September 18, 2025 • 42 mins
As the Eagles controversial “Tush Push” play sparks renewed backlash after a win over the Chiefs, Colin dives into why growing criticism and poor optics could lead to the NFL banning it altogether. He breaks down the troubling disconnect between Bears head coach Ben Johnson and QB Caleb Williams amid their disappointing 0-2 start
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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. It is a Thursday. Man, we got
a good shot. I'm in Chicago, where the weather is perfect.
It's beautiful at seventy degrees. Jmack, how's the weather in
Los Angeles this morning?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
We got some rain this morning for a time in
six months. LA is panicking College.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Looks fun.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So I was thinking about this this morning. I was
thinking about the Tush push, and so Adam Scheff wrote
a story yesterday like people are gonna get rid of
the tushpush, and I was thinking about this. Stuff changes
all the time in sports because of the way it looks,
(01:12):
and because this takes a while. It's ugly, it's hard
to officiate. You unpile people. It's not great television. I mean,
the NBA got rid of the hack of shack. Hack
a shack was brilliant strategy by Mike Dunlevy. They didn't
like the way it looked shack clankin free throws. Baseball
got rid of the defensive shift. It was great strategy,
(01:32):
but they wanted more runners on the bases, more of
their stars on the bases. It was great strategy, both
the hack of shack and the defensive shift, and I
don't like it. The tush push is great strategy. I mean.
The NFL got rid of the or changed the catch rule.
They thought players were making these dramatic catches. Fantasy football
(01:53):
fans were like, yeah, that doesn't count, and it was
like that's a It was a buzzkill. So they changed
the catch rule. So if you're bobbling it, eh, well
you've got control of it. It's like I say with
my iPhone, if I'm clutching it, I clearly have my iPhone.
But even when I let it just sit on my
hand that it can move a little, I still have
control of my iPhone. It's still in my possession. And
(02:16):
that's what the NFL did with the catch. You still
possess it even if the ball moves a little within
your grasp and it was the right route move. But
I do think there's a legitimate three reasons maybe four,
to legitimately keep the Tousch push. Number One, it is
a football play. I watch football games, and that's a
play during the games. It's not rugby. It is a
(02:37):
play during a football game. It's a football play. Second,
if it was just about the offensive line, the Lions
would do it. The Lions have a great offensive line,
so do the Broncos. You ever see Bow next two
weeks ago try his version of the Toush push. It
was a disaster. And by the way, Jared Goff can't
do it. It's only about Jalen Hurtz, his all pro
(02:58):
center left. They're better out at the show. They do
it more this year. It's about Jalen Hurts his number
one asset. He's the strongest quarterback probably in league history,
pound for pound. We don't tell Lamar Jackson to run less,
we don't tell Mahomes not to throw side arm or
left handed. Why take away the number one asset for
one of the star quarterbacks in the league. And so
(03:19):
there are reasons to keep it, But I think this
is what's happening, and this is the problem. They're using
it too much. The defensive shift. Had Joe Madden used
it once a series against the dead pull hitter, you
could have it. He started using it all the time.
(03:39):
The NBA doesn't mind the three point shot, but when
the Knicks and the Celtics meet and shoot ninety seven
in a playoff game, it's bad television, and Adam Silver
says we may have to change it. Remember the IRS
changes tax laws and tax codes all the time when
they think something's being manipulated or used to hurt other people.
(04:00):
And I think that's the problem this year. Think about this.
Jalen Hurts has attempted the tush push more than balls
thrown down the field ten plus yards, and sixty percent
of league revenues come from television. They're over using it.
I contend if you had one kickoff a game, they
(04:21):
wouldn't have changed the rules. But when you have eight
or nine concussions, numbers go up again. Even speeding on
the freeway, you can go six to seven miles an
hour over the speed limit. It's not called anything other
than the speed limit, and yet law enforcement allows you
to go seven miles an hour over it. Ten fifteen
(04:43):
twenty trouble, so this thing would be allowed the defensive
shift if shack hack a shack could happen once. But
when it becomes protocol, the NFL is like, okay, you're
doing it now more than you throw the ball down
the field. I think that is going to end it.
I mean, the last time it went up for a vote,
(05:05):
it passed. So there's a strong belief that they created it,
they won a Super Bowl with it, they're great at it,
and they're the only team doing it. I mean, Josh
Allen tried it, most talented quarterback in the league. He
can't do it. Though Nicks tried it two weeks ago
with a great old line. He can't do it. Jared
Goff can't do it with a great old Linone Herbert
can't do it. One guy can do it. Why punish
(05:25):
him because he's doing it too often? That's it. Adam
Silver doesn't mind the three. He doesn't want the Nicks
and Celtics shooting ninety seven of them. Here's Nick Sirianni
on his best play that may be taken away.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
I think it's an exciting play. I mean, obviously there's
been a lot of discussion about it. And I think
you know, when you bring more discussion about a play,
it brings more attention to football. I always think there's
a beauty too, and like everyone knows what you're gonna
run and you can still get the I mean, it
isn't that football.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Yes, to a large degree, it is. But there's a
lot of things in life. You know, Golf is a
lot of fun. But if I was doing it six
days a week and wasn't doing my fair share at
the house, and would probably say I want to scale
back on golf. But I do it this summer twice
a week. I don't come home exhausted or drunk. Guy
(06:25):
hit golf balls for a couple hours. I'm back. So
golf is fun. There's a limit to everything, all right.
This is we have ourselves in an issue in Chicago,
Cowboys Bears this weekend on Fox Must Watch. Bears are
worse than we thought, Dallas better than we thought. So
(06:46):
Ben Johnson said this yesterday. I'm going to read it
slowly about the Bears practice habits. I'm going to read this.
We talk about it all the time. We should be
going at football very hardish hard. Our offensive players, their
fundamentals are finished our technique. They need to show up
on the practice field. That's how it shows up on
(07:08):
game day. Simple things like how do we properly block,
how do we catch a ball? How do we block
after the catch? Ball? Security, things like that, that stuff
you should know in youth league. Okay, now think about this.
He's not criticizing defense that just gave up fifty plus points.
He's not criticizing special teams. He's criticizing the offense. Who's
(07:29):
the leader of the offense, Caleb Williams. So he's also
criticizing the lack of fundamentals. He said, quote here little
things that you learn in youth league, you know, like
blocking and tackling and finishing plays hard. And I mention
this because that's Caleb's number one problem. It's not horsepower,
(07:50):
arm strength, mobility, it's footwork, it's mechanics, it's pre snap,
it's the basics. And I want to take you I
don't think this is a small thing. There have been
two times Ben Johnson has said things about the backup
Tyson Beagen. Here's the first. Listen closely.
Speaker 6 (08:09):
I've really been blown away by his approach from the
spring to the start of camp to where we are now.
He does a tremendous job knowing what to do, how
to do it, and getting it done.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Basically, he's saying he's really good with the fundamentals, which
is what he's criticizing with the current offense, only with
this quarterback. So when he said, oh, I really like
Tyson beaging, it wasn't horsepower, it was fundamentals, the exact
thing he's criticizing now. But here's another one. This is
(08:47):
even more damning from Ben Johnson.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
He and I are probably wired very similar, just.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
The danners of room.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
He's usually all business.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
We try to loosen him up so because he I mean,
he's so serious about his job. He wants to do
so well, and he wants a team to do well.
That he's always locked in. So we I can appreciate
that about him because I can relate.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I gotta be honest. I mean, if you said that
to your wife, you know I really I work with Cindy.
We have a lot in common. We really relate. Like,
I totally get what she's saying. She's so sharp. Yeah,
don't let your husband go to a Coldplay concert. Okay,
Like you got a problem coming. You may want to
(09:33):
get a hold of a divorce attorney. You don't have
to be a marriage counselor for thirty five years to
figure this out. He talks about how much he loved
Fundamentals with Tyson Bagent. Now he's criticizing the lack of fundamentals.
You know, we have a lot in common. I mean,
our brains work the same way. Yeah, maybe that business trip.
(09:55):
Try to talk your husband out of it, like something
here is not good. I mean to say all this
stuff publicly about the backup. He's sharp, great with fundamentals. Man,
we think the same way. That's what I've complained about
Caleb and Ben Johnson, not the lack of talent, the
lack of symmetry, the lack of chemistry, the lack of stylistically, esthetically, optically.
(10:21):
They're just different. One guy is all about stacking and
system and timing and rhythm, and the other guys just
this artist who paste the fingernails, ad libs huge arm momentum,
plays little hero Ball. They're just different cats, just different dudes.
(10:44):
So I don't think those bites. I mean when I
read that this morning, complaining about fundamentals, my first thought is,
that's what you loved about the backup a month ago.
He kept going on about so sharp, the pre snap
stuff of the fundamentals, because just like Kyle Shanahan, Ben
Johnson at his core designs a play and wants you
(11:07):
to follow it, and he knows it's a complicated play
and it's got to be fundamentally strong. Get the pre
snap down. Let's get the operations down. You can hear
a ball at twice three times a game, but run
my play.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I'm trying to be positive here. I at least our
weather is good, but the stuff is jumping out to me.
Greg Cosel fifty minutes from now, can't wait for today.
