September 30, 2025 • 34 mins
Colin Cowherd breaks down how head coach Sean Payton is transforming the Denver Broncos and accelerating the development of quarterback Bo Nix. Then, it's time for the highly anticipated Herd Hierarchy — Colin ranks his Top 10 NFL teams after Week 4, including the Kansas City Chiefs’ return to dominance.
Later, Colin is joined by Nick Wright from First Things First on FS1, to analyze Lamar Jackson’s struggles in big games, especially after another high-profile showdown with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowver
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Here we go. This is a Tuesday, man. We got
a lot to talk about in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It's the Herd wherever you may be, however you may
be watching or listening whatever platform.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
One hour from now.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
The Herd Hierarchy, Nick Wright stop by jam at You know.
I love Bonnix and Sean Paton. I picked them to
win their division. But Sean Payton's history is he's thirty
and thirty in September, he up the offense. He loaded
it up with Drew Brees, who struggled early with Sean Payton.
(01:05):
He loads it up with bow Nicks. There's a lot
of mistakes until.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Last night feting Jing Browning. Yes, here we get excited.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
So turning a football team around is hard, but it's
not that hard. There's a reason Parcells did it over
and over and over. There's a reason Hardbod does it
over and over and over. Some people are smarter, some
people have a better eye for talent. It's not that hard.
Sean Payton took over Denver. They were in cap hell.
Russell Wilson is still their number one.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Cap hit today.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
They were five and twelve, worst scoring offense in the league.
Lowsy offensive line, very little skill today. Start of year three,
great o' line, two capable running backs, dudes.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Everywhere in the perimeter.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
How many guys do they have that can run and
catch a lot? They'll also lead the NFL in sacks
for the second straight year. I love bo Nicks, but
he got lucky getting Sean Payton from play calling to
play design. He's one of the few coaches in the
NFL that is very good with personnel. He and Harbaugh
no personnel. A lot of good coaches. Kyle Shanahan, Andy Reid,
(02:11):
I don't think you're great with it or don't care
about it. Peyton's great at it. So nine different guys
caught a ball. Everybody's almost got the same body type, lean, long,
with good hands, They run good routes. It is a
Super Bowl roster. I mean, you watch the Jets with
their new coach. What do they do well? What are
they do? They do anything well? Broncos do a lot well.
(02:35):
If you lead the NFL in sacks, you have perhaps
the great play caller and designer next to Andy Reid,
and you've got all sorts of wide receiver talent on
the outside. Now, I love bo Nicks. Watch how hard
he throws the ball, his velocity. Unlike a lot of
these young quarterbacks. He throws the ball down the field.
(02:55):
And because of that, Sean Payton puts a ton on
his plate. He throws it down the field a lot
of these young quarterbacks dink dunk, dink dunk. No. Look
at how often when he throws it out into the flat,
a running back or a receiver or a tight end
doesn't have to wait for it.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
And again he.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Makes hard throws. He'll throw him into congested areas. He'll
go right after people. He's intense. He kind of reminds
me of the opposite of Drew Locke. It is all
business all the time, hard throws, not messing around. He'll
bark at Sean Payton, and Sean Payton will bark back
and Sean is a great coach, but he's not easy
(03:31):
to play for as a quarterback. Go back to Drew Brees.
Drew Brees second year in the turnaround in New Orleans,
second year had his worst passer rating of his career.
That's why Shawn's record in September is just okay, thirty
to thirty because he puts so much on the plate.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Of his quarterbacks, so it is hard to turn around.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Denver people do not understand Russell Wilson is still their
number one tap hit. It was a mess. They gave
up draft capital, they gave up all those picks. That
a terrible offensive line they had like Courtland Sutton and
a lot of nonsense. You look at them now. It
is velocity on both sides. That's what Harbaugh did thirty
second defense to number one, same guys a year later.
(04:11):
So coaching works at mile high and the sea level.
It's about the process, it's about intensity. Coaches do it differently.
But the Broncos, my AFC West champion pick back to form,
cut down on the mistakes and buried a hapless Bengals
team here Sean.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Obviously early in the season, all thirty one other teams
are really working to figure out who they are. We're
no different, but certainly was a step in the right direction.
There were a lot of things that we were able
to do tonight that hopefully can carry over.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Now.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
We changed quickly to a team that just finished when
in the Super Bowl. So enjoy this one and then
get back to work the moment.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I mean, just remember how bad this thing was. You
had Nathaniel Hackett. The offensive line was atrocious, clock management
was embarrassing. The ownership group was looking to sell the GM.
I liked he's still around, but there wasn't. They didn't
do much well. And I mean literally, Sean Payton rebuilt
(05:23):
the offensive line before he coached the game. He rebuilt
it in the first offseason.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
He got.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Some of these teams in the NFL, they're like on
year five of rebuilding the offensive line. Sean McVay, Jim Harbaugh,
Sean Payton, Andy Reid over and over and over rebuild
o lines overnight. So I just think Denver is one
of those five or six rosters in the NFL that
looked different. Just more speed, more skill. Broncos coast all right,
(05:51):
the game that started before that game, Jets and Dolphins.
So these are two bad organizations for, in my opinion,
two very different reasons. The Jets are bad because they
make really poor choices. There's too many voices upstairs. They
make poor choices. I mean they fired Robert Sahli, the
best coach on their staff. They fired him as he
(06:11):
was preparing his team to play a game against Buffalo
that had he want, he would have been in first place.
You kept him for three and a half years. That's
when you're gonna fire him. They just make poor choices
head coaches, GMS quarterbacks. They have patience, but they can't
get out of their own way. They have urgency. They
just make bad choices. The Dolphins are different. The Dolphins
(06:33):
are rarely awful. Sixty percent of the time in the
last fifteen years they win seven, eight or nine games.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
They're not awful.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
The Dolphins are just too loyal to average people. Their
standards aren't very high. I mean, Tyreek Hill has been
banging on his coach and his quarterback for two years publicly.
I said it last year. Move him, didn't now he's
hurt Tua. In the AFC, the best teams play in cold,
(07:01):
windy weather in December and January, the Baltimore's, the Kansas City's,
the Cincinnaties two doesn't work. Move off him. No, they
gave me a huge extension. How about Chris Greer the
GM been a GM for a decade. I think he's
the longest tenured GM in the AFC. It's got no
playoff wins. Move on, Tyreek Tua, Chris Greer, too much patience.
(07:25):
Go look at the Miami Heat excellence top to bottom.
They move people don't want to play here. Lebron By
the Jets. The Jets want to win, but they make
terrible choices and do nothing well. The Dolphins actually do
offense pretty well. They're never really terrible. They make some
(07:45):
good hires, some good acquisitions, They have some good players.
But I mean, why is Miami settling? The Jets aren't
satisfied being lousy. They're just incapable of fixing. The Dolphins
are really okay winning eight to nine games. They're just
okay being okay. And that's what I see. I mean,
(08:08):
I think those are two struggling franchises, and I think
in Miami they've still convinced themselves. You know, Mike McDaniel
smart Well.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
To a made the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
He hasn't been hurt lately. Well, Chris Greer, he's part
of the family. Okay, in a conference with Buffalo and
Mahomes and Andy Reid and now Denver and now Herbert
and hardball, that's not good enough.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
The Jets.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
They don't do anything well, I mean justin fields. You
got to watch the game. Doesn't throw the ball down
the field. You know, a great athlete, great kid. That's
not a franchise quarterback. They're all in four and here's
here's Aaron Glenn, who promised when he took over discipline, effectiveness,
(08:55):
no work, slot you play.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
I'm very disappointed and there's no way way you can
win any game with thirteen penalties and three turno was
It just can't happen. But what we have to do
is go back to work, you know, we have to
go That's the only way that we can fix them.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, it's I mean, when Aaron Glenn got the job,
the whole takeaway was, hey, we're not gonna be like
those guys.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
We're gonna get disciplined. It's not that they're losing.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Remember when Dan Campbell with Jared Goff, excellent quarterback, took
over Detroit. Go look at the first ten fifteen games. Awful,
that's not it. But remember what that Detroit team was like.
