December 17, 2025 • 29 mins
Colin Cowherd breaks down a thrilling NBA Cup Final as Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks brought home the win over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, crediting the NBA for taking a bold swing and creating a must-watch event. Colin explains why the league’s willingness to innovate is paying off—despite criticism from traditionalists—and what the NBA Cup means for the future of the sport.
Plus, Colin draws compelling comparisons between Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Broncos QB Bo Nix, explaining why both young NFL stars are being underrated. He dives in on how they stacked up against the other Super Bowl contenders across the league.
Plus, 3-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck joins the show to tell Colin why the Dolphins benched QB Tua Tagovailoa and what makes Bills QB Josh Allen the best in the NFL right now.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowver
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Here we go. It is a Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
We are live in Chicago.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
It's the Herd.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. You know,
it's interesting there's people out there. One of the things
I've learned over the course of my life, people that
complain a.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Lot don't create a lot. So a rule I try.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
To make part of my life is I surround myself
with creators and not complainers. It's just a psychology, a
psychological truth. It's a psychological truth. I mean, Harvard's done
study optimists are more successful in life professionally than pessimists.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
So when anybody rips.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
On the NBA taking a stab with the NBA Cup,
I'm like, you don't even watch the league you're just
a complainer, which means you're not a creator, which means
you're a pessimist, not an optimist. No thanks, I don't
want that life. So last night I'm watching the NBA
Cup and I'm like, the NBA got more wem beyond
TV and more New York Knicks on TV.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
I'm for it. Baseball did this.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
They put baseball games in London, the Yankees, Red Sox,
the Mets, Phillies. They'd put him in a cornfield. They
put him in Bristol Mortar Speedway. Rob Manfred took six
or seven swings. I mean, baseball's on a two to
three year heater. The games feel bigger, faster. I like
the NBA Cup. I think the editor about two weeks ago.
(02:00):
I'm walking through an area and there's six TVs on
and one of the courts is bright purple, and I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah,
these games are different. I think it's smart. And I
watched the players play last night and.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
They're into it.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
I mean they were more into this than they were
during COVID playing games in Orlando where everybody missed their family.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I think the players are into it.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
So all these regular seasons, the NHL, the MLS baseball,
the NBA baseball, strangely has been the most progressive and
the most willing to take big swings. Kind of push
that way by Fox Sports or managements like create events
and they work and they get TV ratings and they
get people talking. But like hockey created the Four Nations tournament.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I think it was a massive hit. It was a
shockingly big hit.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So Silicon Valley is the most innovative place, maybe in
the world, certainly in America. Their hit rate is probably
about fifteen.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Take a swing.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Avoid people who criticize stuff yet don't consume it. Like
rural guy in the South ripping California. The weather's perfect
and the economy's the fourth biggest in the world. I
think California is doing Okay, rural Guy, maybe go there
more than once a life for Disney. Okay, So I
watched the NBA Cup. I don't know how good the
Knicks are. They don't have much of a bench, they
(03:23):
don't defend the three. I always feel like Karl Anthony
Towns and Jalen Brunson on the floor against the better
coach teams are a bit of a defensive liability and
Brunson didn't shoot particularly well.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Og had a great night.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
But I feel like the four leading odds to win
the NBA Championship are all out West, and so I
just don't know if the Knicks can match an Oka
See Well they can't Okay See or a Denver.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
I don't know if they can.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
But it felt like last night, big third quarter run,
thirteen to one run, they were into it. The league
is trying to create, like Baseball, some memorable events.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The Knicks have a new head coach.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
This may be the biggest championship they went over the
next several years. But it's a swing. It's something. I
saw Jannis win this thing, Lebron win it. Now the
Knicks win it, and you can't tell me the league's
not happy with it. I don't know again how viable
the Knicks are in the playoffs, but optimists are more
successful than pessimists. And I think Jalen Brunson and Adam
(04:25):
Silver both liked it here.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
They are a.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Game like this, in an environment like this, you don't
really see her on the NBA too often, and so
we got to take advantage of the experience that we
got here. I mean, those guys will. I don't think
we're having a parade one to the city of New York.
I think it's good that we that we won this.
(04:50):
I think it's good that we were able to the
way we want it. I think it's special as well.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
Well with working is we wanted more games consequence, and
the players are responding, the fans are responding. Players are
definitely responding to the competition. Look at the teams that
are here, the games that we saw on Saturday night,
you know.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And across the board.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
I think it's becoming a new tradition in the league.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, I'm never going to criticize one of these sports
leagues for taking swings. You know, Rob Manfred, Baseball's always
been one that, you know, rests on its tradition and lore.
And Rob Manfred's taken a lot of heat and he's like,
we're going to speed the game up. Bigger bases, regular season,
put a guy on second base, no defensive shift, and
(05:34):
the traditionalists don't love it. Baseball is so much more
consumable today than it was five years ago, not even close.
You can turn in for forty five minutes and get
three four innings, and the NBA Cup, the weird floors.
I like the swing, I really do. I appreciate it,
and I think the Knicks did too. All Right, So
(05:54):
I've been saying that you can't love Caleb Williams of
the Bears and then not love Bo Nicks of Denver.
If you look at their first two years in the NFL,
they both have really really elite, demanding offensive coaches. So
it's not like one has a great coach and one
(06:15):
has a bump. I'm putting this on the screen for
our television viewer, sorry, radio. They're the same quarterback through
two years now. Caleb's got the bigger arm and Bo's
a little bit more accurate on the twelve yards in
understuff swing passes. But the Next Gen came out with
a stat this morning which doubles down and validates what
(06:37):
I've been saying all year. Caleb and bow they're really
the same guy, one with a bigger arm. They're even
about the same height, hyperathletic, very coachable, strangely great in
the fourth quarter, a little uneven, demanding head coach. So
Next Gen came out with a stat of the fastest
(06:57):
quarterback runs this year. Here they are in order, Caleb one,
Bo Nicks two, Caleb three, Caleb four, bo Nicks five,
Caleb six. I was mocked yesterday saying bo Nicks reminds
me of a young, right handed Steve Young. Steve Young
was the fastest quarterback when he played. So I saw
Bnix in college live twice on TV thirty times, and
(07:20):
I kept saying, this guy is like super athletic, and
now you're seeing it Lamar. I don't know what's happened
to Lamar, but he doesn't feel quite as dynamic bow
and Caleb, and look at their teams. I'm telling you
you can't love one without the other. We're spending so
much time because Chicago's a big market, a very loud media,
(07:41):
I kind of feel like I'm getting the same guy
demanding coach durable, don't take sacks, at least this year.
Caleb's not taking sacks better in big games, better in
the fourth quarter, which is almost never the case with
young quarterbacks. They're usually good on script early, bad late in.
These two are really special. I think everybody knows Caleb
(08:04):
is special. People are reluctant with bo Nick, love them both.
And here is Caleb on his biggest game, maybe as
a pro, against green Bay this weekend.
