September 10, 2025 • 29 mins
Colin discusses all the praise Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy is getting for his 4th quarter comeback against the Bears and explains why organizational support is underrated in the NFL. He also defends the Ravens and Lamar Jackson for another late game collapse by sharing evidence mostly great teams in the NFL have the most blown leads. Fox Sports NFL analyst Mark Sanchez joins the show to tell Colin what he thought of Caleb Williams in his first game under new head coach Ben Johnson
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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 cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Here we go.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
We are live, We are in Chicago, and it is
the Herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be
watching or listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.
It's Wednesday, meaning Joel Clat one hour from now. As
we head into a college football weekend. You know, Jay McCay,
(00:49):
listen to Chicago Radio this.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Morning, they're all worked out, everybody. I had three different people,
what what do you make at? What are you making? Cato?
Will you? I said's a long season. I'm not sure,
but I was thinking about this this morning. We're both parents,
and you know, parents want their kids to be number one,
number one in the class valedictorian, got to start in
(01:13):
the basketball team, number one. It's all nonsense. It's all nonsense.
Where you go to college. Where do you fit best
is where you should go to college if you're going
to be a success. Phil Knight started at Oregon. He
eventually went to Stanford, but he started, you know, at Oregon,
and that's kind of the reality of life. It's about fit.
(01:38):
Here's where finishing number one doesn't necessarily help you. Getting
drafted as a quarterback, JJ McCarthy was the fifth quarterback
taken and bo Nix was the sixth. Yet they got
Kevin O'Connell, and they got Sean Payton, Lamar Jackson. Last quarterback,
first round. Last player actually went to the Ravens Patrick Mahomes,
(02:01):
the tenth pick went to the Stable Chiefs. Josh Allen.
Third quarterback taken Aaron Rodgers, Dan Marino fell in the
first round. One got Don Shula Super Bowl second year,
the other one got, you know, the Packers. I don't
know how good JJ McCarthy is. I don't know how
good bo Nicks is, but I suspect they're both going
to win their division a lot, and over the course
(02:23):
of fifteen years, they're gonna win a bunch of games.
Because I think Kevin O'Connell is the best young offensive
coach in football. I know Sean McVay, yeah, but I
mean I don't even consider Sean McVay young anymore. Right, Like,
he's a veteran head coach, and that's a lot of it.
There are a lot of bad coaching staffs in this league.
And even when you get a coach that's not bad,
pretty good Mike Tomlin, it doesn't mean he has any
(02:45):
understanding or any sensibility on how to help a young quarterback.
If you go look at Jared Goff's entire career, it
is tied to how good his coach is and the
Minnesota vi he'th My wife used to live and work
in Minnesota, not a big sports fan, and we were
talking about Minnesota beating the Bears because we now live
in Chicago, and she said, well, the Vikings are always good, right,
(03:06):
And I'm like, yeah, that's right. The Vikings are always good.
They always have good owners, they always have a good
front office, a good general manager, a solid coach. I
mean Sam Donald and Kirk Cousins both finished top ten
in offense. I mean Sam Donald's career was over and
all of a sudden he's MVP talk. I don't think
that would have happened, didn't happen in Carolina, didn't happen
to the Jets. So this idea, this our society is
(03:28):
you've got to finish number one. Where do you fit best?
I don't care if it's a high school choice, which
a lot of times you don't have options, but when
it's a college choice. The IVY League isn't for everybody.
Big state schools, you know Texas, you know, they're not
for everybody. Some kids need more tutoring, smaller schools. Some
(03:50):
kids may need vocational schools, a junior college, whatever it takes.
But I look at bow Knicks, you know, Bo Knicks
in September. I looked at this up this morning in September.
In his career, two touchdowns, six picks. Yep, bo Nicks
has a winning record in September. That's called organizational support
(04:10):
and coaching support. He's been bad in September, and he
has a winning record in the AFC in a division
with Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. You're not doing that
with bad coaching, so JJ McCarthy, Jim Harbaugh to Kevin O'Connell,
I'm sorry. A part of his success is that it's
(04:31):
not fair Baker, Mayfield got Cleveland and Hugh Jackson. Mahomes
got Andy Reid and the Hunk family. Now I think
Mahomes is better than Baker, and it took Baker a
while to prove he could be a franchise guy you
could trust. And I do think talent eventually finds its way.
But in the NFL injuries regulated levels of violence, sometimes
(04:53):
you don't. Sometimes you get banged up. Drew Brees wanted
to be a Miami Dolphin and they wouldn't let him.
And thank god Sean Payton was there right like banged
up in San Diego. Dolphins are not interested. Team doctor says, no,
what if Sean Payton doesn't exist, one of the all
time greats gets another situation where it's just not perfect
(05:15):
for him. So listen, man, we all know this. The
longer you live. Parenting is not fair. Some people get
bad parents and bad bosses and bad coaches. And you know,
I just all I know is I look at JJ
McCarthy and bow Nicks. One is the fifth quarterback taken.
(05:35):
One is the sixth quarterback taken. I mean, through three quarters.
JJ McCarthy was about as bad as you can be
in the NFL at quarterback. That pick six was will
Levis stuff, but his coach stayed with him, hung with him,
supported him. Here's Kevin O'Connell on JJ's budding bond with
his teammates.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
All the credit in the world should go to and
his teammates. I mean that that relationship that's been built,
and you know many times around the league that those
you know, the requirements sometimes are you got to do
those things. First, we got to see it for our
team to still trust in that moment, and then kind
of that explosion of energy and emotion when he was,
(06:19):
you know, making some of those plays in the second
half that you know that can be infectious for a while,
I hope, because now we do have confirmation.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
We are obsessed with finishing number one when it comes
to quarterbacks. Yeah, I mean, you know, there's there's the
occasional John Elway. But look at what Caleb Williams inherited
ownership down and look what bow Nicks got maybe the
richest owners in sports. I think I read yesterday they've
got a new stadium. It's Sean Payton. They led the
(06:50):
NFL in sacks. Bo Nix doesn't have to get in
shootouts by year two, his defense was keeping him in games.
