December 20, 2025 • 43 mins
Where Colin was right and where he was wrong
Colin reveals this week’s Herd Hierarchy, ranking the top 10 teams in the NFL, including why the Green Bay Packers fall out of the list and what’s fueling the Chicago Bears’ rise into the top five.
Then, Nick Wright from First Things First joins the show to debate the state of the Kansas City Chiefs, explaining why Patrick Mahomes and company remain close to Super Bowl contention despite missing the playoffs for the first time in 11 years
Colin has some apology letter to give out
New Blazing 5 picks for the weekend
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
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 noon 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.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Christmas Rider around the Corner live in Chicago. It's The
Herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening
the playoff picture. We've got clarity, Denvers for real, the
Bears are for real, Packers probably trending the other way.
New England's still fine, but we all knew with New
(00:49):
England kind of.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Still in a rebuild.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Second half yesterday banged up whole line sort of proved it.
But we do it every Monday at this time. We
take swings. I'm wrong often, and here we.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Go where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I said all off season and I've said for the
last month. I think the Chiefs are in a rebuild,
not just a red tool next year. They're forty four
million over the cap. They got shut out in the
second half. Isaiah Pacheco was their leading rusher, at twenty
one yards. I don't think they're talented enough. I think
they need to address the O line, the D line,
(01:26):
the running back room, the tight end room. I had
them as a wild card team, and yeah they've had
some close losses, but there was no question watching yesterday,
this is not a team that's just you know, a
player or two away.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
You know, I've always said Dan Campbell builds a great culture.
I don't consider him a scheme guy. But since he's
taken over the play calling, he's been great. Detroit's number
two in total offense, number one in yards per play.
He is unlocked Jamison Williams.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
He's done a great job.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Dan Campbell is a much better coach calling plays than
I would have imagined. That offense is not the problem
Brian Branch. Losing him in the back end at really
hurts because you got to win some shootouts in the
NFC the way the quarterbacks are developing. But I've been
a little hard on Dan Campbell. I think he's done
(02:22):
a great job taking over play come.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
All my concerns with Brian Schottenheimer have surfaced. With extra
time to prepare that offensive performance two for twelve on
third down just not good enough.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Six seven and one.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
They're now a bad red zone team, eighteenth in the league.
And again, that's with Dak, that's with a run game,
that's with elite wide receivers. They're just not a consistent team.
I do think the future is brighter than many believe.
But all the things we worried about getting out coached
in big spot situationally being mid they've all surfaced.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I was okay with Pete Carroll being hired with the Raiders.
I thought he would steady the ship. It's been a disaster.
He's lost his fastball seventy five total yards against Philadelphia.
Come on, that's that's brutal. So his last couple of
years in Seattle, it didn't feel like he was current.
I don't know what the Raiders do well.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
They are.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
They are the worst team in the NFL, and there's
nothing you can point to outside of Max Crosby and
Brock Powers that you like. Where Colin was right, my
guy bo Nicks out played Jordan Love for tuddies four
different receivers, four for four in the red zone. Listen,
I said it when he was at Oregon. I watched
(03:50):
them live twice. Super athletic. Got a Steve Young quality,
hard to get your arms around, never get sacked, very.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Creative, very deceptive.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Not a great deep ball thrower, though he was eight
for twelve yesterday.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Downfield. Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Well, the Jags are a franchise I never trust, but
they've won five straight. You can't run on him. Number
one run defense. Trevor Lawrence in the last several weeks
ten touchdowns, no picks in three games. And they're doing
that without Travis Hunter, their star rookie. So I got
I mean, Trevor Lawrence has always had talent. The Jags
have always had talent. But Liam Cohen they got him,
(04:31):
an offensive guy who had some great moments with Baker Mayfield.
Jacksonville has drafted at the top of rounds for a
long time. There's no question they've got talent, and now
it's all coming together. Where Colin was right, I said Friday,
is it possible Philip Rivers will be fine? He was
never athletic anyway. I mean I watched Kirk Cousins last Thursday.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
He was money.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
My prediction was he never relied on athleticism. Seattle's gonna
have a conservative game plan. It's very possible he's okay.
I'll be honest. His arm didn't have a ton of juice.
But I thought Steichen with the screens underneath stuff, did
a great job calling the game. And overall, when you
don't rely on athleticism, it makes it easier as you age.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Where Colin was right. CJ.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Stroud, I keep hearing wow sophomore slump. Listen, dude throws
one of the prettiest balls in the league. If you
give him a little time, he's money. I will defend CJ. Stroud.
He wants to throw from the pocket. He's good enough
moving Nko Collison. He's got his number one receiver in
the last since Week four, thirteen touchdowns, three picks, with
(05:45):
a very inconsistent run game. They've been you know, hit
and miss. They've had injuries around him.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
CJ.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Stroud, I'll defend him. That's a franchise quarterback. He'll run
if he has to. But he's developed a really keen
sense of the pocket. Where Colin was right, where Colin
was wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 3 (06:13):
Hey is Covino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now,
in addition to hearing us live weekdays from five to
seven pm Eastern and two to four Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio, We're excited to announce a brand new YouTube
channel for the show.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Yup, that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
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 and
Rich FSR. Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that
thumbs up icon and coming away.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Heard hierarchy time.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
Now, let's go the top ten NFL teams according to
College number ten.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I'll put Philadelphia in seven of their nine wins, though
up coming one score games they're three and five when
allowing twenty one points and in the playoffs you're gonna
face better quarterbacks. Their defense it's excellent, the roster is excellent,
but I don't trust Jalen Hurts or Nick Seriani in
big spots. Again, they play the Commanders twice in the
(07:14):
next three weeks, so they're gonna flex and look impressive.
But this offense feels like it's been broken since week one.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Number nine the Jags.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
You can't run on them, and Liam Cohen has done
wonders for Trevor Lawrence's confidence.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
He's running more.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
They have the number one scoring offense and number two
scoring defense on their five game winning streak. Do I
trust them in a big spot? No, but this is
the closest version of the Trevor Lawrence we all fell
in love with that Clemson.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I have the Jags at nine. Number eight. The Bills.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Listen, they got totally worked for the first half of
that game after losing to New England. Everybody thinks, well,
they scored on five straight touchdown drives. Okay, they do
run the ball, but are so over lead dependent on
Superman at quarterback. Yes, Josh Allen has been very good
in December games.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I'll give you that.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
And in the last couple of weeks they have almost
six hundred total yards. You know Josh Allen does, so
I'm not saying he's not great. Don't trust them situationally,
don't trust anybody with a ball in their hands other
than Josh Allen.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I have him at eight. Number seven.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Elite coaching, maybe the best coaching staff this year in
the league, sala on defense doing it with smoking.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Mirrors in Kyle Shanahan.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Four wins in a row, all by ten plus points,
brought pretty Finally. I thought this week finally looked totally healthy,
had a lot of juice, a lot of energy. I
mean there are four losses have come against good teams,
the Rams and the Jags and the Texans and the Bucks.
