November 9, 2024 • 39 mins
Where Colin was right and wrong
Colin's new Herd Hierarchy for the NFL
Tom Brady about what makes the Chiefs and Lions clear Super Bowl favorites through 9 weeks.
Colin's Blazin' 5 picks for the weekend
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
You know I've said this before. If Matt Stafford's the
Rams quarterback and Sean mcvay's the coach, this team will
always figure out ways to be viable, even in rebuilding years.
It didn't matter that they had multiple rookies playing on
the offensive line, or Pooca got ejected, or they couldn't
run the ball, or they were on the road and
had a terrible first half. After Mahomes and Andy Reid,
(00:47):
there is not a quarterback, head coach combo. I have
higher regard for it than Stafford and McVay. That was
a really gutty win on a Sunday where there were
a dozen reasons could have lost.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Where Colin was raw, well, I thought.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Dallas would miss the playoffs and slightly regress. I said,
they'll start regressing. I didn't think they'd become a bottom
three team, arguably in the league. Penalties, I mean their
red zone offense thirty first, they're running back room worst,
their defense thirty first. I'm not sure what Dallas does well,
and I mean Dak got caught in the sideline saying
(01:26):
we suck lip readers. Congratulations, But I thought they would
be viable but just missed the playoffs. They are, they'd
be bad in the NFC South, Like they're just bad.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
That's a bad football team. Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Lamar Jackson for years, I've defended him as a really
good pocket quarterback. I didn't think he was his first
couple of years, but he's right now, first player in
league history with four games with a perfect passer rating,
and it doesn't really matter. I think he forces linebackers
to do things they don't have to do most weeks.
You can't cheat on him. You have it feels like
(02:03):
you have to play zone, you can't play manner. He'll
take off. I don't know how good Denver's defense was.
They've made their mark against sort of average quarterbacks. But
this goes back to something I've been preaching for four years.
Don't get caught up in thinking he is a running
quarterback only because he was in the first couple of years.
Watch the games. It's more than capable from.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
The pocket where Colin was raw.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
You know, Dan Campbell, I've had my doubts on his
situational coaching. He's too emotional, But I'm wrong. He's a
success and I thought he coached yesterday with maturity and stability,
and that's a markup leadership. You know, in Philadelphia, Siriani
drives me nuts with all the risk taking. When you
have a better team and a better roster, there is
a way to coach. And I think Dan Campbell may
(02:48):
have had that goofy opening press conference, But when I
watch this football team, they execute, They don't make a
lot of mistakes. They lean into their best players. They
got a little pass happy in the first couple of
weeks of the season, but since then they've been one
of the best coach teams in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I thought Dennis Allen would be the first coach fired
in the NFL this year. I think he's an excellent coordinator,
not a head coach. He was the second coach let
go Saints. This morning, the Saints out gained the Panthers
by one hundred and fifty yards. They ran for one
hundred and fifty yards, and they won the turnover battle,
and they lost. That is the first time that has
happened in two hundred and seventy six NFL games. So
(03:25):
they just find ways to lose. And again, much like Dallas,
I am not sure under Dennis Allen what the Saints
do well. It's one of the first things we look for,
even if you're struggling as a coach, is there something
you do well? And in New Orleans, I can't pinpoint
it where Colin was wrong. USC lost again another road game.
(03:46):
They had a lead. They're now four and five on
the season. Lincoln Riley last twenty four games at US
twelve and twelve. Even his press conferences now are kind
of cringey. He has not recruited southern California. We don't
know if he can build a culture. I do think
he's upgraded the defensive staff, but they keep losing the
same way. The LA media is pretty pleasant, to be honest.
(04:08):
It doesn't have very sharp teeth. It's not Philly or Boston.
And now he said, no, you can't cover my practice anymore.
I don't know what's working. I don't know what it is.
I just think their talent is mostly pedestrian now it
is young. But even his press conference after it's getting
a little cringey.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
It's not like we're getting our ass kicked, you know.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
So it's not like I go back to the drawing boards, like, god,
we're just doing this terrible and people are just wearing
us out on this or that. I mean, like, it's
not it's not that I've told you guys this before.
It's like, ah, right, yeah, I mean, how many weeks
we got to say this? I understand, but like you
go change, you know, five six plays this season and
then everybody's like, oh my god, they're freaking unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Nobody would say that because they're not. They're just not
talented enough. Where Colin was right, I had said I
thought the Dodgers would had a historically great lineup and
would win a World Series. And I think they're even
greater than we thought. Otani was hurt in the World Series.
They had to move outfielders to the infield. They had
bullpen games against the Podres, Mets, and Yankees, and they
(05:09):
still dominated all three of them. Can you imagine if
this team was healthy. I've also defended for years Dave
Robbers for his patients and the ability to be able
to make all these stars work. This is a team
that likes each other. Otani and Freeman and Muncie and
Betts and Kersha and Buehler. The injuries, the tumult, the
(05:31):
constant moving players around from bench kick Hernandez to starting,
and yet they get along despite all the pressure. They
dominate the postseason. We were right on that one where
Colin was raw. I said a month ago, I thought
the New York Giants had the bones of a good
football team. Now they're kind of a pile of bones.
They are zero to five at home, two and seven
(05:54):
BB gun offense, thirty second ranked offense. Daniel Jones at
half four for six with zero yards passing. I think
he's a tough kid. I'll say that he'll put his
head down and run over you. But it's it's and
I like Brian Dabel. There are parts of this team
neighbors Brian Dabel, Dexter, Lawrence Dibdo. There are parts of
this team I like. But I thought a couple of
(06:15):
weeks ago, I'm like they're close. They're close, They're not close.
They're not a good team.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Finally, I predicted Jannis would demand a trade at some
point in the season. A story last week confirmed it
that teams are circling the Bucks. Six games in, They're
already a mess. Brook Lopez aged very quickly. Chris Middleton
aged very quickly. Doc Rivers may go back to broadcasting.
Jannis and Dame combined for seventy five points in the
(06:43):
game this weekend, and they lost two years ago. This
team is the Celtics were getting better and younger. The
Bucks were getting older and slower. We warned a couple
of years ago, we said, they got to make a
big swing here. This just doesn't work. They're just they
can't defend. And I think Jannis they want a title.
They did with Kareem go make a big swing. Miami's interested,
(07:05):
so were the Warriors. But this was really predictable. This
roster in an improving East, with Orlando's good, in Cleveland's good,
and Indiana's good, and the Knicks are better, this isn't
gonna work that this right now is not a playoff team.
On a Monday, Colin Wright Colin Wrong.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
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 heard Hierarchy No Go.
The top ten NFL teams according to College Number ten.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Well Jordan loves not healthy. He leads the NFL and
picks seven straight starts with an interception, longest streak by
a Packer quarterback since Brett farre And I think it's
a thing. I think green Bay can make mistakes, but
they can't make him against San Francisco. They can't make
him against Detroit, and this weekend the mistakes caught up.
I still like this team a lot. The schedule's getting
(08:02):
very interesting after the buye for them, Niners, Dolphins, Lions.
They got to clean some stuff up. But I put
him at number ten, Number nine the Chargers, I probably
have low number one scoring defense. First team to hold
opponents to twenty points reviewer in each of their first
eight games since the Patriots five years ago. Opposing quarterbacks
have a seventy five passer rating. Justin Herbert. He's not
(08:24):
throwing that much and he's not making any mistakes. Can
you imagine this defense? Went from a tire fire with
Brandon Staley to the best, arguably after Kansas City in
the league, with mostly the same personnel Herbert Harbaugh, Khalil
mack Bosa. The wide receivers were healthy this week and
looked good enough. They feel a little like Kansas City.
(08:47):
You wish they were a little deeper at wide receiver, coach, quarterback,
pass rush, run game. They're good. Chargers nine number eight.
Steelers at eight. You know they did beat the Chargers,
although Herbert was hurt. Russ Wilson. Listen, he's not making
any mistakes and he's getting the ball to George Pickens.
So George Pickens since Russell took over, has multiple touchdowns,
(09:08):
he had a touchdown call back. He's got one hundred
and fifty plus yards. They're leaning on their best receiver.
Russell's not making mistakes. Najie Harris is carrying the ball.
They've got a great pass rush. I think the ceiling
is lower than it is for teams like Green Bay
and the Chargers, but right now, healthy, good no mistakes,
good coach and defense. I have Pittsburgh at eight, number seven.
(09:31):
I think the Commanders have a much higher ceiling, especially
since getting Marcus Lattimore seven of eight games. They're only
lost to the Ravens, and they were competitive in that
number three rushing offense, number three total offense. It kind
of feels like CJ. Stroud his rookie year. You're like,
do we have a top ten quarterback now? I think
Jayden Daniels right now is a top ten quarterback. I
think he's that good. Thirteen total touchdowns and two turnovers.