JJ McCarthy as Brian Flow. I was talking to a
Bears fan this morning that was all dejected. I said, listen,
the bottom line is, Brian Flores in your opener is
a rough is a rough game. Caleb Williams probably faced
(07:16):
his best defensive coordinator in the first game of the
rebuild with Ben Johnson. All Right, speaking of Ben Johnson,
I can't speak for everybody else, but I think this
is true. The best bosses I've ever had in my
life have held me accountable, but have also held my
coworkers accountable and themselves accountable. And Ben Johnson was talking
(07:40):
about his debut as an NFL head coach.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Yeah, I didn't think I called a particularly great game.
I could have adjusted a little bit better to the
lack of pressure that Flow was given us, and so
I can do a better job there. And then at
the end of the game, felt like we could kick
it out of the back. We weren't able to get
that done. In hindsight, I should have kicked it out
of balance.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Training camp OTAs pre season week one. He's holding himself
and Caleb Williams accountable. Best bosses I've ever had do
the same thing. I always tell my boss, bark at me,
just upset, tell me, I'll figure it out. Remember Matt Eberflus,
(08:27):
they lost a hail Mary game, gave up all those
free yards before the hail Mary. He was questioned, nothing
to see here, that is just no big deal. It's
a big deal. It's a big deal. A lot of
things were a big deal, and it was always Mike
McDaniel ice cream for breakfast. Mike McDaniel. Miami players stroll
in late Tyreek Hill criticizes his quarterback publicly in camp.
(08:50):
Remember this year in camp when teams practiced against those
joint practices practice against the Dolphins, and I forget the team,
but one of the players in the team said, yeah,
they don't practice like us. Miami doesn't practice nearly as
hard as US. Standards. Excuses not holding people accountable. Sean
(09:11):
McVay admits now with the Rams he had to lighten up.
He was so harsh and intense. Tom Comflin lightened up
and then beat Brady and Belichick twice in Super Bowls.
If you look at Conflin and Sean McVay, their resumes
are filled with accountability. To themselves and others. It's one
(09:31):
of my knocks on Mike Tomlin. He's two player friendly.
It just just I mean, and again, I don't expect
my coaches to be perfect. Right, we're all on a
couch watching, you know, when you're in a game and
it's fluid and it's going fast. I was joking with
the staff this morning. It's like going on a date
with a beautiful, smart woman. You want to be funny
(09:53):
but not silly, confident but not arrogant, smart but not
preach like you know, like it's oh, the state's happening,
and she's judging me, and I don't have time, and
they make their mind up in eight minutes. Then it's
much easier to sit and watch the date and go, boy,
he's not handling it well, he's not asking her about her,
He's doing too much talking. That's the way we judge
(10:14):
in the media coaching. Well, how come he didn't do this?
And how come he didn't do that. You've got a
million things going on in your head. You're dealing with coordinators,
you're on the headset, you're dealing with players, you're dealing
with a clock. So I don't don't I don't think
coaches are perfect, but when they make mistakes, just own it.
You just got to own it. And Ben Johnson was
in Detroit with Matt Patricia and in Detroit with Dan Campbell,
(10:37):
so he's seen good culture and bad culture. And that's
the one thing about Dan Campbell. I don't think he's
a schematic genius, but he's an authentic guy who when
he screws up, Dan Campbell owns it. And that is
a great quality to have as a quarterback, or as
a coach, or as a boss, or as an employee.
(10:57):
It was a Dolphins Lions joint practice. Yeah, it was
a Lions player who said, yeah, Miami, they don't practice
like us. They're not nearly as intense. There, you go,
got to own it. Joel Klass is going to show
up forty five minutes from now. Mark Sanchez, who, by
the way, I think I read this morning that he's
got a new show at night on Fox on Tuesday
Night's Wednesday Night, So something like that. We'll ask Mark
(11:18):
Sanchez about that. You know, there's still a little reverb.
Jmack on the Ravens lost to the Bills, which if
Derrick Henry doesn't fumble it probably doesn't exist. I am
going to pivot on this. I'm going to defend the
Ravens again today on this because I think I think
(11:40):
the media is overlooking something about the Baltimore Ravens. And
I discussed it kind of yesterday where I said, you know,
I mean, Lamar Jackson's one of those quarterbacks you may
not figure him out until like the seventh, eighth or
ninth series, so later in games because he's such a
unique style. But I thought of something else this morning,
and I'll discuss that coming up.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Be sure to can live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
Hey what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game?
Speaker 1 (12:17):
What is Up on Game?
Speaker 6 (12:18):
You asked, along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Hutschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yup, that's right, Plexico Burris.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it. Up on Game We're going to be
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Huschman
(12:40):
Zada and Plexico Burds on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts
or wherever you get your podcast from.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
So, the Ravens got clobbered over the last couple of
days because they blew that late lead to Josh Allen
on the road. Josh Allen occasionally is amazing. I don't
know if you've heard of him, but it was interesting.
I went back and I looked. I said, you know,
seven doesn't smell right, And I went back and the
Ravens are one of seven teams to lead at least
(13:15):
twenty games by nine to sixteen points in the fourth
quarter over the past four seasons. And here's what's funny
about the teams that lead big. They're all good Ravens, Bills, Niners, Lions, Eagles, Chiefs,
and the Bengals are good with Joe Burrow. And not
a lot of crappy teams lead big. The other thing
I noticed is not only have the Ravens led more
(13:40):
in big games, they've led by more a lot more often. Yes,
they've had ten more huge leads in the fourth quarter
than Buffalo, ten more in just four seasons, and seven
more than the Chiefs in just four seasons, and ten
more than the Bengals. And I'm not saying they don't
(14:02):
play with their food a little and they don't need
to get better. But when you look closely at it,
wouldn't the Jets, Giants and Panthers Jags love to have
the luxury of actually leading by nine to sixteen points
in the fourth quarter. I think the Giants would love
the opportunity for that to happen. All the teams that
are listed blowing leads, they're all the good teams. And
(14:27):
then I went and looked at the teams they've blown
leads against. And here's what's interesting. It's often horrible teams. Dolphins, Giants, Jags, Browns, Raiders.
They get complacent, they lead big, they close up shop offensively,
and they get burned on the back end. Again, I'm
not saying they don't have to get better then, And
I don't think Derreck Henry is gonna fumble away a
(14:50):
lot of wins going forward. Okay, so some of it's
just circumstantial. It's a bad break. Then I went and
looked at the head coaches in the history of the
league with the most blown fourth quarter leads, double digit leads. Yeah,
Tom Landry, Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Mike Shanahan, and John Harbaugh.