Speaker 6 (08:15):
We've played teams that have a bunch of wins, we
play teams that don't. We've played close games, we played
games where we've beaten teams by a lot. We've played,
you know, teams, teams where we had to win with
special teams offense, defense, whatever case, running ball, whatever case.
And so I feel that we're, you know, we're ready
for just about anything. Hot weather, cold weather, whatever the
case may be. We're gonna go out there and and
(08:37):
go out there and fight. I do know that, and
I like our chances us first anybody.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
And I think both Denver and Bow and Chicago and Caleb.
If you look at the rosters, the coaching and what
these teams do well, they're built for the playoffs. This
is these aren't warm weather teams that are finas and
they're throwing the ball over the top. My suit Super
Bowl bubble as of this morning, and I usually have
(09:03):
about seven teams in it, My Super Bowl bubble has
the Rams, Seattle, and Denver as the teams that should
be favored in my Super Bowl bubble, and then the Bears, Patriots, Texans,
and the Bills. May have a flaw that I don't love.
I have the Chargers, Niners, and Eagles out of the bubble,
(09:23):
but close based on what I view as an issue
that's not correctable. O line for the Chargers will eventually
be their doom defense. Saula is doing an unbelievable job,
but it's just not good enough to win multiple playoff games.
And I think you have a head coach coordinator issue
in Philadelphia. I don't care how good the roster is.
(09:46):
They've been broken since Week one. This is not like
a recent trend. They haven't had back to back great
offensive games all year. Jmack thoughts on that Super Bowl
bubble that has both Caleb and Bo Nicks and.
Speaker 7 (10:03):
No defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. At first blush, you
know it's funny.
Speaker 8 (10:07):
I was talking about this with someone of my podcasts
last week, Colin. I don't understand who the clear favorites
are right now.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
The league is so wide open heading into.
Speaker 8 (10:16):
These playoffs that at first blush, I don't totally hate
this Super Bowl bubble. I know people are scoffing. I
come on, Broncos. If the Broncos hit the Super Bowl,
I wouldn't be shocked. It's so wide open. The Chiefs
have fallen off badly. No, Joe Burrow. We don't even
know if.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Lamar Jackson's getting in.
Speaker 8 (10:33):
I think it's why this is the most wide open
I think it's been in probably a decade, right, maybe longer.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah, what happens is the Keno winning Super Bowls. You know,
this is either having a superstar quarterback who takes a
bit of a team friendly deal. This year's Matt Stafford
and the Rams, yeah right right, or having a really
gifted rookie quarterback a ma homes for years on a
rookie deal and you can supplant the roster and loaded up.
(11:01):
So Chicago's roster, you and I have been on this
all year. Chicago's roster is excellent. I mean, receivers tight,
they're o lines, one of the best old lines in football.
They safety corner. So if you start looking at this,
it's Matt Stafford taking a team friendly deal, Sam Darnold
taking a team friendly deal, and then you have Drake May,
(11:24):
Caleb Williams, bow Nicks.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
On rookie deals as well, CJ. Stroud as well.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
The only exception I have in there is Josh Allen,
and I've got them closer to being out because I'm
gonna wait till Ed Oliver gets back on the d line.
There's a lot of talk that'll that'll help their defensive line,
it'll help their their run defense. But if you look
at the teams in the bubble, Sam Darnold, by the way,
very team friendly deal. So this idea that you can
(11:53):
have Mahomes or Josh Allen, but if you're paying fifty
million that's the cap hit, then the Chiefs line stinks
and the Bills defense stinks. So I think I think Caleb,
Drake May and bow Nicks and in fact, I honestly,
because the Patriots spent at three hundred million in free agency,
they don't have a lot of megastars. But New England
(12:14):
also doesn't have a lot of holes on this team,
because I mean, let's be honest, they plugged him up
in free agency.
Speaker 8 (12:20):
Yeah, and Josh Allen and the Bill. Josh Allen's the
only highly paid quarterback in there. I mean, Stafford, you said,
is getting paid. But Josh Allen is superman. He's clearly
the best quarterback in the league.
Speaker 7 (12:29):
Right now. I won't accept any other answers I got.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
I tuk someone else might.
Speaker 7 (12:32):
Win the MVP.
Speaker 8 (12:33):
But what Josh Allen's doing with the Bills, Like, other
than James Cook, who's their next best offensive player?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Is it Dion Dawkins?
Speaker 7 (12:39):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Let mean yeah, well name their splash players on defense
at Oliver.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
It kind of ends with that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 3 (12:55):
Hey is Capino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
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Speaker 3 (13:07):
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Speaker 1 (13:26):
People say certain things and they're just not true, but
they believe them. They double down on them, they triple
the quadruple down one of those. And a lot of
these old defensive coaches they have not stayed current. They
are so burdened, bothered, paralyzed by a quarterback who throws
interceptions this whole Sam Darnold throws too many picks. As
(13:50):
long as your production is high, I don't have a.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Problem with picks.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I don't have to love them, but I'd rather you
have picks and throw the ball down the field. What
do these seven quarterbacks have in common, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold,
Dak Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert bow knicks. They're all
in the top eleven of interceptions this year. The fewest,
by the way, is like Jared Goff and Matt Stafford.
(14:15):
But their pocket based quarterbacks that don't create anything outside
of structure. I prefer playmakers outside of structure.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
In fact, Matt Stafford, the year.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
He won the Super Bowl with the Rams, led the
NFL in interceptions and in fact, in the Super Bowl
he threw two of them and still won.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
From nineteen ninety eight.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
To twenty fifteen, do you know who led the NFL
in interceptions?
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Peyton Manning, and he missed a year.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
I'm telling you, folks, for the last six teams that
have won a Super Bowl, the winning quarterback threw a
pick in the Super Bowl. Bo Knicks is a great
example of this. Bow Knicks has nine picks this year.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Whoa. But when.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
He has sixteen touchdowns in one pick, when do you
throw them? You know, don't throw him in the red zone,
which takes away guaranteed points. But if you're at midfield,
throw it deep down the sideline. Then it gets picked
at the nine. That's better than the punter could do.
It's a change of possession. Rock Purty one of the
(15:23):
things I'll defend Brock Purty about. He's super aggressive. He
threw a lot of picks in college. He throws picks
in the NFL. Kyle Shanan loves him because he takes
a swing. So this Sam Donald narrative, you can't win
big with Sam Darnald. Last two years he leads the
NFL and wins. If you go back to Sam Donald
(15:44):
the Carolina years and you pick it up late November
because he sat for the first time in his career,
take the Jets out. He sat in Carolina when he
started playing late November. From that day until now three
different teams, he's the winningest quarterback in the league and
has a higher one hundred plus passer rating percentage than Mahomes.
(16:11):
So also, quarterbacks who throw more often throw more picks.
The Eagles are literally trying to get Jalen Hurts to
throw fewer times because they win more when he throws less.