So they beat the teams they should and right now
(08:54):
on third down with Brock pretty they move the chains.
So this is a very dangerous team number six. But
Seattle's got a big boy defense Sam Donald. Yes he
leads the NFL in giveaways, but he also leads in
yards per attempt. It is a big playoffense that can
(09:14):
also play with a lead. They can play conservatively and
win because they can run the ball well coached played defense,
second best odds right now to win the Super Bowl
twenty three straight games not allowing somebody one hundred yards rushing,
Meaning if you beat him, you know, Sam Donald's gonna
get his thirteen possessions. JSN is gonna get thirteen possessions.
(09:36):
That running game is gonna work. I think they're going
to be a really tough out Seattle at six.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Number five.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I still like the Patriots. They had a bad half.
It happens. They're a young team, missing their left tackle
in their left guard. Their issue is they're not very
good in the red zone on either side of the ball,
and that's why I don't think they're a super Bowl team.
They're good defensively. They need another draft. I've been saying
it all year. They're ahead of schedule. They need another draft.
(10:06):
They need more help on the offensive line and more
help in the secondary. Number four the Bears. Tell me
what they don't do. They play in bad weather very well.
They run the ball, they're dynamic, great offensive coach, excellent
o line, take the ball away.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
What don't they do? They're built for January. Well, you
know there can be.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
A Caleb's completion percentage. Lord, he's so gifted. I'm just
gonna eight and two over their last ten games. Number
one rush offense since Week five, Number two in big plays.
They feel like a team that could end up in
the conference championship. Tell me what they don't do complete
bubble screens. Okay, you got me there. That's what college
(10:50):
quarterbacks need. I have them at number four.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Number three.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
I think the Texans defense is the best unit in
pro football. They're eight and zero if they can score
twenty points, number one scoring defense. I mean they faced
that Rams offense early in the season held in the
fourteen points. And I've always liked CJ.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Stroud. I don't get the criticisms. If you give.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Him two and a half seconds, he's outstanding. I really
like Houston. I think they're gonna make the AFC Championship.
I'm not sure who they're gonna face, probably Denver, but
I think the Texans right now are a bye bye
bye number two Denver. Listen, can we stop arguing about
(11:32):
bow Knicks. I've been comparing him to Caleb Williams for weeks.
I wish he was a little more consistent, but the
guy is an unbelievable athlete. He doesn't take sacks. I
said he's a right handed Steve Young. He was dreadful
for about a four week period earlier this year. Well,
Caleb couldn't get the operations down in September. But between
Caleb and bow Knicks, we got to stop doubting them.
(11:55):
Opposing teams, by the way, are three to ten after
facing Denver, so they beat you.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
And they beat you up. Number one. Listen.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
The Rams most complete roster in the NFL. Although I
don't love their corners, out gained their opponents by in
the last month by over five hundred yards. But Blake
Koram has now popped at running back, so they have
a one to two punch. They have four tight ends
who are capable. Davonte will probably be out for three weeks.
(12:26):
They don't get the pass rush. I think they should
for the talent they have, but some of that is
none of their pass rushers outside of Puna Ford, who's
a run stopper, they don't. They're all kids. They're not
in their prime yet. I have the Rams at number one.
No Packers, I'm sorry, they're not the same team today.
Take out Watson, Micah, Kenny, Clark in the trade and Kraft.
(12:48):
I have them at eleven, Chargers at twelve.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
With that Nick Wright.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
First things first stops by all right, hurd hierarchy.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
What don't you like?
Speaker 6 (12:56):
Well, listen, I really like a lot of most Notably,
I feel like the Niners have flown under the radar
all year long. They're alive for the one seed right
now despite all the injuries. I think it's Shanahan's best
coaching job to date. So I like how high you
have them Ram Seahawks Niners. That division them all having
(13:19):
ten or eleven wins is remarkable. I think the Texans
are That might be a tiny bit high, but I
think the Texans are a terrifying team right now. So
I agree with you. I only really have one real gright. Okay,
why are the Patriots ahead of the.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Bills Because we just tell me, Okay, this is not
the College Football Playoff committee. Head to head, isn't the
be all end all? They played six quarters. New England
was better significantly in six of the eight quarters they played.
New England was significantly better. I like New England's coach.
The game meant more for Buffalo the season. Sean mcdermot's
job could have been in trouble this game at halftimes,
(13:56):
Like we beat them the first time, We outschemed them
in the first and then the Patriots missing their left
tackle and left guard really struggled to sustain drives.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
And that's my reason, man.
Speaker 6 (14:09):
I feel I guess I just feel very differently. The
first matchup is twenty to twenty with ninety seconds left,
So I don't know how we got the Patriots thoroughly
outplayed on the first four quarters of the season. That
game came down to the wire, and the second matchup,
Buffalo systematically walked them down, and I and they did
(14:31):
it because they have a great running game, and now
that Patrick's hurt, they have the best healthy player in football.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
And Josh Allen, I just think in a wide.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
Open AFC, the Bills are very scary and deserving and
I trust them more than I trust New England, particularly
after this matchup. But other than that, Colin, and I'm
not sure about Philly.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Let me add one other thing, Philly.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Did Philly fix things or did Philly face the Raiders?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
Yeah, so that Philly would be maybe Green Bay in.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Place of Philly.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
But otherwise I think it's a really solid hierarchy.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
I think it's like when a college powerhouse faces like
an FCS team, You're like, oh, I want forty eight
to seven. You're like, you know, they play Alabama next
week before I get to Mahomes, and I will get
to the Chiefs.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So I.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Said this earlier, And if you had a gifted child
that was on the spectrum a little bit, not rain Man,
but on the spectrum a little bit. And they were
literally doing Beethoven on the piano at eight years old.
I wouldn't lose a ton of sleep if they wore
their pajamas backwards five days a week.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
I'll live with that.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I'm gonna live with Josh Allen, Mahomes and Caleb throwing
some picks lower completion percentage. They're Beethoven at nine year old. Guys,
Caleb made throws this week that looked like optical illusions.
I don't care. I don't care that he's fifty nine percent.