You see blown leads, you know, I see Lombardi trophies.
(15:15):
Great companies with high expectations sometimes underachieved slightly and the
stock goes down because there's these huge expectations of their
quarterly earnings. Right Like, it's oh, Navidia, it was off
half of one percent. Well, it's because Navidia has been
(15:35):
on a seven year run. So the Ravens have two
touchdown leads significantly more than every other team, including the
Chiefs and the Bills, over the last just four seasons.
And that's Lamar in his prime. They get off to
huge leads. It's often against bad teams. I mean, you've
heard the back door cover. That's a term used by
(15:57):
gamblers where you know you have the better team, you
bet the better team, but you're concerned that the other
team can actually throw the ball. They may backdoor cover.
You know, you take seven and a half points and
they've been getting beat by thirteen fourteen all day, and
then they backdoor cover. Sometimes backdoor covers become backdoor losses.
But The truth is they just lead more than everybody else,
(16:19):
as did Belichick and Shanahan and Shula and John Harbaugh
and Tom Landry. So I listen, they have an issue.
They can't beat Kansas City in the playoffs, and that's
a clear issue. But I got one of the worst problems.
It's like a it's almost a good problem to have.
(16:43):
I mean, no problems, good to have. But yeah, we
get into these huge leads. By the way, we win
most of them. Yeah, we win most of the games
we lead big late. That's also not talked about. Yeah
we win seventy five eighty five percent of those games. Yeah,
but we blow it off into bad teams. Okay, half
this league would just like the opportunity to lead between
(17:03):
nine and sixteen points over the last forty years. And
and again, they play with their food a little. They
shut down the offense, probably a drive too soon. John
Harbaugh talks about it.
Speaker 7 (17:16):
Maybe part of is the fact that we've been ahead
a lot. You know, we've won a lot of games,
so we've had a lot of and we've had a
lot of two score leads, so we've kept a lot
of those. But we've I think we've lost six of them.
If I'm not mistaken, that's too many we need to
be really thoughtful of, you know, how we decide that
we're going to approach those situations going forward.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
You know, let's give us some thought. And for the record,
in college football, and I don't think I'm wrong saying this,
you can usually tell by the third series of a
game who's going to win the game. Very rarely does
a team trail by two touchdowns all game and comes
back and wins. It just doesn't happen in college football.
(17:57):
Very often you can trail, but generally, if a team
goes into a fourth quarter leading by ten, they've got
the better players and the better staff, and the better
geography and the better recruiting base. But in the NFL,
look at what we've seen with JJ McCarthy unplayable for
three quarters and then the best quarterback in the world
for about fifteen minutes. That doesn't happen a lot in
(18:20):
college football, where some some quarterback can't complete passes, pick sixes,
and then in the fourth quarter, yeah, he's like nine
to ten in perfect Buffalo, scoring all those points to
win forty one to forty after being outplayed. There are
no Josh Allens quarterbacking in college football. It's just part
of being pro football. It's like basketball. It's the reality
(18:41):
of basketball with a three point shot. You know, good
teams blow big leads because good teams lead big late
more than bad teams. I would imagine. I haven't looked
it up, but the Washington Wizards haven't blown a lot
of fifteen point fourth quarter leads in the last decade.
I'm going to go with it probably has a hal.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
and Neon Easter, not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Well. One of the more entertaining games, probably the most
entertaining game last week before the Bills Ravens was the
Jets and the Steelers and Mark Sanchez, who had the
he has the Seahawks Steelers This week, Ja McK and
I talked about a fascinating game because Seattle was one
of the better teams that lost. Pittsburgh could have lost
if not for an incredible field goal, and Mark Sanchez
(19:30):
is joining us. Listen. They didn't run the ball of
that effectively. Aaron took a couple of brutal sacks. That
one in the fourth was rough. What did you see though,
I mean, obviously they won. What did you see as
a forty one year old quarterback that's going to need
certain things? What have you seen so far as you
(19:51):
prepped for that game that you liked? Well?
Speaker 8 (19:54):
I was impressed just watching him and the bounce he
had in a step, the he played with. I mean,
he looked like he picked up from last season and
you know, didn't take a break at all.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
And I don't know if that's week one.
Speaker 8 (20:08):
I don't know if it's because of the motivation playing
against the Jets, but either way, I thought he had
that team rocked in on offense. I think conversely on defense,
that's where I was a little surprised. You know, the
Jets ran the heck out of the ball on him
and they found some creases. So I could expect Seattle
to try and do some of that this week with
(20:29):
their two headed monster in the backfield and Kenneth Walker
and Zach Charboney. But that was that was more of
a concern to me than anything on offense. You know,
the saft Gardner matchup with DK Metcalf, I thought Sauce
got the better of him, and I think DJ will
be uh pretty fired.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Up this week.
Speaker 8 (20:48):
To uh to go out and prove it, and we'll
see if those guys get another crack at each other.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Because that was a good matchup.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Mark.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I thought, not only did Justin Fields play well, I
was the best I've ever seen him play. I thought
he saw the field. I statistically he didn't have an
off target throw. Explain to me how I can watch
Justin Fields for years and then he goes against Tomlin
Steelers and he is almost flawless. He was fantastic. Explain
(21:18):
it to me.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
It was a little shocking to me. But if you notice,
did you notice he was wearing two gloves?
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Oh? I didn't. I think it was a weather thing.
Speaker 8 (21:32):
I think there was a little weather pregame, a little
thunderstorm or shower or something. But he wears these two gloves,
and all I could think of, you know, like Peyton
Manning more than two gloves or at least a glove
on his throwing hand towards the end of his career
to help after his next surgery, with like the sensation
in his finger so he could like grip the ball
right to finish throws. Well, I'm thinking David Carr, I'm
(21:52):
thinking Teddy Bridgewater and then I'm thinking remember in Forrest
Gump when he has those magic shoes and then he
just takes off running and they just like explode and
he's now like this fast kid or whatever. Maybe the
gloves are that, maybe they're perfect for trustin fields. Maybe
just needs to wear two gloves all the time, because
I've never seen him spin it better. It was unbelievable
(22:13):
and dropping balls in the buckets, finding guys when he scrambled,
it's magic gloves.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Yeah, So Monday Night football, I it was just weak.