Do you remember when he first took over. I can
remember going on the air in the first year and
a half, and they weren't good, saying, man, I don't
think I've ever seen a team play this hard. They're
not very good. The defense is atrocious, but man, they
(09:47):
play hard. I can't even say that about the Jets.
They're just you gotta do something right after four or
five games. Even when Peyton took over Denver in the
first year with Russell Wilson, he made Russell Wilson the
best Russell Wilson could. He fixed Russell Wilson to the
level you could fix Russell Wilson four or five games.
I gotta see stuff. I can't see a lot of penalties.
(10:08):
I can't see a lot of nonsense. I can't see
a lot of turnovers. I got to be able to
point to something and to go, oh, that defensive coach
has a great defense.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Now the defense is worse. So h j Maac.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
You know, Mets fans tend to be Jets fans in
New York, so it has been a bad forty eight
hours in New York for Mets and Jet guy very tough.
Speaker 6 (10:27):
The over did hit last night, so we were happy
about that.
Speaker 7 (10:29):
But Colin, I honestly think the Jets probably pick up
the phone today and call like the Rams. Hey, you know,
are you guys interested in Sauce Gardner. I start moving
off defensive players. I know it's early.
Speaker 6 (10:40):
People don't.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Oh he loves Sauce Gardner. You're not going anywhere. Go
ahead and start accumulating draft picks.
Speaker 7 (10:45):
I like the offensive pieces, right, You like Yourrot Wilson
brees Hall offensive line.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
I like Alan, the other running back from Wisconsin. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
I think they have peace. I think they I'm not
worried about talent. I just you have to show me
something through four or five games. You gotta be good
at something. When Lincoln Riley took over USC, the offense
was good immediately. You gotta be good at something. If
you're a defensive coach, your defense can't look like that.
That can't be what it looks like.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
Jets are gonna battle the Saints and Titans for the
number one pick. And I think you said yesterday you
like Dante Moore above. Simpson from Alabama because the Jets
are gonna start looking at quarterback like the evaluating starts.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Now, Oh yeah, right yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 8 (11:33):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning
on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't
your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down
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(11:54):
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Speaker 2 (12:07):
Heard Hierarchy Now, no Go. The top ten NFL teams
according to College Number.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Ten The Colts.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I love their offensive line and their skill offensively. They
had the game and lost it against the Rams. They
have the most efficient offense in the league and they
don't make mistakes. You can't get the Daniel Jones do.
I think he's great nobody's playing like a b quarterback
with you know, decent arm moves well again Jonathan Taylor.
This offensive line, I mean a Denver Broncos pass rush
(12:37):
struggled to get to Daniel Jones. If you have an
offensive line this good and Jonathan Taylor, you're gonna make
great quarterbacks. Sit and watch for long stretches. I have
the Colts at ten, number nine Denver. Sean Payton has
a career five hundred record in September, even with Drew
Brees and bow Nicks, it's ugly early. This roster is
(13:01):
really good. They're going to lead the NFL in sacks again.
Two good running backs, excellent O line, hard to get
to boon Nicks, who throws the ball down the field.
They take big swing. They got a lot of guys
who can run and catch a lot. Dobbins and Harvey
and MIM's and Franklin and Courtland Sutton. This is a
really deep offensive team that also leaves the league in sacks.
(13:24):
Denver nine, number eight Detroit takeout Game one against Green
Bay with the new coordinators, Jared Goff's completing seventy four
percent of his throws this year. Road greaters up front
excellent backfield. I mean, Jared Goff hasn't been sacked in
three games, so he may be better at home. He
may need protection to be great.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Well, he's getting it with a great run game.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Defensively, I don't think they're great, but they get after
the quarterback. Only Denver gets to the quarterback more. I
have the Lions tod eight, number seven. It's hard to
figure out what Tampa is. I mean, they're three and one.
They're in every game, but the problem is they're in
every game late. They don't put anybody away, and you
(14:09):
know Baker can be reckless. He is very good throwing
the ball down the field. In fact, he leads the
NFL right now five tds no interceptions on throws twenty plus.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
He's a risk taker, a Mecca Buka is a star.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
They got a lot of injuries to deal with, but
I just I like their spirit and I'm gonna put
Tampa at number seven, number six. This was my team
that I thought was underrated. I think they're gonna be
a playoff team. Seattle second best point differential.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
In the league.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
They're a great road team. They've won eight straight road games.
I think that speaks to their character and their talent.
Sam Darnold again leads the NFL in game winning drives
and big pass plays over the last two years and
second in wins. Sam's always been elite in high school
at usc At, Minnesota, and Seattle. Who wins with the
(14:58):
Jets in Carolina. This team may be too young to
get to a super Bowl, but opposing quarterbacks this year
have a seventy six passer rating against them. They're legit
number five youngest team in the league. Green Bay I
like him. They scored on all five drives in the
second half in overtime against the Cowboys. They're young, unlike
(15:20):
Kansas City or Philadelphia. They don't know yet how to
put away inferior teams. But Jordan love this year eight tuddies,
one pick and one hundred and thirteen passer rating. He's fine.
They're great on third down. It's just they're young. Third
straight season youngest roster, and that's the value of the
playoffs for the great teams. They know how to win games.
(15:42):
They don't play well. Green Bay doesn't yet. Number four
Kansas City I kept saying all week. Xavier Worthy matters.
He not only stretches the field, he gives them some
volumet wide receiver. Now you're going to have Rashi Rice
in three weeks Worthy, Juju Smith, Schuscher's a three, somebody
(16:02):
else will be a four.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Travis Kelty.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Now, they're not going to be a great run team
unless they make a move with the trade deadline, and
that worries me. But over the last three weeks they
have the number two scoring defense and they don't give.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
The ball away.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
That's why Buffalo is so dangerous, and Philadelphia can be dangerous.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
And Kansas Citi they don't give you the ball.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
So I get a big time defense, a great coach
and quarterback, and they don't give you a short field.
Kansas City four number three. But I think the Rams,
I'm not sure their weakness. Everything's good. I mean, their
offensive line isn't dominant. But Matt Stafford highest credit passer
in the league. Poka Nakua right now, he's the best
(16:41):
wide receiver in the league. I get reading nine statsy
leagues top ten in scoring defense. I mean, it's what's
amazing is how good their defense is. And they don't
pay any of them. They've hit on so many draft picks.
They remind me of Kansas City's defense two years ago.
It was great and they weren't paying anybody but Chris Jones,
so coach quarterback defense a lot of wisdom.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
I have him at three, number two Bills.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
The defense worries me and could be their shortcoming. But
like Kansas City, they don't give the ball away. James
Cook has taken off the heavy lifting for Josh Allen.