Jamac urban Meyer stops by as well. You and I
talk a lot. We talk about bets. We like a lot.
I have the Blazing five. You have Tomorrow's headlines to
(11:47):
have you put in the Blazing five, Colin, I've got
I always have seven on Thursday six, Tomorrow Morning show.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
I drop one.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Because you open with the Eagles and the tush push.
We saw the way the refs were talking to the Chargers.
They flag the Chargers Monday night for a toush push attempt,
and it was like, wait, well, let's going that's never flagged.
Mcveigh's talking about it. Hey, maybe I need to go
to the league office, Colin if all of a sudden
the toush push is removed.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
And that the referees are going to referee it differently.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
I think this hurts the Eagles Honestly, I'd be careful
backing them this weekend against We're gonna see at least
one flag for sure against the Eagles.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
For the toush push. They're gonna they're gonna do something.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yeah, I mean, it's there is a way to manipulate officiating.
Not all officiating crews are the same. Phil Jackson used
to talk about that in the NBA. Some guys allow
stuff Herm Edwards, Bill Belichick, Brady's talked about that before.
Some officiating crews call more holding than others.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Some officiating crews let defensive backs hand the with wide
receivers down the field. So I think, what what will
happen is I think all eyes you're seeing all these discussions,
all eyes will be on the offensive line leaving early.
So Philadelphia will have to be on their best behavior,
toush push or not. I think the Rams actually match
(13:05):
up with Philadelphia Philadelphia is not throwing the ball down
the field at all. Secondly, the Rams, Puka Naku and
Devonte Adams. One of those is going to be open
against the Eagles secondary because right now they're struggling at
one of their corner spots, so it's a good matchup.
It's in Philly that matters. You know, there's a reason
(13:26):
their favorites. But I do like the Rams plus the
three and a half.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
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Speaker 7 (13:38):
Hey it's me Rock Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast,
Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes of piping hot
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Whether you believe in analytics or the Ie test, We've
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(13:59):
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Speaker 1 (14:10):
You're now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by Credible
Great Rates None of the bull. So sometimes I just
like to play sound bites from Aaron Rodgers because he
uses words no other guy I ever know would use
in a public setting. And so Aaron is talking about
that the game this week as they go to New England.
(14:30):
I actually think Pittsburgh's the interesting side here. They could
have I mean, they just basically forgot how to play football,
forgot basic rules at home against Seattle, and then they
had a ball that should have been a touchdown or
receiver made a mistake, it got tipped in interception to
intercepted in the end zone. Seattle I thought was the
better team going in. I had talked about that, but
I did think Pittsburgh could have served itself much better
(14:54):
in the second half. So now New England comes up,
and here's Aaron talking about next game up.
Speaker 8 (15:01):
I don't like getting too binary, but winning that's a
good response. But we can't get attached to the binary
system that our league is judged on, necessarily because it
is a seventeen game season and the process has to
be great. So he's dig into the details in the process,
enjoy it, practice well, and then let game day take
(15:23):
care of itself.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
I don't know about the whole binary system, but winning
cures everything in the NFL, and sometimes you get lucky
in the next four weeks. Who here's who. The Steelers
are playing a franchise with six Super Bowls, so I
hold you to a higher level. They're playing Drake May,
Carson Wentz, Joe Flacco, and Jake Browning, So if they
don't go four to oh, we got problems. Regardless of
what binary system you're dealing with. Joe Burrow, Pittsburgh's gotten
(15:49):
very lucky. Joe Burrow gets hurt and he won't play
the two times Pittsburgh's gonna face him. If you look
at the schedule, they face Miami week fifteen, Miami could
be in full tank mode. It's after the trade deadline.
They may sell off players for picks, and they may
have an interim coach, and then they play the Ravens
(16:10):
in week eighteen, and I think it's realistic to think
the Ravens are gonna win this now without Joe Burrow
going away and will be resting starters. So you get
two Jake Brownings, a Miami team that I would bet
at the trade deadline is moving off players, and a
Ravens team resting starters in the final regular season week.
So not all ten and sevens are equal, because the
(16:31):
problem for the Steelers in the last decade has not
been that they don't win, it's that they don't beat
good teams and great quarterbacks. So all I care about
with the Steelers this year is five games in the
regular season. Week eight Green Bay and Jordan Love, Week ten,
Justin Herbert and the Chargers, Week thirteen, Josh Allen at
(16:52):
home Bills, Week fourteen at Lamar Jackson, and then Week
sixteen Jared Goff and the Lions personnel. That's the season.
I don't care about the Falcons or beating Jake Browning. Well, Colin,
that's not fair. You've got six trophies. I judged Georgia
football different than Purdue. Okay, you got six trophies. So
(17:14):
there's a lot of breaks teams get and playing Jake
Browning over Joe Burrow twice, getting a tanking Miami after
the trade deadline, Ravens in the final week, resting starters
are breaks. And if you think I'm being hard, remember
last year the Steelers were ten and three at one point, woo.
I was getting a lot of heat from Steeler Nation.
(17:37):
Then they lost five straight. Lookie here. Who are the
quarterbacks Lamar Jackson twice, Mahomes, Hurtz and Joe Burrow. Oh
they lost all those games. Yeah, suddenly, apparently the internet
went out in Pittsburgh. Never got any feedback after that,
certainly no pushback. So I'm going to judge Pittsburgh whatever
(17:59):
buy an airy system it is. I'm judging them on
wins over good teams. And in the next month you
get young Drake may a rebuilding Patriot team. Yes they
still are, Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz, and Jake Browning. You
got to go four to Oh.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noone Easter nin a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
There we go, hour two. It's a Thursday, Bills Dolphins
Tonight Live. It's The Herd wherever you may be, however
you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of
your day fifteen minutes. We all get smarter every week.
Jay Macha was talking about favorites this year and the
disappearing middle class in the NFL, which we've been on
for three years. So big favorites this season meaning you're
favored by four points or more. I think a big
(18:44):
favorite six six and a half or more. But team
is favored by four plus points or more. Are not
only twelve to ozho they're winning by twelve and a
half points. They're averaging twenty nine points a game and
allowing seventeen, meaning you get more blowouts. So you're getting
more blowouts because there's a bigger gap in the schedule
(19:04):
now tonight. I think it's going to be one of
those blowouts. I mean games that I'm almost guaranteed are
going to be close. Rams Eagles will be really really close. Yep,
Texans Jags will be close. I'd be surprised if Steelers, Patriots, Colts,
Titans aren't close. Denver Chargers will be very competitive.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
It's the NFL.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Every game feels close. I will say this, I do
not get the Bears and the Cowboys is basically a
pickham that I don't get.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
You have it touched on Falcons Panthers. That's a good
game on Fox. I'm loaded up on one side in
that one.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
I think we'll be talking about it on Friday.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I'm sure the audience is waiting with painted breath. Hey,
come on listen.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Atlanta's good Atlanta, or by the way, is Atlanta in
your upper class or are they middle class?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Well, let's let Penix have ten stars. I think these
barely has enough starts and.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
You put him in the upper crust.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Who's at bo next?
Speaker 4 (19:59):
He's been awful so far.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
He has twenty NFL starts and he made the playoffs
as a rookie in the division with Herbert and Mahomes.
He's fine, He's Chargers this week? That how about?
Speaker 4 (20:09):
How good is that game.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
In the division? Very good? Forty six years. NFL films
joined us twenty five times a year minimum at this time. Okay,
you know it's interesting. A lot of times coaches send messages.
They go to the podium every week on Wednesday and
they you know, they have a message for the team.
(20:32):
And Ben Johnson this week is saying I am seeing
a lot of improvement with Caleb Williams. I didn't see it. What,
mister Kosel, what did the film say that? Do you
see a progressive growth with Caleb Williams week one to
week two?
Speaker 9 (20:48):
You know, I thought in the first half Colin that
there was that he was better because the key thing
is being decisive. They want him to drop back and
get rid of the football. They don't want him to
get stuck in the pocket. So I thought in the
first half, when theoretically it was still somewhat of a game,
I thought that he was much more decisive in what
he saw and he delivered the football as the game progressed.
(21:11):
And unfortunately, you never want to be in this situation
with a young quarterback, and certainly not Caleb Williams at
this point in his growth. He had to drop back
and throw on every snap. And that's where you know,
some of the warts that he has right now come out.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
And you know, one of the things is in the.
Speaker 9 (21:28):
NFL, and we've talked about this, and the more you throw,
the more it shows up. Is for quarterbacks who are
not used to the NFL and pressure, what's pressure and
what's not pressure in the NFL, they start to move
when they don't need to move. They move prematurely, and
they move unnecessarily. And that's true. I've noticed that with
(21:49):
Caleb Williams at times. It's true with cam Ward. It's
just something you have to learn by playing as to
what really is pressure and what's really not pressure by
NFL standards.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
JJ McCarthy is young, fewer starts than Caleb banged up again.
I think he feels a little overwhelmed. I've said before
Michael Pennix, I don't have a lot of starts, but boy,
he looks comfortable, gets the ball, gets rid of it.
JJ looks hesitant. Seven of eight quarters I've watched him,
he looks a bit overwhelmed. What does the film say?
(22:20):
Are there open receivers? He's not seeing? What's it say?