Don't I've watched the DJ Moore play twenty times. I
(16:03):
don't even understand how he threw it. So my thing
on Caleb is, guys, it's like Josh Allen, I would
take less of a completion percentage this year if he
ever threw the ball down the field, which he doesn't.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
He doesn't have a receiver.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Where are you on Caleb in the argument that you
know he's just not accurate enough.
Speaker 6 (16:21):
Well, listen, all you could have hoped for this year
was month over month progression over the course of the season,
and see could he get better at the layups while
keeping the spectacular and that's what he's done, and there
(16:42):
are listen his he is still in a place in
his career, Colin where his low lights are going to
be really grizzly. When a player like like Matt Stafford
take him the polar you know. Opposite example, Stafford's ten
worst throw of the year, none of them are like,
what the hell happened there? It's like, Oh, it's just
(17:06):
he thought he either got tricked or he thought he
could fit it in.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Trust his arm too much.
Speaker 6 (17:11):
Caleb's ten worst throws, it's like, did that miss its target.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
By twelve yards? Maybe?
Speaker 6 (17:18):
But his ten best throws this season can go up
against any other player in the league. And when you
marry that too a dynamic, dominant running game, a really
sharp head coach, and a defense that I honestly think
is not that good but it's opportunistic and maybe that's lucky.
(17:40):
But whatever it is, they force a bunch of turnovers.
That's a scary team. And if the NFC playoffs, if
they can keep winning and make it so, a team
like the Rams, who I think have been the best
team in football, have to come to Chicago and deal
with that rushing attack and then Caleb doing pardon me,
(18:03):
four or five spectacular things a game that would be
really scary. Like, I am fully confident that Caleb Williams
is going to be a very good quarterback in this league.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
And I think he.
Speaker 6 (18:18):
Is bordering on almost already being there. And this year
we are seeing more of what we didn't see as
much as rookie year, of the moments where you're like, wait,
he can be a superstar quarterback in this league. He
still needs, obviously to clean some of the stuff up,
but I feel like he's gotten better in that regard.
But it's hard to watch that throw through four defenders
(18:42):
into the back of the end zone against Cleveland and
not be like, man, this is a special, unique.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Talent on our hands.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
So and I've said, if you like Caleb, you have
to at least acknowledge bo Nick to something because they're
both uneven, both great late, both really athletic. And I
was saying this about bo Nicks. Sometimes you'll see this
in a lot of different businesses, that a coach finds
a player that he loves and not everybody else loves him.
There's not a unanimous agreement. Sean Payton, before the draft
(19:14):
loved bo Nicks because he'd had a little bit of
bo Nicks, little smaller guy and Drew Brees, and he's like, oh,
that's a more athletic Drew Brees. I thought this game
was one of those games like when the Bears went
to Philly and all the doubters went, Okay, maybe they're good.
I think all the doubters on bow Knicks. I think
he's so much more athletic than he gets credit for.
I said he's a right handed Steve Young, like he
(19:34):
just he is fast.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I watched him twice landed Steam.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Yeah, it's the Steam.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
Young's one of the twelve greatest quarterback Zever, this is
where you and I, Colin, are just different broadcasters because
a month ago you and I were in lockstep on
bow Knicks.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
We both thought he wasn't very good.
Speaker 6 (19:57):
And now you've got him as a right handed Steam
Young and I feel pretty tethered to my previous take.
But you have none of you like Hey, new information,
new games. I've changed my opinion deal with in America.
I don't have that ability the way you do it,
at least at least in that regard. Here's what I
will say in defense of Bonnicks.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
In fairness to bow Knicks, I.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Thought the Chiefs game that he played was up to
that moment, the best game of his career, and then
two weeks later I thought the Washington game was the
best game of his career, and then this game against
Green Bay was hands down the best game of his career.
So in the last month or so, I think he
has played the three best games of his career. He
(20:42):
obviously is not too scared of a big moment, and
the team obviously has been excellent.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
All year long. I still.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
My gut tells me that that Packers game is more
of the aberration than it's going to be the trend.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
But I have to be fair and be open to.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
The possibility that I was wrong about him. Thus far,
I have been dead wrong obviously about the Broncos.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
They've been excellent.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
My gut still tells me quarterback is their weak link,
and even though they're gonna be the one seed, when
they don't make the Super Bowl, it will be because
of failings at the quarterback position. But he has an opportunity,
and Sean Payton has an opportunity to prove all the
doubters and skeptics of which I was one of the
(21:31):
loudest wrong. Or we're gonna look back on these last
four games and say that was a positive blip, but
a blip nonetheless, and he's more of the player we
saw the first ten weeks. But the game against the
Packers was stunning and he was excellent. Can he do
anything close to that come the postseason, We'll see, But
(21:53):
he's trending in the right direction. That's as far as
all go. You, on the other hand, have him passed
Ran Tarkington already and approaching Steve Young.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
So it's just different new.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Information, as you said, the new information. So I think
there's a difference. This league allows forty percent of the
teams in the playoffs, and Pittsburgh is when one of
these teams, like, hey, we made the playoffs four inches away.
I think Kansas City missing the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
A good thing.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
It's cold water to the face. It's like forty percent
of the teams get in. You couldn't make it, and
like in the last three years they're like twenty fourth
in big plays. I think they got to take the
boat back to port and rebuild it. I don't think
it's a tweak. I don't think if you look at
the last three years numbers, it's a tweak. Chris Jones,
Travis Kelcey. They let go a Joe Toney left tackle.
(22:44):
Still you're not sure and that this is a great league.
You can do New England. You can literally go awful
to really good fast. But I don't think it's a tweak.
I think they need their fourth best player Mahomes, Creed Humphrey,
Trent McDuffie, and you get to well, Kay, Travis Kelsey
had some drops.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Chris Jones still an excellent player. Chris is too far
on Chris Joe.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
So listen, this is all right.
Speaker 6 (23:10):
You said they were twenty fourth in the league the
last three years in big plays. Again, I know nobody
wants to hear this from me right now, and I
wasn't going to go here. Where are they rank in
super Bowls in the league in the last three years?
I understand that. Listen, this Chief season, let me be
very clear, even if Mahomes hadn't been hurt, this season
(23:30):
was a failure.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
I had held out hope that the team they showed
they could be against the Ravens and the Lions was
the team they were going to be and then after
the bye they were bad every single week. They were
bad against the Broncos, they were bad against the Cowboys,
they were bad against the Colts and lucky to win
(23:56):
that game, and then bad against the Texans. And against
the Chargers they have a thirteen to three lead going
into halftime and then give away a touchdown right four
half like a bad team. So they deserve to take
their medicine here, and you are correct in this regard.