One is so crazy because starters don't play as much
in the preseason so a lot of times. I mean
I went into the Bears Vikings game and I'm like,
I don't know, I don't know what's going to look like.
I don't remember seeing a quarterback struggle more for three
quarters and then become Joe Montana. In the fourth, JJ
(22:42):
McCarthy had a big completion left sideline to Justin Jefferson
and it was like his chest got bigger and his
velocity increased. It was like, Okay, I feel good. I
got one. And I don't know how to explain it.
Maybe it's like hitting a great golf shot, but it
was like that completion off to the races like it
looked almost changed his body language. Have you ever seen
(23:05):
a quarterback not have it and have it like JJ
McCarthy over the course of a thrower two. I mean
it happens.
Speaker 8 (23:12):
You get streaky like shooters, like hitters. Once you get
in your groove, things start to slow down and the
target looks awfully big. You're anticipating everything, and you could
tell he was riding that momentum into the end zone
even on his scramble or his run that looked great.
(23:33):
He's a lot faster than you think. And all it
takes is one good feeling, one good sensation, and then boom.
He was impressive, and I was impressed with his coach
putting him in situations to be successful, not getting too
scared after the pick six, knowing you can rely on
(23:55):
your defense, understanding the big picture of playing with a
rookie quarterback. There's going to be growing paints, you're gonna
screw up. You're going to have to win in spite
of that quarterback sometimes. But when he gets good, when
he gets hot, let's make sure we're all on board
and we'll really take it to the next level.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
That was fun to watch. What was something Caleb Williams
did you liked? Everybody's nitpicked, everybody's criticized him. The bad
stuff was obvious. Was there anything you saw and you
kind of liked?
Speaker 8 (24:24):
Well, his highlights are like the highs are so high,
the lows are so low.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Some of the throws that just go sailing.
Speaker 8 (24:31):
Over a guy's head in the flat like those ones
leave you scratch in your head a little bit. And
then the ones that are you know, the trick shot
kind of falling away, got to put extra zing on
it and you're getting hit as you throw it, and
the ball, you know, almost sticks in the guy's face
mask and it's the most accurate ball you've ever seen.
(24:51):
So it was just the swing, the from great to
or throw it was I don't know. He just didn't
look as consistent as you want to see him. I
don't know if it's you know, the first game kind
of thing, but he showed it in spurts. It's now
about you know, managing your misses and you know, not
(25:14):
having such a delta between your great plays and your
awful plays just somewhere in the.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Middle would be a lot easier for the coach and
everybody else. So on Friday in Brazil, Chargers beat the Chiefs.
Justin Herbert was magnificent with a receiving corp that we've
always said it's not quite there yet. So you have
a new show, by the way, which you can plug
here as well. But I just thought I thought it
(25:40):
maybe I know the Chiefs secondary's talented. It just looked
like he was in a complete zone in the second half.
Speaker 8 (25:48):
What say you, My man was on fire and you're
talking about NFL on Fox Present's rear View and I
got to interview Justin. But basically the idea behind the
show is to use some of the relationships I have
in the league, get some true perspective, authentic you know,
(26:09):
answers from players about what's going on in their world.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Nothing you know, spun by the media. It's not a
podium thing.
Speaker 8 (26:16):
It's not you know, hopefully not a bunch of cliches
and coach speaker, you know, those kind of Hey, we're
going to bring our a game and hope we beat
the no. I want to know what's really going on.
Talk to me as a player, a person, a former player.
You know, let's let's get into it and let me
hear your thoughts. But he is a special talent and
when he gets hot. We talked about, you know, JJ
(26:36):
McCarthy getting hot. When Herbert gets hot. I mean, his
numbers early on in his career speak for themselves. And
he's just never had those big game moments on this stage, right.
He did in the Rose Bowl one that took over
that game against Wisconsin, I believe, with his legs. And
then this pass game to open the season against the
(26:58):
Chiefs in Brazil, just to scramble to ice the game
and the slide, and you saw a little bit of
his personality show because he's so quiet and so reserved.
He's a man a few words, but you saw him
slide and kind of hold the post for a second
like okay, you know, you kind of see him coming
out of his shell a little bit.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
And I think he gets like that.
Speaker 8 (27:19):
As the game goes on, he takes a hit, he
starts getting his groove.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Look out, man, that guy's scary.
Speaker 8 (27:25):
And I think he's finally starting to hit that, you know,
that crescendo in his career where a lot of these
big games he might be on the other side of
things and it's gonna be fun.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
To watch too. So Mark, when you were in the league,
you week three of the preseason, you got a lot
of snaps as a starter. That's the way it used
to be. You'd pay play a half. That's not the way.
That's not the way it works anymore. So I don't
the last few years, as we've cut down to three
preseason games and starters don't play. I'm very I don't
(27:59):
want to overboard on bad young quarterback play or bad
O line play because I think O lines take a
while to get right. So I don't want to go
crazy on New England's got all these new coaches and
new offensive linements like eh, but give me a thought
about what is the difference between Week one and two
(28:20):
in the NFL and then you played in the different era.
But it feels like to me Week one it almost
felt experimental for some of these teams offensively.
Speaker 8 (28:30):
You're exactly right. I think Week one poses so many
challenges for each team inherently, just like when you show
up for training camp, just like when you show up
for OTAs a defense is just a little bit ahead
of everything going on, because that initial game is a
lot of reactions to unscouted looks things you've never seen,
(28:51):
pressures and stuff that you're just not prepared for necessarily,
so you kind of just work off your own rules
and figure it out as a group. But I think
that's a big issue is the unscattered looks, the conditioning
aspect of Week one getting back into playing shape, especially
these guys that didn't play like we saw the guys
from the Titans go to Denver. I mean that elevation
(29:13):
is real and Game one elevation new place. It's real,
and they were dragging a little bit towards the end
of the game both sides, but Denver was obviously accustomed
to it. So it's a huge advantage playing at my
high like that. I think that's a big one. And
then you go through all these practices, even when they're
joint practices in preseason games.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Yeah, you're like tackling, but not as full speed to
the ground.