Speaker 9 (22:23):
Yeah, you know, I'm always leary after two games, this
is what I would expect from JJ McCarthy. I don't
know how you felt about him coming out. I mean
I studied him in detail at Michigan. I personally, in
my evaluation did not feel he was a first round
type quarterback. So I'm not surprised that it would take
him more time. I know for a fact that they
(22:44):
had to rework a lot of his footwork and a
lot on his drop, which was not very good at Michigan.
It was a problem that he had, and then you
wonder can that be fixed. I think they're working on
that and it's a work in progress, so he needs
a lot more time. And then, don't forget a lot
of young quarterbacks, then it becomes a function of team
as well. Can they run the ball, can they manage
(23:07):
him to an extent where they can be proactive, and
how they use him as opposed to having to be reactive,
in other words, having have to throw too many times
in given games.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
So it'll take some time With.
Speaker 9 (23:19):
JJ McCarthy, obviously he'll be out for who knows how long.
But I mean, I think they're pretty much committed to him.
It's not as if they're not going to play him
when he gets healthy.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I want to ask you about to Miami right now
has some cultural issues, some personnel issues, and who knows
what's going to happen. But they've moved off coaches, they
moved off Brian Flores, they'd move off Mike McDaniel. They
always say, you can lose games, don't lose the locker room,
and they're certainly an argument the latter is happening. If
somebody took over the Miami Dolphins and put in the
(23:50):
tape on Tua and you didn't know anything about Tua,
you knew they was a little smaller, didn't have a
huge arm. Is his lack of higher level success? Is
it lack of online protection? Personnel issues? When you put
in the tape on Tua. Is there a comp what
do you see?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
There's no mystery to what Tua is Colin.
Speaker 9 (24:14):
Everybody knows he's a pure timing and rhythm player that
is extremely accurate. So everything about the way in which
he plays has to be based on that. He's narrow
in that regard. He can't do much beyond that.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
So when it.
Speaker 9 (24:29):
Looks good, depending on who the opponent is, depending on
a number of factors, he can look really really good
and their offense can be really explosive. And by the way,
that can happen against any given opponent. So you know,
obviously they're playing tonight against a good Bills team, the
assumption is they'll get blown out. But any given opponent
where he can play with timing and rhythm and get
(24:51):
the ball out in windows, he's a very good window thrower.
Between the numbers. That's his game. But that's all his
game is. There's not much more or beyond that, so
you have to decide. Look last week, two things really
stood out in the tape. Number one thirty seven dropbacks
twelve carries for backs. They can't play that way. Tua
needs a run game to be the foundation. And Mike
(25:13):
Rayball on that staff in New England. They played him
to what he is. They only rushed five two times
on his thirty seven dropbacks because they wanted seven in
coverage to minimize the windows. That's what you have to
do when you play Tua. You've got to minimize the windows.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
We look at tonight, the Bills are favored by a
couple of touchdowns and should be. We look at Buffalo
and you said this last week. You said their run
game is more fundamentally important and better than people give
it credit for. So tell me when you watch film.
You said that, And so I looked for this past week,
even though it was a blowout early. What does the
(25:51):
run game provide to Josh Allen that without a run game,
what are the advantages he gains from it?
Speaker 9 (26:00):
Well, every quarterback game is from a run game. And
then now you're getting into multiple issues. What personnel do
you put out on the field. They like to put
out a lot of base personnel groupings. They did that
this past week, and they are a very multiple run
game as well. And James Cook, despite his size, is
actually a very tough, physical inside runner. He gets hard
(26:21):
earned yards. So a run game is critical, you know,
it's funny. I watched that tape and I came away
thinking to myself, this was a great game for Josh
Allen because he plays in four days and it didn't
seem like he exerted any energy in that game.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
It didn't seem like he had much to do.
Speaker 9 (26:36):
So, you know, a run game always helps a quarterback.
So I think, look, we know Josh Allen when necessary,
Ken put on the Superman cape, as he did Week
one in the fourth quarter of that game against Baltimore.
But the way they played last week, and granted they
got ahead early and there was clearly a sense they
were going to control the game, which they did, but
(26:58):
I think they want to play with a run game.
They don't want to just be a passing team. And
it's funny. I said watching that tape to one of
my guys in the office day, I said, you know,
Josh Allen, he's not really a gunslinger anymore unless the
game demands it. You know, he doesn't play that way
as his natural state, which is the way he sort
of played three four years ago. Now, he's very much
(27:19):
a piece of an offense, and if demanded, he can
do special things, but he doesn't play like that as
his natural state.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah. So one of the reasons I picked the Seahawks
to make the playoffs and I thought Sam Darnold would
work is that when Sam has a run game and
can throw it twenty eight times or fewer and does
not have to get into track meets, and I think
this team's defensive structure, I said, Sam is going to
(27:46):
be asked to do two or three wow plays, and
he's really talented. But I think and I think that's
really the key. That's why in Minnesota with Brian Flores,
he didn't have to win a shootout every week. In
New York, when you're safe being the franchise, he's like Gina, Yeah,
Jimmie times, you're gonna get two or three picks. So
what does the tape say so far with Sam? I
(28:09):
think Seattle fits his strengths.
Speaker 9 (28:13):
Well, it's funny you say that because what they did
and it's only two weeks, so you don't know if
this is something that will be a trend or not.
But what they did last week against Pittsburgh was something
I haven't seen very much in the league. They had
sixty four offensive snaps Colin forty five of them came
at a base personnel.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
They did not play many snaps with.
Speaker 9 (28:34):
Three wide receivers on the field at all, so they
had a lot of tight formations. They tried to run
the ball, Walker had some good success. Charmon they didn't
have any success. But that's I think the way they
want to play under Clint Kubiac.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
They know what Darnold is.
Speaker 9 (28:48):
They love the fact that he was so efficient in
the play action pass game under center a year ago
in Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
They liked their offense to look like that. And I
agree with you.
Speaker 9 (28:58):
And by the way, how many quarterbacks do you think
realistically can line up and throw it forty forty five
times a week and really be good.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
That's a hard thing to do in this league.
Speaker 9 (29:07):
And by the way, it's very hard on your old line,
no matter how good it is.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Yeah, I mean, there's a number with Dak who's going
to have, with three different coaches, be highly productive. If
he throw us over forty times, Dak's numbers plummet, his
win percentage plummets. It's the reality is, at any given
time in my life, there's about three quarterbacks maybe four,
that you feel comfortable throwing forty times a game. It's really,
really hard.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
Okay, it's hard to do.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Yeah, Eagles Chiefs, listen, we know Kansas City's issues. They're
not very gifted. Until Xavier Worthy and Rashid Rice get
back on the perimeter, there's a way you can defend them. Now,
did Philadelphia use any secret sauce, any deception or was
it just Mono amano? We have better defensive players than
(29:54):
you do offensive players.
Speaker 9 (29:57):
Well, it's funny because about a quarter in to that tape,
I said to myself, Wow, Vick Fangio has taken a
totally different approach than he did in the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
In the super Bowl.
Speaker 9 (30:07):
They did not rush five one time, and they literally
played zone in a quarter structure four across on the
back end on almost every play in this game.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Last week they blitzed.
Speaker 9 (30:18):
Quite a bit a high percentage for Vic Fangio, and
they played a lot.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
More man coverage.
Speaker 9 (30:23):
So he came with a totally different defensive tactical approach.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
So it's not one thing.
Speaker 9 (30:29):
But I will say this, I think there is a sense,
and it could be a function of the receivers, but
I think there's a sense right now among teams that
what you want to do with Patrick Mahomes and the
pass game is really clog the middle of the field
and make him work outside. Now he's capable, obviously he's
capable of making any throw, that's not the point. But
(30:50):
he doesn't make a lot of throws outside the numbers
unless it's vertical throws. So they're going to have to
figure out a way Andy Reid, Kofka, They're gonna have
to figure out, not Kofka, Matt Nagy, they're gonna have
to figure out a way to work outside the numbers
in kind of a short to intermediate pass game.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
You know, it's interesting. It feels like the tush push
means even more this year. Through two games, Jalen Hurts
has attempted more tush pushes than throws of ten yards
plus down the field. They're not throwing the ball down
the field.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
I don't know, they're not.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
They're not like and I think to myself, how sustainable
is it? But it does? I mean, I mean, I
look at it. What they are I said this Monday
on the show. In my life, there has never been
a quarterback and a team that is better at getting one,
two or three yards they are now. They don't throw
over the top. There's things they're not great at but
(31:46):
if you need one, two or three yards, that's as good.
That's as good as the Chiefs in their dynasty, the
Niners in their dynasty, the Steelers in their dynasty. Does
the offense concern you because it just doesn't throw the
ball down the field at all?
Speaker 4 (32:03):
Yes, now it does. I think they will.
Speaker 9 (32:05):
But I think the larger point about the tush push,
because there's been so much talk about it obviously this week,
is not the tush push itself. It's the fact how
many times they're in situations to deploy the tush push.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Yeah, that's the larger question.