I think we are going to see over the next
few weeks Colin where numbers be damned, how much Patrick
(24:21):
was holding together on his own. I think they're going
to lose to the Titans. I think with the offensive
line with four starters or four tackles down, with no
running game, with the issues they're having right now, and
Gardnermanshoe playing quarterback, you're going to see how much Patrick
was carrying, even though his numbers had been suffering the
(24:41):
last month and a half.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
As well.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
With that set, I don't think it is a complete overhaul.
They have rebuilt the offensive line. The left tackle they
drafted in the first round was excellent. He got his
wrists broken and was out. The left guard is a
second year player, who's five players and not great players.
Fine player in Suamattaya create humper. You mentioned Trey Smith,
(25:04):
is that center, right guard, right tack will be a
question mark.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
That's one spot.
Speaker 6 (25:09):
The wide receivers need to develop. They have spent I've
seen Rashi Rice be great and Xavier Worthy as great traits.
They need to develop on the other side of the ball.
They need a pass rush other than Chris Jones. So
it's by no means of you know, a flawless team
right now, even a great team.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
But they're about to have the.
Speaker 6 (25:29):
Tenth eleventh something like that pick of the draft and
a third place schedule, and Patrick is going to come
back with a vengeance. You address pass rush in the draft,
you sign or and or draft a running back. You
continue to develop your secondary the way they have ever
since Bags has been there, and they'll be fine. But listen,
(25:50):
this is the end of a chapter. It is as
good of a seven year run as any team in
NFL history has ever had seven Final fours, five Super
Bowl appearances, three rings. Nobody's ever done better than that
over the course of seven years. You could argue the
steel curtain Steelers, that's kind of a tomato tomatol thing.
They didn't make as many Super Bowls, but they did
(26:12):
win one more. But this is now a new chapter
and they need to see how they take advantage of
a better draft pick than they've had in a decade,
a potentially softer schedule and they've had in a decade,
and Patrick Mahomes post injury. It is the exact same
process Tom had to go through. Win in his eight
year as a starter, he blew out his knee. The
(26:35):
next year they won ten games. They weren't that great.
The year after that they were a fourteen win juggernaut.
Once again, We'll see what the Chiefs look like a
year from now, but I think it's more significant tweaks
than it is total overhaul. And if he's back week
one next year, they will be the AFC West favorites
(26:56):
again if Patrick's back.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
So that's how I look at it.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
With chapters, there was the Bo Nicks I'd bench him
chapter and Bo Nicks is now Steve Young chapter.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
So we both talk in chapters.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
I mean, that's one way to do it.
Speaker 6 (27:10):
I suppose that's one way to do That's why you're
the greatest, That's why you're the greatest.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Okay, Nick, right, First things first, listen a new information.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Bonnick's stunk in the first month, and now he looks
pretty great to me.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
You know, J Mack, I'm a bit of a traditionalist,
and this time of the year, I don't know, I
get the warm and fuzzies here I'm gonna I took
out a pencil, number two pencil and uh, some note cards,
and I wanted to set her. You know, people I've
wronged in college and pro football over the last couple
of months. You know, I'm big enough man to acknowledge
(27:48):
I've hurt some feelings.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
So I thought i'd i'd write some letters. Okay, okay,
let's start.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I mean, he's led the Steelers to the number three
red zone offense.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Let's start with Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Dear Aaron, I said this offense was a rotary phone
in a smartphone world, dated, clunky and unnecessary. But like
fries in a sandwich, Pittsburgh didn't know they needed you.
Now they can't live without you.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Buy Awuasca, Colin.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
You know I was tough on Dak Prescott and the
Cowboys this year, so I grabbed that number two pencil.
Dear Dak, I once said you were not the guy
you would back up the Brinks truck for Consider this
my Texas size surrender.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
You can lead a team and a league.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
If you were on my team, I'd back up the
Brinks truck, the Ben and Jerry's truck, the Budweiser truck.
Your friend Colin leads the NFL in passing yards.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
You know what, I'm going to.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Send one to his billionaire friend, Jerry Jones. Happy Ye Holidays, Jerry,
I said, you run the Cowboys like an impulse buy
at uckies that you like. Headlines over hardware and splash
over substance. This year's trade big splash, a cannon ball
(29:10):
off the yacht. Still you swung, So I'm holding up
a ten, Colin. How about rookie Jackson Dart. I was
tough on that kid. Dear Jackson, you spend more time
in a tent than an RII salesman, yet somehow come
out tougher, sharper, and more polished.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
You're like a developing polaroid.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
I can't see the full picture yet, but I'm glad
you're shaking things up. Okay, scatted, go for now, Colin.
How about forty four year old Philip Rivers, recently unretired
deer coach Rivers. I'm not sorry you talk trash. I'm
(29:57):
sorry the media did.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Now.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Sure, you win the X Games, but.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
You went out there, grabbed your kids skateboard and landed
the trick. Bozo's like jamac doubted you, not me. Happy holidays, Colin.
How about my letter to Sam Darnold. Dear Sambo, I'd
like to apologize to absolutely nobody. You got the Hawks
(30:24):
at eleven and three, poised to be a number one seed.
I was early, I was loud, I was right. Colin Coward,
your thirteenth man.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
How about this one to USC coach Lincoln Riley. I
just finished this one this morning. Dearest Lincoln, here's my
Lincoln letter. I said your Trojan tenure was drifting, momentum gone,
like a film that ran out of budget. Then you
recruited the number one recruiting class. My apologies, you're green.
(31:00):
Let for a trilogy, probably a spin off. Stay streaming, Colin.
And finally, the new Louisiana State football coach Lane Kiffin.
Dearest Lane, I warned that heading to LSU would be chaotic, combustible,
and short lived. You know what I'm gonna hang onto
(31:23):
this for a few more weeks. I'm not gonna send
this one out yet. I mean, he did crush it,
old mess, but the governor's on his butt.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Anyway, a couple of holiday letters. I saw this, J Mack, Well, wait,
hold on, hold on.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
I'm really proud of you for single handedly saving the
US Postal Service with all these letters and stamps. I mean,
well done, and getting in a dig at me and
calling me a bozo.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
I like it, man, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
That was fun.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
So I saw this story, and you know, I like
the Mannings, met all of them, like all of them.
It says here Arch Manning is wise for staying at Texas.
