August 5, 2025 • 45 mins
Colin unveils his predictions for the 2025 NFL season and explains why the league is becoming more predictable with fewer “new” playoff teams year after year. He makes the argument the Lakers should look to put the ball in Luka Doncic’s hands over LeBron James for the first time in his storied career. Plus, he talks to Nick Wright from First Things First who defends Caleb Williams from criticisms about his rookie season and slow start to training camp
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Episode Transcript
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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 (00:27):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
It is a Tuesday, Ready to roll. Joel klatt Nick right,
It's the Herd wherever you may be, however you may
be listening. Thanks for making us, Jmack and I part
of your day. You know, Jamack, I was thinking about
something this morning, an overarching theme to start the show
for the first ten or twelve minutes. And I eat
(00:49):
basically the same breakfast. I have the same roudine every day.
I get up, I have a strong coffee. I'll get
in the treadmill ma'am an English muffin, have a smooth
before the show. And I live as much as everybody's
searching for new stuff. If I, for instance, want to
watch sports on TV, I go to NBC, Fox, CBS.
(01:11):
I know where to go. I don't go to Netflix.
I don't go to Hulu. I go to the standard
places where I've always watched sports. And I have this
theory about the NFL that we think you never know
who's going to win these games. But I believe for
two reasons, the NFL is going to get Starting three
(01:33):
years ago, you're seeing a trend much more predictable. And
that's my jumping off point today is this. So when
I make NFL predictions, now I have two more tweaks
to my predictions. I'm always looking for new teams to
make the playoffs, and the one team I've looked at
is Joe Burrow is going to make the playoffs. Right,
So I want to go to a quote from the
Washington Post about a general manager talking about the Bengals
(01:56):
and he talks about Mike Brown and he says, it's
the same old my Brown bs said one general manager
condition of anonymity to avoid violating the NFL tampering rules.
It's the same crap that's been going on since boomeras
Siazin and Carson Palmer. History always repeats itself. And I've
said this before. If Carson Palmer would have gotten like
(02:16):
a Sean Payton or an Andy Reid. We would consider
Carson Palmer a top four or five quarterback. Ever, and
I worry that Joe Burrow, same organization, same ownership, It's
going to be the same thing. If Joe Burrow gets
and Andy Reid, he's hoisting the trophies, not Patrick Mahomes.
And I really firmly believe that. So I've thought about
the Bengals a lot because I'm always looking for new
(02:37):
playoff teams, right because there's like seventy year right, well
not actually last three years. It keeps coming down. Why
is that happening? So we have many camps, OTAs and
the first week or so of training camp, so I
have new information. So I looked over my predictions. I've
got one more tweak. This will not be the official tweak,
(02:58):
but I looked over my predictions that I made a
few months ago. So in the AFC, for instance, Josh
Allen's gonna win the division for as long as he's
in his prime. The Patriots are the safest double your
win total bet in the league in five years, Dolphins Jets,
I wouldn't change a thing. AFC North prediction. Ravens are
the class of of this division. And I mean really
(03:19):
one of the top three organizations in the league. I
think because of all the noise around the Bengals, all
because of ownership, I'd probably move the Bengals out. Steelers,
Brown's just not good enough. AFC South is weak. Texans
are gonna win the division. They have arguably the best
coach and absolutely the best quarterback in the AFC West, Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders.
(03:42):
If I moved Cincinnati out because I've predicted they'll make
the playoffs, I would put the Broncos in. I mean,
they added green Law, the Funga, Evan Ingram, They're over
under on draft kings as nine and a half wins.
So if I was to make an AFC West prediction
my final tweak, I'd get the Bengals out and I'd
(04:02):
move Sean Payton in. I'd get noise out, and I'd
get a guy I've relied on for twenty five years
in the league, Sean Payton in. If I go to
the NFC, it's the same basic theme. I like most
of my picks. NFC East Eagles Commanders Commanders Class of
the NFC East, not Close Eagles Commanders Class of the Division, Giants,
(04:23):
Cowboys of mess. In the NFC North. Here's where I
would make my change for the same reason. I'd get
the Bengals out. I probably because I think the Bears
have been very noisy so far in Mini Camp, OGA
and training camp. I'd probably moved the Bears out and
the Packers in again, noise out like the Bengals, reliable
Sean Payton, Green Bay Packers in Vikings. JJ McCarthy feel
(04:46):
like a fourth place team or a third place team
in the NFC South, weakest division in my opinion in
football Bucks, class of the division, best GM, best quarterback,
and you know I'll take the Bucks. NFC West again,
I'm not as high as the Niners as JMAC. I
go ram Seahawks. The Niners have an easy schedule. I
(05:07):
think they're old. I think the roster has holes. I
think they wanted to keep Green Lawn Hufunga. I do
think Robert Sala coming in helps. So again, like the AFC,
where I moved the Bengals out, Sean Payton, I'd probably
move in. I would probably move the noisy Bears out
and the Packers in. But it's very interesting because I
have spent as my staff knows. I spend considerable amount
(05:28):
of time trying to find new playoff teams, and if
I had made these two changes, I do only have
two new playoff teams New England and the AFC and
Seattle in the NFC. Wait a minute, I can't do that,
or can I. So there's more games than ever. Right,
(05:51):
they added a game, and they're going to add an
eighteenth game, and the league become more quarterback centric. So
those two things, in my opinion, are making the NFL
a bit more like the NBA. I talked about this
last year. The bottom of the league is really bad
and feels miles away from the top of the league.
(06:13):
You're seeing more spreads that are like nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen.
It feels like to me last couple of years that
was always a college number. An NFL mismatch was like
eight eight and a half. Now you're getting double digit
spreads a lot, it feels like to me. So last
year there were only four new playoff teams. That's tied
(06:35):
for the fewest in twenty years. We're on a three
year trend of fewer new playoff teams. And I believe
as much as everybody myself included wants change. The NFL
is going to become the NBA. You kind of know.
(06:55):
I mean, go look at the AFC. I was looking
at this this morning. If you go look at the AFC,
who's made the Divisional round the last two years? Oh Ravens, Bills,
Kansas City, and I feel like it's the same teams
every year. So my take is everybody says they want change.
(07:16):
I think going forward, when we go to an eighteenth game,
and I've said this is the danger of extending the
NFL season two more games from several years ago and
making the league incredibly quarterback centric, You're gonna have a
clear top and a really ugly bottom, and it's going
(07:39):
to become very predictable. So I don't think we're gonna
have six and seven new playoff teams this year. I
am struggling outside of maybe Joe Burrow and the Niners,
I'm struggling to find new playoff teams now. Last year
because of Bo Nicks, who was exceptional as a rookie,
and Jaden Daniels the Broncos in Washington, whoa surprised us,
(08:03):
but that was a really good quarterback draft class. This
wasn't and from that, I'll talk about another part of
football that we thought we were going to see major
changes in, and I think the opposite is true. So
when the college Football Playoff was created, here's what you heard. Oh,
finally the little guy can compete. I mean, when you
(08:25):
only have four teams, it told was going to be
the big dogs. So there was this supposition, this belief
that you would have a lot of little guys that
would have a chance to knock off the big dog. Actually, now,
with teams playing up to sixteen fifteen college games, same
(08:47):
thing is true. In the NFL. The deeper rosters have
a much greater advantage. I mean, Ohio stated in the
playoff was rolling through teams that just had more good players.
They had more NFL bodies. This morning, I looked up
the coach's top twenty five pole. The first seven teams Texas,
Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Clemson, Oregon all
(09:09):
made the playoff last year an eight and nine or
baman LSU football powerhouses. Where are all the new teams? It's
the same old, same old. In fact, I'll make the argument,
in the last thirty years of college football, there is
only one new Top ten Powerhouse one Oregon, and it
(09:32):
took Phil Knight's money and Vision one new program. And
by expanding the playoff to twelve teams fourteen sixteen, that
doesn't help the little guy because a team like Arizona
State cam Skataboo, great story, but they emptied the tank
against Texas. Texas right now has two five star freshman
(09:53):
wide receivers. They're like fifth and six on the depth chart.
They'd start for SMU, they'd start for Arizona State, and
you get the occasional upset. But when you watched Indiana
and Notre Dame plan the playoff, did you think the
little guy at a fighting chance? The thing was over
two series in. You watch the SMU game. So the
old system, which Boise State could have one big Bowl
(10:17):
game against Oklahoma. Chris Peterson uses a trick play and
they knock off the Sooners and the season ends in Boise,
Idaho on a great note, unbelievable TV game. Everybody in
Idaho feels good. Those days are over. You're going to
all those teams that have not You're going to end
their season with losses and often ugly losses. So this
(10:41):
idea that the NFL, you extend, extend the season, you
expand the playoffs. In college football, you expand it now, folks,
everybody is trying to engineer parody and it doesn't exist.
People always separate, businesses always separate, and so that that's
(11:08):
kind of my theme is college football now can have
up to fifteen games. In the NFL is expanding to seventeen,
and now they're going to expand to eighteen games. Many
believe next year. It's not gonna help the little guy.