Speaker 9 (32:20):
That's the big deal because, and we've discussed this, when
it's third and seven or third and eight for the
Eagles offense, they don't necessarily have to throw the ball column,
And now it changes the way defenses have to play
because in the NFL, third and seven is one hundred
percent pretty much a passing down, correct, But the Eagles
don't view it that way because if they get to
(32:42):
fourth and two and they're at the fifty yard line
going in, they're going to go for it. So it's
how often they get to those short yarded situations that
they're able to go for it. That's really the bigger
issue than the fact that they convert on the tush push.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Okay, So I want to go back. I asked you
about Caleb and JJ. Now I want to go to
that quarterback that's got far more starts than JJ. I
want to talk Drake May because they host the Steelers
this week and they won a big game last week.
So I think both of us. Like Drake May out
of college, I did a lot. I know he was
a less polished justin Herbert. He hadn't started as many games. Yeah,
(33:19):
I thought he was justin Herbert, but probably a year
and a half to two years behind him in terms
of snaps and polish. Okay, So he wins a game.
It's Miami in September. That's always been tough on Belichick
and Brady struggled down early in the season. Are you
seeing a jump from last year this year from Drake May?
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (33:40):
And I think one thing you really want to keep
seeing he did it last week is just the ball placement.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
When he places the ball, well, he's really really good.
Speaker 9 (33:49):
And I think it's another example, and we've talked about
this of scheme and play calling helping him early in
that game, they called some plays that were really scheme,
really strong from a scheme perspective. They had a drag
wheel throwback to Hooper. They had a great third down
call because they knew they were going to get man
coverage where he hit Henderson on a wheel route out
(34:10):
of the backfield.
Speaker 4 (34:11):
To the right.
Speaker 9 (34:12):
They're really helping him with what they're calling to define
reads and throws for him. But the one thing that
really stands out to me as well, he's very poised
and very calm in the way in which he plays.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
There's not no freneticism to him.
Speaker 9 (34:26):
And he's got you know, he's obviously got athleticism to him.
It's funny you mentioned the size comparing him to her,
But I got a chance to stand next to him
at the combine and he's a big dude now. And
you know, you almost lose sight of how big some
of these quarterbacks are because there's a lot more smaller quarterbacks.
But I stood next to Caleb Williams and Drake May.
Caleb Williams looked like a high school kid and Drake
(34:46):
May looked like a really big dude.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Yeah yeah, okay, I want to get in I have
said the first two weeks of the year that the
Packers are the best team I've seen. I'm trusting my eyes.
I think they're the fastest team Offensively. I think they're
so fast. Everybody love the running back, the tight ends. Yeah,
the receivers. They got eight and nine guys that can
really run. But it's interesting with their defense. I compared
(35:08):
it to when you were in college and you had
a really big, strong football player buddy youoas felt a
little more courage go into the bar and have enough flirting.
There is something about Micah that has elevated his teammates.
It's almost as if his teammates know they're going to
(35:29):
get more space, that he's going to create disruptions. I
feel like he's elevating other players on the defense. Maybe
they're playing with more energy. Maybe it's because they have
fewer snaps. The offense is more productive. But there is
something when I watch the Packers, I'm like, they're more
aggressive than last year, and they feel more eggassive. What
(35:50):
does a film say.
Speaker 9 (35:52):
Well, it's funny you say that because in this last game,
which was Thursday night last week, so it feels like
a long time ago, you know, they're getting Edgar and
Cooper now more involved in their rushes, so they're showing
some more five man fronts. And when you show a
five man front, the way offense is almost always protect
is what they call five to zero protection, meaning five
on five. So that gives Micah theoretically a one on one.
(36:15):
So they're going to do more and more of that
and then see how offenses react to that.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
They had a sack last week.
Speaker 9 (36:21):
It was a Cooper and Parson split sack where they
did just that and they stunted away from Micah with
the loop and then he was one on one with
the right tackle, Connor Lee, and he just ate him up.
But they're also so good Halflee, and this to me
is coaching. He is so good with his late coverage rotation.
In other words, he changes the picture pre snap to
(36:42):
post snap. And he's not just moving one or two
guys Colin, he's moving five guys on defense. That's coaching,
because if one guy makes a mistake, you know what happens.
So they are really good now with their pressure schemes,
and they're really good on the back end with all
this late coverage rotation changing the picture.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Jordan Love First of all, you kind of taught me
this traits. His traits size, arm strength, athletic ability, toughness.
His traits are excellent. But you look at film and
you look at beyond traits pre snap, how is he
handling deux packages? You know what I look at He
(37:21):
just looks very comfortable. That's what my eyes tell me. Now,
some of it could be good coaching and lots of weapons,
but what does the film say?
Speaker 9 (37:30):
Yeah, and I think that that happens over time. You know,
we spoke about Josh Allen a little earlier, how he's
not really a gunslinger in the way he plays. I
think you see that every once in a while, still
with love. That's just kind of who he is. But
I think as he plays more, you'll see less of that,
and he'll play the game within the.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
Game, so to speak.
Speaker 9 (37:49):
But also, I think Lafleur does such a good job
with how they construct that offense and how he goes
about you know, he comes from the Shanahan school, so
for him, it's not just individual plays, Colin, it's how
you put plays together. What you do in the first quarter,
how that affects the second quarter, in the third quarter,
in the fourth quarter. And there was an unbelievable example
(38:10):
of that in the game against Washington last week. And
these were back to back plays, and on one play
they come out with what we call thirteen personnel, one back,
three tight ends, so they saw exactly how the commanders
responded to that with their personnel. Okay, and then on
the very next play they came out in the same
thirteen personnel and that's our big play if we want
(38:31):
to go to it right now, because this is really
the way to.
Speaker 4 (38:34):
Go, let's go it, go with it.
Speaker 9 (38:35):
This was the Craft fifty seven yard completion. And that's
what they did is they basically showed thirteen personnel saw
what they were going to get from a defensive personnel perspective,
and then Lafleur called this play and we're going to
break it down here because this is really really good stuff.
I mean, this is this is why I love watching
(38:56):
tape Colin. This is a lot of fun. So you're
going to see this is third personnel, three tight ends.
There's Craft because he's the guy who catches the ball.
So what did they get? They got three linebackers base
personnel on the defense. But not only that, they got
three safeties okay. So there's only going to be one
corner on the field, and that corner is down below
(39:19):
at the bottom of the screen. So they got three
linebackers and three safeties versus their thirteen personnel, which they
knew they were going to get from the play before.
So they put the rookie SAVI you on, Williams now
in motion across the formation.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
So what does that lead to. It's something that we call.
Speaker 9 (39:35):
Four strong, meaning four receivers to one side of the formation.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
That's what you're going to get here. As we freeze it.
Speaker 9 (39:43):
When Williams gets over there, there's now four receivers to
one side. But remember the corner didn't go with them,
so the corners all the way.
Speaker 4 (39:51):
On the other side of the field.
Speaker 9 (39:53):
So now you're going to run four routes Colin four
routes okay against two linebackers and two safeties.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
This is exactly what you want.
Speaker 9 (40:01):
These guys are not great coverage people, okay, particularly the linebackers,
and what they're going to run now is a three
man vertical concept. That's the route concept here. It's going
to be a three man vertical concept. You're going to
see Williams run deep on the outside. You're going to
see that's actually Musgrave, the other tight end there on
that side. He's going to run the deep over in
(40:23):
the middle of the field, and then Craft is going
to run the seam, So now.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
You get three vertical routes.
Speaker 9 (40:29):
There's no corner involved in this coverage at all, so
here's what you get. So now you're going to see
that's Bobby Wagner. He's probably a Hall of Famer, so
he now gets his eyes on Craft. But let's see
how all this really plays out, because this is really
good stuff. You're going to see Williams, he's going to
lift the safety to the top of the screen. You're
going to see Musgrave run right at the deep safety,
(40:54):
and you're going to see now the back expands into
the flat, so the other linebacker goes with him.
Speaker 4 (41:00):
What do you end up with? You end up with
Wagner who has to match Craft.
Speaker 9 (41:04):
But Wagner is uncertain of what to do, and he's
a veteran, as I said, probably a Hall of Famer,
so he gets lost. So you end up with just
a great concept. Colin, you probably could have made that throw.
The concept was so good, So you know, that's what
you get This is what play calling is all about
to me.
Speaker 4 (41:20):
And this is how you structure an offense.
Speaker 9 (41:23):
And you structure with the use of personnel formations, motion,
and you create This is what I mean when I
always say you define a read and a throw for
a quarterback.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
You can't do it any better than that.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
Yeah. And they also have so much speed offensively that
when they get you in space, they're a problem even
if you do read the play. And at that point
the commanders did not great co sell on a Thursday.
Is always good seeing.
Speaker 4 (41:45):
You, Thanks Colin, appreciate it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
And Green Bay's got everything humming, play design, speed, everybody
can run and defensively and again we know head coaches matter.
Jeff Hafley. How many times have we talked about their
defensive coordinate coordinators? Met Robert Sahalin. The Niners defense last
year was a mess. They lose green Law Hufunga. They're better.
Why it just matters. It's like having a good mentor
(42:11):
a good professor, a good high school teacher. The quality matters.
And Green Bay right now the best team I've seen
in the league. Both sides, coaching staff, run it, throw it,
play and they're built to play from behind. I just
don't think they're gonna have to. I mean, that's one thing.