Speaker 8 (29:37):
Right that Week one jump in speed and full speed
tackling to the ground, guys forget, Guys forget, and the.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Bulk just goes everywhere.
Speaker 8 (29:46):
So I think that's kind of the reason for the
way Week one looks the way it looks.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
It's different
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 cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Here we go.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
We are live, We are in Chicago, and it is
the Herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be
watching or listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.
It's Wednesday, meaning Joel Clat one hour from now. As
we head into a college football weekend. You know, Jay McCay,
(00:49):
listen to Chicago Radio this.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Morning, they're all worked out, everybody. I had three different people,
what what do you make at? What are you making? Cato?
Will you? I said's a long season. I'm not sure,
but I was thinking about this this morning. We're both parents,
and you know, parents want their kids to be number one,
number one in the class valedictorian, got to start in
(01:13):
the basketball team, number one. It's all nonsense. It's all nonsense.
Where you go to college. Where do you fit best
is where you should go to college if you're going
to be a success. Phil Knight started at Oregon. He
eventually went to Stanford, but he started, you know, at Oregon,
and that's kind of the reality of life. It's about fit.
(01:38):
Here's where finishing number one doesn't necessarily help you. Getting
drafted as a quarterback, JJ McCarthy was the fifth quarterback
taken and bo Nix was the sixth. Yet they got
Kevin O'Connell, and they got Sean Payton, Lamar Jackson. Last quarterback,
first round. Last player actually went to the Ravens Patrick Mahomes,
(02:01):
the tenth pick went to the Stable Chiefs. Josh Allen.
Third quarterback taken Aaron Rodgers, Dan Marino fell in the
first round. One got Don Shula Super Bowl second year,
the other one got, you know, the Packers. I don't
know how good JJ McCarthy is. I don't know how
good bo Nicks is, but I suspect they're both going
to win their division a lot, and over the course
(02:23):
of fifteen years, they're gonna win a bunch of games.
Because I think Kevin O'Connell is the best young offensive
coach in football. I know Sean McVay, yeah, but I
mean I don't even consider Sean McVay young anymore. Right, Like,
he's a veteran head coach, and that's a lot of it.
There are a lot of bad coaching staffs in this league.
And even when you get a coach that's not bad,
pretty good Mike Tomlin, it doesn't mean he has any
(02:45):
understanding or any sensibility on how to help a young quarterback.
If you go look at Jared Goff's entire career, it
is tied to how good his coach is and the
Minnesota vi he'th My wife used to live and work
in Minnesota, not a big sports fan, and we were
talking about Minnesota beating the Bears because we now live
in Chicago, and she said, well, the Vikings are always good, right,
(03:06):
And I'm like, yeah, that's right. The Vikings are always good.
They always have good owners, they always have a good
front office, a good general manager, a solid coach. I
mean Sam Donald and Kirk Cousins both finished top ten
in offense. I mean Sam Donald's career was over and
all of a sudden he's MVP talk. I don't think
that would have happened, didn't happen in Carolina, didn't happen
to the Jets. So this idea, this our society is
(03:28):
you've got to finish number one. Where do you fit best?
I don't care if it's a high school choice, which
a lot of times you don't have options, but when
it's a college choice. The IVY League isn't for everybody.
Big state schools, you know Texas, you know, they're not
for everybody. Some kids need more tutoring, smaller schools. Some
(03:50):
kids may need vocational schools, a junior college, whatever it takes.
But I look at bow Knicks, you know, Bo Knicks
in September. I looked at this up this morning in September.
In his career, two touchdowns, six picks. Yep, bo Nicks
has a winning record in September. That's called organizational support
(04:10):
and coaching support. He's been bad in September, and he
has a winning record in the AFC in a division
with Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. You're not doing that
with bad coaching, so JJ McCarthy, Jim Harbaugh to Kevin O'Connell,
I'm sorry. A part of his success is that it's
(04:31):
not fair Baker, Mayfield got Cleveland and Hugh Jackson. Mahomes
got Andy Reid and the Hunk family. Now I think
Mahomes is better than Baker, and it took Baker a
while to prove he could be a franchise guy you
could trust. And I do think talent eventually finds its way.
But in the NFL injuries regulated levels of violence, sometimes
(04:53):
you don't. Sometimes you get banged up. Drew Brees wanted
to be a Miami Dolphin and they wouldn't let him.
And thank god Sean Payton was there right like banged
up in San Diego. Dolphins are not interested. Team doctor says, no,
what if Sean Payton doesn't exist, one of the all
time greats gets another situation where it's just not perfect
(05:15):
for him. So listen, man, we all know this. The
longer you live. Parenting is not fair. Some people get
bad parents and bad bosses and bad coaches. And you know,
I just all I know is I look at JJ
McCarthy and bow Nicks. One is the fifth quarterback taken.
(05:35):
One is the sixth quarterback taken. I mean, through three quarters.
JJ McCarthy was about as bad as you can be
in the NFL at quarterback. That pick six was will
Levis stuff, but his coach stayed with him, hung with him,
supported him. Here's Kevin O'Connell on JJ's budding bond with
his teammates.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
All the credit in the world should go to and
his teammates. I mean that that relationship that's been built,
and you know many times around the league that those
you know, the requirements sometimes are you got to do
those things. First, we got to see it for our
team to still trust in that moment, and then kind
of that explosion of energy and emotion when he was,
(06:19):
you know, making some of those plays in the second
half that you know that can be infectious for a while,
I hope, because now we do have confirmation.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
We are obsessed with finishing number one when it comes
to quarterbacks. Yeah, I mean, you know, there's there's the
occasional John Elway. But look at what Caleb Williams inherited
ownership down and look what bow Nicks got maybe the
richest owners in sports. I think I read yesterday they've
got a new stadium. It's Sean Payton. They led the
(06:50):
NFL in sacks. Bo Nix doesn't have to get in
shootouts by year two, his defense was keeping him in games.
JJ McCarthy as Brian Flow. I was talking to a
Bears fan this morning that was all dejected. I said, listen,
the bottom line is, Brian Flores in your opener is
a rough is a rough game. Caleb Williams probably faced
(07:16):
his best defensive coordinator in the first game of the
rebuild with Ben Johnson. All Right, speaking of Ben Johnson,
I can't speak for everybody else, but I think this
is true. The best bosses I've ever had in my
life have held me accountable, but have also held my
coworkers accountable and themselves accountable. And Ben Johnson was talking
(07:40):
about his debut as an NFL head coach.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Yeah, I didn't think I called a particularly great game.