(09:56):
That's never been done with a rookie quarterback in their
first nine starts. He's got the poise of a twenty
nine year old, thirty year old, thirty one year old quarterback,
and they just got better in the secondary. Number six,
I love the roster. The coach drives me nuts. Philadelphia.
They're four to zero since the buy, and since the buy,
Jalen Hurts seventy two percent completion percentage during the four
(10:19):
game winning streak. Basically they put some borders around him.
AJ Brown will come back, they'll be even better. But basically,
the last three seasons, this team doesn't lose. They're fourteen
to one when Jalen Hurts doesn't turn it over. So
they finally looked at the analytics and said let's take
away the risks. Let's run Jalen Hurts a few more times,
let's not throw it quite as much, and if we
(10:41):
don't turn it over, we win the games. I still
think their coach scares me in big spots, but I
have the Eagles at six, number five San Francisco. I
was a seller early, I'm a buyer now because Jennings
and Christian McCaffrey are coming back. Listen, they outgain opponents
by ninety eight yards a game. That is something that's
the best in the NFL, the second highest graded offense
(11:01):
PFF in the NFL. And again now they get Jordan
Mason moves to backup running back and McCaffrey will make
them a better red zone offense. So they're and they're
and they're. But the thing is now they're not like
the previous Niners. They're three and ozero when Purty doesn't
have a turnover. So they they're margins of shrunk. They're
not as dominating. They are beat up more. You know,
they're they're gonna beat you, but they're not gonna hammer
(11:23):
you like they did three years ago when Kittle was
closer to his prime and Deebo wasn't as banged up.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Number four Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
I mean, it's really remarkable how Josh Allen stopped turning
the ball over. And that's the story. It's the same team.
I don't know if I trust them in a big spot,
will McDermott get conservative, But basically it's the same team
as last year without the turnovers, and that's a really
good football team. Josh Allen has more touchdowns than Saxon
turnovers combined. So it's we always said if you could
(11:52):
get rid of the reckless, Josh Allen is the second
best quarterback in the league, and they're dangerous. Well, they're
out of the reckless, and he's got more weapons on offense.
So I have them at number four.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Number three the Ravens.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Again, it's a January trust issue, it's not a regular
season issue. Number one total offense only team averaging seven
yards of play. I don't know how great Denver's defense is,
but they were reeling and they did whatever they wanted to.
And I think the other thing is this team's really smart.
Derrick Henry is such a good ad for them. So
it's like this two pronged run game. You can't cheat.
(12:27):
Play action works more effectively. Lamar Jackson now has bigger
windows to throw in because you not only have to
be honest when you're facing Lamar, now you've got Derrick Henry.
So it just leaves linebackers clinging to the defensive line,
and the gap between linebacker and safety is greater than
ever and Lamar's taken advantage of it.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Number two.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Listen, it's really close, but I would take Andy Reid
Mahomes over Goff and Dan Campbell. They have more touchdowns
than in completions during this six game winning streak. They're healthy,
they're physicals, and Darius Smith is a nice ad. He's
not Hutchison. I mean, they're averaging thirty two points a game.
That's like a college team. But again, if you're asking
(13:08):
me to stack him against Kansas City, playoff football is
coaching and quarterback play. Mahomes is more of an athlete
than golf, and Andy Reid is the best coach arguably
in the sports history. I put in Detroit at two.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Number one.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
What's interesting with Kansas City it's the opposite of the
Tyreek Hill offense. They actually leave the NFL in time
of possession. They've become this methodical boring three point seven
yard to carry run game that remains undaunted on third down.
So you get all the high leverage brilliance, all the
great coaching and quarterback play, the best coordinator on the
(13:43):
defensive side. Now they're just kind of boring. I mean,
that's why Tampa Bay not going for the win last
night makes no sense. All right, sign up for six
and a half more minutes of torture for Mahomes Bags,
Chris Jones, Travis Kelcey, and Patrick Mahomes. So they've the
Kansas City has pivoted from this wild circus two years
(14:05):
ago over the top to a methodical run team. It's
New England. We're going to do what we have to do,
what is our person. And by the way, they don't
even have their home run hit or at running back.
I got a guy that pulled off the street at
running back. And there's your top ten. One more Herd.
The Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven days
a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd to listen
(14:26):
live or on demand whenever you like. Tom Brady twenty
three years best quarterback to ever play the game. So
I was thinking about this, tom as I'm watching Kansas City,
I still feel like I said, they're like an electric
vehicle that's only charged about fifty percent. They're not They're
kind of trying to figure out what they are back
up running back. They don't know what to do with
(14:48):
Xavier Worthy. They just kind of go back your Randy
Moss team Boom. You knew very early at special But
did you ever have a team that won a Super
Bowl but in the middle of a season you didn't
quite know what the offensive identity was? Because that's what
I watched when I watched the Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I actually think they do have a great offensive identity.
I think they look the game's about winning. We talk
about points, you talk about you know, yards, and you
talk about penalties and defensive stops. To me, at the
end of the game, do you have more points than
the other team. That's the maturity of a great team
(15:31):
and a great organization. I played on a lot of teams.
Some were a lot of offensive strengths, some had a
lot of defensive strengths. Some years we were kind of
middle of the packet both. But we played well situationally,
third down, red area two minute every year. That's the
best part about the NFL is the constant transition, the
(15:51):
constant change. Now you see they add DeAndre Hopkins at
the trade deadline, So it's like in the end and
when you have Patrick Mahomes and it's a one score game,
everyone's always betting on the Chiefs. Now, can someone get
away from the Chiefs. I don't know, because that defense
plays so well. But I don't think Patrick Mahomes is
(16:12):
a lesser player because he doesn't have twenty five touchdowns
at this point. It's just he's not playing with guys
that can produce that from the receiver position. So that
naturally Patrick's job is to and I covered him a
few weeks ago when I said the job of the
quarterback is to manage all the variables of the game
(16:33):
and the season, injuries, whether the rhythm of the offense,
and then ultimately go out there and make the plays
that put you in a position to win. And that's
what winners do, and certainly Patrick is that. And then
he's got Andy Reid there, who's as great of a
coach you know, in NFL history. He's on the kind
of the Mount rushmore of coaches. So you have this
(16:53):
consistency of this organization from owner, general, manager, coach, quarterback,
and then to me defensive coordinator in spags that the
way that defense plays puts them in a position to
win every single week. So it's obviously they can be beat.
There's probably games where they could have been beat this year,
but every game is decided by a few plays, and
(17:17):
the reality of the Chiefs team is they always find
a way to make the plays when it matters.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
You know, I remember when Randy Moss played with you,
when you guys brought a new player in and you
had talked at the time. You're like, you know Belichick,
and you were like, he's just smart and he knows football.
So obviously DeAndre Hopkins doesn't know the entire playbook yet.
But I'm watching him and I'm like, especially that play
in the back of the end zone, I'm like, God,
you'd think they've had fifty practices. What is it about
(17:42):
certain receivers with you like Moss or or DeAndre Hopkins?
They don't have to know the playbook? But yet I
felt like had I just landed on the planet and
watched it, I would have never guessed he just showed
up at the facility. What was it with Moss? What
is it with a veteran receiver that a young receiver
just couldn't do.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
And that's a great question. So the reality is, is
a great receiver, well, any receiver that's a veteran knows
what a knows what a practice weeks looks like. If
they know how to run all the routes in the offense,
now they may not know exactly where to line up
because everyone has their variations of words and descriptive words
(18:24):
they use to get people aligned, to get the protections organized,
and then to call routes. Some people use number systems
people use, some people use words that people have to memorize.
Some people use a one term word that tells everybody
what to do. Kansas City does it kind of a
myriad of different ways. And then once DeAndre can really
comprehend that, he's going to say, oh, okay, that's what
(18:45):
I used to call this outcut in Tennessee was like this,
or in Houston it was like smith. But in Case
it's like this. But I still know how to run
the route. So you have these veteran players that have
the experience to run the routes, to know the offenses.