I don't think Philadelphia is built to play from ten
(42:32):
points down seven minutes left. Green Bay is That's another
reason why I think right now to the best team
in the league.
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. It is a Thursday. Man, we got
a good shot. I'm in Chicago, where the weather is perfect.
It's beautiful at seventy degrees. Jmack, how's the weather in
Los Angeles this morning?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
We got some rain this morning for a time in
six months. LA is panicking College.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Looks fun.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So I was thinking about this this morning. I was
thinking about the Tush push, and so Adam Scheff wrote
a story yesterday like people are gonna get rid of
the tushpush, and I was thinking about this. Stuff changes
all the time in sports because of the way it looks,
(01:12):
and because this takes a while. It's ugly, it's hard
to officiate. You unpile people. It's not great television. I mean,
the NBA got rid of the hack of shack. Hack
a shack was brilliant strategy by Mike Dunlevy. They didn't
like the way it looked shack clankin free throws. Baseball
got rid of the defensive shift. It was great strategy,
(01:32):
but they wanted more runners on the bases, more of
their stars on the bases. It was great strategy, both
the hack of shack and the defensive shift, and I
don't like it. The tush push is great strategy. I mean.
The NFL got rid of the or changed the catch rule.
They thought players were making these dramatic catches. Fantasy football
(01:53):
fans were like, yeah, that doesn't count, and it was
like that's a It was a buzzkill. So they changed
the catch rule. So if you're bobbling it, eh, well
you've got control of it. It's like I say with
my iPhone, if I'm clutching it, I clearly have my iPhone.
But even when I let it just sit on my
hand that it can move a little, I still have
control of my iPhone. It's still in my possession. And
(02:16):
that's what the NFL did with the catch. You still
possess it even if the ball moves a little within
your grasp and it was the right route move. But
I do think there's a legitimate three reasons maybe four,
to legitimately keep the Tousch push. Number One, it is
a football play. I watch football games, and that's a
play during the games. It's not rugby. It is a
(02:37):
play during a football game. It's a football play. Second,
if it was just about the offensive line, the Lions
would do it. The Lions have a great offensive line,
so do the Broncos. You ever see Bow next two
weeks ago try his version of the Toush push. It
was a disaster. And by the way, Jared Goff can't
do it. It's only about Jalen Hurtz, his all pro
(02:58):
center left. They're better out at the show. They do
it more this year. It's about Jalen Hurts his number
one asset. He's the strongest quarterback probably in league history,
pound for pound. We don't tell Lamar Jackson to run less,
we don't tell Mahomes not to throw side arm or
left handed. Why take away the number one asset for
one of the star quarterbacks in the league. And so
(03:19):
there are reasons to keep it, But I think this
is what's happening, and this is the problem. They're using
it too much. The defensive shift. Had Joe Madden used
it once a series against the dead pull hitter, you
could have it. He started using it all the time.
(03:39):
The NBA doesn't mind the three point shot, but when
the Knicks and the Celtics meet and shoot ninety seven
in a playoff game, it's bad television, and Adam Silver
says we may have to change it. Remember the IRS
changes tax laws and tax codes all the time when
they think something's being manipulated or used to hurt other people.
(04:00):
And I think that's the problem this year. Think about this.
Jalen Hurts has attempted the tush push more than balls
thrown down the field ten plus yards, and sixty percent
of league revenues come from television. They're over using it.
I contend if you had one kickoff a game, they
(04:21):
wouldn't have changed the rules. But when you have eight
or nine concussions, numbers go up again. Even speeding on
the freeway, you can go six to seven miles an
hour over the speed limit. It's not called anything other
than the speed limit, and yet law enforcement allows you
to go seven miles an hour over it. Ten fifteen
(04:43):
twenty trouble, so this thing would be allowed the defensive
shift if shack hack a shack could happen once. But
when it becomes protocol, the NFL is like, okay, you're
doing it now more than you throw the ball down
the field. I think that is going to end it.
I mean, the last time it went up for a vote,
(05:05):
it passed. So there's a strong belief that they created it,
they won a Super Bowl with it, they're great at it,
and they're the only team doing it. I mean, Josh
Allen tried it, most talented quarterback in the league. He
can't do it. Though Nicks tried it two weeks ago
with a great old line. He can't do it. Jared
Goff can't do it with a great old Linone Herbert
can't do it. One guy can do it. Why punish
(05:25):
him because he's doing it too often? That's it. Adam
Silver doesn't mind the three. He doesn't want the Nicks
and Celtics shooting ninety seven of them. Here's Nick Sirianni
on his best play that may be taken away.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
I think it's an exciting play. I mean, obviously there's
been a lot of discussion about it. And I think
you know, when you bring more discussion about a play,
it brings more attention to football. I always think there's
a beauty too, and like everyone knows what you're gonna
run and you can still get the I mean, it
isn't that football.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Yes, to a large degree, it is. But there's a
lot of things in life. You know, Golf is a
lot of fun. But if I was doing it six
days a week and wasn't doing my fair share at
the house, and would probably say I want to scale
back on golf. But I do it this summer twice
a week. I don't come home exhausted or drunk. Guy
(06:25):
hit golf balls for a couple hours. I'm back. So
golf is fun. There's a limit to everything, all right.
This is we have ourselves in an issue in Chicago,
Cowboys Bears this weekend on Fox Must Watch. Bears are
worse than we thought, Dallas better than we thought. So
(06:46):
Ben Johnson said this yesterday. I'm going to read it
slowly about the Bears practice habits. I'm going to read this.
We talk about it all the time. We should be
going at football very hardish hard. Our offensive players, their
fundamentals are finished our technique. They need to show up
on the practice field. That's how it shows up on
(07:08):
game day. Simple things like how do we properly block,
how do we catch a ball? How do we block
after the catch? Ball? Security, things like that, that stuff
you should know in youth league. Okay, now think about this.
He's not criticizing defense that just gave up fifty plus points.
He's not criticizing special teams. He's criticizing the offense. Who's
(07:29):
the leader of the offense, Caleb Williams. So he's also
criticizing the lack of fundamentals. He said, quote here little
things that you learn in youth league, you know, like
blocking and tackling and finishing plays hard. And I mention
this because that's Caleb's number one problem. It's not horsepower,
(07:50):
arm strength, mobility, it's footwork, it's mechanics, it's pre snap,
it's the basics. And I want to take you I
don't think this is a small thing. There have been
two times Ben Johnson has said things about the backup
Tyson Beagen. Here's the first. Listen closely.
Speaker 6 (08:09):
I've really been blown away by his approach from the
spring to the start of camp to where we are now.
He does a tremendous job knowing what to do, how
to do it, and getting it done.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Basically, he's saying he's really good with the fundamentals, which
is what he's criticizing with the current offense, only with
this quarterback. So when he said, oh, I really like
Tyson beaging, it wasn't horsepower, it was fundamentals, the exact
thing he's criticizing now. But here's another one. This is
(08:47):
even more damning from Ben Johnson.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
He and I are probably wired very similar, just.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
The danners of room.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
He's usually all business.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
We try to loosen him up so because he I mean,
he's so serious about his job. He wants to do
so well, and he wants a team to do well.
That he's always locked in. So we I can appreciate
that about him because I can relate.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I gotta be honest. I mean, if you said that
to your wife, you know I really I work with Cindy.
We have a lot in common. We really relate. Like,
I totally get what she's saying. She's so sharp. Yeah,
don't let your husband go to a Coldplay concert. Okay,
Like you got a problem coming. You may want to
(09:33):
get a hold of a divorce attorney. You don't have
to be a marriage counselor for thirty five years to
figure this out. He talks about how much he loved
Fundamentals with Tyson Bagent. Now he's criticizing the lack of fundamentals.
You know, we have a lot in common. I mean,
our brains work the same way. Yeah, maybe that business trip.
(09:55):
Try to talk your husband out of it, like something
here is not good. I mean to say all this
stuff publicly about the backup. He's sharp, great with fundamentals. Man,
we think the same way. That's what I've complained about
Caleb and Ben Johnson, not the lack of talent, the
lack of symmetry, the lack of chemistry, the lack of stylistically, esthetically, optically.
(10:21):
They're just different. One guy is all about stacking and
system and timing and rhythm, and the other guys just
this artist who paste the fingernails, ad libs huge arm momentum,
plays little hero Ball. They're just different cats, just different dudes.
(10:44):
So I don't think those bites. I mean when I
read that this morning, complaining about fundamentals, my first thought is,
that's what you loved about the backup a month ago.
He kept going on about so sharp, the pre snap
stuff of the fundamentals, because just like Kyle Shanahan, Ben
Johnson at his core designs a play and wants you
(11:07):
to follow it, and he knows it's a complicated play
and it's got to be fundamentally strong. Get the pre
snap down. Let's get the operations down. You can hear
a ball at twice three times a game, but run
my play.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I'm trying to be positive here. I at least our
weather is good, but the stuff is jumping out to me.
Greg Cosel fifty minutes from now, can't wait for today.
Jamac urban Meyer stops by as well. You and I
talk a lot. We talk about bets. We like a lot.