There are games he doesn't have to carry it. Highest
rushing grade in the league is James Cook one giveaway
in nine games including the playoffs. They actually lead the
NFL right now in rushing, and that's what we said
(17:26):
for years. You can't ask Josh to be Superman every week.
He no longer is Buffalo at two number one listen.
I mean they even do a good job blocking kicks.
They're uneven. I do think they have too many really
bad halfs. First half against the Rams, second half against
the Bucks. But the roster is stacked, and every time
(17:47):
I doubt Jalen hurts, he turns it on. So I
think there's something about his kind of personality and his
toughness and his resilience. They're the best two yard team
in league history. They block kicked, it's just not a lot.
They're very good situationally, so for now, best roster that
does a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Well.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Number one, Yes, Kansas that he made a big leap.
As our next guest will point to, I'm probably right
on that.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
I regretted doing it.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
I wanted to sneak am at seven to eight, but
Nick Wright joins us live and I want to start
with this. I generally don't take eleven to four.
Speaker 9 (18:25):
Oh sorry, it says nice to see the Chiefs back
on the hard hierarchy. I was celebrating. Sorry, yeah, go ahead,
and you were saying eleven to four.
Speaker 6 (18:34):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd Weekdays
and newone Easter not a em pacific.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
I don't do it. But the truth is, you've got
to be honest about this. Is they just needed one legitimate,
big time perimeter threat. They did, and suddenly everybody else
looks good in all the underneaths. But the bigger story
is that I never buy into this. I've always said this.
You can go into slumps with golf so much down
(19:01):
time gets in your head, or baseball sitting around, but
in hockey, basketball, football, you gotta play. You don't have
time to get into a slump. Stuff doesn't get into
your head. And then I watched Lamar against Kansas City
and I am convinced they are in his head right.
Speaker 6 (19:18):
Well, well.
Speaker 9 (19:21):
To a degree, yes, But so there's a lot to
unback here, Colin, So let me take some time because
you are I even saw your tweets saying I tried
to tell j Mack about when Xavier Worthy came back,
and listen, I'm all for you giving Jmack a hard
time for.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
His chief skepticism.
Speaker 9 (19:39):
But I watched the Super Bowl bubble on Friday's episode.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
You know who wasn't.
Speaker 9 (19:45):
Even in the bubble for the bubble, the Chiefs exactly.
And you knew Zavier Worthy was coming back, So you
didn't even make it to October before you had to
admit your chief's pessimism was unfounded. And by the way,
where where is the greatest coach quarterback combo in Southern California?
Speaker 6 (20:04):
Is three? The Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaker 9 (20:06):
Oh no, they're dealing with an injury now, they're all
of a sudden not a top ten team. But to
the Ravens, which is I know where you wanted to go. Guys,
need to get that off my chest. Listen, the Chiefs
are in Lamar's head and he doesn't perform well in
big spots. It's just I don't need we do this
(20:29):
same exact dance we in the media every year with
this player. He is transcendent through a regular season. People
say he's taking his game to a new level.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
He wins or comes.
Speaker 9 (20:43):
Close to winning an MVP, he's the highest rated passer ever.
He's all of this, then in a big spot he
plays his worst game of the year. Everyone for a
moment is like, hmm, kind of reminds me a bit
of a guy who used to play shooting guard in
Houston that we all thought was an all time great
but tightened up in big spots and couldn't get it done.
(21:04):
And then we forget and it goes all over again.
In the last thirty games, Colin Lamar has two I'm sorry,
three multi turnover games in his last thirty the AFC
title game against the Chiefs, the Divisional round playoff game
against Buffalo, and Sunday against the Chiefs. He is the
highest passer rating in NFL history and the third highest
(21:27):
winning percentage in NFL history. Yet against Patrick he has
an eighty passer rating and is one in six. People
don't want, for some reason to admit that Lamar is
afflicted by something that has afflicted at great athletes across
all of sports history. He gets a little tight in
(21:50):
big spots. He doesn't play his best in the biggest moments.
I don't we have no problem. The baseball playoffs are
about to start. Everybody acknowledges Aaron Judge is one of
the greatest players of all time. Yet he comes up
up to this point in his career consistently short in
(22:10):
the postseason, plays his worst ball in the biggest moments,
and you wonder if he'll get over it. We did
it with James Harden. I don't understand why it is
so hard for people to acknowledge that is the case
with Lamar. And by the way you saw it in
this game, he's instantly throwing his helmet, He's instantly on
(22:32):
tilt like it just is what it is. Maybe he'll
get over it. But it's a big sample size at this.
Speaker 6 (22:39):
Point, so.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
You know, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
With Caleb Williams, is that one of the things I've
always bragged about Steph Curry and Patrick Mahomes is there
spectacular but they never missed the layups, the stuff in
the flat. I mean, they don't miss the labs. Spectatum
and a lot of guys. Cam Newton was spectacular.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
You miss a lot of layups. His mechanics were bad.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Caleb Williams makes big time throws justin field is talented.
Never does thinking done. Caleb makes big throws down the field,
and I do honestly believe he's running less than he could.
You can tell he's taking to coaching. But I am
worried a little bit that they had three picks off
Gino and needed a block kick because the operations, the
(23:23):
layup stuff, Nick, it's hard to watch false starts on
fourth down, Like I'm kind of I'm like, this stuff
didn't seem hard for Mahomes.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Or steph If No, it's just it's not pretty right.
Speaker 9 (23:38):
No, So that listen, I think that's totally fair where
I would And I don't know if you and I
agree or disagree on this, but if I am trying
to if I am getting a quarterback who could be
my franchise quarterback, and you're like, listen, he's not a
perfect prospect. Would you rather prospect a or B a
(24:00):
guy who you know, makes all the layups, has all
the process stuff down, but has a pretty hard ceiling
on what the upside is. Or a guy like Caleb
whose ceiling is he could be MVP of the league,
can make the fantastic, amazing plays, but what's the layups.
(24:21):
As you put it is.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
A work in progress.
Speaker 9 (24:23):
I would go Option B because I feel like that
stuff can get better over time. But I don't think
it's going to be overnight. I do think it's going
to be overtime. I do, and listen, I was wrong
about that obviously. I thought it was going to be overnight.
I picked him to go to the super Bowl last year.
He is not as far along from his in the fundamentals,
(24:46):
the building blocks as I thought he would be. But
I listen, he's a very different player, and I'm not
I'm only comping it in this one way. As far
as being far away on the fundamentals, that's what Josh
Allen was as a young player. Josh had these wow plays,
but couldn't you know, was very inaccurate, couldn't complete his passes,
(25:09):
and then got better at that stuff. And so I
like betting on the upside. But I agree with you
in this regard. Right now, the Bears are a team
who can look absolutely amazing for a quarter and then
the very next quarter looked like the worst offense in
(25:29):
the league. And I think that's going to be a
process over the course of the year.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
I think the Josh Allen comp is I mean, it's
very accurate. Like Josh's first year and a half, he
was jumping over linebackers and salmon balls on screen passes.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Yes, so it was interesting. You and I have been
very critical of the Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
I think Dax plan out of his mind and Schottenheimer
deserves credit, but I thought the overreaction to the Mica
trade was over the top. I think you have to
be great at three things, be a great team, head coach, quarterback,
and left tackle. The only times Mahomes has ever gotten
blown out, it's a left tackle issue. It's not a defense.
He's won a Super Bowl with a bad defense. He's
won a Super Bowl with no great receivers, bad left tackle,
(26:12):
blown out flies. The Rams' worst year is Andrew Whitworth retires.