It's gonna help the deeper roster, the richer organizations, the
better quarterbacks, and a handful of great owners. All right,
Jay Meck, I know that could be a downer, but
(11:29):
my guess is you basically watched football on the same
three channels you did twenty years ago, and you also
eat the same thing for breakfast most days. Yeah that
we're all creatures of habit and everybody's seeking new stuff.
But you know, in New York, if you could get
a ticket to a concert for a lot of people,
to be a Billy Joel concert, which was in the
case twenty years ago for New Yorkers.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
It's funny you bring that up.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
I mean, you know, like I'm we're very similar in
terms of creatures of habit.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Like, you know, last week on vacation, I didn't wake
up and go on Twitter and see what the news was.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
But now you're back and like, that's kind.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Of one of the first things you.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Do, right, You got to see what's up on sports
and what's happening.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Yeah, I just I think I understand people seeking new.
Uh it could be a mayoral race in New York.
Everybody wants new and new and new, but in the end,
people basically go back. What makes people happy psychologically are
certainties and habits. That's what makes you happy, not waking
(12:28):
up every day with no idea what's going on. People
like want to work out, they want to they want
to walk their dog, they want to have their coffee,
they want to play wordle, they want to read the
local paper. We are creatures of habit and we're all seeking.
We think football, collegeen pro, adding more playoff teams, expanding
the playoffs and adding more games. That all benefits the
(12:48):
big dog. That all benefits the big that benefits Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia,
the New the Texas that's who it benefit. Didn't benefit
SMU it benefits the law.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
I do wonder if you know we've briefly discussed the
Packers yesterday as a team that's going to probably rise up.
I'm surprised you're not on the Falcons. I got some
really interesting data when we eventually talk about Atlanta, and
I think, remember when you were on Tennessee earlier this
summer and you.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Suddenly backed off off the Titans. What happened?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Well, I didn't love them. I have him as a
wild card team. But when they their supposed number one
receiver gets hurt, they get rid of him. Now they've
got a roster full of number three and four receivers.
Cam Ward is acknowledged. You know they're saying in camp
they're struggling. It's become more and more of a wide
receiver quarterback league. They're struggling. I mean, it always feels
(13:39):
like they're light offensively. So I didn't love them. New
England's my guaranteed double your win total team. But I
did think cam Ward wouldd some electricity. But you know
it's c J. Stroud is the best quarterback in the division.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
C J.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Stroud made the playoffs. My guess is c J. Stroud
will make the playoffs again this year.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
So just for the record, your CJ. Stroud, what is
a better quarterback right now than Trevor Lawrence?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Correct? Yes, okay, I would disagree.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
But well I did not believe that two years ago.
I believe it now. I think, to me, I don't buy.
He had an off season. Tuns Al the left tackle,
didn't play well. They were missing two of their top receivers.
He had a lot to overcome. I think CJ. Stroud's really,
really good.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS
one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning
on my podcast, straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't
your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down
your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions
on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help
you win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guests.
(14:51):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
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you get you podcasts.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Nick right top of next hour, Joel Klatt two. You
know this is a story that's had tentacles. So look,
Lebron James did not show up for the press conference
when Lucas signed his new deal. Bronny James wasn't apparently
there either. And my take is, we all know the
deal here. Lebron is a global superstar. He's like in
the Ronaldo Messy level. They play by different rules. If
(15:29):
Lebron and Savannah and Browny were on a yacht in Santrope,
I don't have a problem with it. I really don't.
We all know that the Lakers drafted him and there
was behind the scenes workings on that deal. It's the
off season. It just doesn't bother me. And reportedly Lebron
called him. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me going
forward into this season is that it was okay last
(15:52):
year when Lebron often dominated the ball with lumpy Luca.
But Luca and I'm looking at men's health like everybody
else in the video clips, Luca is in the best
shape of his career since, like his rookie year and
his second third year in the NBA and his usage rate.
I discovered this morning is the highest in league history.
(16:15):
So I didn't have a problem Lebron sharing the ball
a lot with lumpy Luca. That's not what Luca's gonna
be this new relation. I would make an argument this
Luca in shape Luca fits better with KD old KD
than old Lebron because Lebron's always had to you have
(16:37):
to reshape your basketball ecosystem with Lebron. He always has
the ball in his hands. He doesn't play as well
off ball. He's also a great passer, but so is Luca.
So the problem with the Lakers now, Austin reeves, Lebron
and Luca are all much better with the ball, but
in shape, non lumpy Luca should have the ball eighty
(16:59):
percent of the time. Last year, I was fine with sharing.
He's been injured in camp, the trades, mid season, he
worked his way into shape. He just looked big and
puffy and lumpy, and a lot of times Lebron was
the twitch year athlete. He will not be this year.
Lebron's average keeps going down. My sense is it will
(17:20):
go down more this year because he just won't have
the ball in his hands much. So. The whole thing
about Lebron, you know, not showing up for a presser
or even brawny. It doesn't really bother me. I think
I think we all know the game. They're certain athletes.
I mean, it was great that Brady was as obsessed
as he was. But Aaron Rodgers has a lot of defenders.
(17:42):
When he goes to Egypt in the offseason, he's got
a lot of defenders. Teammates like it's Aaron, he's been around.
I wouldn't do it, but he's not the first guy
to do it. But my take is this year is
going to be different. I said this yesterday. I think
you're going to see a huge gap in Luke and
Lebron on the floor. One will look like a top
three player in the league and one will look like
(18:04):
he's forty good but not nearly as consistent. And what's
going to happen statistically is Lebron should not have the
ball in his hands like last year. Absolutely not Lumpy Luca,
no problem with it. The Luca I'm seeing on these
videos at the presser Men's health that's like year two,
three and four Luca when he led the NBA and
(18:25):
usage rate and was virtually unstoppable. As a kid unstoppable. Hey,
by the way, here's Rob Polanka, the GM you know
last week on the new contract form.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Make no mistakes, we're in win championship now mode. Always.
We've been very intentional with keeping our optionality to make
now moves if there's good now moves to may or
to have sort of our flexibility in the future. But
I say all that that the optionality is there for
(18:59):
us to use now if the right move comes its way.
We want to make smart moves, but to be in
a position of flexibility versus being stuck is really promising
for how we're gonna build this team moving forward.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Just look at how Finn in a suit Luca looks
compared to last year in a uniform. So he's got
a heavy suit on, he looks thirty pounds lighter. And
just remember that Luca, like early Luca, totally bald, dominant
and completely unstouble. Last year he couldn't be guys off
the dribble. He couldn't be an attack mode. So I
(19:33):
was okay with Lebron Lebron beating guys off the dribble,
but you go to young Luca, rookie Luca. I think
we talked about this once had twenty five dunks. Lebron
last year, Luca last year had one dunk. Like we're
going back to twenty dunk Luca. Lean Luca. He's got
(19:54):
to have the ball in his hands eighty percent of
the time. Austin Reeves can't have the ball in his hands,
and Lebron shouldn't have the ball in his hands. Lean
Luca is not lumpy Luca.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter non a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Here we go our two. Nick writes around the corner,
we're live. It's the Herd wherever you may be, and
however you may be watching or listening or appreciate it. So
Men and Blazers is a very popular sports podcast, and
they had Tom Brady on talking about soccer, and it's interesting.
I always feel like I'm defending soccer and there's just
a percentage of guys that are never going to buy
(20:34):
into it. But I always feel soccer in America is
appropriately popular. It happens every fourth year, the World Cup, right,
and so it's like those relatives you see every four years,
they're not real family, even though you're related. It's not
like your own kids that you hold much more responsible.
You get the highs and lows of the daily rituals
(20:57):
and routines, and that the truth is, when the World
Cup was here in ninety ninety four, it broke records
that stand today in attendance, and the World Cup, the
next one in the United States, will shatter those records.
And Tom Brady was talking about I don't think soccer
needs anything in America. I think it's as popular as
it's ever going to be. And I think it's really
(21:18):
popular when you consider that we have massive infrastructure of
college football and college basketball. We are an over stimulated,
distracted country. It's bigger in Europe. Europe doesn't have our
college football or basketball. They don't have the NHL like
we do. I mean, we've got MLS, NHL, NASCAR, NFL, NBA. Canada,
(21:40):
by the way, Canada's got NHL, NBA, CFL. They don't
even have our college system, this labyrinth of three hundred
and fifty Division one basketball programs like we have here.
And so here's Tom Brady talking about a little bit
what soccer needs.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
We need the youth in America.
Speaker 6 (22:00):
In soccer, we need a young Fenom like a Uman Lamal,
a young Lino Messi to take over, and I believe
that there would be the most amazing kind of cultural
revolution for soccer here in America. We love rooting for winners,
we love rooting for the best of the best. The
World Cup is coming to America in twenty twenty six.