I have the Blazing five. You have Tomorrow's headlines to
(11:47):
have you put in the Blazing five, Colin, I've got
I always have seven on Thursday six, Tomorrow Morning show.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
I drop one.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Because you open with the Eagles and the tush push.
We saw the way the refs were talking to the Chargers.
They flag the Chargers Monday night for a toush push attempt,
and it was like, wait, well, let's going that's never flagged.
Mcveigh's talking about it. Hey, maybe I need to go
to the league office, Colin if all of a sudden
the toush push is removed.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
And that the referees are going to referee it differently.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
I think this hurts the Eagles Honestly, I'd be careful
backing them this weekend against We're gonna see at least
one flag for sure against the Eagles.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
For the toush push. They're gonna they're gonna do something.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yeah, I mean, it's there is a way to manipulate officiating.
Not all officiating crews are the same. Phil Jackson used
to talk about that in the NBA. Some guys allow
stuff Herm Edwards, Bill Belichick, Brady's talked about that before.
Some officiating crews call more holding than others.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Some officiating crews let defensive backs hand the with wide
receivers down the field. So I think, what what will
happen is I think all eyes you're seeing all these discussions,
all eyes will be on the offensive line leaving early.
So Philadelphia will have to be on their best behavior,
toush push or not. I think the Rams actually match
(13:05):
up with Philadelphia Philadelphia is not throwing the ball down
the field at all. Secondly, the Rams, Puka Naku and
Devonte Adams. One of those is going to be open
against the Eagles secondary because right now they're struggling at
one of their corner spots, so it's a good matchup.
It's in Philly that matters. You know, there's a reason
(13:26):
their favorites. But I do like the Rams plus the
three and a half.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 7 (13:38):
Hey it's me Rock Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast,
Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes of piping hot
baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport.
Whether you believe in analytics or the Ie test, We've
got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday,
(13:59):
So do your sofa favor and listen to Inside the
Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever
you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
You're now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by Credible
Great Rates None of the bull. So sometimes I just
like to play sound bites from Aaron Rodgers because he
uses words no other guy I ever know would use
in a public setting. And so Aaron is talking about
that the game this week as they go to New England.
(14:30):
I actually think Pittsburgh's the interesting side here. They could
have I mean, they just basically forgot how to play football,
forgot basic rules at home against Seattle, and then they
had a ball that should have been a touchdown or
receiver made a mistake, it got tipped in interception to
intercepted in the end zone. Seattle I thought was the
better team going in. I had talked about that, but
I did think Pittsburgh could have served itself much better
(14:54):
in the second half. So now New England comes up,
and here's Aaron talking about next game up.
Speaker 8 (15:01):
I don't like getting too binary, but winning that's a
good response. But we can't get attached to the binary
system that our league is judged on, necessarily because it
is a seventeen game season and the process has to
be great. So he's dig into the details in the process,
enjoy it, practice well, and then let game day take
(15:23):
care of itself.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
I don't know about the whole binary system, but winning
cures everything in the NFL, and sometimes you get lucky
in the next four weeks. Who here's who. The Steelers
are playing a franchise with six Super Bowls, so I
hold you to a higher level. They're playing Drake May,
Carson Wentz, Joe Flacco, and Jake Browning, So if they
don't go four to oh, we got problems. Regardless of
what binary system you're dealing with. Joe Burrow, Pittsburgh's gotten
(15:49):
very lucky. Joe Burrow gets hurt and he won't play
the two times Pittsburgh's gonna face him. If you look
at the schedule, they face Miami week fifteen, Miami could
be in full tank mode. It's after the trade deadline.
They may sell off players for picks, and they may
have an interim coach, and then they play the Ravens
(16:10):
in week eighteen, and I think it's realistic to think
the Ravens are gonna win this now without Joe Burrow
going away and will be resting starters. So you get
two Jake Brownings, a Miami team that I would bet
at the trade deadline is moving off players, and a
Ravens team resting starters in the final regular season week.
So not all ten and sevens are equal, because the
(16:31):
problem for the Steelers in the last decade has not
been that they don't win, it's that they don't beat
good teams and great quarterbacks. So all I care about
with the Steelers this year is five games in the
regular season. Week eight Green Bay and Jordan Love, Week ten,
Justin Herbert and the Chargers, Week thirteen, Josh Allen at
(16:52):
home Bills, Week fourteen at Lamar Jackson, and then Week
sixteen Jared Goff and the Lions personnel. That's the season.
I don't care about the Falcons or beating Jake Browning. Well, Colin,
that's not fair. You've got six trophies. I judged Georgia
football different than Purdue. Okay, you got six trophies. So
(17:14):
there's a lot of breaks teams get and playing Jake
Browning over Joe Burrow twice, getting a tanking Miami after
the trade deadline, Ravens in the final week, resting starters
are breaks. And if you think I'm being hard, remember
last year the Steelers were ten and three at one point, woo.
I was getting a lot of heat from Steeler Nation.
(17:37):
Then they lost five straight. Lookie here. Who are the
quarterbacks Lamar Jackson twice, Mahomes, Hurtz and Joe Burrow. Oh
they lost all those games. Yeah, suddenly, apparently the internet
went out in Pittsburgh. Never got any feedback after that,
certainly no pushback. So I'm going to judge Pittsburgh whatever
(17:59):
buy an airy system it is. I'm judging them on
wins over good teams. And in the next month you
get young Drake may a rebuilding Patriot team. Yes they
still are, Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz, and Jake Browning. You
got to go four to Oh.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noone Easter nin a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
There we go, hour two. It's a Thursday, Bills Dolphins
Tonight Live. It's The Herd wherever you may be, however
you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of
your day fifteen minutes. We all get smarter every week.
Jay Macha was talking about favorites this year and the
disappearing middle class in the NFL, which we've been on
for three years. So big favorites this season meaning you're
favored by four points or more. I think a big
(18:44):
favorite six six and a half or more. But team
is favored by four plus points or more. Are not
only twelve to ozho they're winning by twelve and a
half points. They're averaging twenty nine points a game and
allowing seventeen, meaning you get more blowouts. So you're getting
more blowouts because there's a bigger gap in the schedule
(19:04):
now tonight. I think it's going to be one of
those blowouts. I mean games that I'm almost guaranteed are
going to be close. Rams Eagles will be really really close. Yep,
Texans Jags will be close. I'd be surprised if Steelers, Patriots, Colts,
Titans aren't close. Denver Chargers will be very competitive.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
It's the NFL.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Every game feels close. I will say this, I do
not get the Bears and the Cowboys is basically a
pickham that I don't get.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
You have it touched on Falcons Panthers. That's a good
game on Fox. I'm loaded up on one side in
that one.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
I think we'll be talking about it on Friday.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I'm sure the audience is waiting with painted breath. Hey,
come on listen.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Atlanta's good Atlanta, or by the way, is Atlanta in
your upper class or are they middle class?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Well, let's let Penix have ten stars. I think these
barely has enough starts and.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
You put him in the upper crust.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Who's at bo next?
Speaker 4 (19:59):
He's been awful so far.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
He has twenty NFL starts and he made the playoffs
as a rookie in the division with Herbert and Mahomes.
He's fine, He's Chargers this week? That how about?
Speaker 4 (20:09):
How good is that game.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
In the division? Very good? Forty six years. NFL films
joined us twenty five times a year minimum at this time. Okay,
you know it's interesting. A lot of times coaches send messages.
They go to the podium every week on Wednesday and
they you know, they have a message for the team.
(20:32):
And Ben Johnson this week is saying I am seeing
a lot of improvement with Caleb Williams. I didn't see it. What,
mister Kosel, what did the film say that? Do you
see a progressive growth with Caleb Williams week one to
week two?
Speaker 9 (20:48):
You know, I thought in the first half Colin that
there was that he was better because the key thing
is being decisive. They want him to drop back and
get rid of the football. They don't want him to
get stuck in the pocket. So I thought in the
first half, when theoretically it was still somewhat of a game,
I thought that he was much more decisive in what
he saw and he delivered the football as the game progressed.
(21:11):
And unfortunately, you never want to be in this situation
with a young quarterback, and certainly not Caleb Williams at
this point in his growth. He had to drop back
and throw on every snap. And that's where you know,
some of the warts that he has right now come out.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
And you know, one of the things is in the.
Speaker 9 (21:28):
NFL, and we've talked about this, and the more you throw,
the more it shows up. Is for quarterbacks who are
not used to the NFL and pressure, what's pressure and
what's not pressure in the NFL, they start to move
when they don't need to move. They move prematurely, and
they move unnecessarily. And that's true. I've noticed that with
(21:49):
Caleb Williams at times. It's true with cam Ward. It's
just something you have to learn by playing as to
what really is pressure and what's really not pressure by
NFL standards.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
JJ McCarthy is young, fewer starts than Caleb banged up again.
I think he feels a little overwhelmed. I've said before
Michael Pennix, I don't have a lot of starts, but boy,
he looks comfortable, gets the ball, gets rid of it.
JJ looks hesitant. Seven of eight quarters I've watched him,
he looks a bit overwhelmed. What does the film say?
(22:20):
Are there open receivers? He's not seeing? What's it say?