I could have adjusted a little bit better to the
lack of pressure that Flow was given us, and so
I can do a better job there. And then at
the end of the game, felt like we could kick
it out of the back. We weren't able to get
that done. In hindsight, I should have kicked it out
of balance.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Training camp OTAs pre season week one. He's holding himself
and Caleb Williams accountable. Best bosses I've ever had do
the same thing. I always tell my boss, bark at me,
just upset, tell me, I'll figure it out. Remember Matt Eberflus,
(08:27):
they lost a hail Mary game, gave up all those
free yards before the hail Mary. He was questioned, nothing
to see here, that is just no big deal. It's
a big deal. It's a big deal. A lot of
things were a big deal, and it was always Mike
McDaniel ice cream for breakfast. Mike McDaniel. Miami players stroll
in late Tyreek Hill criticizes his quarterback publicly in camp.
(08:50):
Remember this year in camp when teams practiced against those
joint practices practice against the Dolphins, and I forget the team,
but one of the players in the team said, yeah,
they don't practice like us. Miami doesn't practice nearly as
hard as US. Standards. Excuses not holding people accountable. Sean
(09:11):
McVay admits now with the Rams he had to lighten up.
He was so harsh and intense. Tom Comflin lightened up
and then beat Brady and Belichick twice in Super Bowls.
If you look at Conflin and Sean McVay, their resumes
are filled with accountability. To themselves and others. It's one
(09:31):
of my knocks on Mike Tomlin. He's two player friendly.
It just just I mean, and again, I don't expect
my coaches to be perfect. Right, we're all on a
couch watching, you know, when you're in a game and
it's fluid and it's going fast. I was joking with
the staff this morning. It's like going on a date
with a beautiful, smart woman. You want to be funny
(09:53):
but not silly, confident but not arrogant, smart but not
preach like you know, like it's oh, the state's happening,
and she's judging me, and I don't have time, and
they make their mind up in eight minutes. Then it's
much easier to sit and watch the date and go, boy,
he's not handling it well, he's not asking her about her,
He's doing too much talking. That's the way we judge
(10:14):
in the media coaching. Well, how come he didn't do this?
And how come he didn't do that. You've got a
million things going on in your head. You're dealing with coordinators,
you're on the headset, you're dealing with players, you're dealing
with a clock. So I don't don't I don't think
coaches are perfect, but when they make mistakes, just own it.
You just got to own it. And Ben Johnson was
in Detroit with Matt Patricia and in Detroit with Dan Campbell,
(10:37):
so he's seen good culture and bad culture. And that's
the one thing about Dan Campbell. I don't think he's
a schematic genius, but he's an authentic guy who when
he screws up, Dan Campbell owns it. And that is
a great quality to have as a quarterback, or as
a coach, or as a boss, or as an employee.
(10:57):
It was a Dolphins Lions joint practice. Yeah, it was
a Lions player who said, yeah, Miami, they don't practice
like us. They're not nearly as intense. There, you go,
got to own it. Joel Klass is going to show
up forty five minutes from now. Mark Sanchez, who, by
the way, I think I read this morning that he's
got a new show at night on Fox on Tuesday
Night's Wednesday Night, So something like that. We'll ask Mark
(11:18):
Sanchez about that. You know, there's still a little reverb.
Jmack on the Ravens lost to the Bills, which if
Derrick Henry doesn't fumble it probably doesn't exist. I am
going to pivot on this. I'm going to defend the
Ravens again today on this because I think I think
(11:40):
the media is overlooking something about the Baltimore Ravens. And
I discussed it kind of yesterday where I said, you know,
I mean, Lamar Jackson's one of those quarterbacks you may
not figure him out until like the seventh, eighth or
ninth series, so later in games because he's such a
unique style. But I thought of something else this morning,
and I'll discuss that coming up.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Be sure to can live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
Hey what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game?
Speaker 1 (12:17):
What is Up on Game?
Speaker 6 (12:18):
You asked, along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Hutschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yup, that's right, Plexico Burris.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it. Up on Game We're going to be
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Huschman
(12:40):
Zada and Plexico Burds on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts
or wherever you get your podcast from.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
So, the Ravens got clobbered over the last couple of
days because they blew that late lead to Josh Allen
on the road. Josh Allen occasionally is amazing. I don't
know if you've heard of him, but it was interesting.
I went back and I looked. I said, you know,
seven doesn't smell right, And I went back and the
Ravens are one of seven teams to lead at least
(13:15):
twenty games by nine to sixteen points in the fourth
quarter over the past four seasons. And here's what's funny
about the teams that lead big. They're all good Ravens, Bills, Niners, Lions, Eagles, Chiefs,
and the Bengals are good with Joe Burrow. And not
a lot of crappy teams lead big. The other thing
I noticed is not only have the Ravens led more
(13:40):
in big games, they've led by more a lot more often. Yes,
they've had ten more huge leads in the fourth quarter
than Buffalo, ten more in just four seasons, and seven
more than the Chiefs in just four seasons, and ten
more than the Bengals. And I'm not saying they don't
(14:02):
play with their food a little and they don't need
to get better. But when you look closely at it,
wouldn't the Jets, Giants and Panthers Jags love to have
the luxury of actually leading by nine to sixteen points
in the fourth quarter. I think the Giants would love
the opportunity for that to happen. All the teams that
are listed blowing leads, they're all the good teams. And
(14:27):
then I went and looked at the teams they've blown
leads against. And here's what's interesting. It's often horrible teams. Dolphins, Giants, Jags, Browns, Raiders.
They get complacent, they lead big, they close up shop offensively,
and they get burned on the back end. Again, I'm
not saying they don't have to get better then, And
I don't think Derreck Henry is gonna fumble away a
(14:50):
lot of wins going forward. Okay, so some of it's
just circumstantial. It's a bad break. Then I went and
looked at the head coaches in the history of the
league with the most blown fourth quarter leads, double digit leads. Yeah,
Tom Landry, Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Mike Shanahan, and John Harbaugh.
You see blown leads, you know, I see Lombardi trophies.