You can't imagine the fanfare when that happens. Every stadium
(22:23):
b be sold out. The American audience loves it.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I always feel like hockey feels like Canada, the NFL
in college football feel like US. But soccer, you know,
seventeen hundreds, eighteen hundreds. There's four hundred year old pubs
in Europe. They're older than US. Soccer's old. There are
four hundred year old you know. If you walk around Europe,
(22:51):
it's like you're walking in an outdoor museum. I mean,
just just go to Vienna, go to these European cities.
I was in Florence a couple of years ago. I
felt like the whole trip I was walking in a museum.
I love Seattle, it doesn't feel that way, right. I
like Denver, it doesn't feel like a museum. So I
always feel like soccer is appropriately popular. It's the relatives
(23:14):
you see every three years and you love them, but
they don't feel like your kids. And that's not a
knock on soccer. I think Fox is going to break records.
I think we still hold the nineteen ninety four World
Cup still holds the attendance records, and I do think
we have I think Polisic, I don't know where he
ranks globally, but he's our best player. Ever. I think
(23:36):
we have more skill than ever. I always feel like
I am defending soccer, and I don't think it needs defending.
I think it's really popular here, but if you show
up every four years, you're not going to be football
or the NBA or college football. You're not going to
be Ohio State Michigan. That's the reality of it, and
I love it. My friends outside of the NFL, the
(23:58):
guys I hang out with, soccer is the number two.
They'll watch the English Premier League over everything but the
NFL seriously so. And I remember when I recently, it
was seventeen eighteen, nineteen years ago, not recently got married.
Anne's young boys in New England, Josh and Riley, did
not watch baseball. They watched the English Premier League downstairs
(24:21):
in the house, and I was like, I remember watching
that and thinking, wow, I'm in New England and they're
not watching the Red Sox, They're watching soccer. So I
never think soccer needs defending. Now sometimes Nick Wright does
and he now joins us live. Nick Wright first things
first is joining us, so on what's up, buddy, Good
(24:42):
to see you. You know you don't want to make
too much of little stuff, but I do think little
stuff I always call the drip drip drip becomes a
faucet that's leaking. And I've got last year, and I've
got Mini Camp and now I've got the Net video
with Caleb Williams, and I'm like, shouldn't I be a
(25:06):
little uneasy with the moodiness, the accuracy? It's a I mean,
I watched Shaydon Daniels and Vo Nicks. They were good immediately.
Can I have questions about what I say with.
Speaker 7 (25:20):
Jones Williams Mac Jones good immediately too? I mean, the
good immediately is not always the right answer. Here's the
thing this, I do not care about him missing these passes,
especially because either the day before or the day after
this video, I'm not sure the sequence of it. In
(25:41):
this exact drill, he went five for five right into
the bucket, so it's.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Not we know he can make that pass.
Speaker 7 (25:48):
The only part of this video that I is bothersome
to me is that part the reaction. I do think
that Caleb, as an an emotional guy, needs to recognize
his responsibility as the leader of the team and the quarterback,
(26:08):
and needs do a better job of.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Keeping his cool.
Speaker 7 (26:11):
So when he was in college, people made a big
deal of the after the loss, I forget to whom,
when he was with his mother and appeared to be crying.
I kind of stayed out of that because it felt
like a lot of the criticism there was a wink
and a nod, criticism of he paints his nails, he
(26:32):
carries a purse, now he's crying, and I felt it
was undoward. What I do think would have been fair criticism,
and his fair criticism is whether it would have been
him crying or if he had flipped over the gatorade
table and broken a cooler. We want our quarterback to
(26:52):
be level headed, to be, you know, calm in the storms,
and I think that I do think that is an
area he needs to improve.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
But I saw you yesterday, Colin. You know you.
Speaker 7 (27:06):
Sold just a few of your Kleeb shares. And let
me tell you, I had my brokers scoop him up.
I was like, you know what he's gonna He's gonna.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Sell them the dip.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
I'm gonna buy it all, take more of the Kaleb
stock and so and we'll see.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
I think he's going. I think Ben Johnson.
Speaker 7 (27:23):
Is trying, not in that drill, but trying to throw
a lot at him. Is fine with him struggling, is
fine with him being frustrated, so we can build him
back up.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
I still believe in.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
The transcendent talent, and I think Ben Johnson's a sharp coach,
so I think it will work. But I just need
him to be a little more even keeled.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Okay, so I'm gonna bounce around here, and I want
to get to this topic. I said that to a
basketball topic. I didn't have a problem with Lebron James
or Brawny because we all know the deal here. If
they're on a yacht in Centralpe with Savannah and they
don't make a press conference and they do a video call,
I'm okay with it. Lebron is messy. He's Ronald though
(28:02):
we're talking different ballgame here. It's Brad Pitt. He can't
make every carpet. I get it, But I said Luca
being in the kind of shape he's in. It's year
two and three Luca, and last year I got lumpy Luca.
(28:22):
This year I get lean Luca and I think Lebron
and maybe he can handle it, or maybe he can't.
I don't want Austin Reeves to have the ball. I
don't want I think old KD. You could argue will
play better with lean Luca than lumpy Luca. Last year
he couldn't beat people off the dribble. He needed Lebron,
(28:45):
who still can that. I think the struggle isn't whether
he's at a press conference. Is that you're going to
get now year two and three Luca, where he not
only beat people off the dribble, he finished dunking at
the rim. That guy is back, and I in his
usage rate in those years was the highest ever. Is
(29:05):
that I think Lebron's numbers for the first time in
his career. You will watch Luke and Lebron and there
will be a noticeable gap in performance, and we've never
seen it with Lebron.
Speaker 7 (29:17):
We've never seen it, but like there's listen, Lebron last
year got the sixth most MVP votes and the sixth
most all NBA First Team votes. He finished sixth in
both of those categories. He was, according to the voters,
the sixth best player in basketball last year. Let's assume
there's a little atrophy from there, going now into year
(29:40):
twenty three of his career and where he's going to
be turning forty one, and let's say he goes from
that to ninth or tenth best in the league. Luca
is one of un equivocally the four best players in
the league. I think he's one of the three players
in the league. I understand that it's a harder argument
(30:03):
to make now because of what Shaye accomplished, but I
think Luca is better than Shay. Everyone thought that nine
months ago. Now seemingly only I and maybe Zach Low
think it. But I think Luca is a top three
player in the league. He's supposed to be much better
than whomever his next best teammate.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Is.
Speaker 7 (30:21):
Where I disagree with people about how Lebron will take that.
I think Lebron, for the better part of the last
five years, had been hoping that he would be able
to make this transition because of Anthony Davis. I think Lebron,
as we saw in the Olympics and once they got
(30:42):
Luca last year, relishes the opportunity to be able to
give more of his energy on the defensive end because
he doesn't have to carry all of the load on
the offensive end. Lebron's issue has and I know this
has nothing to do with Luca or whether or not
Luca has superseded him in the NBA player hierarchy at
(31:06):
this point in his career. Lebron's singular issue is, are
is my timeline and the lakers timeline now totally misaligned
or are they still at least kind of together Where
the Lakers, yes, obviously they need to have a long
term vision, but do they also think we can win
(31:28):
a championship right now and we are going to go
for that because this might be my last year. And
here is why I would argue for the Lakers they
should unless they have a secret handshake agreement that Giannis
is signing there in two years.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
The overwhelming odds.
Speaker 7 (31:48):
That if we were to in three years when this
extension for Luca's over, say, hey, who's the single best
player Luca ever played with with the Lakers in his
four years with the team. The answer is likely going
to be Lebron. When Lebron leaves, the idea that they're
going to get one of the six players in the
league or seven players in the league better than Lebron
(32:09):
as a running mate is unlikely. So if I were
the Lakers, I would treat this season.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
As we have.
Speaker 7 (32:17):
Lucu can win MVP. Lebron's coming off a great year.
We filled out the roster a bit, maybe add one
more wing or maybe a backup center, and why can't
we go win four rounds? That's what Lebron wants them
to do. I don't blame him for that.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Okay, this may be below your standards of a topic choice,
but now I have had kind of a thing and
there's a lot of truth in it, although sometimes just
to be obnoxious, I go a little over the top
and a little fiat.
Speaker 7 (32:48):
So tell me we're doing the visor. Tell me we're
doing the visor right? So I'm a houard.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Yeah, go ahead, Okay, So my thing is there are
dress codes in life that there are members clubs, there's
all courses, there's events where you have to wear a
collared shirt. It's one thing to have a hat on
backwards for a wide receiver in an interview on the field,
to be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, a backwards advisor.
(33:13):
I had a general manager text me this morning. He goes,
you're going to get nothing but crap, and you are
on target. A general manager in the league said, don't
stop on this. Here's a guy that nobody believes can coach.
And he looks like the guy that when you call
one eight hundred junk, picks up the boxes and that's
stuff from your garage. It's the Cowboys, it's bag of America.
(33:36):
It's the biggest brand in the National Football League. That
look bothers me.