It's not like you know when he played for Tennessee,
the field was a different size. You know, it's the
(19:08):
same rules, it's the same routes. It's ultimately just how
you call him. So once he gets out there and
he's confident in what he has, you know he's going
to look like DeAndre Hopkins always has, which is you know,
he's got good quickness, he's got great catch radius, he's
got this ability and the situational place to make catches
like that, and certainly as a rhetoric target. And I
just think if you look at the Chiefs and their
(19:30):
injuries at the receiver position, to add someone like DeAndre
who has that veteran presence and there's no game is
going to be too big for him. He's played a
lot of big games, so that always gives a quarterback
a lot of confidence. I remember playing with certain rookie
receivers literally it was like the first day of OTAs
and I'd call like, hey, run a slant and he
(19:54):
looked at me like a slant okay, And that's kind
of the most generic route. Look since we're running those
in in parking lots, you know, with your friends. And
there was a few guys I played with that would
they'd start the route slow, then they'd speed up into
the break, then they'd slow down coming out of the break,
and then they look for the ball and I look
at them and be like.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
What the hell was that?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
You know, like, there's such a there's such a learning
curve that needs to happen from a rookie player. Whereas
when you get someone like DeAndre, you go, hey, Jondre,
run a slant and it looks like a slant. It
looks great, it's fluid, it's smooth, you can plan it.
So with a rookie, there's such a learning curve. There's
so many things to learn that you're never going to
(20:36):
get that type of production in a short period of
time of the rookie that you can get with a
veteran unless that's just a very special rookie. And I've
had some of those. Those guys, to me, are more
anomalies than kind of what the norm is.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
I know you probably haven't sat and watched too many
Denver games or Bears games, but when with the young quarterbacks,
obviously they grew up in a different environment than you.
Seven on seven camps, way more snaps by the time
they're fifteen than you had. But go back to your career.
I remember you doing an interview with Jay Laser once
and you're like, I've seen everything, dude, you could throw
anything at me. When was the time in your career?
(21:12):
You're pretty a learned guy, You're very committed. How long
did it take? You know they always talk about things
slowed down a little. How long Mahomes said it was
year three? What was it for you?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
The answer is it progressively gets more and more. And
I would say maybe at year one it's fifty percent
of the way that you want it, and then year
two it's sixty percent, and ultimately you're trying to get
to one hundred percent. But even I think for Patrick,
if I look at his situation and his development, he
was very lucky to sit behind and Patrick, let me
(21:49):
get us out of the way. He is a phenomenal player.
To me, is you know he Lamar Josh Allen. You're
talking about the upper echelon, as we all know, and
Patrick is going to go down as one of the
greats ever for a number of reasons. But if I
look at him, he went to college at Texas Tech.
He had Cliff Kingsbury there with him for three years
an NFL caliber coach, running a lot of NFL caliber
(22:12):
type calls and methodologies by on what he's doing. So
he three years of that. Then he goes to the
Chiefs and he's got Alex Smith as the guy that's
ahead of him, who's a phenomenal player, great leader, does
everything the right way. And then he's got Andy Reid
as his play caller. So it's like there's a reason
(22:32):
why it all works, and there's this development that happens
and why Patrick has been able to ascend so quickly,
and he would have found a way to ascend at
some point anyway. I'm just saying I could never have
reached this area of growth that I needed to. Whether
that was your one or three or five. It was
accelerated because of all the things that I had in
(22:54):
place when I was in college. I ran a pro
style offense. Yeah, I got drafted, Bill Belichick teach me.
I got to sit behind Drew bledsoe. I worked really
hard to learn all those things and embrace the challenge.
And I think when you're a young quarterback, ultimately that's
what you're trying to do. Be in a situation where
you can learn, grow, develop, it's all about mentorship. It's
(23:16):
all about the people that come in your life. I
see Bo Nicks from Denver. He's got Sean Payton there
as a phenomenal coach. He's gonna get great coaching. They're
gonna have great scheme. A lot of times, the first
reads for him are going to be open because he's
got a great play caller that knows how to design things.
So then you go on the other side of it.
You know, I've seen a lot of quarterbacks that don't
(23:36):
make it. Maybe they wouldn't have made it anyway, but
I'm just saying there's a potential that they could look
at Sam Darnold. Now he's playing really well in Minnesota. Good.
He's got a good coach, he's got a good scheme,
he's got some good receivers. He's playing well. You know
when he was at the Jets, he didn't have all
those things quite in place. So we always have to
look at I think the physical makeup of these young players.
(24:00):
Are they capable of ay, Do they have good arms?
Do they have great arms? Are they athletic? Can they
get out of the pocket? Can they And then to me,
there's a mental element that always comes into quarterback play.
And I said in this last game against Green Bay,
was watching Green Bay Lions this last weekend. I said,
there's no way for me to really see sustained success
in the NFL at the quarterback position if you don't
(24:22):
have total control of what's being done out on the field.
If you're expecting your coach to call a play from
the sideline and that play is gonna come into your helmet,
you're gonna call it, You're gonna walk to the line
of scrimmage, and that play is going to be successful,
regardless of the defense of Look, you're out of your mind.
That's not the way it works. The defense calls plays
(24:44):
to stop you, and they have their own tendency. So
it's up to the quarterback ultimately to decide, Okay, I
got a play called. I see what the defense is doing.
Is this play gonna work or not. If it's gonna work,
you run it. If it's not, what do I need
to do to to survive the down, or what do
I need to do to put us in a position
to be really successful? That to me, is the operational
(25:07):
control the quarterback's need. And the problem is with the
development of height of college programs now they're not getting
developed in the same way. Now they get to a
pro program and a lot of the NFL programs, there's
so much money going around. The need to develop is
Guys can sign one or two contracts and not develop
(25:28):
and still make a great living. So I would love
to see the quarterback play continue to evolve and grow.
It's only going to come from more time on task,
more time with your coaches, more understanding of what your
roles and responsibility are. You're supposed to develop a tool
kit as a quarterback to deal with what you see
(25:49):
on the game every single day. I've seen Jared Goff
again covering him this last game. It was awesome to
watch in LA. He had a great system, he had
McVeigh to learn under. He brought that. He comes to
a phenomenal a program in Detroit right now, where to me,
they're doing a lot of things the right way. Their
offensive coordinator Ben Johnson says, all right, Jared, we're gonna
put more and more on your plate. We're going to
(26:09):
give you a great opportunity to succeed, and you have
to have the ability to process a lot of information,
which is one of Jared strengths to actually implement all
those things, and when you do it well, to me,
that's what gets you to that's what gives you a
great chance to win every single week in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
So Bill Belichick's had a couple of weeks ago when
asked about Detroit, He's like, they've got everything offensively. You
hope they make a mistake. And you just called the
game and green Bay's got a good team. It looked
like older brother, younger brother, let me teach you how
to play football. Go back, I mean Detroit o line tackles,
run game, tight end, quarterback. Go back to your career,
(26:49):
because I felt like green Bay very quickly was like
we're a little out of our elements here. This is
a really really so go back to your career. Was
there ever a team you play and you may not
have said this to your teammates, but you thought to yourself,
I'm not sure they have a weakness like that is
Pro bowlers everywhere I watched Detroit's offense, Tom, I don't
(27:12):
know what the weakness is, deep ball, slants, slots. Did
you ever face a team like that when you looked
at the personnel and thought, it's almost a perfect offense.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
I would say the only I would say the early
Colts offenses we faced. They had Saturday. They had Terry
Glenn tight End, they had Pollard, they had at times
Dallas Clark. They had Marvin, they had Reggie, they had Stokelee. Wow,
they had Edgrin. They were so good and I'm lucky
(27:48):
I didn't have to go against them. To me, it
was great. Bella Check would say, guys, listen, this would
be a Wednesday meeting. Understand this. They are gonna move
the ball on us. They're too good. They got so
many guys, they're gonna go up and down. We need
to play good red area defense, and we're gonna work
(28:08):
on red area defense on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday because
that's gonna decide the game. They're gonna get the ball
down there. Which is a great humility from a coach
who's a defensive coach, who's essentially the coordinator to say,
these guys are so good, we're not gonna just you know,
pull the wooldover eyes and thinks that we're gonna keep
these guys. The two hundred and forty yards offense they're
(28:30):
gonna have. They're gonna have yards what we need to
do is keep the points down. If we can keep
the points down and offensively we can control the game.
We can run the ball and then we can score points,
we're gonna give ourselves a best chance to win. That
to me is complimentary football. Right. So when you play
the Lions, the only way to beat them is to
(28:51):
play a style where the offense compliments the defense and
then the kicking game does their job. Sometimes when you punt,
you play great fields. Okay, offensively, the best defense against
the Lions offense, to me is the meet is possessed
the football. You don't want to make it a track
meet against a team that can run it. They throw
(29:11):
it to their tight end, they throw it to their receivers.
When they get Jamison William back, they have the explosive receiver.