This is the headline because he can still be the
quarterback one in the twenty twenty seven draft. And I'll
tell you why. I am really cynical of that. So
(32:17):
he went to a high school that was a smaller
school in some question, the competition not his.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Fault, a reality. So I thought, well, let's just see
him at Texas well.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
The first two years he sat, he had Sark, great
offensive coach and Texas talent, and then year three starts
with Texas talent and Sark and I can't unsee it
the first half of this year. Go back and look
at the UTEP game UTEP and that's my thing to
be a number one pick. The first time Caleb Williams
(32:50):
was thrust into a game, was not prepared for it.
At Oklahoma, he was brilliant the first time. Trevor Lawa
it started one of Natty as a freshman. Andrew luck
may have red shirted, but our first glimpse of him, Wow,
those guys's number one picks feel sort of generational.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Like John Elway.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Arch sat for two years, had Sark had Texas and
they slowly crafted him, slowly developed him. That doesn't feel
like something that becomes the number one pick. Like Fernando
Mendoza was at Cal. He didn't set the world on fire.
(33:36):
But Cal's got no you know, they've got like second
tier talent. The minute he got elite talent, not Ohio
State talent, for good talent around him. I mean, he's
been unbelievable this year. So I think my take is
at arch Manning. Generally speaking, Kobe at seventeen eighteen years old,
had the greatest workout. Jerry West, the late Jerry West
(33:59):
said he'd ever scene. Lebron, at seventeen, was called the
best high school basketball player ever. I think when you're
I think generational talent. Caleb Williams first snaps whoa Andrew
Look redshirt freshman year Trevor Lawrence. It doesn't mean certain
players can't develop slowly, but I do think you know
(34:20):
what's the page Becker's the Yukon basketball player. I think
she got a scholarship offer in the sixth grade. I
think generally, and remember this an example is he had
such an advantage being a Manning. All the family members
most played in the NFL. That's an advantage. So I
(34:42):
guess my take is he could be an NFL quarterback.
I like his athletic ability. I think he's got a
pretty good arm. But when I number one pick, I
think Tiger Woods, Cooper Flagg, Lebron. I think just generational stuff.
Obviously there's a lot of misses, but I don't know.
I just don't feel like next year, if Dante Moore
came out and Arch Manning came out, that would be
(35:06):
an easy decision for me. It would be Dante Moore.
And by the way, the Manning family may not want
the number one thing. I mean the number one pick.
You often go to an awful team if you slide
a little bit, you know, often a huge advantage. But
the Serenas and Rory McElroy's and the traditional kind of
number one.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Pick kind of I don't know. I just think.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Eli Manning was underrated, so was Archie Peyton was fairly rated.
At this point. There's just stuff I can't quite unsee yet.
Here's sark on arch Manning coming back for another year.
Speaker 8 (35:43):
He's a young man who's gotten considerably much better as
the season's gone on, and not only physically, but I
think mentally maturity wise. Of assuming that position, I would
think he's going to want another year of that growth
to put himself in position for or hopefully a long
career in the NFL. And he's got some unfinished business
for him. I think the competitor in him is going
(36:05):
to say, man, I'm sure would like another crack at
trying to do those things.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
So he's going to be twenty two in April. He's
not that young, and I guess he could be a
slow developer. I mean, Joe Burrow, like junior year, You're like,
I'm not sure and then all of a sudden he
popped and.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Throw with like sixty touchdowners. I think it outrageous at LSU.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
But the headline is the thing that caught my attention.
Arch Manning is wise for staying at Texas. He could
still be quarterback one. I think what's going to happen.
Jade and Mayava going back to USC. Dante Moore could
stay at Oregon. Ty Simpson could stay at Alabama. Next
year's class could be could be pretty profound.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
I do think this year's class got a lot of criticism,
but I think Jackson.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Dart, we have to be fair.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
Jackson Dart is absolutely I saw him as kind of
a second round talent. Jackson Dart's been good, too many
trips of the Blue Tent. But you know what, Drake
may spend some time in the Blue tent his rookie
year than Herbert put his head down, tried to run
over linebackers in safety, so did Baker Mayfield. You get
popped about six seven times, and all of a sudden
you look at the Blue Tent and it's like that
(37:08):
place you don't want to go, right, So it'll be
a different j Max this weekend I think an interesting game.
Jacksonville's played a much lighter schedule than Denver. I do
think keep your eye on Jacksonville. I don't see a
lot of upsets.
Speaker 7 (37:26):
Oh no, I do a little closer, my friend, Oh.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
You have one.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Oh, I mean listen, we touched on it a couple
times this week.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
I read it to you before the show.
Speaker 7 (37:34):
The Kansas City Chiefs injury report screams a team that's
just going to shut down a lot of dudes and
have them play maybe on Christmas Day at home against
the Broncos, in like a Travis Kelce Sendoffracy Rice's concuss
doesn't look like he's going to go. My fantasy team's
not happy. But you look around that team and there's
a lot of McDuffie.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
May not play now. I know Tennessee doesn't want to win.
Speaker 7 (37:57):
But there's still a bunch of professional athletes where young
looking to make an impression on the GM and keep
their jobs. Kim Ward's not gonna suddenly stop trying. I
think the Titans win that outright. This line has come
down four and a half to three. I think it's
gonna keep coming down if the injury report keeps getting
bad for Casey.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
You know what, can I give you a sharp pick?
Everybody's talking Ravens. I like New England. Oh I think
three is too many points. I like New England at Baltimore.
That is, if they lose, it's close.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
The other thing.
Speaker 7 (38:29):
I just submitted, by the way, Ravens Patriots will be
in headlines tomorrow. Just just laid the wager on one
of those teams. No tease, Just gonna put that out there.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Okay, any strong feeling Chargers at the Cowboys?
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Cowboys probably how I see.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
I thought earlier in the week you were Chargers.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
I you know, when you get humiliated or you play
really poorly in a big spot and the owners ripping
the defensive coordinator. I think Dallas is going to have
one of those kind of circle the wagons kind of
like play as well as they can POPI playing. It
feels like the Chargers are just figuring out ways to
win ugly and that may bite them.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
At some point.
Speaker 7 (39:06):
They didn't look good Colin. I mean, they somehow won,
but a lot of it had to do with the
Chiefs just stink. Yeah, you know, the Chargers offensive line
is horrible.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
I mean, look at.
Speaker 7 (39:14):
Justin Herbert's passing number since he's got the broken hand.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Not good our number three, Todd McShay, stop spot men,
doz a dart? What would you do if you're the
GM in New York?
Speaker 5 (39:28):
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like. Let's rollo, Let's.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
Blaze it up right up, it's Collins blazon. Fuck Dockers
at Bears.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
I like the Bears at home minus one and a half.