That's what I don't want. I like Trevor Lawrence, Josh
Allen Dak the coaching staff, trust them. Think about Seattle.
(16:33):
Seattle is so much better this year than last. And
that's letting go of a Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
What was the only change? Sam Darnold and a new coordinator.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
You guys, watch the Vikings offense this year doesn't quite
feel as consistent or dynamic, does it.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
What happened? One major change?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Quarterback left, same coach, same coordinator, same wide receiver, same
old line, a lot of the same defensive players. They
lost Darnald, So this whole thing. Peyton Manning in a
seventeen year period led the NFL and picks Andrew Luck
a lot of picks for the last six Super Bowl
(17:12):
winning teams. The quarterback to a pick in the game.
The world has changed. If you can make plays with
your feet and move the chains, you're a playmaker. It's
not just now about safe distribution here's Sam Darnold.
Speaker 10 (17:27):
We're excited about this challenge. Obviously, it's a divisional game.
You know, playing these guys last time obviously wasn't my
best effort. You know. I feel like as an offense,
we just got to continue to do what we've been
we've been practicing, you know, stay in the details. But again,
this team's a very good, very good defense.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
It's a very good team.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
It's interesting in a game in which he had four picks,
go back and look at the end of the game,
the Seahawks were moving for the win because Sam may
so many big plays. I mean, think about Seattle's offense
got rid of DK Metcalf did draft a really good
left guard, but it's basically Darnald and a new coordinator.
(18:12):
JSN was on it the year before. I'm gonna take
big swings, aggressive quarterbacks who throw occasional picks every day
of the week over underneath safeguy every day of the week.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Be sure to catch live editions of the herd week
days in neone Easter, not a Empacific. Be sure to
catch live editions of the Herd week days in New Easter,
not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And with that, eighteen years in the NFL. Matt Hasselbeck
joins us live, and I'm going to ask him anybody
that in that bubble that you're just diametrically opposed to
or like, I don't have Jacksonville close because I don't
trust him.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Who are you dying?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Now?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
You're already smiling?
Speaker 7 (18:49):
Who are you do enjoying that?
Speaker 11 (18:52):
It was super entertaining for me. I was actually just
sitting there listening, kind of disappointed that I had to
come on and talk. I was enjoying it. No, you're incomplete, man,
Like you're incomplete, Like what are we doing?
Speaker 7 (19:03):
Where are the Pittsburgh Steelers? Where are the Green Bay Packers?
Speaker 11 (19:07):
And yes, you're hating on Jacksonville because who knows why,
because they're a small marketing.
Speaker 7 (19:11):
You just feel like hating on them for that reason.
They're alive.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Listen.
Speaker 7 (19:14):
I know I'm probably biased.
Speaker 11 (19:16):
I lost a Super Bowl to a wild card team
that nobody gave a chance. Nobody gave a chance to them,
and then they just kept winning and winning and winning.
Speaker 7 (19:24):
And it's what everybody says.
Speaker 11 (19:25):
It's the team that plays the best football At the
end of the year, it doesn't matter what you did
in September. It doesn't matter what you did two years ago.
It does not matter. So the team that's playing the best.
I love the fact that you gave Houston all that love.
Houston's exactly the kind of team that people are going
to overlook and that coaches and players, they're going to
turn on that film and it's going to be nameless
(19:47):
faces on that film and they're going to be like, dang,
like we got issues here, Like we got issues going
up against this team. We don't want to play that
team and that division even I mean Jacksonville is a
similar thing. Carolina is a team that people are going
to sleep on. That's what's so great about this tournament.
Is there a favorite? Yeah, there's a favorite. It's the
(20:08):
La Rams. And I think that the Rams and the
Seahawks Thursday night, that could be the best game of
the entire you know, those could be the two best
teams in the NFL right there Thursday night, and they
might see each other again, so you know, we'll see this.
Speaker 7 (20:19):
This is exciting. I'm loving it.
Speaker 11 (20:21):
That's why I was so entertained listening to you, you know,
kind of go through it.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
So my gut feeling is I do think Caleb and Bow.
I mean again, Caleb's got more torque, although I think
Bow is incredibly agile and athletic. He is so clever
and deceptive on the rollouts. My gut feeling is you
like Bow more than Caleb at this point though?
Speaker 11 (20:41):
Right, Yeah, he's way more polished, refined game ready to me.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Okay, is there something about Bow that does that you
do worry about? Is there a lower ceiling?
Speaker 3 (20:53):
How do you view him?
Speaker 11 (20:54):
Yeah, listen, I'm a huge I'm a huge, huge fan
of bo Knicks. That doesn't mean that he's playing perfect
right now. I mean talking about his numbers in the
fourth quarter.
Speaker 7 (21:01):
And how they're good. Yeah, they are good.
Speaker 11 (21:03):
But against Kream Bay, he put the ball in Harm's
way four times, like it's tips and overthrows. Got to
get those, that's what they say on defense. The Packers
didn't do it. Those balls were up in the air.
He gave them opportunities to lose that game. And you know,
I just even go back to like what Philip Rivers
did this past week, and everyone wants to talk about, Hey,
what do you see out of Philip Rivers? He didn't
(21:24):
put his team in negative situations. That's like the thing,
that's the thing. Tom Brady did so well, singing, Aaron
Rodgers did so well. And I think that's a compliment
that I would give to Caleb Williams is that Caleb
Williams does a really nice job of protecting the football.
And he's done a nice job this year of protecting
his team in other ways. And so I think when
you get the play caller and the quarterback really on
(21:46):
the same page, really clicking, like you're my guy, through
thick and thin, no matter what, that's that's when you're
cooking with gas.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
And that's what the Broncos have.
Speaker 11 (21:54):
I'm not one hundred percent sure that that's what the
what the Chicago Bears have. Benjihson got hired to fix Caleb,
to do his magic with Caleb.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
He's off to a great start.
Speaker 11 (22:06):
But to think that this is those two guys are
a forever pair, I.
Speaker 7 (22:10):
Think that remains to be seen.
Speaker 11 (22:11):
I think they're off to a great start, but you know,
the next three weeks they're going to tell a lot
nationally televised games, and it's a great team around him.
Speaker 7 (22:19):
So I'm not all the ways sold.
Speaker 11 (22:20):
I thought this last game was the best game I've
seen Caleb play though.
Speaker 10 (22:24):
So.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Quarterback interceptions are not always on the quarterback. You have
young receivers, they don't run the right route, somebody misses
a block, you're rushed. Seven of the eleven interception leaders
in the NFL right now are like Pro Bowl level quarterbacks.
Josh Allen, Darnald, Dack, Mahomes, Herbert, Trevor Lawrence. Let's talk
Sam Darnold tomorrow against the Rams. Are his interceptions when
(22:50):
you watch him not seeing something.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Reckless? Kind of his.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
DNA when you look at because I thought Andrew Luck
was a guy that wasn't reckless, but he just he
was an aggressive guy and he was going to take
big swings. Because Andrew luckknw deep down, our roster's not
very good. We can't go thirteen play drives. We don't
have that on line. Sam does have a lot around him.