So there's so many and they go for an on
fourth downs so often they they you know, you got
to stop them for four downs, not just three, which
is a really hard thing to do. So there's a
lot of challenges that the Lions are presenting. And look,
the one game they did lose this year, they were
(29:32):
one of six in the red area. That's right against
the Bucks, yep. So So to me, they got a
they got a great offense, and they got a lot
of humility, they got a great culture. To me, they're
doing so many things the right way in the NFL
right now.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
So you're calling the San Francisco game this weekend, when
when you know, and I think Brock's a good player,
but I also think and the and the you're a
great example of this. Executives miss all the time on
players Antonio Gates and Tony Romo weren't draft. There's players
all over. I watched the kid for the Rams this weekend.
Some undrafted safety had his fourth pick. There's talent everywhere.
(30:06):
What was the thing when the first the first time
you saw Brock Purty. Obviously you weren't wowed by his size.
His arm strength is good enough. What was the first
thing that you saw. I wouldn't see this. You would
see this and you thought that guy's pretty good. Like
is there something that you see because you played the
position a tell like in poker that you were like, yeah,
(30:28):
that this kid's gonna work.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Sure, So I think it's poise and composure. It's calm
under chaos. That's what the quarterback needs to do. And
he walks into that huddle, he needs ten other guys
looking at him go all right, man, you're you're totally
under control, and whatever you say, we're gonna do so
our best bags because we know you're gonna deliver. And
they all have that confidence in Brock as a player.
(30:55):
And you're right, Brock's not the biggest. His arm strength
is like Aaron Rodgers. But if he can play with
anticipation in this offense, to me, even studying in the
last few days is a lot different than the one
that they had last year and the year before. They
had so many weapons the last couple of years. You know,
(31:17):
Brock essentially was a point guard out there, just the
liver and balls to halfbacks and flip it out there
to de bone gain yards. And then he's got iuke,
you know, catching in cuts and running for a lot
is Oh you forgot about kittle boom, We're going to
throw over the top of you there. This offense has
been in and out of a lot of their great players,
and I think getting McCaffrey back is so important for
(31:37):
this offense because he provides that passing threat out of
the backfield that they just haven't had this year. So
now the defense has to come up closer to the
line of scrimmage to defend the run with Christian as
well as the pass, and that to me opens up
more of the intermediate and deeper parts of the field
for Brock where they've kind of been throwing more of
these intermediate type targets on the field, which I don't
(31:59):
think is the strength of that offense. So if they
can get back, if they can get Christian back playing
well with Mason and McCaffrey, wow, that's a great group.
Then at receiver, obviously losing Ayuk is a brutal loss,
but they drafted Pierso in the first round. He's gonna
get his legs underneath him. You still got Jennings, who
to me is one of the most underrated receivers in
(32:21):
the NFL. To perform so well in the Super Bowl,
they have a ton of confidence in him and then
debo his versatility. You still got yu Chek who's a
ridiculous chess piece for Kyle, And then you have Kittle,
who can turn up from time to time and go,
holy cat, we almost forgot about him. And then not
to mention a phenomenal offensive line. So they still have
(32:41):
all the pieces in place. Now. They've kind of always
seemed to turn around their season around the bye week.
This is when they need to do it. They just
had their bye week. We'll see, you know, if they
get green Law back on defense, that would be a
huge boost. Unfortunately, what they're really missed on defense they
lost Hardgrave, They lost this interior rusher, so now it's
really kind of a one man show with Bosa on
(33:04):
the perimeter. But if they can get Greenlaw back and
get him playing close to the way that he was
playing in there with Warner, you have one of the
best handems in the league, if not the best at linebacker.
They rush the quarterback a little better and then that's safe.
That secondary unit, which has always got a lot of
tight coverage, they can capitalize on offensive mistakes. So I
(33:25):
would never count out the forty nine ers. I think
they're so well coached. They got a great system in place,
a great culture of guys that know how to win.
You know, those are all the things you look for
with the Niners.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Seven Rings. Tom Brady Fox Sports taking time for us today. Tom,
I appreciate it, man. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
and noon easter. Not a empacific.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
I'm a I gotta be honest with you. I've been
a lidtle warm in the last couple of weeks with
my blazing five picks. Let's turn the heat up.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Feeling it hot, Let's blaze it up. Fired up, It's
Collins Blazon. Fuck Bills. It cool.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
I like the Colts plus four Listen. Flacco is gonna
be fine. It was the first game starting. Give him
some reps. He'll be fine. Buffalo Jonathan Taylor. Buffalo didn't
defend the run particularly well. Jonathan Taylor one hundred plus
scrimmageyards for the last five games. Good offensive line, they
will run the ball. They have a chance to control
the clock, and they have tied for the most takeaways
(34:26):
in the AFC. Here's what scares me about Buffalo. They're
getting more Josh Allen reliant twelve rush attempts, one hundred
and six passes over the last three games, back to
back games with an interception. They're getting a little Josh
Allen heavy. They've got nineteen players on the injured list.
They come off a very emotional divisional win against Miami.
(34:49):
I think the Bills go on the road, they get flat.
It's a must win game for the Colts in a
feisty division. Bill's got their division wrapped up. I'm gonna
get the upset here. Take the points. Upset Colts twenty
seven Bills twenty four.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Vikings at Jaguars.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Love the Vikings. Trevor Lawrence won't play. It's gonna be
Mac Jones. The entire offense. Six different starters for the
Jagson offense are banged up. Vikings only losses to the
Rams when they got healthy in the Lions. They're a
fast starting team, so Minnesota on the road takes the lead.
They're actually the best first quarter team in the league.
They'll quiet the crowd. What there is of one offense
(35:27):
Number two in the NFL in Minnesota in big plays
and Sam Darnold's hot seven of his eight starts one
hundred plus passer rating, tied for the best of the NFL.
The Jaguars defense is off full. It is terrible. They're
a slow starting team. The defense is thirtieth or worse
in almost every unit. Listen to this. They allow six
(35:50):
yards of play. That is unheard of a fast starting
Minnesota Vikings offense. A quarterback and coaching advantage. Mac Jones
against Darnold. I'm gonna lay the seven points. Vikings win
by ten thirty three twenty.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Three Steelers and Commanders.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
I'm gonna take Mike Tomlin off a buy as an underdog.
He's the best underdog coach maybe of his generation. Take
the Steelers plus the three points back to back games
with four hundred plus yards. Russell Wilson is really keying
in on George Pickens thriving together. Here's the thing. Their
defense is terrific number one red zone defense, So even
(36:31):
if Washington busts off some big plays, they'll settle more
often from for field goals and touchdowns. And the Commander's
defense is bad twenty eighth best red zone defense. And
I kind of like what I've seen from Pittsburgh's red
zone offense in run game with Russell Wilson, I have
a feeling Pittsburgh's gonna control the clock, pound the rock,
(36:54):
move the pocket, and when the Commanders do move the
ball against the great defense, they'll move it us they'll
settle for field goals. I'm taking Mike Tomlin off of
by plus the points as an underdog to beat Washington
twenty seven to twenty four, forty nine Ers and Buccaneers. Listen,
we said yesterday this is the bet of the week.
(37:15):
I'll take forty nine Ers minus six and a half.
They're getting healthy, they're coming off of bye. McCaffrey, Deebo, Samuels,
Juwan Jennings are all back. They've won four or five
games under Shanahan, the last four or five off of
by number two in total offense, and that's using number
three and number four running backs defense, multiple takeaways in
(37:37):
three games. You got a ticked off San Francisco team
getting healthy. They're gonna eat Tampa's on a short week
off a physical overtime game with Kansas City. Their defense
allows thirty three a game, and they are falling apart.
Baker's not healthy, couple of the backs aren't healthy, Mike
Evans still out. Vitavia isn't one hundred percent. This is
a bad, bad spot for Tampa. I like the Niners
(38:02):
to win comfortably thirty to twenty.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Dolphins and Rams.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
You know the wise guys like Miami here, I do not.
I like the Rams three game winning streak. They're eight
and three when they're healthy with Puka Cooper Cup Stafford
Kyron Williams, and they are healthy, and Miami goes on
the road again, this time all the way cross country.
The story of the Rams is how good their defensive
rookies are. They lead the NFL and hit sacks, interceptions.
(38:31):
This defense is a bunch of rookies and second year players,
and they're getting better by the week. Tua better at
protection shared versus unblockable. I don't think it's Stafford as
much as it is this defense for a team that
now travels for the second straight week, and I don't
like Miami doesn't get a pass rush, so Stafford is
going to be really comfortable. They don't defend the run again.