They're eight and two over their last ten games, and
those losses are only road losses. Caleb Williams has one
or fewer giveaways and all fourteen starts, so they won't
give the game away. And the def like most defenses,
is better at home. It's number six in the league.
I like the roster, and they're much healthier than Green Bay.
(40:08):
By the way, teams that play the Broncos, which the
Packers just did, are three to ten the week after
playing Denver. They're beat up, missing several stars, not just starters.
Run game for the Packers feels dead. Run game for
the Bears been on fire. All season. I like the
Bears to win and cover twenty seven to twenty three.
(40:33):
Vikings had Giants upset. I like New York here for
of their last five losses by one score. They are
running the ball last six straight games, one hundred plus
rushing yards without Scataboo, so they're pounding the rock. Jackson Dart,
I was wrong. I didn't think of me as good
as a rookie his last five games. It's got a
ninety five passer rating, and he didn't have a number
(40:55):
one starbacker, a number one wide receiver. And the Vikings
they've lost four of their last six. Their wins or
over two atrocious defenses. Commanders and Cowboys. JJ McCarthy, I'm
gonna take the better quarterback at home. I trust him more.
Let's keep him out of the blue ten. I'll take
the points. Giants win twenty eight twenty seven. Bengals and Dolphins.
(41:20):
Maybe my favorite pick of the week. I'll take Cincinnati
minus four and a half. They've scored thirty points in
two of their last three games. And Burrows in a
bad mood because he mailed it in the team did
against the Ravens.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Joe Burrow, this is weird.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
Not only has he won eight of his last ten starts,
he is unbelievable late in the season. In Week sixteen
and eighteen in his career, he's seven.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
To zero Miami.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
Five of the dolphins six wins this year have come
against the Jets twice, the Saints, the Falcons, the Commanders,
and now they're starting quinn Ewers. I have no idea
what I'm getting from quinn Ewers, but I know this.
He's not Joe Burrow. I'm going to take Burrow in
Cincinnati to win thirty to twenty.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
In cover Patriots, said Ravens. I don't get this line.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
I'm gonna take the Patriots in the field goal six
and zero on the road out gain their opponents in
nine straight games coming off a loss, so they'll be salty,
and Drake Made's completion percentage is still seventy. They'll move
the chains consistently, and they dominated Buffalo in the first half.
The Ravens are three and five at home the last
five games. Their passing game is toast and they're not
(42:32):
very good on the back end, so I think Drake
may could have some success down the field.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
I don't really get the line here.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
The Patriots are a good road team, excellent coach coordinator.
I'm gonna take the points. I think the Patriots win
outright twenty eight twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Forty nine ers said Colts. Maybe I haven't.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Listening to Jmac, but I like the Niners here minus
five and a half, four game winning streak, all four
wins by double digits. Their third down offense has been
great with Brock Purty. They're not only the Rams are penalized,
lest pretty healthy offensively and the Colts on the back end.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Also, everybody loved Philip Rivers last week. It was a great,
memorable game and touching story. His passer rating was seventy three.
He averaged four point four yards throwing the ball down
the field. This offense, I mean again, Philip Rivers a
great story.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
He wasn't a great quarterback.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
And the Niners have a ton to play for, especially
after Seattle comes back to beat the Rams. You're gonna
get a inspired effort by the forty nine ers. They
can do a lot more with Brock thirty move in
the pocket than the Colts can. I like the Niners
to win and cover thirty four to twenty four. Three
(43:53):
favorites a couple of underdogs on our Blazing five Picks
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 noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Christmas Rider around the Corner live in Chicago. It's The
Herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening
the playoff picture. We've got clarity, Denvers for real, the
Bears are for real, Packers probably trending the other way.
New England's still fine, but we all knew with New
(00:49):
England kind of.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Still in a rebuild.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Second half yesterday banged up whole line sort of proved it.
But we do it every Monday at this time. We
take swings. I'm wrong often, and here we.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Go where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I said all off season and I've said for the
last month. I think the Chiefs are in a rebuild,
not just a red tool next year. They're forty four
million over the cap. They got shut out in the
second half. Isaiah Pacheco was their leading rusher, at twenty
one yards. I don't think they're talented enough. I think
they need to address the O line, the D line,
(01:26):
the running back room, the tight end room. I had
them as a wild card team, and yeah they've had
some close losses, but there was no question watching yesterday,
this is not a team that's just you know, a
player or two away.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
You know, I've always said Dan Campbell builds a great culture.
I don't consider him a scheme guy. But since he's
taken over the play calling, he's been great. Detroit's number
two in total offense, number one in yards per play.
He is unlocked Jamison Williams.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
He's done a great job.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Dan Campbell is a much better coach calling plays than
I would have imagined. That offense is not the problem
Brian Branch. Losing him in the back end at really
hurts because you got to win some shootouts in the
NFC the way the quarterbacks are developing. But I've been
a little hard on Dan Campbell. I think he's done
(02:22):
a great job taking over play come.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
All my concerns with Brian Schottenheimer have surfaced. With extra
time to prepare that offensive performance two for twelve on
third down just not good enough.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Six seven and one.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
They're now a bad red zone team, eighteenth in the league.
And again, that's with Dak, that's with a run game,
that's with elite wide receivers. They're just not a consistent team.
I do think the future is brighter than many believe.
But all the things we worried about getting out coached
in big spot situationally being mid they've all surfaced.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I was okay with Pete Carroll being hired with the Raiders.
I thought he would steady the ship. It's been a disaster.
He's lost his fastball seventy five total yards against Philadelphia.
Come on, that's that's brutal. So his last couple of
years in Seattle, it didn't feel like he was current.
I don't know what the Raiders do well.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
They are.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
They are the worst team in the NFL, and there's
nothing you can point to outside of Max Crosby and
Brock Powers that you like. Where Colin was right, my
guy bo Nicks out played Jordan Love for tuddies four
different receivers, four for four in the red zone. Listen,
I said it when he was at Oregon. I watched
(03:50):
them live twice. Super athletic. Got a Steve Young quality,
hard to get your arms around, never get sacked, very.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Creative, very deceptive.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Not a great deep ball thrower, though he was eight
for twelve yesterday.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Downfield. Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Well, the Jags are a franchise I never trust, but
they've won five straight. You can't run on him. Number
one run defense. Trevor Lawrence in the last several weeks
ten touchdowns, no picks in three games. And they're doing
that without Travis Hunter, their star rookie. So I got
I mean, Trevor Lawrence has always had talent. The Jags
have always had talent. But Liam Cohen they got him,
(04:31):
an offensive guy who had some great moments with Baker Mayfield.