(23:17):
Why is he throwing picks in his career? What do
they look like to you?
Speaker 11 (23:21):
Well, let's just go back to the about a month
ago they played the Rams. He had four interceptions in
that game, and you know, his protection wasn't great and
he was just trying too hard. You know, most of
the interceptions that I've seen.
Speaker 7 (23:31):
Him throw this year.
Speaker 11 (23:33):
As you know, he's just wanting it so bad. He
wants it to work. And you know, go back to
the last game against the Rams. The Rams won the game.
Sam Donald throws four interceptions, but if he only throws
three interceptions, the Seahawks win the game. And that's kind
of the mindset that I think the coaches are going
to have to get into him this week for the
Thursday night game. And I've had coaches to do this
(23:54):
to me as well, and they literally say it like, hey, listen,
if you just go from three interceptions to two interceptions
we went, and as a quarterback is like, oh man,
like I can do that, Like I can do that
instead of the mindset of like, hey, if ro O
line is getting you know, worked by their D line,
you got to do something heroic, you know. And just
it's like a mind it's a shift in how you're
(24:14):
thinking about it. And I think they're talking to him
the way that they probably talk to me or Andrew Lucker,
all the guys you mentioned, Hey, listen, we have one
of the best defenses in the NFL.
Speaker 7 (24:23):
Our special teams can go win us a game.
Speaker 11 (24:25):
At the end, We've got a great punter, Let him punt.
You know, those kinds of ways that you can talk
to a quarterback can kind of settle him down and
make him feel like, hey, it's not all on me.
This is not me against the league MVP, Matthew Stafford.
Speaker 7 (24:39):
This is me and my guys. This is me and
my team.
Speaker 11 (24:42):
This is me and my specialists, my defense, Leonard Williams,
those guys against the Rams, and that mindset can kind
of free you up as a quarterback.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
And I think that's what would help Sam the most.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
You know, a few years ago, we watched Russell Wilson
go Seattle to Denver and almost inexplicably fell off a cliff.
And I think for two years we're.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Like, what happened? Pro bol of this?
Speaker 1 (25:06):
And then I watched Tua over the last year and
a half fall off a cliff. And they're both smaller
quarterbacks who part of their gift early was a little
elusiveness could move the pocket. Kyler Murray feels like he
has dropped off a cliff.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
I've been in the same room with you.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You're about six', four maybe a little, taller And i've
said this IS i don't want to HEAR i see
This vanderbilt. Quarterback people are, like, oh And i'm, Like
i'm not touching. THAT i saw him in a, Picture Dylan.
GABRIEL i saw him in a picture with other. Quarterbacks
i'm not drafting. That you tell me did your SIZE
i don't know what you weighed two. Twenty did your
size help you through the years with all those punitive?
Speaker 11 (25:45):
Hits, yeah probably more like two forty even. Today but, no,
Listen i'm not a guy that's gonna hate on somebody
because of their. Height if you're a, player you're a.
Player you're a, baller you're a. Leader you're a guy
that can protect the. Ball you can do it on.
FIELD i think two is ACTUALLY i don't Think tua
played his worst game this last. GAME i think he
played always played all. YEAR i think what got too
(26:06):
a bench was a lack of, grittiness like a lack of,
toughness a lack Of he has no ability to do
anything with his. Legs he takes sacks that don't need
to be taken in they're double digits minus, twelve minus.
Eleven third and, one you go to scramble year third and.
Two you slide too, early LIKE i think it's that
that that kind of like like frustration from the head,
(26:27):
coach where it's like we need someone to like put
this team on their back and like send.
Speaker 7 (26:32):
Message and that's what you get so excited.
Speaker 11 (26:34):
About when like a non running quarterback runs for a first,
down it's, like all, right we got, them here we.
Go that's WHERE i Think tua needs to like step
up his. Game he had one interception that wasn't what
it was because they're not turning the page to somebody
who's going to all of a sudden do better like you're.
Not i'm not expecting either one of those, quarterbacks based
on what they've shown this, year to do any better Than.
(26:54):
Tua this is this is a financial decision and them,
saying you know, what we would rather pay you fifty
four million dollars to not be our quarterback next year
because we are frustrated that you don't have what we
see out of guys Like Justin herbert and other guys
that we Admire Josh.
Speaker 7 (27:09):
Allen that's the, frustration and it's.
Speaker 11 (27:12):
Unfortunate Maybe twoo pulls himself out of, it maybe he
gets another, opportunity but it certainly doesn't look like it's
going to happen In.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Miami So i'm Watching Josh allen right. Now he's four
and oh this year when his defense has given up
thirty one or more, points the rest of the league
is like six and. Eighty and SOMETIMES i wonder If
josh would have Inherited Andy reid And Travis, kelcey AND
i think to myself And mahomes went To buffalo with
(27:39):
a defensive, coach would their careers be. DIFFERENT i Think John,
elway WHEN i was a kid or, younger was the
best most talented Quarterback i've ever, seen arm, Movement stanford,
guy just, toughness. EVERYTHING i look At josh And i'm, like,
well he's.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
More talented Than. Mahomes he's bigger and.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Stronger do you see that or do you still Think
mahomes has a magic that's why he's got the trophies
that Maybe josh doesn't.
Speaker 7 (28:05):
HAVE i Think.
Speaker 11 (28:07):
Josh allen ended up exactly where he needed to end.
Up you, know if you remember he came into the,
draft there was a little bit of you, know it
wasn't super, smooth and he went To buffalo and he
kind of hit a little bit from the from the
spotlight a little bit and he. Developed and of all
the quarterbacks That i've sort of evaluated or watched or
even just been a fan, OF i thought That Josh
allen made the biggest improvement from college to THE nfl
(28:31):
in a two year.
Speaker 7 (28:31):
SPAN i, mean he.
Speaker 11 (28:33):
Was absolutely amazing once he once it clicked for him
in THE, nfl and he has never looked.
Speaker 7 (28:38):
Back and to, me you, know the defense is a.
Speaker 11 (28:42):
Problem the defense is a problem if you're trying to
hoist The. Lombardi but this is a guy that can
literally put his team on his. Back he can go
above the x's and. O's if THE mvp is truly
just THE mvp and not necessarily how your team is
doing and all that kind of. Stuff Josh allen would
be that. Guy he's the'se. Otherworldly oh my team's down
(29:02):
twenty one to nothing to the team that's going to
be the one, seed The New England, Patriots no big,
deal let's, go let's go win it on the, Road
no big.
Speaker 7 (29:10):
Deal that's kind of who he. Is and when you
have that kind.
