the season, and it's not gonna be linear growth.
It's gonna be a little bit of ups and downs
and stair steps along the way. But we want to
see from game one the game seventeen that we're getting
better as a whole. And that's not just him, that's
us as a team as well. So I'm excited. That's
(46:39):
what makes coaching fun is when the hiccups occur, when
the adversity strikes, how do we respond to That's when
you find out who you are as a man.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Finally.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Was there a moment in your practices and seeing Caleb
It could have been a throw, it could have been
something that you went, oh, oh, that's pretty good. What
have you had one of those moments yet where you
were just like, yeah, no, no, I.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
See it. I see the number one pick. That's every day.
Speaker 7 (47:10):
That's every day we're out there routes versus air. We're
changing maybe some footwork and some coaching points with what
we're working through right now. But today it was a
post route that he just he probably threw it sixty
yards right on the money. A few days ago it
was a it was a keeper. He's out of the
pocket going to the left and he just able to
flip his hips and fling that thing right on the money.
(47:31):
So he's got he's got such great God given ability
that we're looking to tap into. You see it every
day right now, and Like I said, it's going to
be more fun once we get the competitive nature of
offense versus defense a little bit o.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Tas coach, it is great seeing you. All I see
is a smile. All you coaches smile so much during
this period. Keep the smile.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
Through the sea. Don't let the league beat you down.
As a head coach, it's great seeing you.
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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