Speaker 9 (22:23):
Yeah, you know, I'm always leary after two games, this
is what I would expect from JJ McCarthy. I don't
know how you felt about him coming out. I mean
I studied him in detail at Michigan. I personally, in
my evaluation did not feel he was a first round
type quarterback. So I'm not surprised that it would take
him more time. I know for a fact that they
(22:44):
had to rework a lot of his footwork and a
lot on his drop, which was not very good at Michigan.
It was a problem that he had, and then you
wonder can that be fixed. I think they're working on
that and it's a work in progress, so he needs
a lot more time. And then, don't forget a lot
of young quarterbacks, then it becomes a function of team
as well. Can they run the ball, can they manage
(23:07):
him to an extent where they can be proactive, and
how they use him as opposed to having to be reactive,
in other words, having have to throw too many times
in given games.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
So it'll take some time With.
Speaker 9 (23:19):
JJ McCarthy, obviously he'll be out for who knows how long.
But I mean, I think they're pretty much committed to him.
It's not as if they're not going to play him
when he gets healthy.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I want to ask you about to Miami right now
has some cultural issues, some personnel issues, and who knows
what's going to happen. But they've moved off coaches, they
moved off Brian Flores, they'd move off Mike McDaniel. They
always say, you can lose games, don't lose the locker room,
and they're certainly an argument the latter is happening. If
somebody took over the Miami Dolphins and put in the
(23:50):
tape on Tua and you didn't know anything about Tua,
you knew they was a little smaller, didn't have a
huge arm. Is his lack of higher level success? Is
it lack of online protection? Personnel issues? When you put
in the tape on Tua. Is there a comp what
do you see?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
There's no mystery to what Tua is Colin.
Speaker 9 (24:14):
Everybody knows he's a pure timing and rhythm player that
is extremely accurate. So everything about the way in which
he plays has to be based on that. He's narrow
in that regard. He can't do much beyond that.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
So when it.
Speaker 9 (24:29):
Looks good, depending on who the opponent is, depending on
a number of factors, he can look really really good
and their offense can be really explosive. And by the way,
that can happen against any given opponent. So you know,
obviously they're playing tonight against a good Bills team, the
assumption is they'll get blown out. But any given opponent
where he can play with timing and rhythm and get
(24:51):
the ball out in windows, he's a very good window thrower.
Between the numbers. That's his game. But that's all his
game is. There's not much more or beyond that, so
you have to decide. Look last week, two things really
stood out in the tape. Number one thirty seven dropbacks
twelve carries for backs. They can't play that way. Tua
needs a run game to be the foundation. And Mike
(25:13):
Rayball on that staff in New England. They played him
to what he is. They only rushed five two times
on his thirty seven dropbacks because they wanted seven in
coverage to minimize the windows. That's what you have to
do when you play Tua. You've got to minimize the windows.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
We look at tonight, the Bills are favored by a
couple of touchdowns and should be. We look at Buffalo
and you said this last week. You said their run
game is more fundamentally important and better than people give
it credit for. So tell me when you watch film.
You said that, And so I looked for this past week,
even though it was a blowout early. What does the
(25:51):
run game provide to Josh Allen that without a run game,
what are the advantages he gains from it?
Speaker 9 (26:00):
Well, every quarterback game is from a run game. And
then now you're getting into multiple issues. What personnel do
you put out on the field. They like to put
out a lot of base personnel groupings. They did that
this past week, and they are a very multiple run
game as well. And James Cook, despite his size, is
actually a very tough, physical inside runner. He gets hard
(26:21):
earned yards. So a run game is critical, you know,
it's funny. I watched that tape and I came away
thinking to myself, this was a great game for Josh
Allen because he plays in four days and it didn't
seem like he exerted any energy in that game.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
It didn't seem like he had much to do.
Speaker 9 (26:36):
So, you know, a run game always helps a quarterback.
So I think, look, we know Josh Allen when necessary,
Ken put on the Superman cape, as he did Week
one in the fourth quarter of that game against Baltimore.
But the way they played last week, and granted they
got ahead early and there was clearly a sense they
were going to control the game, which they did, but
(26:58):
I think they want to play with a run game.
They don't want to just be a passing team. And
it's funny. I said watching that tape to one of
my guys in the office day, I said, you know,
Josh Allen, he's not really a gunslinger anymore unless the
game demands it. You know, he doesn't play that way
as his natural state, which is the way he sort
of played three four years ago. Now, he's very much
(27:19):
a piece of an offense, and if demanded, he can
do special things, but he doesn't play like that as
his natural state.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah. So one of the reasons I picked the Seahawks
to make the playoffs and I thought Sam Darnold would
work is that when Sam has a run game and
can throw it twenty eight times or fewer and does
not have to get into track meets, and I think
this team's defensive structure, I said, Sam is going to
(27:46):
be asked to do two or three wow plays, and
he's really talented. But I think and I think that's
really the key. That's why in Minnesota with Brian Flores,
he didn't have to win a shootout every week. In
New York, when you're safe being the franchise, he's like Gina, Yeah,
Jimmie times, you're gonna get two or three picks. So
what does the tape say so far with Sam? I
(28:09):
think Seattle fits his strengths.
Speaker 9 (28:13):
Well, it's funny you say that because what they did
and it's only two weeks, so you don't know if
this is something that will be a trend or not.
But what they did last week against Pittsburgh was something
I haven't seen very much in the league. They had
sixty four offensive snaps Colin forty five of them came
at a base personnel.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
They did not play many snaps with.
Speaker 9 (28:34):
Three wide receivers on the field at all, so they
had a lot of tight formations. They tried to run
the ball, Walker had some good success. Charmon they didn't
have any success. But that's I think the way they
want to play under Clint Kubiac.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
They know what Darnold is.
Speaker 9 (28:48):
They love the fact that he was so efficient in
the play action pass game under center a year ago
in Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
They liked their offense to look like that. And I
agree with you.
Speaker 9 (28:58):
And by the way, how many quarterbacks do you think
realistically can line up and throw it forty forty five
times a week and really be good.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
That's a hard thing to do in this league.
Speaker 9 (29:07):
And by the way, it's very hard on your old line,
no matter how good it is.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Yeah, I mean, there's a number with Dak who's going
to have, with three different coaches, be highly productive. If
he throw us over forty times, Dak's numbers plummet, his
win percentage plummets. It's the reality is, at any given
time in my life, there's about three quarterbacks maybe four,
that you feel comfortable throwing forty times a game. It's really,
really hard.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
Okay, it's hard to do.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Yeah, Eagles Chiefs, listen, we know Kansas City's issues. They're
not very gifted. Until Xavier Worthy and Rashid Rice get
back on the perimeter, there's a way you can defend them. Now,
did Philadelphia use any secret sauce, any deception or was
it just Mono amano? We have better defensive players than
(29:54):
you do offensive players.
Speaker 9 (29:57):
Well, it's funny because about a quarter in to that tape,
I said to myself, Wow, Vick Fangio has taken a
totally different approach than he did in the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
In the super Bowl.
Speaker 9 (30:07):
They did not rush five one time, and they literally
played zone in a quarter structure four across on the
back end on almost every play in this game.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Last week they blitzed.
Speaker 9 (30:18):
Quite a bit a high percentage for Vic Fangio, and
they played a lot.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
More man coverage.
Speaker 9 (30:23):
So he came with a totally different defensive tactical approach.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
So it's not one thing.
Speaker 9 (30:29):
But I will say this, I think there is a sense,
and it could be a function of the receivers, but
I think there's a sense right now among teams that
what you want to do with Patrick Mahomes and the
pass game is really clog the middle of the field
and make him work outside. Now he's capable, obviously he's
capable of making any throw, that's not the point. But
(30:50):
he doesn't make a lot of throws outside the numbers
unless it's vertical throws. So they're going to have to
figure out a way Andy Reid, Kofka, They're gonna have
to figure out, not Kofka, Matt Nagy, they're gonna have
to figure out a way to work outside the numbers
in kind of a short to intermediate pass game.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
You know, it's interesting. It feels like the tush push
means even more this year. Through two games, Jalen Hurts
has attempted more tush pushes than throws of ten yards
plus down the field. They're not throwing the ball down
the field.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
I don't know, they're not.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
They're not like and I think to myself, how sustainable
is it? But it does? I mean, I mean, I
look at it. What they are I said this Monday
on the show. In my life, there has never been
a quarterback and a team that is better at getting one,
two or three yards they are now. They don't throw
over the top. There's things they're not great at but
(31:46):
if you need one, two or three yards, that's as good.
That's as good as the Chiefs in their dynasty, the
Niners in their dynasty, the Steelers in their dynasty. Does
the offense concern you because it just doesn't throw the
ball down the field at all?
Speaker 4 (32:03):
Yes, now it does. I think they will.
Speaker 9 (32:05):
But I think the larger point about the tush push,
because there's been so much talk about it obviously this week,
is not the tush push itself. It's the fact how
many times they're in situations to deploy the tush push.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Yeah, that's the larger question.