They were good when Aaron Donald left, they were good
with Cooper Cup left. They're good when Von Miller left.
Andrew Whitworth retires. They're bad, and I you know, I
look at Micah and I'm like, the Packers are going
to lead games late with their offense. They need a closer.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Dallas is fine. I mean, I look back at it.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
And I'm like, I think Jerry Jones were so unwilling
to give him credit. I watched that game Sunday. I'm like,
I get four first round picks in Dallas?
Speaker 3 (26:47):
What did Mica do? Where are you on that deal?
Speaker 9 (26:51):
Okay, Well, first of all, I think you've let Jerry
mine meld you a bit because the four first round
picks they got two they already had two, so like
they like the two first round picks, and I think
it is it would be unfair, Colin, for me to
judge the trade fully from the Dallas end until we
see the picks, right like they traded for Kenney Clark
(27:13):
and picks that they haven't used yet. So obviously in
the short term it's gonna look better for green Bay
and then we have to take a long view of
it for Dallas. But I have actually I watched Dallas play, Colin,
and I think I come to the opposite opinion of
you because I've been so impressed by Deck because I
(27:36):
have been pleasantly surprised. Shout out to you know, FS
one's Eric Mangini, who really believed in Brian Schottenheimer when
I don't think anybody really thought that was a great hire.
I think he's done an awesome job early on. But
that has made me like this trade worse Colin, because
I watched the Cowboys and I'm like, my god, if
(27:59):
they else could be average on defense, they could be
really interesting. They just put forty on Green Bay without
ceedee lamb. They damn near beat the Packers, you know
they they their offense has been so good that I
watched the Cowboys and I'm like, man, you know what,
(28:19):
they could use an elite pass rusher which.
Speaker 6 (28:22):
They used to have.
Speaker 9 (28:24):
Like, I almost would feel better about this trade for
Dallas if Dak were having a bad year, because to me,
then it would be like, Okay, they weren't that close.
They weren't going to compete for anything this year, so let's,
you know, retool it. But it feels to me like
this team would be three and one had they just
kept Micah and be an actual dangerous team.
Speaker 6 (28:46):
So that for me makes it harder.
Speaker 9 (28:49):
To deal with the Vywerry Cowboys fan.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
So I Jamak and I had a disagreement on this.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I said, you an accountant, a judge, a novelist, an actor.
In most careers, you got about twenty five years of
prime and you can work to your seventies. You can't
as a pro football player. And so AJ Brown and
I do think winning matters, but he's already got a trophy.
I do think if you went to Kobe and said, listen,
(29:15):
you get six shots a game, Kobe would have been like,
peace out, I'm gonna go somewhere else. AJ Brown gets
fewer yards than the third Buffalo Bills tight end. He's
got money and he's got a trophy. His legacy is
on the line. He's not necessary. They try to target
(29:36):
him nine targets seven yards most of the time. He's
just not And I think if I was Aj Brown,
this sounds selfish, but I think pro athletes get cornered into.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Well it's about winning games.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Well that's part of it, and it's transformational money and
there's legacies involved. And my take is if I was
AJ Brown, I'd go to Philadelphia and I'd say quietly,
I'm not gonna screw the market up. I'm not gonna
do a mellow with the Nuggets to the Knicks where
I make it public and the Knicks the Nuggets your track. Yeah,
I would go and just say, hey, Luel cinder to
this a year before he got traded. I don't want
to be here, make a deal. I think AJ Brown
(30:11):
has a right to leave. I am defending him not
staying with a better organization. Am I wrong? No?
Speaker 6 (30:17):
I mean I totally agree with you. I think that
it is.
Speaker 9 (30:23):
It would be hypocritical for me to be mad at
AJ Brown for acting. I'm pretty sure exactly how I
would act in his position, Like I'd be like, I'm
if I'm AJ Brown, I'm like.
Speaker 6 (30:37):
I'm awesome. I've always been awesome.
Speaker 9 (30:40):
I get drafted by a team that has Ryan Tannehill
and Derrick Henry, and they they throw to me as
like a last resort. I think it traded to Philadelphia.
Right when I get there, they throw the ball to
me a bunch. I make all these all pros. The
team's really good.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
And now over the last.
Speaker 9 (30:59):
Twenty games, our team has become unbeatable and I've become unusable.
Like what the hell has happened here, and so this
is like I try to give grace to you know, athletes,
if i'm if I can think of a you know,
a comp for me, and what I would do, Like
(31:20):
if somebody, if if Fox came to me and they're like, hey, Nick,
we want you to do a sixty second essay during
the super Bowl. There's going to be one hundred million,
one hundred and twenty million people watching now in order
to do it the whole week leading up to the
super Bowl. You can't do your show, but we'll have
(31:43):
more people seeing you there.
Speaker 6 (31:44):
It's a bigger thing.
Speaker 9 (31:45):
I'd probably in my head be like, yeah, I kind
of want to do my show, Like.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
I kind of like then.
Speaker 9 (31:53):
And so like the I think there is if you
feel like you're great at something and you feel like
you're are not able to show it and it's not
because your skills have declined, it can be frustrating. And
so I think this is a simmering, simmering pot colin
that the they are very and.
Speaker 6 (32:13):
I give the Eagles. I think it's fair to have
them number one.
Speaker 9 (32:16):
Hierarchy because I respect the fact that they win so
many different ways. They blocked the field goal two weeks
ago to win the game. They blocked the punt this
week to set the game up to win. But there
have been I did this this morning. There have been
two one hundred and fifty six halves of football played
so far this year.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
The worst and.
Speaker 9 (32:39):
Second worst passing performance by half for the whole league
this season was the first half for Philadelphia two weeks
ago and the second half for Philadelphia this past week.
That should never happen when you have a really good quarterback,
a great wide receiver, another really good receiver, a good
(32:59):
receivering back in a good tight end. Something is off
right now about their offense, but they're winning anyway. If
they're not going to change that, then I would not
begrudge if AJ Brown were like, Hey, you know a
team that wants to throw the ball, that needs a
star receiver that my former head coach is the head
(33:20):
coach of in New England. Why don't you see if
you can work something out, And if you're Philly, he
might be worth more to you in draft capital as
your roster gets more expensive than he is on the
team because they're not effectively using him.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
You and I agree on that, and I think it's
very easy in the media to always say the players
not about winning. It'd be one thing if he didn't
have a ring, But once you get the trophy and
you've got the money, legacy matters it.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
Absolutely.
Speaker 9 (33:50):
He's trying to make the Hall of Fame. The guy's
trying to make the Hall of Fame. And he put
and I referenced this last time we talked about this.
Speaker 6 (33:58):
I'm just going to reference it again.
Speaker 9 (33:59):
He told the world three days after the Super Bowl,
keep put on Instagram.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
I wondered how long.
Speaker 9 (34:06):
Winning a Super Bowl would make me feel good. The
answer is about two days. And then he said, I
play this game to see the demoralized defensive back who
realizes they can't do anything with me.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
He's been very honest.
Speaker 9 (34:23):
He wants to be a dominant individual player, and he
feels correctly that will help his team. It's not like
that's going to hurt his team. And if I were him,
I'd be frustrated too.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Good stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
Nick, Right, Chargers are eleven. It should be noted the
Chiefs were eleven last week.
Speaker 9 (34:41):
I'm oh, yeah, who knows Chargers could do it? Listen,
not everybody, Colin can not every AFC West team can
go to the meadowlands and get a win.