Speaker 11 (29:13):
Of, grittiness, competitiveness, belief not only your teammates believe in
you that, way but the, opponent the opposing, coaches they're, like, ah,
shoot you know It's Josh allen's on the other. Side
that's what everyone's looking for when they say franchise, quarterback
and The Buffalo bills have, it AND i mean they
are so lucky and fortunate to have.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Them Matt hasselbecks always appreciate you stopping, by and we'll
see you after a great weekend On, Monday, buddy
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 Sportsradio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowver
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Here we go. It is a Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
We are live in Chicago.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
It's the Herd.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. You know,
it's interesting there's people out there. One of the things
I've learned over the course of my life, people that
complain a.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Lot don't create a lot. So a rule I try.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
To make part of my life is I surround myself
with creators and not complainers. It's just a psychology, a
psychological truth. It's a psychological truth. I mean, Harvard's done
study optimists are more successful in life professionally than pessimists.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
So when anybody rips.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
On the NBA taking a stab with the NBA Cup,
I'm like, you don't even watch the league you're just
a complainer, which means you're not a creator, which means
you're a pessimist, not an optimist. No thanks, I don't
want that life. So last night I'm watching the NBA
Cup and I'm like, the NBA got more wem beyond
TV and more New York Knicks on TV.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
I'm for it. Baseball did this.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
They put baseball games in London, the Yankees, Red Sox,
the Mets, Phillies. They'd put him in a cornfield. They
put him in Bristol Mortar Speedway. Rob Manfred took six
or seven swings. I mean, baseball's on a two to
three year heater. The games feel bigger, faster. I like
the NBA Cup. I think the editor about two weeks ago.
(02:00):
I'm walking through an area and there's six TVs on
and one of the courts is bright purple, and I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah,
these games are different. I think it's smart. And I
watched the players play last night and.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
They're into it.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
I mean they were more into this than they were
during COVID playing games in Orlando where everybody missed their family.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I think the players are into it.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
So all these regular seasons, the NHL, the MLS baseball,
the NBA baseball, strangely has been the most progressive and
the most willing to take big swings. Kind of push
that way by Fox Sports or managements like create events
and they work and they get TV ratings and they
get people talking. But like hockey created the Four Nations tournament.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I think it was a massive hit. It was a
shockingly big hit.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So Silicon Valley is the most innovative place, maybe in
the world, certainly in America. Their hit rate is probably
about fifteen.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Take a swing.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Avoid people who criticize stuff yet don't consume it. Like
rural guy in the South ripping California. The weather's perfect
and the economy's the fourth biggest in the world. I
think California is doing Okay, rural Guy, maybe go there
more than once a life for Disney. Okay, So I
watched the NBA Cup. I don't know how good the
Knicks are. They don't have much of a bench, they
(03:23):
don't defend the three. I always feel like Karl Anthony
Towns and Jalen Brunson on the floor against the better
coach teams are a bit of a defensive liability and
Brunson didn't shoot particularly well.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Og had a great night.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
But I feel like the four leading odds to win
the NBA Championship are all out West, and so I
just don't know if the Knicks can match an Oka
See Well they can't Okay See or a Denver.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
I don't know if they can.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
But it felt like last night, big third quarter run,
thirteen to one run, they were into it. The league
is trying to create, like Baseball, some memorable events.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The Knicks have a new head coach.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
This may be the biggest championship they went over the
next several years. But it's a swing. It's something. I
saw Jannis win this thing, Lebron win it. Now the
Knicks win it, and you can't tell me the league's
not happy with it. I don't know again how viable
the Knicks are in the playoffs, but optimists are more
successful than pessimists. And I think Jalen Brunson and Adam
(04:25):
Silver both liked it here.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
They are a.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Game like this, in an environment like this, you don't
really see her on the NBA too often, and so
we got to take advantage of the experience that we
got here. I mean, those guys will. I don't think
we're having a parade one to the city of New York.
I think it's good that we that we won this.
(04:50):
I think it's good that we were able to the
way we want it. I think it's special as well.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
Well with working is we wanted more games consequence, and
the players are responding, the fans are responding. Players are
definitely responding to the competition. Look at the teams that
are here, the games that we saw on Saturday night,
you know.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
And across the board.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
I think it's becoming a new tradition in the league.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, I'm never going to criticize one of these sports
leagues for taking swings. You know, Rob Manfred, Baseball's always
been one that, you know, rests on its tradition and lore.
And Rob Manfred's taken a lot of heat and he's like,
we're going to speed the game up. Bigger bases, regular season,
put a guy on second base, no defensive shift, and
(05:34):
the traditionalists don't love it. Baseball is so much more
consumable today than it was five years ago, not even close.
You can turn in for forty five minutes and get
three four innings, and the NBA Cup, the weird floors.
I like the swing, I really do. I appreciate it,
and I think the Knicks did too. All Right, So
(05:54):
I've been saying that you can't love Caleb Williams of
the Bears and then not love Bo Nicks of Denver.
If you look at their first two years in the NFL,
they both have really really elite, demanding offensive coaches. So
it's not like one has a great coach and one
(06:15):
has a bump. I'm putting this on the screen for
our television viewer, sorry, radio. They're the same quarterback through
two years now. Caleb's got the bigger arm and Bo's
a little bit more accurate on the twelve yards in
understuff swing passes. But the Next Gen came out with
a stat this morning which doubles down and validates what
(06:37):
I've been saying all year. Caleb and bow they're really
the same guy, one with a bigger arm. They're even
about the same height, hyperathletic, very coachable, strangely great in
the fourth quarter, a little uneven, demanding head coach. So
Next Gen came out with a stat of the fastest
(06:57):
quarterback runs this year. Here they are in order, Caleb one,
Bo Nicks two, Caleb three, Caleb four, bo Nicks five,
Caleb six. I was mocked yesterday saying bo Nicks reminds
me of a young, right handed Steve Young. Steve Young
was the fastest quarterback when he played. So I saw
Bnix in college live twice on TV thirty times, and
(07:20):
I kept saying, this guy is like super athletic, and
now you're seeing it Lamar. I don't know what's happened
to Lamar, but he doesn't feel quite as dynamic bow
and Caleb, and look at their teams. I'm telling you
you can't love one without the other. We're spending so
much time because Chicago's a big market, a very loud media,
(07:41):
I kind of feel like I'm getting the same guy
demanding coach durable, don't take sacks, at least this year.
Caleb's not taking sacks better in big games, better in
the fourth quarter, which is almost never the case with
young quarterbacks. They're usually good on script early, bad late in.
These two are really special. I think everybody knows Caleb
(08:04):
is special. People are reluctant with bo Nick, love them both.
And here is Caleb on his biggest game, maybe as
a pro, against green Bay this weekend.
Speaker 6 (08:15):
We've played teams that have a bunch of wins, we
play teams that don't. We've played close games, we played
games where we've beaten teams by a lot. We've played,
you know, teams, teams where we had to win with
special teams offense, defense, whatever case, running ball, whatever case.
And so I feel that we're, you know, we're ready
for just about anything. Hot weather, cold weather, whatever the
case may be. We're gonna go out there and and
(08:37):
go out there and fight. I do know that, and
I like our chances us first anybody.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
And I think both Denver and Bow and Chicago and Caleb.