(15:15):
Great companies with high expectations sometimes underachieved slightly and the
stock goes down because there's these huge expectations of their
quarterly earnings. Right Like, it's oh, Navidia, it was off
half of one percent. Well, it's because Navidia has been
(15:35):
on a seven year run. So the Ravens have two
touchdown leads significantly more than every other team, including the
Chiefs and the Bills, over the last just four seasons.
And that's Lamar in his prime. They get off to
huge leads. It's often against bad teams. I mean, you've
heard the back door cover. That's a term used by
(15:57):
gamblers where you know you have the better team, you
bet the better team, but you're concerned that the other
team can actually throw the ball. They may backdoor cover.
You know, you take seven and a half points and
they've been getting beat by thirteen fourteen all day, and
then they backdoor cover. Sometimes backdoor covers become backdoor losses.
But The truth is they just lead more than everybody else,
(16:19):
as did Belichick and Shanahan and Shula and John Harbaugh
and Tom Landry. So I listen, they have an issue.
They can't beat Kansas City in the playoffs, and that's
a clear issue. But I got one of the worst problems.
It's like a it's almost a good problem to have.
(16:43):
I mean, no problems, good to have. But yeah, we
get into these huge leads. By the way, we win
most of them. Yeah, we win most of the games
we lead big late. That's also not talked about. Yeah
we win seventy five eighty five percent of those games. Yeah,
but we blow it off into bad teams. Okay, half
this league would just like the opportunity to lead between
(17:03):
nine and sixteen points over the last forty years. And
and again, they play with their food a little. They
shut down the offense, probably a drive too soon. John
Harbaugh talks about it.
Speaker 7 (17:16):
Maybe part of is the fact that we've been ahead
a lot. You know, we've won a lot of games,
so we've had a lot of and we've had a
lot of two score leads, so we've kept a lot
of those. But we've I think we've lost six of them.
If I'm not mistaken, that's too many we need to
be really thoughtful of, you know, how we decide that
we're going to approach those situations going forward.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
You know, let's give us some thought. And for the record,
in college football, and I don't think I'm wrong saying this,
you can usually tell by the third series of a
game who's going to win the game. Very rarely does
a team trail by two touchdowns all game and comes
back and wins. It just doesn't happen in college football.
(17:57):
Very often you can trail, but generally, if a team
goes into a fourth quarter leading by ten, they've got
the better players and the better staff, and the better
geography and the better recruiting base. But in the NFL,
look at what we've seen with JJ McCarthy unplayable for
three quarters and then the best quarterback in the world
for about fifteen minutes. That doesn't happen a lot in
(18:20):
college football, where some some quarterback can't complete passes, pick sixes,
and then in the fourth quarter, yeah, he's like nine
to ten in perfect Buffalo, scoring all those points to
win forty one to forty after being outplayed. There are
no Josh Allens quarterbacking in college football. It's just part
of being pro football. It's like basketball. It's the reality
(18:41):
of basketball with a three point shot. You know, good
teams blow big leads because good teams lead big late
more than bad teams. I would imagine. I haven't looked
it up, but the Washington Wizards haven't blown a lot
of fifteen point fourth quarter leads in the last decade.
I'm going to go with it probably has a hal.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
and Neon Easter, not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Well. One of the more entertaining games, probably the most
entertaining game last week before the Bills Ravens was the
Jets and the Steelers and Mark Sanchez, who had the
he has the Seahawks Steelers This week, Ja McK and
I talked about a fascinating game because Seattle was one
of the better teams that lost. Pittsburgh could have lost
if not for an incredible field goal, and Mark Sanchez
(19:30):
is joining us. Listen. They didn't run the ball of
that effectively. Aaron took a couple of brutal sacks. That
one in the fourth was rough. What did you see though,
I mean, obviously they won. What did you see as
a forty one year old quarterback that's going to need
certain things? What have you seen so far as you
(19:51):
prepped for that game that you liked? Well?
Speaker 8 (19:54):
I was impressed just watching him and the bounce he
had in a step, the he played with. I mean,
he looked like he picked up from last season and
you know, didn't take a break at all.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
And I don't know if that's week one.
Speaker 8 (20:08):
I don't know if it's because of the motivation playing
against the Jets, but either way, I thought he had
that team rocked in on offense. I think conversely on defense,
that's where I was a little surprised. You know, the
Jets ran the heck out of the ball on him
and they found some creases. So I could expect Seattle
to try and do some of that this week with
(20:29):
their two headed monster in the backfield and Kenneth Walker
and Zach Charboney. But that was that was more of
a concern to me than anything on offense. You know,
the saft Gardner matchup with DK Metcalf, I thought Sauce
got the better of him, and I think DJ will
be uh pretty fired.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Up this week.
Speaker 8 (20:48):
To uh to go out and prove it, and we'll
see if those guys get another crack at each other.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Because that was a good matchup.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Mark.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I thought, not only did Justin Fields play well, I
was the best I've ever seen him play. I thought
he saw the field. I statistically he didn't have an
off target throw. Explain to me how I can watch
Justin Fields for years and then he goes against Tomlin
Steelers and he is almost flawless. He was fantastic. Explain
(21:18):
it to me.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
It was a little shocking to me. But if you notice,
did you notice he was wearing two gloves?
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Oh? I didn't. I think it was a weather thing.
Speaker 8 (21:32):
I think there was a little weather pregame, a little
thunderstorm or shower or something. But he wears these two gloves,
and all I could think of, you know, like Peyton
Manning more than two gloves or at least a glove
on his throwing hand towards the end of his career
to help after his next surgery, with like the sensation
in his finger so he could like grip the ball
right to finish throws. Well, I'm thinking David Carr, I'm
(21:52):
thinking Teddy Bridgewater and then I'm thinking remember in Forrest
Gump when he has those magic shoes and then he
just takes off running and they just like explode and
he's now like this fast kid or whatever. Maybe the
gloves are that, maybe they're perfect for trustin fields. Maybe
just needs to wear two gloves all the time, because
I've never seen him spin it better. It was unbelievable
(22:13):
and dropping balls in the buckets, finding guys when he scrambled,
it's magic gloves.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Yeah, So Monday Night football, I it was just weak.