Speaker 6 (34:50):
Mine can.
Speaker 9 (34:51):
I don't know about you guys, but mine could do it.
Speaker 6 (34:54):
See you let everybody
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio
or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowver
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Here we go. This is a Tuesday, man. We got
a lot to talk about in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It's the Herd wherever you may be, however you may
be watching or listening whatever platform.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
One hour from now.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
The Herd Hierarchy, Nick Wright stop by jam at You know.
I love Bonnix and Sean Paton. I picked them to
win their division. But Sean Payton's history is he's thirty
and thirty in September, he up the offense. He loaded
it up with Drew Brees, who struggled early with Sean Payton.
(01:05):
He loads it up with bow Nicks. There's a lot
of mistakes until.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Last night feting Jing Browning. Yes, here we get excited.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
So turning a football team around is hard, but it's
not that hard. There's a reason Parcells did it over
and over and over. There's a reason Hardbod does it
over and over and over. Some people are smarter, some
people have a better eye for talent. It's not that hard.
Sean Payton took over Denver. They were in cap hell.
Russell Wilson is still their number one.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Cap hit today.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
They were five and twelve, worst scoring offense in the league.
Lowsy offensive line, very little skill today. Start of year three,
great o' line, two capable running backs, dudes.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Everywhere in the perimeter.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
How many guys do they have that can run and
catch a lot? They'll also lead the NFL in sacks
for the second straight year. I love bo Nicks, but
he got lucky getting Sean Payton from play calling to
play design. He's one of the few coaches in the
NFL that is very good with personnel. He and Harbaugh
no personnel. A lot of good coaches. Kyle Shanahan, Andy Reid,
(02:11):
I don't think you're great with it or don't care
about it. Peyton's great at it. So nine different guys
caught a ball. Everybody's almost got the same body type, lean, long,
with good hands, They run good routes. It is a
Super Bowl roster. I mean, you watch the Jets with
their new coach. What do they do well? What are
they do? They do anything well? Broncos do a lot well.
(02:35):
If you lead the NFL in sacks, you have perhaps
the great play caller and designer next to Andy Reid,
and you've got all sorts of wide receiver talent on
the outside. Now, I love bo Nicks. Watch how hard
he throws the ball, his velocity. Unlike a lot of
these young quarterbacks. He throws the ball down the field.
(02:55):
And because of that, Sean Payton puts a ton on
his plate. He throws it down the field a lot
of these young quarterbacks dink dunk, dink dunk. No. Look
at how often when he throws it out into the flat,
a running back or a receiver or a tight end
doesn't have to wait for it.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
And again he.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Makes hard throws. He'll throw him into congested areas. He'll
go right after people. He's intense. He kind of reminds
me of the opposite of Drew Locke. It is all
business all the time, hard throws, not messing around. He'll
bark at Sean Payton, and Sean Payton will bark back
and Sean is a great coach, but he's not easy
(03:31):
to play for as a quarterback. Go back to Drew Brees.
Drew Brees second year in the turnaround in New Orleans,
second year had his worst passer rating of his career.
That's why Shawn's record in September is just okay, thirty
to thirty because he puts so much on the plate.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Of his quarterbacks, so it is hard to turn around.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Denver people do not understand Russell Wilson is still their
number one tap hit. It was a mess. They gave
up draft capital, they gave up all those picks. That
a terrible offensive line they had like Courtland Sutton and
a lot of nonsense. You look at them now. It
is velocity on both sides. That's what Harbaugh did thirty
second defense to number one, same guys a year later.
(04:11):
So coaching works at mile high and the sea level.
It's about the process, it's about intensity. Coaches do it differently.
But the Broncos, my AFC West champion pick back to form,
cut down on the mistakes and buried a hapless Bengals
team here Sean.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Obviously early in the season, all thirty one other teams
are really working to figure out who they are. We're
no different, but certainly was a step in the right direction.
There were a lot of things that we were able
to do tonight that hopefully can carry over.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Now.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
We changed quickly to a team that just finished when
in the Super Bowl. So enjoy this one and then
get back to work the moment.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I mean, just remember how bad this thing was. You
had Nathaniel Hackett. The offensive line was atrocious, clock management
was embarrassing. The ownership group was looking to sell the GM.
I liked he's still around, but there wasn't. They didn't
do much well. And I mean literally, Sean Payton rebuilt
(05:23):
the offensive line before he coached the game. He rebuilt
it in the first offseason.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
He got.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Some of these teams in the NFL, they're like on
year five of rebuilding the offensive line. Sean McVay, Jim Harbaugh,
Sean Payton, Andy Reid over and over and over rebuild
o lines overnight. So I just think Denver is one
of those five or six rosters in the NFL that
looked different. Just more speed, more skill. Broncos coast all right,
(05:51):
the game that started before that game, Jets and Dolphins.
So these are two bad organizations for, in my opinion,
two very different reasons. The Jets are bad because they
make really poor choices. There's too many voices upstairs. They
make poor choices. I mean they fired Robert Sahli, the
best coach on their staff. They fired him as he
(06:11):
was preparing his team to play a game against Buffalo
that had he want, he would have been in first place.
You kept him for three and a half years. That's
when you're gonna fire him. They just make poor choices
head coaches, GMS quarterbacks. They have patience, but they can't
get out of their own way. They have urgency. They
just make bad choices. The Dolphins are different. The Dolphins
(06:33):
are rarely awful. Sixty percent of the time in the
last fifteen years they win seven, eight or nine games.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
They're not awful.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
The Dolphins are just too loyal to average people. Their
standards aren't very high. I mean, Tyreek Hill has been
banging on his coach and his quarterback for two years publicly.
I said it last year. Move him, didn't now he's
hurt Tua. In the AFC, the best teams play in cold,
(07:01):
windy weather in December and January, the Baltimore's, the Kansas City's,
the Cincinnaties two doesn't work. Move off him. No, they
gave me a huge extension. How about Chris Greer the
GM been a GM for a decade. I think he's
the longest tenured GM in the AFC. It's got no
playoff wins. Move on, Tyreek Tua, Chris Greer, too much patience.
(07:25):
Go look at the Miami Heat excellence top to bottom.
They move people don't want to play here. Lebron By
the Jets. The Jets want to win, but they make
terrible choices and do nothing well. The Dolphins actually do
offense pretty well. They're never really terrible. They make some
(07:45):
good hires, some good acquisitions, They have some good players.
But I mean, why is Miami settling? The Jets aren't
satisfied being lousy. They're just incapable of fixing. The Dolphins
are really okay winning eight to nine games. They're just
okay being okay. And that's what I see. I mean,
(08:08):
I think those are two struggling franchises, and I think
in Miami they've still convinced themselves. You know, Mike McDaniel
smart Well.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
To a made the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
He hasn't been hurt lately. Well, Chris Greer, he's part
of the family. Okay, in a conference with Buffalo and
Mahomes and Andy Reid and now Denver and now Herbert
and hardball, that's not good enough.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
The Jets.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
They don't do anything well, I mean justin fields. You
got to watch the game. Doesn't throw the ball down
the field. You know, a great athlete, great kid. That's
not a franchise quarterback. They're all in four and here's
here's Aaron Glenn, who promised when he took over discipline, effectiveness,
(08:55):
no work, slot you play.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
I'm very disappointed and there's no way way you can
win any game with thirteen penalties and three turno was
It just can't happen. But what we have to do
is go back to work, you know, we have to
go That's the only way that we can fix them.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, it's I mean, when Aaron Glenn got the job,
the whole takeaway was, hey, we're not gonna be like
those guys.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
We're gonna get disciplined. It's not that they're losing.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Remember when Dan Campbell with Jared Goff, excellent quarterback, took
over Detroit. Go look at the first ten fifteen games. Awful,
that's not it. But remember what that Detroit team was like.