If you look at the rosters, the coaching and what
these teams do well, they're built for the playoffs. This
is these aren't warm weather teams that are finas and
they're throwing the ball over the top. My suit Super
Bowl bubble as of this morning, and I usually have
(09:03):
about seven teams in it, My Super Bowl bubble has
the Rams, Seattle, and Denver as the teams that should
be favored in my Super Bowl bubble, and then the Bears, Patriots, Texans,
and the Bills. May have a flaw that I don't love.
I have the Chargers, Niners, and Eagles out of the bubble,
(09:23):
but close based on what I view as an issue
that's not correctable. O line for the Chargers will eventually
be their doom defense. Saula is doing an unbelievable job,
but it's just not good enough to win multiple playoff games.
And I think you have a head coach coordinator issue
in Philadelphia. I don't care how good the roster is.
(09:46):
They've been broken since Week one. This is not like
a recent trend. They haven't had back to back great
offensive games all year. Jmack thoughts on that Super Bowl
bubble that has both Caleb and Bo Nicks and.
Speaker 7 (10:03):
No defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. At first blush, you
know it's funny.
Speaker 8 (10:07):
I was talking about this with someone of my podcasts
last week, Colin. I don't understand who the clear favorites
are right now.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
The league is so wide open heading into.
Speaker 8 (10:16):
These playoffs that at first blush, I don't totally hate
this Super Bowl bubble. I know people are scoffing. I
come on, Broncos. If the Broncos hit the Super Bowl,
I wouldn't be shocked. It's so wide open. The Chiefs
have fallen off badly. No, Joe Burrow. We don't even
know if.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Lamar Jackson's getting in.
Speaker 8 (10:33):
I think it's why this is the most wide open
I think it's been in probably a decade, right, maybe longer.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah, what happens is the Keno winning Super Bowls. You know,
this is either having a superstar quarterback who takes a
bit of a team friendly deal. This year's Matt Stafford
and the Rams, yeah right right, or having a really
gifted rookie quarterback a ma homes for years on a
rookie deal and you can supplant the roster and loaded up.
(11:01):
So Chicago's roster, you and I have been on this
all year. Chicago's roster is excellent. I mean, receivers tight,
they're o lines, one of the best old lines in football.
They safety corner. So if you start looking at this,
it's Matt Stafford taking a team friendly deal, Sam Darnold
taking a team friendly deal, and then you have Drake May,
(11:24):
Caleb Williams, bow Nicks.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
On rookie deals as well, CJ. Stroud as well.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
The only exception I have in there is Josh Allen,
and I've got them closer to being out because I'm
gonna wait till Ed Oliver gets back on the d line.
There's a lot of talk that'll that'll help their defensive line,
it'll help their their run defense. But if you look
at the teams in the bubble, Sam Darnold, by the way,
very team friendly deal. So this idea that you can
(11:53):
have Mahomes or Josh Allen, but if you're paying fifty
million that's the cap hit, then the Chiefs line stinks
and the Bills defense stinks. So I think I think Caleb,
Drake May and bow Nicks and in fact, I honestly,
because the Patriots spent at three hundred million in free agency,
they don't have a lot of megastars. But New England
(12:14):
also doesn't have a lot of holes on this team,
because I mean, let's be honest, they plugged him up
in free agency.
Speaker 8 (12:20):
Yeah, and Josh Allen and the Bill. Josh Allen's the
only highly paid quarterback in there. I mean, Stafford, you said,
is getting paid. But Josh Allen is superman. He's clearly
the best quarterback in the league.
Speaker 7 (12:29):
Right now. I won't accept any other answers I got.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
I tuk someone else might.
Speaker 7 (12:32):
Win the MVP.
Speaker 8 (12:33):
But what Josh Allen's doing with the Bills, Like, other
than James Cook, who's their next best offensive player?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Is it Dion Dawkins?
Speaker 7 (12:39):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Let mean yeah, well name their splash players on defense
at Oliver.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
It kind of ends with that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon Eastern not a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Hey is Capino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Now.
Speaker 9 (12:58):
In addition to hearing us live weekdays five to seven
pm Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,
we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for
the show.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 9 (13:08):
You can now watch Covino and Rich live on YouTube
every day. All you gotta do search Covino and Rich
FSR on YouTube again, go to YouTube search Covino en
Rich FSR. Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that
thumbs up icon and come in away.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
People say certain things and they're just not true, but
they believe them. They double down on them, they triple
the quadruple down one of those. And a lot of
these old defensive coaches they have not stayed current. They
are so burdened, bothered, paralyzed by a quarterback who throws
interceptions this whole Sam Darnold throws too many picks. As
(13:50):
long as your production is high, I don't have a.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Problem with picks.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I don't have to love them, but I'd rather you
have picks and throw the ball down the field. What
do these seven quarterbacks have in common, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold,
Dak Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert bow knicks. They're all
in the top eleven of interceptions this year. The fewest,
by the way, is like Jared Goff and Matt Stafford.
(14:15):
But their pocket based quarterbacks that don't create anything outside
of structure. I prefer playmakers outside of structure.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
In fact, Matt Stafford, the year.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
He won the Super Bowl with the Rams, led the
NFL in interceptions and in fact, in the Super Bowl
he threw two of them and still won.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
From nineteen ninety eight.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
To twenty fifteen, do you know who led the NFL
in interceptions?
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Peyton Manning, and he missed a year.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
I'm telling you, folks, for the last six teams that
have won a Super Bowl, the winning quarterback threw a
pick in the Super Bowl. Bo Knicks is a great
example of this. Bow Knicks has nine picks this year.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Whoa. But when.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
He has sixteen touchdowns in one pick, when do you
throw them? You know, don't throw him in the red zone,
which takes away guaranteed points. But if you're at midfield,
throw it deep down the sideline. Then it gets picked
at the nine. That's better than the punter could do.
It's a change of possession. Rock Purty one of the
(15:23):
things I'll defend Brock Purty about. He's super aggressive. He
threw a lot of picks in college. He throws picks
in the NFL. Kyle Shanan loves him because he takes
a swing. So this Sam Donald narrative, you can't win
big with Sam Darnald. Last two years he leads the
NFL and wins. If you go back to Sam Donald
(15:44):
the Carolina years and you pick it up late November
because he sat for the first time in his career,
take the Jets out. He sat in Carolina when he
started playing late November. From that day until now three
different teams, he's the winningest quarterback in the league and
has a higher one hundred plus passer rating percentage than Mahomes.
(16:11):
So also, quarterbacks who throw more often throw more picks.
The Eagles are literally trying to get Jalen Hurts to
throw fewer times because they win more when he throws less.
That's what I don't want. I like Trevor Lawrence, Josh
Allen Dak the coaching staff, trust them. Think about Seattle.