Speaker 7 (33:43):
Yeah, don't know it does I know it does. So
a couple things. Just one clarification for the audience. I
don't know who you get on the other end of
the line if you call one eight hundred junk, but
I wouldn't call it.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
And that's not the number colin men. But the point
is taken. So here's the thing.
Speaker 7 (34:01):
You have always been right about this, and deep down
everyone knows it. But because you are maybe a touch
hyperbolic or theatrical people attack you, but we all we
like we all agree that every single day we are
(34:25):
all making choices with how we present ourselves to the world.
We all agree that Bill Belichick was the reason that
his gruff, cut up, dirty hoodie was considered cool was
purely because A he was an all time winner and
b it fit the theme that he.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Was trying to present.
Speaker 7 (34:50):
Everyone knows that now does is a backwards hat across
the board necessarily as much of a faux po as
you seem to think it is, probably not, But is
a backwards visor a good look on anyone.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
I'm yet to see it.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
And it does everyone, even the biggest critics of you
on this.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Does everyone agree?
Speaker 7 (35:15):
It's a matter of degree that we are arguing about,
because everyone agrees that if he came to the press
conference with mustard stained all over his face and shirtless
but said the exact same stuff, we'd be like, yeah,
the presentation's wrong. We all agree that there is a level.
Your level just happens to be an orientation of the
(35:37):
cap or visor in this case, which again I've never
cared about quite as much as you. But I also
think if there were a Hall of Fame on twenty
year sports topics.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
This is a first ballot entry.
Speaker 7 (35:50):
People now see people wearing backwards caps and they're like,
oh boy, okay, we're gonna get four minute masterclass from
Cowbird today.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
I mean, it's of your legacy. It might be a
little sad.
Speaker 7 (36:02):
Thing, but it's it's in the first page of the obituary.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Tell you that much. It probably is. I probably need
a second good take after thirty years. Okay. Final final
thing on this is that the media does this with
politics and they do it with personalities. Is that they
pick people they like and they just decide, we like
(36:27):
this guy. There was a Stephen Colbert. The media is like,
he's a good guy. And my take is the show
is losing forty million. It went heavy political. The demographics
got sixty nine years old. Is the average age. Nobody's
going to do a forty million dollar losing show on
network TV in twenty twenty five, maybe thirty years ago.
They're not. But the media decided they liked him, and
(36:48):
that's fine. But the media has decided they like Mike McDaniels.
We're three years in Brian Flores, the two years before
Mike McDaniel's got there, that a better winning percentage than
the last three years with him. And that's with the
Patriots being a disaster and the Jets being a disaster.
(37:09):
That the media has decided they didn't like Brian Flores,
they didn't like him, they like Mike McDaniel. If I
had an opening today, what are the Dolphins? What? I
knew what Flora's after about eight weeks about week nine
on those Flores teams were nasty. It took him a
while to develop it. I'm three years in with Mike McDaniel.
(37:30):
Is this a case of the media deciding he's smart,
we like him. Where's that they're there with the Dolphins?
Speaker 7 (37:38):
Okay, so a couple things first, is I think this
is a take I agree with you on, unlike the
Colbert take, which I vehemently disagree with you on. And
we can save that for the next time I'm on
the podcast. Probably not the time and place for it
right now, but let's put a pin in that. We'll
talk about it on the volume at some point. On
Mike McDaniel, you are correct in that he reminds a
(38:03):
lot of sports media of themselves.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Yes, like that's just flatly true.
Speaker 7 (38:09):
Like the smaller Rye humor kind you know it signed
kind of very almost dark humor yesterday analytical guy. I
think there are a lot of people covering football that
see themselves in him, which then makes you want to
root for the guy to succeed you. Then also, I
(38:32):
do think objectively he is a very smart and inventive
offensive play designer, and I also think he got.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
The absolute most out of Tua.
Speaker 7 (38:44):
I think there are some things to like, but where
I think there is and whether this is not just
about Mike McDaniel, This is about how football is covered today,
as analytics and as as a smarter people start having
larger voices in the cover In covering a football, I
(39:07):
think there is a experience gap in how physically brutal
the game is and the type of people that actually
play it at the highest level, and therefore how hard
it can be to actually lead that group of men,
(39:30):
and the reason.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
And so it to me this is a cousin of
Sometimes I see.
Speaker 7 (39:34):
Some of the smartest people, supposedly smartest people covering football
who I think truly believe the way they present it
every time you run the ball is stupid because the
EPA per play on a bad pass is higher than
on a good run, and this, that, and all of
it makes sense except for the fact that there is
when for eighty years, every person that's ever played the
(39:58):
game has one of the first things they talked about
is the importance of being able to run and like
the way it can you can kind of sap the
will of your opponent.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Yes, in some way, you just got to be like
they probably know.
Speaker 7 (40:11):
What they're talking about, Like I haven't been out there,
but like, I don't know. It seems like if like
you can make the de tackle frustrated, there might be
a value that doesn't show up in the numbers. So
that's a long explanation to get to McDaniel, which is
I think there is some of the reason that the
media loves him might also be related to why his
(40:34):
team pretty clearly does not fear him the way they
seem to some of the more effective coaches. And I
like McDaniel, but it seems like it's gotten away from
him a bit with the Dolphins. And I want to
make this clear. I'm not an anti analytics guy. I'm
not an anti kind of you know, smart learning the
game thing, but I think that there is an arrogance
(40:55):
to the idea that in some ways that football is
talked about when it comes to the actual physicality and
toughness of the game.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
That gets lost in some of the math.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
No, this is something I had an executive tell me
years ago. He said, And this was years and I
was at the other place, and he said, the hardest
part of about the draft is you just don't necessarily
know on tape. Am I drafting somebody who is willing
to impose his will and soul on another equally big
(41:28):
strong man and ray Lewis could be smaller and slower.
You turn the lights off, put ray Lewis in a
room with any other player, Ray's coming out of the room.
And there is something there is value in the NFL
in just toughness.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
Well, can I add to that real quick?
Speaker 7 (41:45):
I know we have to go, but I I have said,
and again I'm not an anti McDaniel guy, but I
think people should go back and watch the Chiefs Dolphin's
playoff game two years ago. When the chief Chiefs were
came limping into the playoffs, they you know, I think
I'm you know, they were it was when they had
(42:06):
the first road games. Now, they of course ended up
going to and winning the Super Bowl because they're the Chiefs,
but they seem to be a vulnerable team.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
And that was the third coldest game in NFL history.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
And Andy Reid came out and he looked like Andy Reid.
He was dressed like Andy Reid is dressed, even though
by halftime.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
He literally had icicles on his mustache.
Speaker 7 (42:29):
And Mike McDaniel came out as bundled up as you've
ever seen a human being. And I said, I said
on the air that week, I was like, cause the
Dolphins had no interest in being there.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
They you know, they got annihilated from the very beginning.
Speaker 7 (42:44):
And I said, I can't prove it, but I feel
like the Chiefs saw their coach acting like this is
a normal game, normal business, and they were and they
internalized it.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
And the Dolphins saw their.
Speaker 7 (42:58):
Coach acting like this is the coldest I've ever been
in my entire life, and they internalize that, and I
just think they're a little I think football is so
different because it's so physically painful, it's so dangerous, it's
so brutal, that there is just a lot of magic
in the indefinable toughness stuff. And I think that's kind
(43:19):
of what I'm getting at here.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
No, I'll close it on this years ago, I was
sitting watching It was Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in
a playoff game in Foxborough and Jim Nantz is doing
it and he's going to a commercial and they show
a pre game shot. We're coming back with a kickoff
next and they show Peyton Manning and he looks like
he is free He's with a I think the cult
at this point. He looks like he's freezing, and I'm like,
(43:44):
it's over. Brady's out there high five and Peyton Manning,
who plays in the dome, and Indy looked and I thought, oh,
that's just terrible body language. And I think we agree
on that, all right.
Speaker 7 (43:56):
Buddy, Absolutely great to see a seacom all right, we'll
get to that Stephen Colbert thing on a podcast near you.
Speaker 3 (44:02):
I swear we would.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
No. I think there is something to be said is
that I'm not anti analytics ever, but I've said this
before about the NBA. Those analytics go out the window
in the playoffs because you just coach differently, and the
NBA efficiens officiates differently. Analytics in baseball, it's built for
(44:23):
the volume of one hundred and sixty two games, you
go into the playoffs, Dave Roberts is going to use
his bullpen differently in the playoffs than he does any
other time of the year. So all the analytics are
built for volume of games. But what happens when you
get down to a five game, seven game series. Well,
in the NBA, the games are officiated differently. You don't
get the whistle, you don't get the regular season whistle.
(44:48):
So I like analytics in football, but a lot of
it comes down to mental and physical toughness. I mean,
Philadelphia's best play is gaining half a yard. All the
analytics of football, Tom Brady was unstoppable on quarterback sneaks.