Do you remember when he first took over. I can
remember going on the air in the first year and
a half, and they weren't good, saying, man, I don't
think I've ever seen a team play this hard. They're
not very good. The defense is atrocious, but man, they
(09:47):
play hard. I can't even say that about the Jets.
They're just you gotta do something right after four or
five games. Even when Peyton took over Denver in the
first year with Russell Wilson, he made Russell Wilson the
best Russell Wilson could. He fixed Russell Wilson to the
level you could fix Russell Wilson four or five games.
I gotta see stuff. I can't see a lot of penalties.
(10:08):
I can't see a lot of nonsense. I can't see
a lot of turnovers. I got to be able to
point to something and to go, oh, that defensive coach
has a great defense.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Now the defense is worse. So h j Maac.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
You know, Mets fans tend to be Jets fans in
New York, so it has been a bad forty eight
hours in New York for Mets and Jet guy very tough.
Speaker 6 (10:27):
The over did hit last night, so we were happy
about that.
Speaker 7 (10:29):
But Colin, I honestly think the Jets probably pick up
the phone today and call like the Rams. Hey, you know,
are you guys interested in Sauce Gardner. I start moving
off defensive players. I know it's early.
Speaker 6 (10:40):
People don't.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Oh he loves Sauce Gardner. You're not going anywhere. Go
ahead and start accumulating draft picks.
Speaker 7 (10:45):
I like the offensive pieces, right, You like Yourrot Wilson
brees Hall offensive line.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
I like Alan, the other running back from Wisconsin. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
I think they have peace. I think they I'm not
worried about talent. I just you have to show me
something through four or five games. You gotta be good
at something. When Lincoln Riley took over USC, the offense
was good immediately. You gotta be good at something. If
you're a defensive coach, your defense can't look like that.
That can't be what it looks like.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
Jets are gonna battle the Saints and Titans for the
number one pick. And I think you said yesterday you
like Dante Moore above. Simpson from Alabama because the Jets
are gonna start looking at quarterback like the evaluating starts.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Now, Oh yeah, right yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (11:33):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning
on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't
your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down
your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions
on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help
you win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guests.
(11:54):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Heard Hierarchy Now, no Go. The top ten NFL teams
according to College Number.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Ten The Colts.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I love their offensive line and their skill offensively. They
had the game and lost it against the Rams. They
have the most efficient offense in the league and they
don't make mistakes. You can't get the Daniel Jones do.
I think he's great nobody's playing like a b quarterback
with you know, decent arm moves well again Jonathan Taylor.
This offensive line, I mean a Denver Broncos pass rush
(12:37):
struggled to get to Daniel Jones. If you have an
offensive line this good and Jonathan Taylor, you're gonna make
great quarterbacks. Sit and watch for long stretches. I have
the Colts at ten, number nine Denver. Sean Payton has
a career five hundred record in September, even with Drew
Brees and bow Nicks, it's ugly early. This roster is
(13:01):
really good. They're going to lead the NFL in sacks again.
Two good running backs, excellent O line, hard to get
to boon Nicks, who throws the ball down the field.
They take big swing. They got a lot of guys
who can run and catch a lot. Dobbins and Harvey
and MIM's and Franklin and Courtland Sutton. This is a
really deep offensive team that also leaves the league in sacks.
(13:24):
Denver nine, number eight Detroit takeout Game one against Green
Bay with the new coordinators, Jared Goff's completing seventy four
percent of his throws this year. Road greaters up front
excellent backfield. I mean, Jared Goff hasn't been sacked in
three games, so he may be better at home. He
may need protection to be great.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Well, he's getting it with a great run game.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Defensively, I don't think they're great, but they get after
the quarterback. Only Denver gets to the quarterback more. I
have the Lions tod eight, number seven. It's hard to
figure out what Tampa is. I mean, they're three and one.
They're in every game, but the problem is they're in
every game late. They don't put anybody away, and you
(14:09):
know Baker can be reckless. He is very good throwing
the ball down the field. In fact, he leads the
NFL right now five tds no interceptions on throws twenty plus.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
He's a risk taker, a Mecca Buka is a star.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
They got a lot of injuries to deal with, but
I just I like their spirit and I'm gonna put
Tampa at number seven, number six. This was my team
that I thought was underrated. I think they're gonna be
a playoff team. Seattle second best point differential.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
In the league.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
They're a great road team. They've won eight straight road games.
I think that speaks to their character and their talent.
Sam Darnold again leads the NFL in game winning drives
and big pass plays over the last two years and
second in wins. Sam's always been elite in high school
at usc At, Minnesota, and Seattle. Who wins with the
(14:58):
Jets in Carolina. This team may be too young to
get to a super Bowl, but opposing quarterbacks this year
have a seventy six passer rating against them. They're legit
number five youngest team in the league. Green Bay I
like him. They scored on all five drives in the
second half in overtime against the Cowboys. They're young, unlike
(15:20):
Kansas City or Philadelphia. They don't know yet how to
put away inferior teams. But Jordan love this year eight tuddies,
one pick and one hundred and thirteen passer rating. He's fine.
They're great on third down. It's just they're young. Third
straight season youngest roster, and that's the value of the
playoffs for the great teams. They know how to win games.
(15:42):
They don't play well. Green Bay doesn't yet. Number four
Kansas City I kept saying all week. Xavier Worthy matters.
He not only stretches the field, he gives them some
volumet wide receiver. Now you're going to have Rashi Rice
in three weeks Worthy, Juju Smith, Schuscher's a three, somebody
(16:02):
else will be a four.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Travis Kelty.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Now, they're not going to be a great run team
unless they make a move with the trade deadline, and
that worries me. But over the last three weeks they
have the number two scoring defense and they don't give.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
The ball away.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
That's why Buffalo is so dangerous, and Philadelphia can be dangerous.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
And Kansas Citi they don't give you the ball.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
So I get a big time defense, a great coach
and quarterback, and they don't give you a short field.
Kansas City four number three. But I think the Rams,
I'm not sure their weakness. Everything's good. I mean, their
offensive line isn't dominant. But Matt Stafford highest credit passer
in the league. Poka Nakua right now, he's the best
(16:41):
wide receiver in the league. I get reading nine statsy
leagues top ten in scoring defense. I mean, it's what's
amazing is how good their defense is. And they don't
pay any of them. They've hit on so many draft picks.
They remind me of Kansas City's defense two years ago.
It was great and they weren't paying anybody but Chris Jones,
so coach quarterback defense a lot of wisdom.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
I have him at three, number two Bills.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
The defense worries me and could be their shortcoming. But
like Kansas City, they don't give the ball away. James
Cook has taken off the heavy lifting for Josh Allen.
There are games he doesn't have to carry it. Highest
rushing grade in the league is James Cook one giveaway
in nine games including the playoffs. They actually lead the
NFL right now in rushing, and that's what we said
(17:26):
for years. You can't ask Josh to be Superman every week.
He no longer is Buffalo at two number one listen.
I mean they even do a good job blocking kicks.