One is so crazy because starters don't play as much
in the preseason so a lot of times. I mean
I went into the Bears Vikings game and I'm like,
I don't know, I don't know what's going to look like.
I don't remember seeing a quarterback struggle more for three
quarters and then become Joe Montana. In the fourth, JJ
(22:42):
McCarthy had a big completion left sideline to Justin Jefferson
and it was like his chest got bigger and his
velocity increased. It was like, Okay, I feel good. I
got one. And I don't know how to explain it.
Maybe it's like hitting a great golf shot, but it
was like that completion off to the races like it
looked almost changed his body language. Have you ever seen
(23:05):
a quarterback not have it and have it like JJ
McCarthy over the course of a thrower two. I mean
it happens.
Speaker 8 (23:12):
You get streaky like shooters, like hitters. Once you get
in your groove, things start to slow down and the
target looks awfully big. You're anticipating everything, and you could
tell he was riding that momentum into the end zone
even on his scramble or his run that looked great.
(23:33):
He's a lot faster than you think. And all it
takes is one good feeling, one good sensation, and then boom.
He was impressive, and I was impressed with his coach
putting him in situations to be successful, not getting too
scared after the pick six, knowing you can rely on
(23:55):
your defense, understanding the big picture of playing with a
rookie quarterback. There's going to be growing paints, you're gonna
screw up. You're going to have to win in spite
of that quarterback sometimes. But when he gets good, when
he gets hot, let's make sure we're all on board
and we'll really take it to the next level.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
That was fun to watch. What was something Caleb Williams
did you liked? Everybody's nitpicked, everybody's criticized him. The bad
stuff was obvious. Was there anything you saw and you
kind of liked?
Speaker 8 (24:24):
Well, his highlights are like the highs are so high,
the lows are so low.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Some of the throws that just go sailing.
Speaker 8 (24:31):
Over a guy's head in the flat like those ones
leave you scratch in your head a little bit. And
then the ones that are you know, the trick shot
kind of falling away, got to put extra zing on
it and you're getting hit as you throw it, and
the ball, you know, almost sticks in the guy's face
mask and it's the most accurate ball you've ever seen.
(24:51):
So it was just the swing, the from great to
or throw it was I don't know. He just didn't
look as consistent as you want to see him. I
don't know if it's you know, the first game kind
of thing, but he showed it in spurts. It's now
about you know, managing your misses and you know, not
(25:14):
having such a delta between your great plays and your
awful plays just somewhere in the.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Middle would be a lot easier for the coach and
everybody else. So on Friday in Brazil, Chargers beat the Chiefs.
Justin Herbert was magnificent with a receiving corp that we've
always said it's not quite there yet. So you have
a new show, by the way, which you can plug
here as well. But I just thought I thought it
(25:40):
maybe I know the Chiefs secondary's talented. It just looked
like he was in a complete zone in the second half.
Speaker 8 (25:48):
What say you, My man was on fire and you're
talking about NFL on Fox Present's rear View and I
got to interview Justin. But basically the idea behind the
show is to use some of the relationships I have
in the league, get some true perspective, authentic you know,
(26:09):
answers from players about what's going on in their world.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Nothing you know, spun by the media. It's not a
podium thing.
Speaker 8 (26:16):
It's not you know, hopefully not a bunch of cliches
and coach speaker, you know, those kind of Hey, we're
going to bring our a game and hope we beat
the no. I want to know what's really going on.
Talk to me as a player, a person, a former player.
You know, let's let's get into it and let me
hear your thoughts. But he is a special talent and
when he gets hot. We talked about, you know, JJ
(26:36):
McCarthy getting hot. When Herbert gets hot. I mean, his
numbers early on in his career speak for themselves. And
he's just never had those big game moments on this stage, right.
He did in the Rose Bowl one that took over
that game against Wisconsin, I believe, with his legs. And
then this pass game to open the season against the
(26:58):
Chiefs in Brazil, just to scramble to ice the game
and the slide, and you saw a little bit of
his personality show because he's so quiet and so reserved.
He's a man a few words, but you saw him
slide and kind of hold the post for a second
like okay, you know, you kind of see him coming
out of his shell a little bit.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
And I think he gets like that.
Speaker 8 (27:19):
As the game goes on, he takes a hit, he
starts getting his groove.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Look out, man, that guy's scary.
Speaker 8 (27:25):
And I think he's finally starting to hit that, you know,
that crescendo in his career where a lot of these
big games he might be on the other side of
things and it's gonna be fun.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
To watch too. So Mark, when you were in the league,
you week three of the preseason, you got a lot
of snaps as a starter. That's the way it used
to be. You'd pay play a half. That's not the way.
That's not the way it works anymore. So I don't
the last few years, as we've cut down to three
preseason games and starters don't play. I'm very I don't
(27:59):
want to overboard on bad young quarterback play or bad
O line play because I think O lines take a
while to get right. So I don't want to go
crazy on New England's got all these new coaches and
new offensive linements like eh, but give me a thought
about what is the difference between Week one and two
(28:20):
in the NFL and then you played in the different era.
But it feels like to me Week one it almost
felt experimental for some of these teams offensively.
Speaker 8 (28:30):
You're exactly right. I think Week one poses so many
challenges for each team inherently, just like when you show
up for training camp, just like when you show up
for OTAs a defense is just a little bit ahead
of everything going on, because that initial game is a
lot of reactions to unscouted looks things you've never seen,
(28:51):
pressures and stuff that you're just not prepared for necessarily,
so you kind of just work off your own rules
and figure it out as a group. But I think
that's a big issue is the unscattered looks, the conditioning
aspect of Week one getting back into playing shape, especially
these guys that didn't play like we saw the guys
from the Titans go to Denver. I mean that elevation
(29:13):
is real and Game one elevation new place. It's real,
and they were dragging a little bit towards the end
of the game both sides, but Denver was obviously accustomed
to it. So it's a huge advantage playing at my
high like that. I think that's a big one. And
then you go through all these practices, even when they're
joint practices in preseason games.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Yeah, you're like tackling, but not as full speed to
the ground.
Speaker 8 (29:37):
Right that Week one jump in speed and full speed
tackling to the ground, guys forget, Guys forget, and the.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Bulk just goes everywhere.
Speaker 8 (29:46):
So I think that's kind of the reason for the
way Week one looks the way it looks.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
It's different
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