(45:08):
I mean, if it was fourth and one, Brady got
the first down, he mastered it. So with all the
analytics with football, sometimes it's like Philly and Tom Brady
have mastered getting a yard in January and Buffalo, by
the way, with Josh Allen, was a circus trying to
get a yard. Sometimes the game is just that the
will and the toughness to get a yard in lousy weather,
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
noone 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 (00:27):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
It is a Tuesday, Ready to roll. Joel klatt Nick right,
It's the Herd wherever you may be, however you may
be listening. Thanks for making us, Jmack and I part
of your day. You know, Jamack, I was thinking about
something this morning, an overarching theme to start the show
for the first ten or twelve minutes. And I eat
(00:49):
basically the same breakfast. I have the same roudine every day.
I get up, I have a strong coffee. I'll get
in the treadmill ma'am an English muffin, have a smooth
before the show. And I live as much as everybody's
searching for new stuff. If I, for instance, want to
watch sports on TV, I go to NBC, Fox, CBS.
(01:11):
I know where to go. I don't go to Netflix.
I don't go to Hulu. I go to the standard
places where I've always watched sports. And I have this
theory about the NFL that we think you never know
who's going to win these games. But I believe for
two reasons, the NFL is going to get Starting three
(01:33):
years ago, you're seeing a trend much more predictable. And
that's my jumping off point today is this. So when
I make NFL predictions, now I have two more tweaks
to my predictions. I'm always looking for new teams to
make the playoffs, and the one team I've looked at
is Joe Burrow is going to make the playoffs. Right,
So I want to go to a quote from the
Washington Post about a general manager talking about the Bengals
(01:56):
and he talks about Mike Brown and he says, it's
the same old my Brown bs said one general manager
condition of anonymity to avoid violating the NFL tampering rules.
It's the same crap that's been going on since boomeras
Siazin and Carson Palmer. History always repeats itself. And I've
said this before. If Carson Palmer would have gotten like
(02:16):
a Sean Payton or an Andy Reid. We would consider
Carson Palmer a top four or five quarterback. Ever, and
I worry that Joe Burrow, same organization, same ownership, It's
going to be the same thing. If Joe Burrow gets
and Andy Reid, he's hoisting the trophies, not Patrick Mahomes.
And I really firmly believe that. So I've thought about
the Bengals a lot because I'm always looking for new
(02:37):
playoff teams, right because there's like seventy year right, well
not actually last three years. It keeps coming down. Why
is that happening? So we have many camps, OTAs and
the first week or so of training camp, so I
have new information. So I looked over my predictions. I've
got one more tweak. This will not be the official tweak,
(02:58):
but I looked over my predictions that I made a
few months ago. So in the AFC, for instance, Josh
Allen's gonna win the division for as long as he's
in his prime. The Patriots are the safest double your
win total bet in the league in five years, Dolphins Jets,
I wouldn't change a thing. AFC North prediction. Ravens are
the class of of this division. And I mean really
(03:19):
one of the top three organizations in the league. I
think because of all the noise around the Bengals, all
because of ownership, I'd probably move the Bengals out. Steelers,
Brown's just not good enough. AFC South is weak. Texans
are gonna win the division. They have arguably the best
coach and absolutely the best quarterback in the AFC West, Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders.
(03:42):
If I moved Cincinnati out because I've predicted they'll make
the playoffs, I would put the Broncos in. I mean,
they added green Law, the Funga, Evan Ingram, They're over
under on draft kings as nine and a half wins.
So if I was to make an AFC West prediction
my final tweak, I'd get the Bengals out and I'd
(04:02):
move Sean Payton in. I'd get noise out, and I'd
get a guy I've relied on for twenty five years
in the league, Sean Payton in. If I go to
the NFC, it's the same basic theme. I like most
of my picks. NFC East Eagles Commanders Commanders Class of
the NFC East, not Close Eagles Commanders Class of the Division, Giants,
(04:23):
Cowboys of mess. In the NFC North. Here's where I
would make my change for the same reason. I'd get
the Bengals out. I probably because I think the Bears
have been very noisy so far in Mini Camp, OGA
and training camp. I'd probably moved the Bears out and
the Packers in again, noise out like the Bengals, reliable
Sean Payton, Green Bay Packers in Vikings. JJ McCarthy feel
(04:46):
like a fourth place team or a third place team
in the NFC South, weakest division in my opinion in
football Bucks, class of the division, best GM, best quarterback,
and you know I'll take the Bucks. NFC West again,
I'm not as high as the Niners as JMAC. I
go ram Seahawks. The Niners have an easy schedule. I
(05:07):
think they're old. I think the roster has holes. I
think they wanted to keep Green Lawn Hufunga. I do
think Robert Sala coming in helps. So again, like the AFC,
where I moved the Bengals out, Sean Payton, I'd probably
move in. I would probably move the noisy Bears out
and the Packers in. But it's very interesting because I
have spent as my staff knows. I spend considerable amount
(05:28):
of time trying to find new playoff teams, and if
I had made these two changes, I do only have
two new playoff teams New England and the AFC and
Seattle in the NFC. Wait a minute, I can't do that,
or can I. So there's more games than ever. Right,
(05:51):
they added a game, and they're going to add an
eighteenth game, and the league become more quarterback centric. So
those two things, in my opinion, are making the NFL
a bit more like the NBA. I talked about this
last year. The bottom of the league is really bad
and feels miles away from the top of the league.
(06:13):
You're seeing more spreads that are like nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen.
It feels like to me last couple of years that
was always a college number. An NFL mismatch was like
eight eight and a half. Now you're getting double digit
spreads a lot, it feels like to me. So last
year there were only four new playoff teams. That's tied
(06:35):
for the fewest in twenty years. We're on a three
year trend of fewer new playoff teams. And I believe
as much as everybody myself included wants change. The NFL
is going to become the NBA. You kind of know.
(06:55):
I mean, go look at the AFC. I was looking
at this this morning. If you go look at the AFC,
who's made the Divisional round the last two years? Oh Ravens, Bills,
Kansas City, and I feel like it's the same teams
every year. So my take is everybody says they want change.
(07:16):
I think going forward, when we go to an eighteenth game,
and I've said this is the danger of extending the
NFL season two more games from several years ago and
making the league incredibly quarterback centric, You're gonna have a
clear top and a really ugly bottom, and it's going
(07:39):
to become very predictable. So I don't think we're gonna
have six and seven new playoff teams this year. I
am struggling outside of maybe Joe Burrow and the Niners,
I'm struggling to find new playoff teams now. Last year
because of Bo Nicks, who was exceptional as a rookie,
and Jaden Daniels the Broncos in Washington, whoa surprised us,
(08:03):
but that was a really good quarterback draft class. This
wasn't and from that, I'll talk about another part of
football that we thought we were going to see major
changes in, and I think the opposite is true. So
when the college Football Playoff was created, here's what you heard. Oh,
finally the little guy can compete. I mean, when you
(08:25):
only have four teams, it told was going to be
the big dogs. So there was this supposition, this belief
that you would have a lot of little guys that
would have a chance to knock off the big dog. Actually, now,
with teams playing up to sixteen fifteen college games, same
(08:47):
thing is true. In the NFL. The deeper rosters have
a much greater advantage. I mean, Ohio stated in the
playoff was rolling through teams that just had more good players.
They had more NFL bodies. This morning, I looked up
the coach's top twenty five pole. The first seven teams Texas,
Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Clemson, Oregon all
(09:09):
made the playoff last year an eight and nine or
baman LSU football powerhouses. Where are all the new teams? It's
the same old, same old. In fact, I'll make the argument,
in the last thirty years of college football, there is
only one new Top ten Powerhouse one Oregon, and it
(09:32):
took Phil Knight's money and Vision one new program. And
by expanding the playoff to twelve teams fourteen sixteen, that
doesn't help the little guy because a team like Arizona
State cam Skataboo, great story, but they emptied the tank
against Texas. Texas right now has two five star freshman
(09:53):
wide receivers. They're like fifth and six on the depth chart.
They'd start for SMU, they'd start for Arizona State, and
you get the occasional upset. But when you watched Indiana
and Notre Dame plan the playoff, did you think the
little guy at a fighting chance? The thing was over
two series in. You watch the SMU game. So the
old system, which Boise State could have one big Bowl
(10:17):
game against Oklahoma. Chris Peterson uses a trick play and
they knock off the Sooners and the season ends in Boise,
Idaho on a great note, unbelievable TV game. Everybody in
Idaho feels good. Those days are over. You're going to
all those teams that have not You're going to end
their season with losses and often ugly losses. So this
(10:41):
idea that the NFL, you extend, extend the season, you
expand the playoffs. In college football, you expand it now, folks,
everybody is trying to engineer parody and it doesn't exist.
People always separate, businesses always separate, and so that that's
(11:08):
kind of my theme is college football now can have
up to fifteen games. In the NFL is expanding to seventeen,
and now they're going to expand to eighteen games. Many
believe next year. It's not gonna help the little guy.