Speaker 9 (32:20):
That's the big deal because, and we've discussed this, when
it's third and seven or third and eight for the
Eagles offense, they don't necessarily have to throw the ball column,
And now it changes the way defenses have to play
because in the NFL, third and seven is one hundred
percent pretty much a passing down, correct, But the Eagles
don't view it that way because if they get to
(32:42):
fourth and two and they're at the fifty yard line
going in, they're going to go for it. So it's
how often they get to those short yarded situations that
they're able to go for it. That's really the bigger
issue than the fact that they convert on the tush push.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Okay, So I want to go back. I asked you
about Caleb and JJ. Now I want to go to
that quarterback that's got far more starts than JJ. I
want to talk Drake May because they host the Steelers
this week and they won a big game last week.
So I think both of us. Like Drake May out
of college, I did a lot. I know he was
a less polished justin Herbert. He hadn't started as many games. Yeah,
(33:19):
I thought he was justin Herbert, but probably a year
and a half to two years behind him in terms
of snaps and polish. Okay, So he wins a game.
It's Miami in September. That's always been tough on Belichick
and Brady struggled down early in the season. Are you
seeing a jump from last year this year from Drake May?
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (33:40):
And I think one thing you really want to keep
seeing he did it last week is just the ball placement.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
When he places the ball, well, he's really really good.
Speaker 9 (33:49):
And I think it's another example, and we've talked about
this of scheme and play calling helping him early in
that game, they called some plays that were really scheme,
really strong from a scheme perspective. They had a drag
wheel throwback to Hooper. They had a great third down
call because they knew they were going to get man
coverage where he hit Henderson on a wheel route out
(34:10):
of the backfield.
Speaker 4 (34:11):
To the right.
Speaker 9 (34:12):
They're really helping him with what they're calling to define
reads and throws for him. But the one thing that
really stands out to me as well, he's very poised
and very calm in the way in which he plays.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
There's not no freneticism to him.
Speaker 9 (34:26):
And he's got you know, he's obviously got athleticism to him.
It's funny you mentioned the size comparing him to her,
But I got a chance to stand next to him
at the combine and he's a big dude now. And
you know, you almost lose sight of how big some
of these quarterbacks are because there's a lot more smaller quarterbacks.
But I stood next to Caleb Williams and Drake May.
Caleb Williams looked like a high school kid and Drake
(34:46):
May looked like a really big dude.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Yeah yeah, okay, I want to get in I have
said the first two weeks of the year that the
Packers are the best team I've seen. I'm trusting my eyes.
I think they're the fastest team Offensively. I think they're
so fast. Everybody love the running back, the tight ends. Yeah,
the receivers. They got eight and nine guys that can
really run. But it's interesting with their defense. I compared
(35:08):
it to when you were in college and you had
a really big, strong football player buddy youoas felt a
little more courage go into the bar and have enough flirting.
There is something about Micah that has elevated his teammates.
It's almost as if his teammates know they're going to
(35:29):
get more space, that he's going to create disruptions. I
feel like he's elevating other players on the defense. Maybe
they're playing with more energy. Maybe it's because they have
fewer snaps. The offense is more productive. But there is
something when I watch the Packers, I'm like, they're more
aggressive than last year, and they feel more eggassive. What
(35:50):
does a film say.
Speaker 9 (35:52):
Well, it's funny you say that because in this last game,
which was Thursday night last week, so it feels like
a long time ago, you know, they're getting Edgar and
Cooper now more involved in their rushes, so they're showing
some more five man fronts. And when you show a
five man front, the way offense is almost always protect
is what they call five to zero protection, meaning five
on five. So that gives Micah theoretically a one on one.
(36:15):
So they're going to do more and more of that
and then see how offenses react to that.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
They had a sack last week.
Speaker 9 (36:21):
It was a Cooper and Parson split sack where they
did just that and they stunted away from Micah with
the loop and then he was one on one with
the right tackle, Connor Lee, and he just ate him up.
But they're also so good Halflee, and this to me
is coaching. He is so good with his late coverage rotation.
In other words, he changes the picture pre snap to
(36:42):
post snap. And he's not just moving one or two
guys Colin, he's moving five guys on defense. That's coaching,
because if one guy makes a mistake, you know what happens.
So they are really good now with their pressure schemes,
and they're really good on the back end with all
this late coverage rotation changing the picture.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Jordan Love First of all, you kind of taught me
this traits. His traits size, arm strength, athletic ability, toughness.
His traits are excellent. But you look at film and
you look at beyond traits pre snap, how is he
handling deux packages? You know what I look at He
(37:21):
just looks very comfortable. That's what my eyes tell me. Now,
some of it could be good coaching and lots of weapons,
but what does the film say?
Speaker 9 (37:30):
Yeah, and I think that that happens over time. You know,
we spoke about Josh Allen a little earlier, how he's
not really a gunslinger in the way he plays. I
think you see that every once in a while, still
with love. That's just kind of who he is. But
I think as he plays more, you'll see less of that,
and he'll play the game within the.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
Game, so to speak.
Speaker 9 (37:49):
But also, I think Lafleur does such a good job
with how they construct that offense and how he goes
about you know, he comes from the Shanahan school, so
for him, it's not just individual plays, Colin, it's how
you put plays together. What you do in the first quarter,
how that affects the second quarter, in the third quarter,
in the fourth quarter. And there was an unbelievable example
(38:10):
of that in the game against Washington last week. And
these were back to back plays, and on one play
they come out with what we call thirteen personnel, one back,
three tight ends, so they saw exactly how the commanders
responded to that with their personnel. Okay, and then on
the very next play they came out in the same
thirteen personnel and that's our big play if we want
(38:31):
to go to it right now, because this is really
the way to.
Speaker 4 (38:34):
Go, let's go it, go with it.
Speaker 9 (38:35):
This was the Craft fifty seven yard completion. And that's
what they did is they basically showed thirteen personnel saw
what they were going to get from a defensive personnel perspective,
and then Lafleur called this play and we're going to
break it down here because this is really really good stuff.
I mean, this is this is why I love watching
(38:56):
tape Colin. This is a lot of fun. So you're
going to see this is third personnel, three tight ends.
There's Craft because he's the guy who catches the ball.
So what did they get? They got three linebackers base
personnel on the defense. But not only that, they got
three safeties okay. So there's only going to be one
corner on the field, and that corner is down below
(39:19):
at the bottom of the screen. So they got three
linebackers and three safeties versus their thirteen personnel, which they
knew they were going to get from the play before.
So they put the rookie SAVI you on, Williams now
in motion across the formation.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
So what does that lead to. It's something that we call.
Speaker 9 (39:35):
Four strong, meaning four receivers to one side of the formation.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
That's what you're going to get here. As we freeze it.
Speaker 9 (39:43):
When Williams gets over there, there's now four receivers to
one side. But remember the corner didn't go with them,
so the corners all the way.
Speaker 4 (39:51):
On the other side of the field.
Speaker 9 (39:53):
So now you're going to run four routes Colin four
routes okay against two linebackers and two safeties.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
This is exactly what you want.
Speaker 9 (40:01):
These guys are not great coverage people, okay, particularly the linebackers,
and what they're going to run now is a three
man vertical concept. That's the route concept here. It's going
to be a three man vertical concept. You're going to
see Williams run deep on the outside. You're going to
see that's actually Musgrave, the other tight end there on
that side. He's going to run the deep over in
(40:23):
the middle of the field, and then Craft is going
to run the seam, So now.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
You get three vertical routes.
Speaker 9 (40:29):
There's no corner involved in this coverage at all, so
here's what you get. So now you're going to see
that's Bobby Wagner. He's probably a Hall of Famer, so
he now gets his eyes on Craft. But let's see
how all this really plays out, because this is really
good stuff. You're going to see Williams, he's going to
lift the safety to the top of the screen. You're
going to see Musgrave run right at the deep safety,
(40:54):
and you're going to see now the back expands into
the flat, so the other linebacker goes with him.
Speaker 4 (41:00):
What do you end up with? You end up with
Wagner who has to match Craft.
Speaker 9 (41:04):
But Wagner is uncertain of what to do, and he's
a veteran, as I said, probably a Hall of Famer,
so he gets lost. So you end up with just
a great concept. Colin, you probably could have made that throw.
The concept was so good, So you know, that's what
you get This is what play calling is all about
to me.
Speaker 4 (41:20):
And this is how you structure an offense.
Speaker 9 (41:23):
And you structure with the use of personnel formations, motion,
and you create This is what I mean when I
always say you define a read and a throw for
a quarterback.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
You can't do it any better than that.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
Yeah. And they also have so much speed offensively that
when they get you in space, they're a problem even
if you do read the play. And at that point
the commanders did not great co sell on a Thursday.
Is always good seeing.
Speaker 4 (41:45):
You, Thanks Colin, appreciate it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
And Green Bay's got everything humming, play design, speed, everybody
can run and defensively and again we know head coaches matter.
Jeff Hafley. How many times have we talked about their
defensive coordinate coordinators? Met Robert Sahalin. The Niners defense last
year was a mess. They lose green Law Hufunga. They're better.
Why it just matters. It's like having a good mentor
(42:11):
a good professor, a good high school teacher. The quality matters.
And Green Bay right now the best team I've seen
in the league. Both sides, coaching staff, run it, throw it,
play and they're built to play from behind. I just
don't think they're gonna have to. I mean, that's one thing.
I don't think Philadelphia is built to play from ten
(42:32):
points down seven minutes left. Green Bay is That's another
reason why I think right now to the best team
in the league.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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