(38:54):
I think the Rams win time of possession, control the
line of scrimmage at home, control the clock. Dolphins fly
across country after the Buffalo trip. I like the Rams
to win thirty to twenty four. Whise guys like the Fins.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
I do not
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three Eastern nine am to noone Pacific. Find
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dot com, or stream us live every day on the
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
You know I've said this before. If Matt Stafford's the
Rams quarterback and Sean mcvay's the coach, this team will
always figure out ways to be viable, even in rebuilding years.
It didn't matter that they had multiple rookies playing on
the offensive line, or Pooca got ejected, or they couldn't
run the ball, or they were on the road and
had a terrible first half. After Mahomes and Andy Reid,
(00:47):
there is not a quarterback, head coach combo. I have
higher regard for it than Stafford and McVay. That was
a really gutty win on a Sunday where there were
a dozen reasons could have lost.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Where Colin was raw, well, I thought.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Dallas would miss the playoffs and slightly regress. I said,
they'll start regressing. I didn't think they'd become a bottom
three team, arguably in the league. Penalties, I mean their
red zone offense thirty first, they're running back room worst,
their defense thirty first. I'm not sure what Dallas does well,
and I mean Dak got caught in the sideline saying
(01:26):
we suck lip readers. Congratulations, But I thought they would
be viable but just missed the playoffs. They are, they'd
be bad in the NFC South, Like they're just bad.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
That's a bad football team. Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Lamar Jackson for years, I've defended him as a really
good pocket quarterback. I didn't think he was his first
couple of years, but he's right now, first player in
league history with four games with a perfect passer rating,
and it doesn't really matter. I think he forces linebackers
to do things they don't have to do most weeks.
You can't cheat on him. You have it feels like
(02:03):
you have to play zone, you can't play manner. He'll
take off. I don't know how good Denver's defense was.
They've made their mark against sort of average quarterbacks. But
this goes back to something I've been preaching for four years.
Don't get caught up in thinking he is a running
quarterback only because he was in the first couple of years.
Watch the games. It's more than capable from.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
The pocket where Colin was raw.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
You know, Dan Campbell, I've had my doubts on his
situational coaching. He's too emotional, But I'm wrong. He's a
success and I thought he coached yesterday with maturity and stability,
and that's a markup leadership. You know, in Philadelphia, Siriani
drives me nuts with all the risk taking. When you
have a better team and a better roster, there is
a way to coach. And I think Dan Campbell may
(02:48):
have had that goofy opening press conference, But when I
watch this football team, they execute, They don't make a
lot of mistakes. They lean into their best players. They
got a little pass happy in the first couple of
weeks of the season, but since then they've been one
of the best coach teams in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I thought Dennis Allen would be the first coach fired
in the NFL this year. I think he's an excellent coordinator,
not a head coach. He was the second coach let
go Saints. This morning, the Saints out gained the Panthers
by one hundred and fifty yards. They ran for one
hundred and fifty yards, and they won the turnover battle,
and they lost. That is the first time that has
happened in two hundred and seventy six NFL games. So
(03:25):
they just find ways to lose. And again, much like Dallas,
I am not sure under Dennis Allen what the Saints
do well. It's one of the first things we look for,
even if you're struggling as a coach, is there something
you do well? And in New Orleans, I can't pinpoint
it where Colin was wrong. USC lost again another road game.
(03:46):
They had a lead. They're now four and five on
the season. Lincoln Riley last twenty four games at US
twelve and twelve. Even his press conferences now are kind
of cringey. He has not recruited southern California. We don't
know if he can build a culture. I do think
he's upgraded the defensive staff, but they keep losing the
same way. The LA media is pretty pleasant, to be honest.
(04:08):
It doesn't have very sharp teeth. It's not Philly or Boston.
And now he said, no, you can't cover my practice anymore.
I don't know what's working. I don't know what it is.
I just think their talent is mostly pedestrian now it
is young. But even his press conference after it's getting
a little cringey.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
It's not like we're getting our ass kicked, you know.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
So it's not like I go back to the drawing boards, like, god,
we're just doing this terrible and people are just wearing
us out on this or that. I mean, like, it's
not it's not that I've told you guys this before.
It's like, ah, right, yeah, I mean, how many weeks
we got to say this? I understand, but like you
go change, you know, five six plays this season and
then everybody's like, oh my god, they're freaking unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Nobody would say that because they're not. They're just not
talented enough. Where Colin was right, I had said I
thought the Dodgers would had a historically great lineup and
would win a World Series. And I think they're even
greater than we thought. Otani was hurt in the World Series.
They had to move outfielders to the infield. They had
bullpen games against the Podres, Mets, and Yankees, and they
(05:09):
still dominated all three of them. Can you imagine if
this team was healthy. I've also defended for years Dave
Robbers for his patients and the ability to be able
to make all these stars work. This is a team
that likes each other. Otani and Freeman and Muncie and
Betts and Kersha and Buehler. The injuries, the tumult, the
(05:31):
constant moving players around from bench kick Hernandez to starting,
and yet they get along despite all the pressure. They
dominate the postseason. We were right on that one where
Colin was raw. I said a month ago, I thought
the New York Giants had the bones of a good
football team. Now they're kind of a pile of bones.
They are zero to five at home, two and seven
(05:54):
BB gun offense, thirty second ranked offense. Daniel Jones at
half four for six with zero yards passing. I think
he's a tough kid. I'll say that he'll put his
head down and run over you. But it's it's and
I like Brian Dabel. There are parts of this team
neighbors Brian Dabel, Dexter, Lawrence Dibdo. There are parts of
this team I like. But I thought a couple of
(06:15):
weeks ago, I'm like they're close. They're close, They're not close.
They're not a good team.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Finally, I predicted Jannis would demand a trade at some
point in the season. A story last week confirmed it
that teams are circling the Bucks. Six games in, They're
already a mess. Brook Lopez aged very quickly. Chris Middleton
aged very quickly. Doc Rivers may go back to broadcasting.
Jannis and Dame combined for seventy five points in the
(06:43):
game this weekend, and they lost two years ago. This
team is the Celtics were getting better and younger. The
Bucks were getting older and slower. We warned a couple
of years ago, we said, they got to make a
big swing here. This just doesn't work. They're just they
can't defend. And I think Jannis they want a title.
They did with Kareem go make a big swing. Miami's interested,
(07:05):
so were the Warriors. But this was really predictable. This
roster in an improving East, with Orlando's good, in Cleveland's good,
and Indiana's good, and the Knicks are better, this isn't
gonna work that this right now is not a playoff team.
On a Monday, Colin Wright Colin Wrong.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
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 heard Hierarchy No Go.
The top ten NFL teams according to College Number ten.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Well Jordan loves not healthy. He leads the NFL and
picks seven straight starts with an interception, longest streak by
a Packer quarterback since Brett farre And I think it's
a thing. I think green Bay can make mistakes, but
they can't make him against San Francisco. They can't make
him against Detroit, and this weekend the mistakes caught up.
I still like this team a lot. The schedule's getting
(08:02):
very interesting after the buye for them, Niners, Dolphins, Lions.
They got to clean some stuff up. But I put
him at number ten, Number nine the Chargers, I probably
have low number one scoring defense. First team to hold
opponents to twenty points reviewer in each of their first
eight games since the Patriots five years ago. Opposing quarterbacks
have a seventy five passer rating. Justin Herbert. He's not
(08:24):
throwing that much and he's not making any mistakes. Can
you imagine this defense? Went from a tire fire with
Brandon Staley to the best, arguably after Kansas City in
the league, with mostly the same personnel Herbert Harbaugh, Khalil
mack Bosa. The wide receivers were healthy this week and
looked good enough. They feel a little like Kansas City.
(08:47):
You wish they were a little deeper at wide receiver, coach, quarterback,
pass rush, run game. They're good. Chargers nine number eight.
Steelers at eight. You know they did beat the Chargers,
although Herbert was hurt. Russ Wilson. Listen, he's not making
any mistakes and he's getting the ball to George Pickens.
So George Pickens since Russell took over, has multiple touchdowns,
(09:08):
he had a touchdown call back. He's got one hundred
and fifty plus yards. They're leaning on their best receiver.
Russell's not making mistakes. Najie Harris is carrying the ball.
They've got a great pass rush. I think the ceiling
is lower than it is for teams like Green Bay
and the Chargers, but right now, healthy, good no mistakes,
good coach and defense. I have Pittsburgh at eight, number seven.
(09:31):
I think the Commanders have a much higher ceiling, especially
since getting Marcus Lattimore seven of eight games. They're only
lost to the Ravens, and they were competitive in that
number three rushing offense, number three total offense. It kind
of feels like CJ. Stroud his rookie year. You're like,
do we have a top ten quarterback now? I think
Jayden Daniels right now is a top ten quarterback. I
think he's that good. Thirteen total touchdowns and two turnovers.