They're uneven. I do think they have too many really
bad halfs. First half against the Rams, second half against
the Bucks. But the roster is stacked, and every time
(17:47):
I doubt Jalen hurts, he turns it on. So I
think there's something about his kind of personality and his
toughness and his resilience. They're the best two yard team
in league history. They block kicked, it's just not a lot.
They're very good situationally, so for now, best roster that
does a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Well.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Number one, Yes, Kansas that he made a big leap.
As our next guest will point to, I'm probably right
on that.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
I regretted doing it.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
I wanted to sneak am at seven to eight, but
Nick Wright joins us live and I want to start
with this. I generally don't take eleven to four.
Speaker 9 (18:25):
Oh sorry, it says nice to see the Chiefs back
on the hard hierarchy. I was celebrating. Sorry, yeah, go ahead,
and you were saying eleven to four.
Speaker 6 (18:34):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd Weekdays
and newone Easter not a em pacific.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
I don't do it. But the truth is, you've got
to be honest about this. Is they just needed one legitimate,
big time perimeter threat. They did, and suddenly everybody else
looks good in all the underneaths. But the bigger story
is that I never buy into this. I've always said this.
You can go into slumps with golf so much down
(19:01):
time gets in your head, or baseball sitting around, but
in hockey, basketball, football, you gotta play. You don't have
time to get into a slump. Stuff doesn't get into
your head. And then I watched Lamar against Kansas City
and I am convinced they are in his head right.
Speaker 6 (19:18):
Well, well.
Speaker 9 (19:21):
To a degree, yes, But so there's a lot to
unback here, Colin, So let me take some time because
you are I even saw your tweets saying I tried
to tell j Mack about when Xavier Worthy came back,
and listen, I'm all for you giving Jmack a hard
time for.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
His chief skepticism.
Speaker 9 (19:39):
But I watched the Super Bowl bubble on Friday's episode.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
You know who wasn't.
Speaker 9 (19:45):
Even in the bubble for the bubble, the Chiefs exactly.
And you knew Zavier Worthy was coming back, So you
didn't even make it to October before you had to
admit your chief's pessimism was unfounded. And by the way,
where where is the greatest coach quarterback combo in Southern California?
Speaker 6 (20:04):
Is three? The Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaker 9 (20:06):
Oh no, they're dealing with an injury now, they're all
of a sudden not a top ten team. But to
the Ravens, which is I know where you wanted to go. Guys,
need to get that off my chest. Listen, the Chiefs
are in Lamar's head and he doesn't perform well in
big spots. It's just I don't need we do this
(20:29):
same exact dance we in the media every year with
this player. He is transcendent through a regular season. People
say he's taking his game to a new level.
Speaker 6 (20:42):
He wins or comes.
Speaker 9 (20:43):
Close to winning an MVP, he's the highest rated passer ever.
He's all of this, then in a big spot he
plays his worst game of the year. Everyone for a
moment is like, hmm, kind of reminds me a bit
of a guy who used to play shooting guard in
Houston that we all thought was an all time great
but tightened up in big spots and couldn't get it done.
(21:04):
And then we forget and it goes all over again.
In the last thirty games, Colin Lamar has two I'm sorry,
three multi turnover games in his last thirty the AFC
title game against the Chiefs, the Divisional round playoff game
against Buffalo, and Sunday against the Chiefs. He is the
highest passer rating in NFL history and the third highest
(21:27):
winning percentage in NFL history. Yet against Patrick he has
an eighty passer rating and is one in six. People
don't want, for some reason to admit that Lamar is
afflicted by something that has afflicted at great athletes across
all of sports history. He gets a little tight in
(21:50):
big spots. He doesn't play his best in the biggest moments.
I don't we have no problem. The baseball playoffs are
about to start. Everybody acknowledges Aaron Judge is one of
the greatest players of all time. Yet he comes up
up to this point in his career consistently short in
(22:10):
the postseason, plays his worst ball in the biggest moments,
and you wonder if he'll get over it. We did
it with James Harden. I don't understand why it is
so hard for people to acknowledge that is the case
with Lamar. And by the way you saw it in
this game, he's instantly throwing his helmet, He's instantly on
(22:32):
tilt like it just is what it is. Maybe he'll
get over it. But it's a big sample size at this.
Speaker 6 (22:39):
Point, so.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
You know, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
With Caleb Williams, is that one of the things I've
always bragged about Steph Curry and Patrick Mahomes is there
spectacular but they never missed the layups, the stuff in
the flat. I mean, they don't miss the labs. Spectatum
and a lot of guys. Cam Newton was spectacular.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
You miss a lot of layups. His mechanics were bad.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Caleb Williams makes big time throws justin field is talented.
Never does thinking done. Caleb makes big throws down the field,
and I do honestly believe he's running less than he could.
You can tell he's taking to coaching. But I am
worried a little bit that they had three picks off
Gino and needed a block kick because the operations, the
(23:23):
layup stuff, Nick, it's hard to watch false starts on
fourth down, Like I'm kind of I'm like, this stuff
didn't seem hard for Mahomes.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Or steph If No, it's just it's not pretty right.
Speaker 9 (23:38):
No, So that listen, I think that's totally fair where
I would And I don't know if you and I
agree or disagree on this, but if I am trying
to if I am getting a quarterback who could be
my franchise quarterback, and you're like, listen, he's not a
perfect prospect. Would you rather prospect a or B a
(24:00):
guy who you know, makes all the layups, has all
the process stuff down, but has a pretty hard ceiling
on what the upside is. Or a guy like Caleb
whose ceiling is he could be MVP of the league,
can make the fantastic, amazing plays, but what's the layups.
(24:21):
As you put it is.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
A work in progress.
Speaker 9 (24:23):
I would go Option B because I feel like that
stuff can get better over time. But I don't think
it's going to be overnight. I do think it's going
to be overtime. I do, and listen, I was wrong
about that obviously. I thought it was going to be overnight.
I picked him to go to the super Bowl last year.
He is not as far along from his in the fundamentals,
(24:46):
the building blocks as I thought he would be. But
I listen, he's a very different player, and I'm not
I'm only comping it in this one way. As far
as being far away on the fundamentals, that's what Josh
Allen was as a young player. Josh had these wow plays,
but couldn't you know, was very inaccurate, couldn't complete his passes,
(25:09):
and then got better at that stuff. And so I
like betting on the upside. But I agree with you
in this regard. Right now, the Bears are a team
who can look absolutely amazing for a quarter and then
the very next quarter looked like the worst offense in
(25:29):
the league. And I think that's going to be a
process over the course of the year.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
I think the Josh Allen comp is I mean, it's
very accurate. Like Josh's first year and a half, he
was jumping over linebackers and salmon balls on screen passes.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Yes, so it was interesting. You and I have been
very critical of the Cowboys.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
I think Dax plan out of his mind and Schottenheimer
deserves credit, but I thought the overreaction to the Mica
trade was over the top. I think you have to
be great at three things, be a great team, head coach, quarterback,
and left tackle. The only times Mahomes has ever gotten
blown out, it's a left tackle issue. It's not a defense.
He's won a Super Bowl with a bad defense. He's
won a Super Bowl with no great receivers, bad left tackle,
(26:12):
blown out flies. The Rams' worst year is Andrew Whitworth retires.
They were good when Aaron Donald left, they were good
with Cooper Cup left. They're good when Von Miller left.