(16:33):
Seattle is so much better this year than last. And
that's letting go of a Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
What was the only change? Sam Darnold and a new coordinator.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
You guys, watch the Vikings offense this year doesn't quite
feel as consistent or dynamic, does it.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
What happened? One major change?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Quarterback left, same coach, same coordinator, same wide receiver, same
old line, a lot of the same defensive players. They
lost Darnald, So this whole thing. Peyton Manning in a
seventeen year period led the NFL and picks Andrew Luck
a lot of picks for the last six Super Bowl
(17:12):
winning teams. The quarterback to a pick in the game.
The world has changed. If you can make plays with
your feet and move the chains, you're a playmaker. It's
not just now about safe distribution here's Sam Darnold.
Speaker 10 (17:27):
We're excited about this challenge. Obviously, it's a divisional game.
You know, playing these guys last time obviously wasn't my
best effort. You know. I feel like as an offense,
we just got to continue to do what we've been
we've been practicing, you know, stay in the details. But again,
this team's a very good, very good defense.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
It's a very good team.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
It's interesting in a game in which he had four picks,
go back and look at the end of the game,
the Seahawks were moving for the win because Sam may
so many big plays. I mean, think about Seattle's offense
got rid of DK Metcalf did draft a really good
left guard, but it's basically Darnald and a new coordinator.
(18:12):
JSN was on it the year before. I'm gonna take
big swings, aggressive quarterbacks who throw occasional picks every day
of the week over underneath safeguy every day of the week.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Be sure to catch live editions of the herd week
days in neone Easter, not a Empacific. Be sure to
catch live editions of the Herd week days in New Easter,
not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And with that, eighteen years in the NFL. Matt Hasselbeck
joins us live, and I'm going to ask him anybody
that in that bubble that you're just diametrically opposed to
or like, I don't have Jacksonville close because I don't
trust him.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Who are you dying?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Now?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
You're already smiling?
Speaker 7 (18:49):
Who are you do enjoying that?
Speaker 11 (18:52):
It was super entertaining for me. I was actually just
sitting there listening, kind of disappointed that I had to
come on and talk. I was enjoying it. No, you're incomplete, man,
Like you're incomplete, Like what are we doing?
Speaker 7 (19:03):
Where are the Pittsburgh Steelers? Where are the Green Bay Packers?
Speaker 11 (19:07):
And yes, you're hating on Jacksonville because who knows why,
because they're a small marketing.
Speaker 7 (19:11):
You just feel like hating on them for that reason.
They're alive.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Listen.
Speaker 7 (19:14):
I know I'm probably biased.
Speaker 11 (19:16):
I lost a Super Bowl to a wild card team
that nobody gave a chance. Nobody gave a chance to them,
and then they just kept winning and winning and winning.
Speaker 7 (19:24):
And it's what everybody says.
Speaker 11 (19:25):
It's the team that plays the best football At the
end of the year, it doesn't matter what you did
in September. It doesn't matter what you did two years ago.
It does not matter. So the team that's playing the best.
I love the fact that you gave Houston all that love.
Houston's exactly the kind of team that people are going
to overlook and that coaches and players, they're going to
turn on that film and it's going to be nameless
(19:47):
faces on that film and they're going to be like, dang,
like we got issues here, Like we got issues going
up against this team. We don't want to play that
team and that division even I mean Jacksonville is a
similar thing. Carolina is a team that people are going
to sleep on. That's what's so great about this tournament.
Is there a favorite? Yeah, there's a favorite. It's the
(20:08):
La Rams. And I think that the Rams and the
Seahawks Thursday night, that could be the best game of
the entire you know, those could be the two best
teams in the NFL right there Thursday night, and they
might see each other again, so you know, we'll see this.
Speaker 7 (20:19):
This is exciting. I'm loving it.
Speaker 11 (20:21):
That's why I was so entertained listening to you, you know,
kind of go through it.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
So my gut feeling is I do think Caleb and Bow.
I mean again, Caleb's got more torque, although I think
Bow is incredibly agile and athletic. He is so clever
and deceptive on the rollouts. My gut feeling is you
like Bow more than Caleb at this point though?
Speaker 11 (20:41):
Right, Yeah, he's way more polished, refined game ready to me.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Okay, is there something about Bow that does that you
do worry about? Is there a lower ceiling?
Speaker 3 (20:53):
How do you view him?
Speaker 11 (20:54):
Yeah, listen, I'm a huge I'm a huge, huge fan
of bo Knicks. That doesn't mean that he's playing perfect
right now. I mean talking about his numbers in the
fourth quarter.
Speaker 7 (21:01):
And how they're good. Yeah, they are good.
Speaker 11 (21:03):
But against Kream Bay, he put the ball in Harm's
way four times, like it's tips and overthrows. Got to
get those, that's what they say on defense. The Packers
didn't do it. Those balls were up in the air.
He gave them opportunities to lose that game. And you know,
I just even go back to like what Philip Rivers
did this past week, and everyone wants to talk about, Hey,
what do you see out of Philip Rivers? He didn't
(21:24):
put his team in negative situations. That's like the thing,
that's the thing. Tom Brady did so well, singing, Aaron
Rodgers did so well. And I think that's a compliment
that I would give to Caleb Williams is that Caleb
Williams does a really nice job of protecting the football.
And he's done a nice job this year of protecting
his team in other ways. And so I think when
you get the play caller and the quarterback really on
(21:46):
the same page, really clicking, like you're my guy, through
thick and thin, no matter what, that's that's when you're
cooking with gas.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
And that's what the Broncos have.
Speaker 11 (21:54):
I'm not one hundred percent sure that that's what the
what the Chicago Bears have. Benjihson got hired to fix Caleb,
to do his magic with Caleb.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
He's off to a great start.
Speaker 11 (22:06):
But to think that this is those two guys are
a forever pair, I.
Speaker 7 (22:10):
Think that remains to be seen.
Speaker 11 (22:11):
I think they're off to a great start, but you know,
the next three weeks they're going to tell a lot
nationally televised games, and it's a great team around him.
Speaker 7 (22:19):
So I'm not all the ways sold.
Speaker 11 (22:20):
I thought this last game was the best game I've
seen Caleb play though.
Speaker 10 (22:24):
So.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Quarterback interceptions are not always on the quarterback. You have
young receivers, they don't run the right route, somebody misses
a block, you're rushed. Seven of the eleven interception leaders
in the NFL right now are like Pro Bowl level quarterbacks.
Josh Allen, Darnald, Dack, Mahomes, Herbert, Trevor Lawrence. Let's talk
Sam Darnold tomorrow against the Rams. Are his interceptions when
(22:50):
you watch him not seeing something.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Reckless? Kind of his.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
DNA when you look at because I thought Andrew Luck
was a guy that wasn't reckless, but he just he
was an aggressive guy and he was going to take
big swings. Because Andrew luckknw deep down, our roster's not
very good. We can't go thirteen play drives. We don't
have that on line. Sam does have a lot around him.
(23:17):
Why is he throwing picks in his career? What do
they look like to you?