Jacksonville has drafted at the top of rounds for a
long time. There's no question they've got talent, and now
it's all coming together. Where Colin was right, I said Friday,
is it possible Philip Rivers will be fine? He was
never athletic anyway. I mean I watched Kirk Cousins last Thursday.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
He was money.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
My prediction was he never relied on athleticism. Seattle's gonna
have a conservative game plan. It's very possible he's okay.
I'll be honest. His arm didn't have a ton of juice.
But I thought Steichen with the screens underneath stuff, did
a great job calling the game. And overall, when you
don't rely on athleticism, it makes it easier as you age.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Where Colin was right. CJ.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Stroud, I keep hearing wow sophomore slump. Listen, dude throws
one of the prettiest balls in the league. If you
give him a little time, he's money. I will defend CJ. Stroud.
He wants to throw from the pocket. He's good enough
moving Nko Collison. He's got his number one receiver in
the last since Week four, thirteen touchdowns, three picks, with
(05:45):
a very inconsistent run game. They've been you know, hit
and miss. They've had injuries around him.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
CJ.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Stroud, I'll defend him. That's a franchise quarterback. He'll run
if he has to. But he's developed a really keen
sense of the pocket. Where Colin was right, where Colin
was wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 3 (06:13):
Hey is Covino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now,
in addition to hearing us live weekdays from five to
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Sports Radio, We're excited to announce a brand new YouTube
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Speaker 4 (06:26):
Yup, that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
You can now watch Covino and Rich live on YouTube
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Speaker 2 (06:45):
Heard hierarchy time.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
Now, let's go the top ten NFL teams according to
College number ten.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I'll put Philadelphia in seven of their nine wins, though
up coming one score games they're three and five when
allowing twenty one points and in the playoffs you're gonna
face better quarterbacks. Their defense it's excellent, the roster is excellent,
but I don't trust Jalen Hurts or Nick Seriani in
big spots. Again, they play the Commanders twice in the
(07:14):
next three weeks, so they're gonna flex and look impressive.
But this offense feels like it's been broken since week one.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Number nine the Jags.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
You can't run on them, and Liam Cohen has done
wonders for Trevor Lawrence's confidence.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
He's running more.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
They have the number one scoring offense and number two
scoring defense on their five game winning streak. Do I
trust them in a big spot? No, but this is
the closest version of the Trevor Lawrence we all fell
in love with that Clemson.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
I have the Jags at nine. Number eight. The Bills.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Listen, they got totally worked for the first half of
that game after losing to New England. Everybody thinks, well,
they scored on five straight touchdown drives. Okay, they do
run the ball, but are so over lead dependent on
Superman at quarterback. Yes, Josh Allen has been very good
in December games.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I'll give you that.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
And in the last couple of weeks they have almost
six hundred total yards. You know Josh Allen does, so
I'm not saying he's not great. Don't trust them situationally,
don't trust anybody with a ball in their hands other
than Josh Allen.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I have him at eight. Number seven.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Elite coaching, maybe the best coaching staff this year in
the league, sala on defense doing it with smoking.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Mirrors in Kyle Shanahan.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Four wins in a row, all by ten plus points,
brought pretty Finally. I thought this week finally looked totally healthy,
had a lot of juice, a lot of energy. I
mean there are four losses have come against good teams,
the Rams and the Jags and the Texans and the Bucks.
So they beat the teams they should and right now
(08:54):
on third down with Brock pretty they move the chains.
So this is a very dangerous team number six. But
Seattle's got a big boy defense Sam Donald. Yes he
leads the NFL in giveaways, but he also leads in
yards per attempt. It is a big playoffense that can
(09:14):
also play with a lead. They can play conservatively and
win because they can run the ball well coached played defense,
second best odds right now to win the Super Bowl
twenty three straight games not allowing somebody one hundred yards rushing,
Meaning if you beat him, you know, Sam Donald's gonna
get his thirteen possessions. JSN is gonna get thirteen possessions.
(09:36):
That running game is gonna work. I think they're going
to be a really tough out Seattle at six.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Number five.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I still like the Patriots. They had a bad half.
It happens. They're a young team, missing their left tackle
in their left guard. Their issue is they're not very
good in the red zone on either side of the ball,
and that's why I don't think they're a super Bowl team.
They're good defensively. They need another draft. I've been saying
it all year. They're ahead of schedule. They need another draft.
(10:06):
They need more help on the offensive line and more
help in the secondary. Number four the Bears. Tell me
what they don't do. They play in bad weather very well.
They run the ball, they're dynamic, great offensive coach, excellent
o line, take the ball away.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
What don't they do? They're built for January. Well, you
know there can be.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
A Caleb's completion percentage. Lord, he's so gifted. I'm just
gonna eight and two over their last ten games. Number
one rush offense since Week five, Number two in big plays.
They feel like a team that could end up in
the conference championship. Tell me what they don't do complete
bubble screens. Okay, you got me there. That's what college
(10:50):
quarterbacks need. I have them at number four.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Number three.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
I think the Texans defense is the best unit in
pro football. They're eight and zero if they can score
twenty points, number one scoring defense. I mean they faced
that Rams offense early in the season held in the
fourteen points. And I've always liked CJ.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Stroud. I don't get the criticisms. If you give.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Him two and a half seconds, he's outstanding. I really
like Houston. I think they're gonna make the AFC Championship.
I'm not sure who they're gonna face, probably Denver, but
I think the Texans right now are a bye bye
bye number two Denver. Listen, can we stop arguing about
(11:32):
bow Knicks. I've been comparing him to Caleb Williams for weeks.
I wish he was a little more consistent, but the
guy is an unbelievable athlete. He doesn't take sacks. I
said he's a right handed Steve Young. He was dreadful
for about a four week period earlier this year. Well,
Caleb couldn't get the operations down in September. But between
Caleb and bow Knicks, we got to stop doubting them.
(11:55):
Opposing teams, by the way, are three to ten after
facing Denver, so they beat you.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
And they beat you up. Number one. Listen.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
The Rams most complete roster in the NFL. Although I
don't love their corners, out gained their opponents by in
the last month by over five hundred yards. But Blake
Koram has now popped at running back, so they have
a one to two punch. They have four tight ends
who are capable. Davonte will probably be out for three weeks.
(12:26):
They don't get the pass rush. I think they should
for the talent they have, but some of that is
none of their pass rushers outside of Puna Ford, who's
a run stopper, they don't. They're all kids. They're not
in their prime yet. I have the Rams at number one.