(09:56):
That's never been done with a rookie quarterback in their
first nine starts. He's got the poise of a twenty
nine year old, thirty year old, thirty one year old quarterback,
and they just got better in the secondary. Number six,
I love the roster. The coach drives me nuts. Philadelphia.
They're four to zero since the buy, and since the buy,
Jalen Hurts seventy two percent completion percentage during the four
(10:19):
game winning streak. Basically they put some borders around him.
AJ Brown will come back, they'll be even better. But basically,
the last three seasons, this team doesn't lose. They're fourteen
to one when Jalen Hurts doesn't turn it over. So
they finally looked at the analytics and said let's take
away the risks. Let's run Jalen Hurts a few more times,
let's not throw it quite as much, and if we
(10:41):
don't turn it over, we win the games. I still
think their coach scares me in big spots, but I
have the Eagles at six, number five San Francisco. I
was a seller early, I'm a buyer now because Jennings
and Christian McCaffrey are coming back. Listen, they outgain opponents
by ninety eight yards a game. That is something that's
the best in the NFL, the second highest graded offense
(11:01):
PFF in the NFL. And again now they get Jordan
Mason moves to backup running back and McCaffrey will make
them a better red zone offense. So they're and they're
and they're. But the thing is now they're not like
the previous Niners. They're three and ozero when Purty doesn't
have a turnover. So they they're margins of shrunk. They're
not as dominating. They are beat up more. You know,
they're they're gonna beat you, but they're not gonna hammer
(11:23):
you like they did three years ago when Kittle was
closer to his prime and Deebo wasn't as banged up.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Number four Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
I mean, it's really remarkable how Josh Allen stopped turning
the ball over. And that's the story. It's the same team.
I don't know if I trust them in a big spot,
will McDermott get conservative, But basically it's the same team
as last year without the turnovers, and that's a really
good football team. Josh Allen has more touchdowns than Saxon
turnovers combined. So it's we always said if you could
(11:52):
get rid of the reckless, Josh Allen is the second
best quarterback in the league, and they're dangerous. Well, they're
out of the reckless, and he's got more weapons on offense.
So I have them at number four.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Number three the Ravens.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Again, it's a January trust issue, it's not a regular
season issue. Number one total offense only team averaging seven
yards of play. I don't know how great Denver's defense is,
but they were reeling and they did whatever they wanted to.
And I think the other thing is this team's really smart.
Derrick Henry is such a good ad for them. So
it's like this two pronged run game. You can't cheat.
(12:27):
Play action works more effectively. Lamar Jackson now has bigger
windows to throw in because you not only have to
be honest when you're facing Lamar, now you've got Derrick Henry.
So it just leaves linebackers clinging to the defensive line,
and the gap between linebacker and safety is greater than
ever and Lamar's taken advantage of it.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Number two.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Listen, it's really close, but I would take Andy Reid
Mahomes over Goff and Dan Campbell. They have more touchdowns
than in completions during this six game winning streak. They're healthy,
they're physicals, and Darius Smith is a nice ad. He's
not Hutchison. I mean, they're averaging thirty two points a game.
That's like a college team. But again, if you're asking
(13:08):
me to stack him against Kansas City, playoff football is
coaching and quarterback play. Mahomes is more of an athlete
than golf, and Andy Reid is the best coach arguably
in the sports history. I put in Detroit at two.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Number one.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
What's interesting with Kansas City it's the opposite of the
Tyreek Hill offense. They actually leave the NFL in time
of possession. They've become this methodical boring three point seven
yard to carry run game that remains undaunted on third down.
So you get all the high leverage brilliance, all the
great coaching and quarterback play, the best coordinator on the
(13:43):
defensive side. Now they're just kind of boring. I mean,
that's why Tampa Bay not going for the win last
night makes no sense. All right, sign up for six
and a half more minutes of torture for Mahomes Bags,
Chris Jones, Travis Kelcey, and Patrick Mahomes. So they've the
Kansas City has pivoted from this wild circus two years
(14:05):
ago over the top to a methodical run team. It's
New England. We're going to do what we have to do,
what is our person. And by the way, they don't
even have their home run hit or at running back.
I got a guy that pulled off the street at
running back. And there's your top ten. One more Herd.
The Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven days
a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd to listen
(14:26):
live or on demand whenever you like. Tom Brady twenty
three years best quarterback to ever play the game. So
I was thinking about this, tom as I'm watching Kansas City,
I still feel like I said, they're like an electric
vehicle that's only charged about fifty percent. They're not They're
kind of trying to figure out what they are back
up running back. They don't know what to do with
(14:48):
Xavier Worthy. They just kind of go back your Randy
Moss team Boom. You knew very early at special But
did you ever have a team that won a Super
Bowl but in the middle of a season you didn't
quite know what the offensive identity was? Because that's what
I watched when I watched the Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I actually think they do have a great offensive identity.
I think they look the game's about winning. We talk
about points, you talk about you know, yards, and you
talk about penalties and defensive stops. To me, at the
end of the game, do you have more points than
the other team. That's the maturity of a great team
(15:31):
and a great organization. I played on a lot of teams.
Some were a lot of offensive strengths, some had a
lot of defensive strengths. Some years we were kind of
middle of the packet both. But we played well situationally,
third down, red area two minute every year. That's the
best part about the NFL is the constant transition, the
(15:51):
constant change. Now you see they add DeAndre Hopkins at
the trade deadline, So it's like in the end and
when you have Patrick Mahomes and it's a one score game,
everyone's always betting on the Chiefs. Now, can someone get
away from the Chiefs. I don't know, because that defense
plays so well. But I don't think Patrick Mahomes is
(16:12):
a lesser player because he doesn't have twenty five touchdowns
at this point. It's just he's not playing with guys
that can produce that from the receiver position. So that
naturally Patrick's job is to and I covered him a
few weeks ago when I said the job of the
quarterback is to manage all the variables of the game
(16:33):
and the season, injuries, whether the rhythm of the offense,
and then ultimately go out there and make the plays
that put you in a position to win. And that's
what winners do, and certainly Patrick is that. And then
he's got Andy Reid there, who's as great of a
coach you know, in NFL history. He's on the kind
of the Mount rushmore of coaches. So you have this
(16:53):
consistency of this organization from owner, general, manager, coach, quarterback,
and then to me defensive coordinator in spags that the
way that defense plays puts them in a position to
win every single week. So it's obviously they can be beat.
There's probably games where they could have been beat this year,
but every game is decided by a few plays, and
(17:17):
the reality of the Chiefs team is they always find
a way to make the plays when it matters.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
You know, I remember when Randy Moss played with you,
when you guys brought a new player in and you
had talked at the time. You're like, you know Belichick,
and you were like, he's just smart and he knows football.
So obviously DeAndre Hopkins doesn't know the entire playbook yet.
But I'm watching him and I'm like, especially that play
in the back of the end zone, I'm like, God,
you'd think they've had fifty practices. What is it about
(17:42):
certain receivers with you like Moss or or DeAndre Hopkins?
They don't have to know the playbook? But yet I
felt like had I just landed on the planet and
watched it, I would have never guessed he just showed
up at the facility. What was it with Moss? What
is it with a veteran receiver that a young receiver
just couldn't do.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
And that's a great question. So the reality is, is
a great receiver, well, any receiver that's a veteran knows
what a knows what a practice weeks looks like. If
they know how to run all the routes in the offense,
now they may not know exactly where to line up
because everyone has their variations of words and descriptive words
(18:24):
they use to get people aligned, to get the protections organized,
and then to call routes. Some people use number systems
people use, some people use words that people have to memorize.
Some people use a one term word that tells everybody
what to do. Kansas City does it kind of a
myriad of different ways. And then once DeAndre can really
comprehend that, he's going to say, oh, okay, that's what
(18:45):
I used to call this outcut in Tennessee was like this,
or in Houston it was like smith. But in Case
it's like this. But I still know how to run
the route. So you have these veteran players that have
the experience to run the routes, to know the offenses.