Andrew Whitworth retires. They're bad, and I you know, I
look at Micah and I'm like, the Packers are going
to lead games late with their offense. They need a closer.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Dallas is fine. I mean, I look back at it.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
And I'm like, I think Jerry Jones were so unwilling
to give him credit. I watched that game Sunday. I'm like,
I get four first round picks in Dallas?
Speaker 3 (26:47):
What did Mica do? Where are you on that deal?
Speaker 9 (26:51):
Okay, Well, first of all, I think you've let Jerry
mine meld you a bit because the four first round
picks they got two they already had two, so like
they like the two first round picks, and I think
it is it would be unfair, Colin, for me to
judge the trade fully from the Dallas end until we
see the picks, right like they traded for Kenney Clark
(27:13):
and picks that they haven't used yet. So obviously in
the short term it's gonna look better for green Bay
and then we have to take a long view of
it for Dallas. But I have actually I watched Dallas play, Colin,
and I think I come to the opposite opinion of
you because I've been so impressed by Deck because I
(27:36):
have been pleasantly surprised. Shout out to you know, FS
one's Eric Mangini, who really believed in Brian Schottenheimer when
I don't think anybody really thought that was a great hire.
I think he's done an awesome job early on. But
that has made me like this trade worse Colin, because
I watched the Cowboys and I'm like, my god, if
(27:59):
they else could be average on defense, they could be
really interesting. They just put forty on Green Bay without
ceedee lamb. They damn near beat the Packers, you know
they they their offense has been so good that I
watched the Cowboys and I'm like, man, you know what,
(28:19):
they could use an elite pass rusher which.
Speaker 6 (28:22):
They used to have.
Speaker 9 (28:24):
Like, I almost would feel better about this trade for
Dallas if Dak were having a bad year, because to me,
then it would be like, Okay, they weren't that close.
They weren't going to compete for anything this year, so let's,
you know, retool it. But it feels to me like
this team would be three and one had they just
kept Micah and be an actual dangerous team.
Speaker 6 (28:46):
So that for me makes it harder.
Speaker 9 (28:49):
To deal with the Vywerry Cowboys fan.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
So I Jamak and I had a disagreement on this.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I said, you an accountant, a judge, a novelist, an actor.
In most careers, you got about twenty five years of
prime and you can work to your seventies. You can't
as a pro football player. And so AJ Brown and
I do think winning matters, but he's already got a trophy.
I do think if you went to Kobe and said, listen,
(29:15):
you get six shots a game, Kobe would have been like,
peace out, I'm gonna go somewhere else. AJ Brown gets
fewer yards than the third Buffalo Bills tight end. He's
got money and he's got a trophy. His legacy is
on the line. He's not necessary. They try to target
(29:36):
him nine targets seven yards most of the time. He's
just not And I think if I was Aj Brown,
this sounds selfish, but I think pro athletes get cornered into.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Well it's about winning games.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Well that's part of it, and it's transformational money and
there's legacies involved. And my take is if I was
AJ Brown, I'd go to Philadelphia and I'd say quietly,
I'm not gonna screw the market up. I'm not gonna
do a mellow with the Nuggets to the Knicks where
I make it public and the Knicks the Nuggets your track. Yeah,
I would go and just say, hey, Luel cinder to
this a year before he got traded. I don't want
to be here, make a deal. I think AJ Brown
(30:11):
has a right to leave. I am defending him not
staying with a better organization. Am I wrong? No?
Speaker 6 (30:17):
I mean I totally agree with you. I think that
it is.
Speaker 9 (30:23):
It would be hypocritical for me to be mad at
AJ Brown for acting. I'm pretty sure exactly how I
would act in his position, Like I'd be like, I'm
if I'm AJ Brown, I'm like.
Speaker 6 (30:37):
I'm awesome. I've always been awesome.
Speaker 9 (30:40):
I get drafted by a team that has Ryan Tannehill
and Derrick Henry, and they they throw to me as
like a last resort. I think it traded to Philadelphia.
Right when I get there, they throw the ball to
me a bunch. I make all these all pros. The
team's really good.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
And now over the last.
Speaker 9 (30:59):
Twenty games, our team has become unbeatable and I've become unusable.
Like what the hell has happened here, and so this
is like I try to give grace to you know, athletes,
if i'm if I can think of a you know,
a comp for me, and what I would do, Like
(31:20):
if somebody, if if Fox came to me and they're like, hey, Nick,
we want you to do a sixty second essay during
the super Bowl. There's going to be one hundred million,
one hundred and twenty million people watching now in order
to do it the whole week leading up to the
super Bowl. You can't do your show, but we'll have
(31:43):
more people seeing you there.
Speaker 6 (31:44):
It's a bigger thing.
Speaker 9 (31:45):
I'd probably in my head be like, yeah, I kind
of want to do my show, Like.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
I kind of like then.
Speaker 9 (31:53):
And so like the I think there is if you
feel like you're great at something and you feel like
you're are not able to show it and it's not
because your skills have declined, it can be frustrating. And
so I think this is a simmering, simmering pot colin
that the they are very and.
Speaker 6 (32:13):
I give the Eagles. I think it's fair to have
them number one.
Speaker 9 (32:16):
Hierarchy because I respect the fact that they win so
many different ways. They blocked the field goal two weeks
ago to win the game. They blocked the punt this
week to set the game up to win. But there
have been I did this this morning. There have been
two one hundred and fifty six halves of football played
so far this year.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
The worst and.
Speaker 9 (32:39):
Second worst passing performance by half for the whole league
this season was the first half for Philadelphia two weeks
ago and the second half for Philadelphia this past week.
That should never happen when you have a really good quarterback,
a great wide receiver, another really good receiver, a good
(32:59):
receivering back in a good tight end. Something is off
right now about their offense, but they're winning anyway. If
they're not going to change that, then I would not
begrudge if AJ Brown were like, Hey, you know a
team that wants to throw the ball, that needs a
star receiver that my former head coach is the head
(33:20):
coach of in New England. Why don't you see if
you can work something out, And if you're Philly, he
might be worth more to you in draft capital as
your roster gets more expensive than he is on the
team because they're not effectively using him.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
You and I agree on that, and I think it's
very easy in the media to always say the players
not about winning. It'd be one thing if he didn't
have a ring, But once you get the trophy and
you've got the money, legacy matters it.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
Absolutely.
Speaker 9 (33:50):
He's trying to make the Hall of Fame. The guy's
trying to make the Hall of Fame. And he put
and I referenced this last time we talked about this.
Speaker 6 (33:58):
I'm just going to reference it again.
Speaker 9 (33:59):
He told the world three days after the Super Bowl,
keep put on Instagram.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
I wondered how long.
Speaker 9 (34:06):
Winning a Super Bowl would make me feel good. The
answer is about two days. And then he said, I
play this game to see the demoralized defensive back who
realizes they can't do anything with me.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
He's been very honest.
Speaker 9 (34:23):
He wants to be a dominant individual player, and he
feels correctly that will help his team. It's not like
that's going to hurt his team. And if I were him,
I'd be frustrated too.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Good stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
Nick, Right, Chargers are eleven. It should be noted the
Chiefs were eleven last week.
Speaker 9 (34:41):
I'm oh, yeah, who knows Chargers could do it? Listen,
not everybody, Colin can not every AFC West team can
go to the meadowlands and get a win.
Speaker 6 (34:50):
Mine can.
Speaker 9 (34:51):
I don't know about you guys, but mine could do it.
Speaker 6 (34:54):
See you let everybody
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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