Speaker 11 (23:21):
Well, let's just go back to the about a month
ago they played the Rams. He had four interceptions in
that game, and you know, his protection wasn't great and
he was just trying too hard. You know, most of
the interceptions that I've seen.
Speaker 7 (23:31):
Him throw this year.
Speaker 11 (23:33):
As you know, he's just wanting it so bad. He
wants it to work. And you know, go back to
the last game against the Rams. The Rams won the game.
Sam Donald throws four interceptions, but if he only throws
three interceptions, the Seahawks win the game. And that's kind
of the mindset that I think the coaches are going
to have to get into him this week for the
Thursday night game. And I've had coaches to do this
(23:54):
to me as well, and they literally say it like, hey, listen,
if you just go from three interceptions to two interceptions
we went, and as a quarterback is like, oh man,
like I can do that, Like I can do that
instead of the mindset of like, hey, if ro O
line is getting you know, worked by their D line,
you got to do something heroic, you know. And just
it's like a mind it's a shift in how you're
(24:14):
thinking about it. And I think they're talking to him
the way that they probably talk to me or Andrew Lucker,
all the guys you mentioned, Hey, listen, we have one
of the best defenses in the NFL.
Speaker 7 (24:23):
Our special teams can go win us a game.
Speaker 11 (24:25):
At the end, We've got a great punter, Let him punt.
You know, those kinds of ways that you can talk
to a quarterback can kind of settle him down and
make him feel like, hey, it's not all on me.
This is not me against the league MVP, Matthew Stafford.
Speaker 7 (24:39):
This is me and my guys. This is me and
my team.
Speaker 11 (24:42):
This is me and my specialists, my defense, Leonard Williams,
those guys against the Rams, and that mindset can kind
of free you up as a quarterback.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
And I think that's what would help Sam the most.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
You know, a few years ago, we watched Russell Wilson
go Seattle to Denver and almost inexplicably fell off a cliff.
And I think for two years we're.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Like, what happened? Pro bol of this?
Speaker 1 (25:06):
And then I watched Tua over the last year and
a half fall off a cliff. And they're both smaller
quarterbacks who part of their gift early was a little
elusiveness could move the pocket. Kyler Murray feels like he
has dropped off a cliff.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
I've been in the same room with you.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You're about six', four maybe a little, taller And i've
said this IS i don't want to HEAR i see
This vanderbilt. Quarterback people are, like, oh And i'm, Like
i'm not touching. THAT i saw him in a, Picture Dylan.
GABRIEL i saw him in a picture with other. Quarterbacks
i'm not drafting. That you tell me did your SIZE
i don't know what you weighed two. Twenty did your
size help you through the years with all those punitive?
Speaker 11 (25:45):
Hits, yeah probably more like two forty even. Today but, no,
Listen i'm not a guy that's gonna hate on somebody
because of their. Height if you're a, player you're a.
Player you're a, baller you're a. Leader you're a guy
that can protect the. Ball you can do it on.
FIELD i think two is ACTUALLY i don't Think tua
played his worst game this last. GAME i think he
played always played all. YEAR i think what got too
(26:06):
a bench was a lack of, grittiness like a lack of,
toughness a lack Of he has no ability to do
anything with his. Legs he takes sacks that don't need
to be taken in they're double digits minus, twelve minus.
Eleven third and, one you go to scramble year third and.
Two you slide too, early LIKE i think it's that
that that kind of like like frustration from the head,
(26:27):
coach where it's like we need someone to like put
this team on their back and like send.
Speaker 7 (26:32):
Message and that's what you get so excited.
Speaker 11 (26:34):
About when like a non running quarterback runs for a first,
down it's, like all, right we got, them here we.
Go that's WHERE i Think tua needs to like step
up his. Game he had one interception that wasn't what
it was because they're not turning the page to somebody
who's going to all of a sudden do better like you're.
Not i'm not expecting either one of those, quarterbacks based
on what they've shown this, year to do any better Than.
(26:54):
Tua this is this is a financial decision and them,
saying you know, what we would rather pay you fifty
four million dollars to not be our quarterback next year
because we are frustrated that you don't have what we
see out of guys Like Justin herbert and other guys
that we Admire Josh.
Speaker 7 (27:09):
Allen that's the, frustration and it's.
Speaker 11 (27:12):
Unfortunate Maybe twoo pulls himself out of, it maybe he
gets another, opportunity but it certainly doesn't look like it's
going to happen In.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Miami So i'm Watching Josh allen right. Now he's four
and oh this year when his defense has given up
thirty one or more, points the rest of the league
is like six and. Eighty and SOMETIMES i wonder If
josh would have Inherited Andy reid And Travis, kelcey AND
i think to myself And mahomes went To buffalo with
(27:39):
a defensive, coach would their careers be. DIFFERENT i Think John,
elway WHEN i was a kid or, younger was the
best most talented Quarterback i've ever, seen arm, Movement stanford,
guy just, toughness. EVERYTHING i look At josh And i'm, like,
well he's.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
More talented Than. Mahomes he's bigger and.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Stronger do you see that or do you still Think
mahomes has a magic that's why he's got the trophies
that Maybe josh doesn't.
Speaker 7 (28:05):
HAVE i Think.
Speaker 11 (28:07):
Josh allen ended up exactly where he needed to end.
Up you, know if you remember he came into the,
draft there was a little bit of you, know it
wasn't super, smooth and he went To buffalo and he
kind of hit a little bit from the from the
spotlight a little bit and he. Developed and of all
the quarterbacks That i've sort of evaluated or watched or
even just been a fan, OF i thought That Josh
allen made the biggest improvement from college to THE nfl
(28:31):
in a two year.
Speaker 7 (28:31):
SPAN i, mean he.
Speaker 11 (28:33):
Was absolutely amazing once he once it clicked for him
in THE, nfl and he has never looked.
Speaker 7 (28:38):
Back and to, me you, know the defense is a.
Speaker 11 (28:42):
Problem the defense is a problem if you're trying to
hoist The. Lombardi but this is a guy that can
literally put his team on his. Back he can go
above the x's and. O's if THE mvp is truly
just THE mvp and not necessarily how your team is
doing and all that kind of. Stuff Josh allen would
be that. Guy he's the'se. Otherworldly oh my team's down
(29:02):
twenty one to nothing to the team that's going to
be the one, seed The New England, Patriots no big,
deal let's, go let's go win it on the, Road
no big.
Speaker 7 (29:10):
Deal that's kind of who he. Is and when you
have that kind.
Speaker 11 (29:13):
Of, grittiness, competitiveness, belief not only your teammates believe in
you that, way but the, opponent the opposing, coaches they're, like, ah,
shoot you know It's Josh allen's on the other. Side
that's what everyone's looking for when they say franchise, quarterback
and The Buffalo bills have, it AND i mean they
are so lucky and fortunate to have.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Them Matt hasselbecks always appreciate you stopping, by and we'll
see you after a great weekend On, Monday, buddy
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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