It's not like you know when he played for Tennessee,
the field was a different size. You know, it's the
(19:08):
same rules, it's the same routes. It's ultimately just how
you call him. So once he gets out there and
he's confident in what he has, you know he's going
to look like DeAndre Hopkins always has, which is you know,
he's got good quickness, he's got great catch radius, he's
got this ability and the situational place to make catches
like that, and certainly as a rhetoric target. And I
just think if you look at the Chiefs and their
(19:30):
injuries at the receiver position, to add someone like DeAndre
who has that veteran presence and there's no game is
going to be too big for him. He's played a
lot of big games, so that always gives a quarterback
a lot of confidence. I remember playing with certain rookie
receivers literally it was like the first day of OTAs
and I'd call like, hey, run a slant and he
(19:54):
looked at me like a slant okay, And that's kind
of the most generic route. Look since we're running those
in in parking lots, you know, with your friends. And
there was a few guys I played with that would
they'd start the route slow, then they'd speed up into
the break, then they'd slow down coming out of the break,
and then they look for the ball and I look
at them and be like.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
What the hell was that?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
You know, like, there's such a there's such a learning
curve that needs to happen from a rookie player. Whereas
when you get someone like DeAndre, you go, hey, Jondre,
run a slant and it looks like a slant. It
looks great, it's fluid, it's smooth, you can plan it.
So with a rookie, there's such a learning curve. There's
so many things to learn that you're never going to
(20:36):
get that type of production in a short period of
time of the rookie that you can get with a
veteran unless that's just a very special rookie. And I've
had some of those. Those guys, to me, are more
anomalies than kind of what the norm is.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
I know you probably haven't sat and watched too many
Denver games or Bears games, but when with the young quarterbacks,
obviously they grew up in a different environment than you.
Seven on seven camps, way more snaps by the time
they're fifteen than you had. But go back to your career.
I remember you doing an interview with Jay Laser once
and you're like, I've seen everything, dude, you could throw
anything at me. When was the time in your career?
(21:12):
You're pretty a learned guy, You're very committed. How long
did it take? You know they always talk about things
slowed down a little. How long Mahomes said it was
year three? What was it for you?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
The answer is it progressively gets more and more. And
I would say maybe at year one it's fifty percent
of the way that you want it, and then year
two it's sixty percent, and ultimately you're trying to get
to one hundred percent. But even I think for Patrick,
if I look at his situation and his development, he
was very lucky to sit behind and Patrick, let me
(21:49):
get us out of the way. He is a phenomenal player.
To me, is you know he Lamar Josh Allen. You're
talking about the upper echelon, as we all know, and
Patrick is going to go down as one of the
greats ever for a number of reasons. But if I
look at him, he went to college at Texas Tech.
He had Cliff Kingsbury there with him for three years
an NFL caliber coach, running a lot of NFL caliber
(22:12):
type calls and methodologies by on what he's doing. So
he three years of that. Then he goes to the
Chiefs and he's got Alex Smith as the guy that's
ahead of him, who's a phenomenal player, great leader, does
everything the right way. And then he's got Andy Reid
as his play caller. So it's like there's a reason
(22:32):
why it all works, and there's this development that happens
and why Patrick has been able to ascend so quickly,
and he would have found a way to ascend at
some point anyway. I'm just saying I could never have
reached this area of growth that I needed to. Whether
that was your one or three or five. It was
accelerated because of all the things that I had in
(22:54):
place when I was in college. I ran a pro
style offense. Yeah, I got drafted, Bill Belichick teach me.
I got to sit behind Drew bledsoe. I worked really
hard to learn all those things and embrace the challenge.
And I think when you're a young quarterback, ultimately that's
what you're trying to do. Be in a situation where
you can learn, grow, develop, it's all about mentorship. It's
(23:16):
all about the people that come in your life. I
see Bo Nicks from Denver. He's got Sean Payton there
as a phenomenal coach. He's gonna get great coaching. They're
gonna have great scheme. A lot of times, the first
reads for him are going to be open because he's
got a great play caller that knows how to design things.
So then you go on the other side of it.
You know, I've seen a lot of quarterbacks that don't
(23:36):
make it. Maybe they wouldn't have made it anyway, but
I'm just saying there's a potential that they could look
at Sam Darnold. Now he's playing really well in Minnesota. Good.
He's got a good coach, he's got a good scheme,
he's got some good receivers. He's playing well. You know
when he was at the Jets, he didn't have all
those things quite in place. So we always have to
look at I think the physical makeup of these young players.
(24:00):
Are they capable of ay, Do they have good arms?
Do they have great arms? Are they athletic? Can they
get out of the pocket? Can they And then to me,
there's a mental element that always comes into quarterback play.
And I said in this last game against Green Bay,
was watching Green Bay Lions this last weekend. I said,
there's no way for me to really see sustained success
in the NFL at the quarterback position if you don't
(24:22):
have total control of what's being done out on the field.
If you're expecting your coach to call a play from
the sideline and that play is gonna come into your helmet,
you're gonna call it, You're gonna walk to the line
of scrimmage, and that play is going to be successful,
regardless of the defense of Look, you're out of your mind.
That's not the way it works. The defense calls plays
(24:44):
to stop you, and they have their own tendency. So
it's up to the quarterback ultimately to decide, Okay, I
got a play called. I see what the defense is doing.
Is this play gonna work or not. If it's gonna work,
you run it. If it's not, what do I need
to do to to survive the down, or what do
I need to do to put us in a position
to be really successful? That to me, is the operational
(25:07):
control the quarterback's need. And the problem is with the
development of height of college programs now they're not getting
developed in the same way. Now they get to a
pro program and a lot of the NFL programs, there's
so much money going around. The need to develop is
Guys can sign one or two contracts and not develop
(25:28):
and still make a great living. So I would love
to see the quarterback play continue to evolve and grow.
It's only going to come from more time on task,
more time with your coaches, more understanding of what your
roles and responsibility are. You're supposed to develop a tool
kit as a quarterback to deal with what you see
(25:49):
on the game every single day. I've seen Jared Goff
again covering him this last game. It was awesome to
watch in LA. He had a great system, he had
McVeigh to learn under. He brought that. He comes to
a phenomenal a program in Detroit right now, where to me,
they're doing a lot of things the right way. Their
offensive coordinator Ben Johnson says, all right, Jared, we're gonna
put more and more on your plate. We're going to
(26:09):
give you a great opportunity to succeed, and you have
to have the ability to process a lot of information,
which is one of Jared strengths to actually implement all
those things, and when you do it well, to me,
that's what gets you to that's what gives you a
great chance to win every single week in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
So Bill Belichick's had a couple of weeks ago when
asked about Detroit, He's like, they've got everything offensively. You
hope they make a mistake. And you just called the
game and green Bay's got a good team. It looked
like older brother, younger brother, let me teach you how
to play football. Go back, I mean Detroit o line tackles,
run game, tight end, quarterback. Go back to your career,
(26:49):
because I felt like green Bay very quickly was like
we're a little out of our elements here. This is
a really really so go back to your career. Was
there ever a team you play and you may not
have said this to your teammates, but you thought to yourself,
I'm not sure they have a weakness like that is
Pro bowlers everywhere I watched Detroit's offense, Tom, I don't
(27:12):
know what the weakness is, deep ball, slants, slots. Did
you ever face a team like that when you looked
at the personnel and thought, it's almost a perfect offense.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
I would say the only I would say the early
Colts offenses we faced. They had Saturday. They had Terry
Glenn tight End, they had Pollard, they had at times
Dallas Clark. They had Marvin, they had Reggie, they had Stokelee. Wow,
they had Edgrin. They were so good and I'm lucky
(27:48):
I didn't have to go against them. To me, it
was great. Bella Check would say, guys, listen, this would
be a Wednesday meeting. Understand this. They are gonna move
the ball on us. They're too good. They got so
many guys, they're gonna go up and down. We need
to play good red area defense, and we're gonna work
(28:08):
on red area defense on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday because
that's gonna decide the game. They're gonna get the ball
down there. Which is a great humility from a coach
who's a defensive coach, who's essentially the coordinator to say,
these guys are so good, we're not gonna just you know,
pull the wooldover eyes and thinks that we're gonna keep
these guys. The two hundred and forty yards offense they're
(28:30):
gonna have. They're gonna have yards what we need to
do is keep the points down. If we can keep
the points down and offensively we can control the game.
We can run the ball and then we can score points,
we're gonna give ourselves a best chance to win. That
to me is complimentary football. Right. So when you play
the Lions, the only way to beat them is to
(28:51):
play a style where the offense compliments the defense and
then the kicking game does their job. Sometimes when you punt,
you play great fields. Okay, offensively, the best defense against
the Lions offense, to me is the meet is possessed
the football. You don't want to make it a track
meet against a team that can run it. They throw
(29:11):
it to their tight end, they throw it to their receivers.
When they get Jamison William back, they have the explosive receiver.