It's gonna help the deeper roster, the richer organizations, the
better quarterbacks, and a handful of great owners. All right,
Jay Meck, I know that could be a downer, but
(11:29):
my guess is you basically watched football on the same
three channels you did twenty years ago, and you also
eat the same thing for breakfast most days. Yeah that
we're all creatures of habit and everybody's seeking new stuff.
But you know, in New York, if you could get
a ticket to a concert for a lot of people,
to be a Billy Joel concert, which was in the
case twenty years ago for New Yorkers.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
It's funny you bring that up.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
I mean, you know, like I'm we're very similar in
terms of creatures of habit.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Like, you know, last week on vacation, I didn't wake
up and go on Twitter and see what the news was.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
But now you're back and like, that's kind.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Of one of the first things you.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Do, right, You got to see what's up on sports
and what's happening.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Yeah, I just I think I understand people seeking new.
Uh it could be a mayoral race in New York.
Everybody wants new and new and new, but in the end,
people basically go back. What makes people happy psychologically are
certainties and habits. That's what makes you happy, not waking
(12:28):
up every day with no idea what's going on. People
like want to work out, they want to they want
to walk their dog, they want to have their coffee,
they want to play wordle, they want to read the
local paper. We are creatures of habit and we're all seeking.
We think football, collegeen pro, adding more playoff teams, expanding
the playoffs and adding more games. That all benefits the
(12:48):
big dog. That all benefits the big that benefits Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia,
the New the Texas that's who it benefit. Didn't benefit
SMU it benefits the law.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
I do wonder if you know we've briefly discussed the
Packers yesterday as a team that's going to probably rise up.
I'm surprised you're not on the Falcons. I got some
really interesting data when we eventually talk about Atlanta, and
I think, remember when you were on Tennessee earlier this
summer and you.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Suddenly backed off off the Titans. What happened?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Well, I didn't love them. I have him as a
wild card team. But when they their supposed number one
receiver gets hurt, they get rid of him. Now they've
got a roster full of number three and four receivers.
Cam Ward is acknowledged. You know they're saying in camp
they're struggling. It's become more and more of a wide
receiver quarterback league. They're struggling. I mean, it always feels
(13:39):
like they're light offensively. So I didn't love them. New
England's my guaranteed double your win total team. But I
did think cam Ward wouldd some electricity. But you know
it's c J. Stroud is the best quarterback in the division.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
C J.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Stroud made the playoffs. My guess is c J. Stroud
will make the playoffs again this year.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
So just for the record, your CJ. Stroud, what is
a better quarterback right now than Trevor Lawrence?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Correct? Yes, okay, I would disagree.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
But well I did not believe that two years ago.
I believe it now. I think, to me, I don't buy.
He had an off season. Tuns Al the left tackle,
didn't play well. They were missing two of their top receivers.
He had a lot to overcome. I think CJ. Stroud's really,
really good.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS
one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning
on my podcast, straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't
your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down
your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions
on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help
you win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guests.
(14:51):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get you podcasts.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Nick right top of next hour, Joel Klatt two. You
know this is a story that's had tentacles. So look,
Lebron James did not show up for the press conference
when Lucas signed his new deal. Bronny James wasn't apparently
there either. And my take is, we all know the
deal here. Lebron is a global superstar. He's like in
the Ronaldo Messy level. They play by different rules. If
(15:29):
Lebron and Savannah and Browny were on a yacht in Santrope,
I don't have a problem with it. I really don't.
We all know that the Lakers drafted him and there
was behind the scenes workings on that deal. It's the
off season. It just doesn't bother me. And reportedly Lebron
called him. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me going
forward into this season is that it was okay last
(15:52):
year when Lebron often dominated the ball with lumpy Luca.
But Luca and I'm looking at men's health like everybody
else in the video clips, Luca is in the best
shape of his career since, like his rookie year and
his second third year in the NBA and his usage rate.
I discovered this morning is the highest in league history.
(16:15):
So I didn't have a problem Lebron sharing the ball
a lot with lumpy Luca. That's not what Luca's gonna
be this new relation. I would make an argument this
Luca in shape Luca fits better with KD old KD
than old Lebron because Lebron's always had to you have
(16:37):
to reshape your basketball ecosystem with Lebron. He always has
the ball in his hands. He doesn't play as well
off ball. He's also a great passer, but so is Luca.
So the problem with the Lakers now, Austin reeves, Lebron
and Luca are all much better with the ball, but
in shape, non lumpy Luca should have the ball eighty
(16:59):
percent of the time. Last year, I was fine with sharing.
He's been injured in camp, the trades, mid season, he
worked his way into shape. He just looked big and
puffy and lumpy, and a lot of times Lebron was
the twitch year athlete. He will not be this year.
Lebron's average keeps going down. My sense is it will
(17:20):
go down more this year because he just won't have
the ball in his hands much. So. The whole thing
about Lebron, you know, not showing up for a presser
or even brawny. It doesn't really bother me. I think
I think we all know the game. They're certain athletes.
I mean, it was great that Brady was as obsessed
as he was. But Aaron Rodgers has a lot of defenders.
(17:42):
When he goes to Egypt in the offseason, he's got
a lot of defenders. Teammates like it's Aaron, he's been around.
I wouldn't do it, but he's not the first guy
to do it. But my take is this year is
going to be different. I said this yesterday. I think
you're going to see a huge gap in Luke and
Lebron on the floor. One will look like a top
three player in the league and one will look like
(18:04):
he's forty good but not nearly as consistent. And what's
going to happen statistically is Lebron should not have the
ball in his hands like last year. Absolutely not Lumpy Luca,
no problem with it. The Luca I'm seeing on these
videos at the presser Men's health that's like year two,
three and four Luca when he led the NBA and
(18:25):
usage rate and was virtually unstoppable. As a kid unstoppable. Hey,
by the way, here's Rob Polanka, the GM you know
last week on the new contract form.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Make no mistakes, we're in win championship now mode. Always.
We've been very intentional with keeping our optionality to make
now moves if there's good now moves to may or
to have sort of our flexibility in the future. But
I say all that that the optionality is there for
(18:59):
us to use now if the right move comes its way.
We want to make smart moves, but to be in
a position of flexibility versus being stuck is really promising
for how we're gonna build this team moving forward.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Just look at how Finn in a suit Luca looks
compared to last year in a uniform. So he's got
a heavy suit on, he looks thirty pounds lighter. And
just remember that Luca, like early Luca, totally bald, dominant
and completely unstouble. Last year he couldn't be guys off
the dribble. He couldn't be an attack mode. So I
(19:33):
was okay with Lebron Lebron beating guys off the dribble,
but you go to young Luca, rookie Luca. I think
we talked about this once had twenty five dunks. Lebron
last year, Luca last year had one dunk. Like we're
going back to twenty dunk Luca. Lean Luca. He's got
(19:54):
to have the ball in his hands eighty percent of
the time. Austin Reeves can't have the ball in his hands,
and Lebron shouldn't have the ball in his hands. Lean
Luca is not lumpy Luca.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter non a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Here we go our two. Nick writes around the corner,
we're live. It's the Herd wherever you may be, and
however you may be watching or listening or appreciate it. So
Men and Blazers is a very popular sports podcast, and
they had Tom Brady on talking about soccer, and it's interesting.
I always feel like I'm defending soccer and there's just
a percentage of guys that are never going to buy
(20:34):
into it. But I always feel soccer in America is
appropriately popular. It happens every fourth year, the World Cup, right,
and so it's like those relatives you see every four years,
they're not real family, even though you're related. It's not
like your own kids that you hold much more responsible.
You get the highs and lows of the daily rituals
(20:57):
and routines, and that the truth is, when the World
Cup was here in ninety ninety four, it broke records
that stand today in attendance, and the World Cup, the
next one in the United States, will shatter those records.
And Tom Brady was talking about I don't think soccer
needs anything in America. I think it's as popular as
it's ever going to be. And I think it's really
(21:18):
popular when you consider that we have massive infrastructure of
college football and college basketball. We are an over stimulated,
distracted country. It's bigger in Europe. Europe doesn't have our
college football or basketball. They don't have the NHL like
we do. I mean, we've got MLS, NHL, NASCAR, NFL, NBA. Canada,
(21:40):
by the way, Canada's got NHL, NBA, CFL. They don't
even have our college system, this labyrinth of three hundred
and fifty Division one basketball programs like we have here.
And so here's Tom Brady talking about a little bit
what soccer needs.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
We need the youth in America.
Speaker 6 (22:00):
In soccer, we need a young Fenom like a Uman Lamal,
a young Lino Messi to take over, and I believe
that there would be the most amazing kind of cultural
revolution for soccer here in America. We love rooting for winners,
we love rooting for the best of the best. The
World Cup is coming to America in twenty twenty six.
You can't imagine the fanfare when that happens. Every stadium
(22:23):
b be sold out. The American audience loves it.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I always feel like hockey feels like Canada, the NFL
in college football feel like US. But soccer, you know,
seventeen hundreds, eighteen hundreds. There's four hundred year old pubs
in Europe. They're older than US. Soccer's old. There are
four hundred year old you know. If you walk around Europe,
(22:51):
it's like you're walking in an outdoor museum. I mean,
just just go to Vienna, go to these European cities.
I was in Florence a couple of years ago. I
felt like the whole trip I was walking in a museum.
I love Seattle, it doesn't feel that way, right. I
like Denver, it doesn't feel like a museum. So I
always feel like soccer is appropriately popular. It's the relatives
(23:14):
you see every three years and you love them, but
they don't feel like your kids. And that's not a
knock on soccer. I think Fox is going to break records.
I think we still hold the nineteen ninety four World
Cup still holds the attendance records, and I do think
we have I think Polisic, I don't know where he
ranks globally, but he's our best player. Ever. I think
(23:36):
we have more skill than ever. I always feel like
I am defending soccer, and I don't think it needs defending.
I think it's really popular here, but if you show
up every four years, you're not going to be football
or the NBA or college football. You're not going to
be Ohio State Michigan. That's the reality of it, and
I love it. My friends outside of the NFL, the
(23:58):
guys I hang out with, soccer is the number two.
They'll watch the English Premier League over everything but the
NFL seriously so. And I remember when I recently, it
was seventeen eighteen, nineteen years ago, not recently got married.
Anne's young boys in New England, Josh and Riley, did
not watch baseball. They watched the English Premier League downstairs
(24:21):
in the house, and I was like, I remember watching
that and thinking, wow, I'm in New England and they're
not watching the Red Sox, They're watching soccer. So I
never think soccer needs defending. Now sometimes Nick Wright does
and he now joins us live. Nick Wright first things
first is joining us, so on what's up, buddy, Good
(24:42):
to see you. You know you don't want to make
too much of little stuff, but I do think little
stuff I always call the drip drip drip becomes a
faucet that's leaking. And I've got last year, and I've
got Mini Camp and now I've got the Net video
with Caleb Williams, and I'm like, shouldn't I be a
(25:06):
little uneasy with the moodiness, the accuracy? It's a I mean,
I watched Shaydon Daniels and Vo Nicks. They were good immediately.
Can I have questions about what I say with.
Speaker 7 (25:20):
Jones Williams Mac Jones good immediately too? I mean, the
good immediately is not always the right answer. Here's the
thing this, I do not care about him missing these passes,
especially because either the day before or the day after
this video, I'm not sure the sequence of it. In
(25:41):
this exact drill, he went five for five right into
the bucket, so it's.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Not we know he can make that pass.
Speaker 7 (25:48):
The only part of this video that I is bothersome
to me is that part the reaction. I do think
that Caleb, as an an emotional guy, needs to recognize
his responsibility as the leader of the team and the quarterback,
(26:08):
and needs do a better job of.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Keeping his cool.
Speaker 7 (26:11):
So when he was in college, people made a big
deal of the after the loss, I forget to whom,
when he was with his mother and appeared to be crying.
I kind of stayed out of that because it felt
like a lot of the criticism there was a wink
and a nod, criticism of he paints his nails, he
(26:32):
carries a purse, now he's crying, and I felt it
was undoward. What I do think would have been fair criticism,
and his fair criticism is whether it would have been
him crying or if he had flipped over the gatorade
table and broken a cooler. We want our quarterback to
(26:52):
be level headed, to be, you know, calm in the storms,
and I think that I do think that is an
area he needs to improve.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
But I saw you yesterday, Colin. You know you.
Speaker 7 (27:06):
Sold just a few of your Kleeb shares. And let
me tell you, I had my brokers scoop him up.
I was like, you know what he's gonna He's gonna.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Sell them the dip.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
I'm gonna buy it all, take more of the Kaleb
stock and so and we'll see.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
I think he's going. I think Ben Johnson.
Speaker 7 (27:23):
Is trying, not in that drill, but trying to throw
a lot at him. Is fine with him struggling, is
fine with him being frustrated, so we can build him
back up.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
I still believe in.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
The transcendent talent, and I think Ben Johnson's a sharp coach,
so I think it will work. But I just need
him to be a little more even keeled.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Okay, so I'm gonna bounce around here, and I want
to get to this topic. I said that to a
basketball topic. I didn't have a problem with Lebron James
or Brawny because we all know the deal here. If
they're on a yacht in Centralpe with Savannah and they
don't make a press conference and they do a video call,
I'm okay with it. Lebron is messy. He's Ronald though
(28:02):
we're talking different ballgame here. It's Brad Pitt. He can't
make every carpet. I get it, But I said Luca
being in the kind of shape he's in. It's year
two and three Luca, and last year I got lumpy Luca.
(28:22):
This year I get lean Luca and I think Lebron
and maybe he can handle it, or maybe he can't.
I don't want Austin Reeves to have the ball. I
don't want I think old KD. You could argue will
play better with lean Luca than lumpy Luca. Last year
he couldn't beat people off the dribble. He needed Lebron,
(28:45):
who still can that. I think the struggle isn't whether
he's at a press conference. Is that you're going to
get now year two and three Luca, where he not
only beat people off the dribble, he finished dunking at
the rim. That guy is back, and I in his
usage rate in those years was the highest ever. Is
(29:05):
that I think Lebron's numbers for the first time in
his career. You will watch Luke and Lebron and there
will be a noticeable gap in performance, and we've never
seen it with Lebron.
Speaker 7 (29:17):
We've never seen it, but like there's listen, Lebron last
year got the sixth most MVP votes and the sixth
most all NBA First Team votes. He finished sixth in
both of those categories. He was, according to the voters,
the sixth best player in basketball last year. Let's assume
there's a little atrophy from there, going now into year
(29:40):
twenty three of his career and where he's going to
be turning forty one, and let's say he goes from
that to ninth or tenth best in the league. Luca
is one of un equivocally the four best players in
the league. I think he's one of the three players
in the league. I understand that it's a harder argument
(30:03):
to make now because of what Shaye accomplished, but I
think Luca is better than Shay. Everyone thought that nine
months ago. Now seemingly only I and maybe Zach Low
think it. But I think Luca is a top three
player in the league. He's supposed to be much better
than whomever his next best teammate.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Is.
Speaker 7 (30:21):
Where I disagree with people about how Lebron will take that.
I think Lebron, for the better part of the last
five years, had been hoping that he would be able
to make this transition because of Anthony Davis. I think Lebron,
as we saw in the Olympics and once they got
(30:42):
Luca last year, relishes the opportunity to be able to
give more of his energy on the defensive end because
he doesn't have to carry all of the load on
the offensive end. Lebron's issue has and I know this
has nothing to do with Luca or whether or not
Luca has superseded him in the NBA player hierarchy at
(31:06):
this point in his career. Lebron's singular issue is, are
is my timeline and the lakers timeline now totally misaligned
or are they still at least kind of together Where
the Lakers, yes, obviously they need to have a long
term vision, but do they also think we can win
(31:28):
a championship right now and we are going to go
for that because this might be my last year. And
here is why I would argue for the Lakers they
should unless they have a secret handshake agreement that Giannis
is signing there in two years.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
The overwhelming odds.
Speaker 7 (31:48):
That if we were to in three years when this
extension for Luca's over, say, hey, who's the single best
player Luca ever played with with the Lakers in his
four years with the team. The answer is likely going
to be Lebron. When Lebron leaves, the idea that they're
going to get one of the six players in the
league or seven players in the league better than Lebron
(32:09):
as a running mate is unlikely. So if I were
the Lakers, I would treat this season.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
As we have.
Speaker 7 (32:17):
Lucu can win MVP. Lebron's coming off a great year.
We filled out the roster a bit, maybe add one
more wing or maybe a backup center, and why can't
we go win four rounds? That's what Lebron wants them
to do. I don't blame him for that.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Okay, this may be below your standards of a topic choice,
but now I have had kind of a thing and
there's a lot of truth in it, although sometimes just
to be obnoxious, I go a little over the top
and a little fiat.
Speaker 7 (32:48):
So tell me we're doing the visor. Tell me we're
doing the visor right? So I'm a houard.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Yeah, go ahead, Okay, So my thing is there are
dress codes in life that there are members clubs, there's
all courses, there's events where you have to wear a
collared shirt. It's one thing to have a hat on
backwards for a wide receiver in an interview on the field,
to be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, a backwards advisor.
(33:13):
I had a general manager text me this morning. He goes,
you're going to get nothing but crap, and you are
on target. A general manager in the league said, don't
stop on this. Here's a guy that nobody believes can coach.
And he looks like the guy that when you call
one eight hundred junk, picks up the boxes and that's
stuff from your garage. It's the Cowboys, it's bag of America.
(33:36):
It's the biggest brand in the National Football League. That
look bothers me.
Speaker 7 (33:43):
Yeah, don't know it does I know it does. So
a couple things. Just one clarification for the audience. I
don't know who you get on the other end of
the line if you call one eight hundred junk, but
I wouldn't call it.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
And that's not the number colin men. But the point
is taken. So here's the thing.