So there's so many and they go for an on
fourth downs so often they they you know, you got
to stop them for four downs, not just three, which
is a really hard thing to do. So there's a
lot of challenges that the Lions are presenting. And look,
the one game they did lose this year, they were
(29:32):
one of six in the red area. That's right against
the Bucks, yep. So So to me, they got a
they got a great offense, and they got a lot
of humility, they got a great culture. To me, they're
doing so many things the right way in the NFL
right now.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
So you're calling the San Francisco game this weekend, when
when you know, and I think Brock's a good player,
but I also think and the and the you're a
great example of this. Executives miss all the time on
players Antonio Gates and Tony Romo weren't draft. There's players
all over. I watched the kid for the Rams this weekend.
Some undrafted safety had his fourth pick. There's talent everywhere.
(30:06):
What was the thing when the first the first time
you saw Brock Purty. Obviously you weren't wowed by his size.
His arm strength is good enough. What was the first
thing that you saw. I wouldn't see this. You would
see this and you thought that guy's pretty good. Like
is there something that you see because you played the
position a tell like in poker that you were like, yeah,
(30:28):
that this kid's gonna work.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Sure, So I think it's poise and composure. It's calm
under chaos. That's what the quarterback needs to do. And
he walks into that huddle, he needs ten other guys
looking at him go all right, man, you're you're totally
under control, and whatever you say, we're gonna do so
our best bags because we know you're gonna deliver. And
they all have that confidence in Brock as a player.
(30:55):
And you're right, Brock's not the biggest. His arm strength
is like Aaron Rodgers. But if he can play with
anticipation in this offense, to me, even studying in the
last few days is a lot different than the one
that they had last year and the year before. They
had so many weapons the last couple of years. You know,
(31:17):
Brock essentially was a point guard out there, just the
liver and balls to halfbacks and flip it out there
to de bone gain yards. And then he's got iuke,
you know, catching in cuts and running for a lot
is Oh you forgot about kittle boom, We're going to
throw over the top of you there. This offense has
been in and out of a lot of their great players,
and I think getting McCaffrey back is so important for
(31:37):
this offense because he provides that passing threat out of
the backfield that they just haven't had this year. So
now the defense has to come up closer to the
line of scrimmage to defend the run with Christian as
well as the pass, and that to me opens up
more of the intermediate and deeper parts of the field
for Brock where they've kind of been throwing more of
these intermediate type targets on the field, which I don't
(31:59):
think is the strength of that offense. So if they
can get back, if they can get Christian back playing
well with Mason and McCaffrey, wow, that's a great group.
Then at receiver, obviously losing Ayuk is a brutal loss,
but they drafted Pierso in the first round. He's gonna
get his legs underneath him. You still got Jennings, who
to me is one of the most underrated receivers in
(32:21):
the NFL. To perform so well in the Super Bowl,
they have a ton of confidence in him and then
debo his versatility. You still got yu Chek who's a
ridiculous chess piece for Kyle, And then you have Kittle,
who can turn up from time to time and go,
holy cat, we almost forgot about him. And then not
to mention a phenomenal offensive line. So they still have
(32:41):
all the pieces in place. Now. They've kind of always
seemed to turn around their season around the bye week.
This is when they need to do it. They just
had their bye week. We'll see, you know, if they
get green Law back on defense, that would be a
huge boost. Unfortunately, what they're really missed on defense they
lost Hardgrave, They lost this interior rusher, so now it's
really kind of a one man show with Bosa on
(33:04):
the perimeter. But if they can get Greenlaw back and
get him playing close to the way that he was
playing in there with Warner, you have one of the
best handems in the league, if not the best at linebacker.
They rush the quarterback a little better and then that's safe.
That secondary unit, which has always got a lot of
tight coverage, they can capitalize on offensive mistakes. So I
(33:25):
would never count out the forty nine ers. I think
they're so well coached. They got a great system in place,
a great culture of guys that know how to win.
You know, those are all the things you look for
with the Niners.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Seven Rings. Tom Brady Fox Sports taking time for us today. Tom,
I appreciate it, man. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
and noon easter. Not a empacific.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
I'm a I gotta be honest with you. I've been
a lidtle warm in the last couple of weeks with
my blazing five picks. Let's turn the heat up.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Feeling it hot, Let's blaze it up. Fired up, It's
Collins Blazon. Fuck Bills. It cool.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
I like the Colts plus four Listen. Flacco is gonna
be fine. It was the first game starting. Give him
some reps. He'll be fine. Buffalo Jonathan Taylor. Buffalo didn't
defend the run particularly well. Jonathan Taylor one hundred plus
scrimmageyards for the last five games. Good offensive line, they
will run the ball. They have a chance to control
the clock, and they have tied for the most takeaways
(34:26):
in the AFC. Here's what scares me about Buffalo. They're
getting more Josh Allen reliant twelve rush attempts, one hundred
and six passes over the last three games, back to
back games with an interception. They're getting a little Josh
Allen heavy. They've got nineteen players on the injured list.
They come off a very emotional divisional win against Miami.
(34:49):
I think the Bills go on the road, they get flat.
It's a must win game for the Colts in a
feisty division. Bill's got their division wrapped up. I'm gonna
get the upset here. Take the points. Upset Colts twenty
seven Bills twenty four.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Vikings at Jaguars.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Love the Vikings. Trevor Lawrence won't play. It's gonna be
Mac Jones. The entire offense. Six different starters for the
Jagson offense are banged up. Vikings only losses to the
Rams when they got healthy in the Lions. They're a
fast starting team, so Minnesota on the road takes the lead.
They're actually the best first quarter team in the league.
They'll quiet the crowd. What there is of one offense
(35:27):
Number two in the NFL in Minnesota in big plays
and Sam Darnold's hot seven of his eight starts one
hundred plus passer rating, tied for the best of the NFL.
The Jaguars defense is off full. It is terrible. They're
a slow starting team. The defense is thirtieth or worse
in almost every unit. Listen to this. They allow six
(35:50):
yards of play. That is unheard of a fast starting
Minnesota Vikings offense. A quarterback and coaching advantage. Mac Jones
against Darnold. I'm gonna lay the seven points. Vikings win
by ten thirty three twenty.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Three Steelers and Commanders.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
I'm gonna take Mike Tomlin off a buy as an underdog.
He's the best underdog coach maybe of his generation. Take
the Steelers plus the three points back to back games
with four hundred plus yards. Russell Wilson is really keying
in on George Pickens thriving together. Here's the thing. Their
defense is terrific number one red zone defense, So even
(36:31):
if Washington busts off some big plays, they'll settle more
often from for field goals and touchdowns. And the Commander's
defense is bad twenty eighth best red zone defense. And
I kind of like what I've seen from Pittsburgh's red
zone offense in run game with Russell Wilson, I have
a feeling Pittsburgh's gonna control the clock, pound the rock,
(36:54):
move the pocket, and when the Commanders do move the
ball against the great defense, they'll move it us they'll
settle for field goals. I'm taking Mike Tomlin off of
by plus the points as an underdog to beat Washington
twenty seven to twenty four, forty nine Ers and Buccaneers. Listen,
we said yesterday this is the bet of the week.
(37:15):
I'll take forty nine Ers minus six and a half.
They're getting healthy, they're coming off of bye. McCaffrey, Deebo, Samuels,
Juwan Jennings are all back. They've won four or five
games under Shanahan, the last four or five off of
by number two in total offense, and that's using number
three and number four running backs defense, multiple takeaways in
(37:37):
three games. You got a ticked off San Francisco team
getting healthy. They're gonna eat Tampa's on a short week
off a physical overtime game with Kansas City. Their defense
allows thirty three a game, and they are falling apart.
Baker's not healthy, couple of the backs aren't healthy, Mike
Evans still out. Vitavia isn't one hundred percent. This is
a bad, bad spot for Tampa. I like the Niners
(38:02):
to win comfortably thirty to twenty.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Dolphins and Rams.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
You know the wise guys like Miami here, I do not.
I like the Rams three game winning streak. They're eight
and three when they're healthy with Puka Cooper Cup Stafford
Kyron Williams, and they are healthy, and Miami goes on
the road again, this time all the way cross country.
The story of the Rams is how good their defensive
rookies are. They lead the NFL and hit sacks, interceptions.
(38:31):
This defense is a bunch of rookies and second year players,
and they're getting better by the week. Tua better at
protection shared versus unblockable. I don't think it's Stafford as
much as it is this defense for a team that
now travels for the second straight week, and I don't
like Miami doesn't get a pass rush, so Stafford is
going to be really comfortable. They don't defend the run again.
(38:54):
I think the Rams win time of possession, control the
line of scrimmage at home, control the clock. Dolphins fly
across country after the Buffalo trip. I like the Rams
to win thirty to twenty four. Whise guys like the Fins.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
I do not
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