Speaker 7 (34:01):
You have always been right about this, and deep down
everyone knows it. But because you are maybe a touch
hyperbolic or theatrical people attack you, but we all we
like we all agree that every single day we are
(34:25):
all making choices with how we present ourselves to the world.
We all agree that Bill Belichick was the reason that
his gruff, cut up, dirty hoodie was considered cool was
purely because A he was an all time winner and
b it fit the theme that he.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Was trying to present.
Speaker 7 (34:50):
Everyone knows that now does is a backwards hat across
the board necessarily as much of a faux po as
you seem to think it is, probably not, But is
a backwards visor a good look on anyone.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
I'm yet to see it.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
And it does everyone, even the biggest critics of you
on this.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Does everyone agree?
Speaker 7 (35:15):
It's a matter of degree that we are arguing about,
because everyone agrees that if he came to the press
conference with mustard stained all over his face and shirtless
but said the exact same stuff, we'd be like, yeah,
the presentation's wrong. We all agree that there is a level.
Your level just happens to be an orientation of the
(35:37):
cap or visor in this case, which again I've never
cared about quite as much as you. But I also
think if there were a Hall of Fame on twenty
year sports topics.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
This is a first ballot entry.
Speaker 7 (35:50):
People now see people wearing backwards caps and they're like,
oh boy, okay, we're gonna get four minute masterclass from
Cowbird today.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
I mean, it's of your legacy. It might be a
little sad.
Speaker 7 (36:02):
Thing, but it's it's in the first page of the obituary.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Tell you that much. It probably is. I probably need
a second good take after thirty years. Okay. Final final
thing on this is that the media does this with
politics and they do it with personalities. Is that they
pick people they like and they just decide, we like
(36:27):
this guy. There was a Stephen Colbert. The media is like,
he's a good guy. And my take is the show
is losing forty million. It went heavy political. The demographics
got sixty nine years old. Is the average age. Nobody's
going to do a forty million dollar losing show on
network TV in twenty twenty five, maybe thirty years ago.
They're not. But the media decided they liked him, and
(36:48):
that's fine. But the media has decided they like Mike McDaniels.
We're three years in Brian Flores, the two years before
Mike McDaniel's got there, that a better winning percentage than
the last three years with him. And that's with the
Patriots being a disaster and the Jets being a disaster.
(37:09):
That the media has decided they didn't like Brian Flores,
they didn't like him, they like Mike McDaniel. If I
had an opening today, what are the Dolphins? What? I
knew what Flora's after about eight weeks about week nine
on those Flores teams were nasty. It took him a
while to develop it. I'm three years in with Mike McDaniel.
(37:30):
Is this a case of the media deciding he's smart,
we like him. Where's that they're there with the Dolphins?
Speaker 7 (37:38):
Okay, so a couple things first, is I think this
is a take I agree with you on, unlike the
Colbert take, which I vehemently disagree with you on. And
we can save that for the next time I'm on
the podcast. Probably not the time and place for it
right now, but let's put a pin in that. We'll
talk about it on the volume at some point. On
Mike McDaniel, you are correct in that he reminds a
(38:03):
lot of sports media of themselves.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Yes, like that's just flatly true.
Speaker 7 (38:09):
Like the smaller Rye humor kind you know it signed
kind of very almost dark humor yesterday analytical guy. I
think there are a lot of people covering football that
see themselves in him, which then makes you want to
root for the guy to succeed you. Then also, I
(38:32):
do think objectively he is a very smart and inventive
offensive play designer, and I also think he got.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
The absolute most out of Tua.
Speaker 7 (38:44):
I think there are some things to like, but where
I think there is and whether this is not just
about Mike McDaniel, This is about how football is covered today,
as analytics and as as a smarter people start having
larger voices in the cover In covering a football, I
(39:07):
think there is a experience gap in how physically brutal
the game is and the type of people that actually
play it at the highest level, and therefore how hard
it can be to actually lead that group of men,
(39:30):
and the reason.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
And so it to me this is a cousin of
Sometimes I see.
Speaker 7 (39:34):
Some of the smartest people, supposedly smartest people covering football
who I think truly believe the way they present it
every time you run the ball is stupid because the
EPA per play on a bad pass is higher than
on a good run, and this, that, and all of
it makes sense except for the fact that there is
when for eighty years, every person that's ever played the
(39:58):
game has one of the first things they talked about
is the importance of being able to run and like
the way it can you can kind of sap the
will of your opponent.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Yes, in some way, you just got to be like
they probably know.
Speaker 7 (40:11):
What they're talking about, Like I haven't been out there,
but like, I don't know. It seems like if like
you can make the de tackle frustrated, there might be
a value that doesn't show up in the numbers. So
that's a long explanation to get to McDaniel, which is
I think there is some of the reason that the
media loves him might also be related to why his
(40:34):
team pretty clearly does not fear him the way they
seem to some of the more effective coaches. And I
like McDaniel, but it seems like it's gotten away from
him a bit with the Dolphins. And I want to
make this clear. I'm not an anti analytics guy. I'm
not an anti kind of you know, smart learning the
game thing, but I think that there is an arrogance
(40:55):
to the idea that in some ways that football is
talked about when it comes to the actual physicality and
toughness of the game.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
That gets lost in some of the math.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
No, this is something I had an executive tell me
years ago. He said, And this was years and I
was at the other place, and he said, the hardest
part of about the draft is you just don't necessarily
know on tape. Am I drafting somebody who is willing
to impose his will and soul on another equally big
(41:28):
strong man and ray Lewis could be smaller and slower.
You turn the lights off, put ray Lewis in a
room with any other player, Ray's coming out of the room.
And there is something there is value in the NFL
in just toughness.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
Well, can I add to that real quick?
Speaker 7 (41:45):
I know we have to go, but I I have said,
and again I'm not an anti McDaniel guy, but I
think people should go back and watch the Chiefs Dolphin's
playoff game two years ago. When the chief Chiefs were
came limping into the playoffs, they you know, I think
I'm you know, they were it was when they had
(42:06):
the first road games. Now, they of course ended up
going to and winning the Super Bowl because they're the Chiefs,
but they seem to be a vulnerable team.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
And that was the third coldest game in NFL history.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
And Andy Reid came out and he looked like Andy Reid.
He was dressed like Andy Reid is dressed, even though
by halftime.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
He literally had icicles on his mustache.
Speaker 7 (42:29):
And Mike McDaniel came out as bundled up as you've
ever seen a human being. And I said, I said
on the air that week, I was like, cause the
Dolphins had no interest in being there.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
They you know, they got annihilated from the very beginning.
Speaker 7 (42:44):
And I said, I can't prove it, but I feel
like the Chiefs saw their coach acting like this is
a normal game, normal business, and they were and they
internalized it.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
And the Dolphins saw their.
Speaker 7 (42:58):
Coach acting like this is the coldest I've ever been
in my entire life, and they internalize that, and I
just think they're a little I think football is so
different because it's so physically painful, it's so dangerous, it's
so brutal, that there is just a lot of magic
in the indefinable toughness stuff. And I think that's kind
(43:19):
of what I'm getting at here.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
No, I'll close it on this years ago, I was
sitting watching It was Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in
a playoff game in Foxborough and Jim Nantz is doing
it and he's going to a commercial and they show
a pre game shot. We're coming back with a kickoff
next and they show Peyton Manning and he looks like
he is free He's with a I think the cult
at this point. He looks like he's freezing, and I'm like,
(43:44):
it's over. Brady's out there high five and Peyton Manning,
who plays in the dome, and Indy looked and I thought, oh,
that's just terrible body language. And I think we agree
on that, all right.
Speaker 7 (43:56):
Buddy, Absolutely great to see a seacom all right, we'll
get to that Stephen Colbert thing on a podcast near you.
Speaker 3 (44:02):
I swear we would.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
No. I think there is something to be said is
that I'm not anti analytics ever, but I've said this
before about the NBA. Those analytics go out the window
in the playoffs because you just coach differently, and the
NBA efficiens officiates differently. Analytics in baseball, it's built for
(44:23):
the volume of one hundred and sixty two games, you
go into the playoffs, Dave Roberts is going to use
his bullpen differently in the playoffs than he does any
other time of the year. So all the analytics are
built for volume of games. But what happens when you
get down to a five game, seven game series. Well,
in the NBA, the games are officiated differently. You don't
get the whistle, you don't get the regular season whistle.
(44:48):
So I like analytics in football, but a lot of
it comes down to mental and physical toughness. I mean,
Philadelphia's best play is gaining half a yard. All the
analytics of football, Tom Brady was unstoppable on quarterback sneaks.
(45:08):
I mean, if it was fourth and one, Brady got
the first down, he mastered it. So with all the
analytics with football, sometimes it's like Philly and Tom Brady
have mastered getting a yard in January and Buffalo, by
the way, with Josh Allen, was a circus trying to
get a yard. Sometimes the game is just that the
will and the toughness to get a yard in lousy weather,
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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