No Packers, I'm sorry, they're not the same team today.
Take out Watson, Micah, Kenny, Clark in the trade and Kraft.
(12:48):
I have them at eleven, Chargers at twelve.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
With that Nick Wright.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
First things first stops by all right, hurd hierarchy.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
What don't you like?
Speaker 6 (12:56):
Well, listen, I really like a lot of most Notably,
I feel like the Niners have flown under the radar
all year long. They're alive for the one seed right
now despite all the injuries. I think it's Shanahan's best
coaching job to date. So I like how high you
have them Ram Seahawks Niners. That division them all having
(13:19):
ten or eleven wins is remarkable. I think the Texans
are That might be a tiny bit high, but I
think the Texans are a terrifying team right now. So
I agree with you. I only really have one real gright. Okay,
why are the Patriots ahead of the.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Bills Because we just tell me, Okay, this is not
the College Football Playoff committee. Head to head, isn't the
be all end all? They played six quarters. New England
was better significantly in six of the eight quarters they played.
New England was significantly better. I like New England's coach.
The game meant more for Buffalo the season. Sean mcdermot's
job could have been in trouble this game at halftimes,
(13:56):
Like we beat them the first time, We outschemed them
in the first and then the Patriots missing their left
tackle and left guard really struggled to sustain drives.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
And that's my reason, man.
Speaker 6 (14:09):
I feel I guess I just feel very differently. The
first matchup is twenty to twenty with ninety seconds left,
So I don't know how we got the Patriots thoroughly
outplayed on the first four quarters of the season. That
game came down to the wire, and the second matchup,
Buffalo systematically walked them down, and I and they did
(14:31):
it because they have a great running game, and now
that Patrick's hurt, they have the best healthy player in football.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
And Josh Allen, I just think in a wide.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
Open AFC, the Bills are very scary and deserving and
I trust them more than I trust New England, particularly
after this matchup. But other than that, Colin, and I'm
not sure about Philly.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Let me add one other thing, Philly.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Did Philly fix things or did Philly face the Raiders?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
Yeah, so that Philly would be maybe Green Bay in.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Place of Philly.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
But otherwise I think it's a really solid hierarchy.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
I think it's like when a college powerhouse faces like
an FCS team, You're like, oh, I want forty eight
to seven. You're like, you know, they play Alabama next
week before I get to Mahomes, and I will get
to the Chiefs.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So I.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Said this earlier, And if you had a gifted child
that was on the spectrum a little bit, not rain Man,
but on the spectrum a little bit. And they were
literally doing Beethoven on the piano at eight years old.
I wouldn't lose a ton of sleep if they wore
their pajamas backwards five days a week.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
I'll live with that.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I'm gonna live with Josh Allen, Mahomes and Caleb throwing
some picks lower completion percentage. They're Beethoven at nine year old. Guys,
Caleb made throws this week that looked like optical illusions.
I don't care. I don't care that he's fifty nine percent.
Don't I've watched the DJ Moore play twenty times. I
(16:03):
don't even understand how he threw it. So my thing
on Caleb is, guys, it's like Josh Allen, I would
take less of a completion percentage this year if he
ever threw the ball down the field, which he doesn't.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
He doesn't have a receiver.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Where are you on Caleb in the argument that you
know he's just not accurate enough.
Speaker 6 (16:21):
Well, listen, all you could have hoped for this year
was month over month progression over the course of the season,
and see could he get better at the layups while
keeping the spectacular and that's what he's done, and there
(16:42):
are listen his he is still in a place in
his career, Colin where his low lights are going to
be really grizzly. When a player like like Matt Stafford
take him the polar you know. Opposite example, Stafford's ten
worst throw of the year, none of them are like,
what the hell happened there? It's like, Oh, it's just
(17:06):
he thought he either got tricked or he thought he
could fit it in.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Trust his arm too much.
Speaker 6 (17:11):
Caleb's ten worst throws, it's like, did that miss its target.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
By twelve yards? Maybe?
Speaker 6 (17:18):
But his ten best throws this season can go up
against any other player in the league. And when you
marry that too a dynamic, dominant running game, a really
sharp head coach, and a defense that I honestly think
is not that good but it's opportunistic and maybe that's lucky.
(17:40):
But whatever it is, they force a bunch of turnovers.
That's a scary team. And if the NFC playoffs, if
they can keep winning and make it so, a team
like the Rams, who I think have been the best
team in football, have to come to Chicago and deal
with that rushing attack and then Caleb doing pardon me,
(18:03):
four or five spectacular things a game that would be
really scary. Like, I am fully confident that Caleb Williams
is going to be a very good quarterback in this league.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
And I think he.
Speaker 6 (18:18):
Is bordering on almost already being there. And this year
we are seeing more of what we didn't see as
much as rookie year, of the moments where you're like, wait,
he can be a superstar quarterback in this league. He
still needs, obviously to clean some of the stuff up,
but I feel like he's gotten better in that regard.
But it's hard to watch that throw through four defenders
(18:42):
into the back of the end zone against Cleveland and
not be like, man, this is a special, unique.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Talent on our hands.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
So and I've said, if you like Caleb, you have
to at least acknowledge bo Nick to something because they're
both uneven, both great late, both really athletic. And I
was saying this about bo Nicks. Sometimes you'll see this
in a lot of different businesses, that a coach finds
a player that he loves and not everybody else loves him.
There's not a unanimous agreement. Sean Payton, before the draft
(19:14):
loved bo Nicks because he'd had a little bit of
bo Nicks, little smaller guy and Drew Brees, and he's like, oh,
that's a more athletic Drew Brees. I thought this game
was one of those games like when the Bears went
to Philly and all the doubters went, Okay, maybe they're good.
I think all the doubters on bow Knicks. I think
he's so much more athletic than he gets credit for.
I said he's a right handed Steve Young, like he
(19:34):
just he is fast.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I watched him twice landed Steam.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Yeah, it's the Steam.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
Young's one of the twelve greatest quarterback Zever, this is
where you and I, Colin, are just different broadcasters because
a month ago you and I were in lockstep on
bow Knicks.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
We both thought he wasn't very good.
Speaker 6 (19:57):
And now you've got him as a right handed Steam
Young and I feel pretty tethered to my previous take.
But you have none of you like Hey, new information,
new games. I've changed my opinion deal with in America.
I don't have that ability the way you do it,
at least at least in that regard. Here's what I
will say in defense of Bonnicks.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
In fairness to bow Knicks, I.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Thought the Chiefs game that he played was up to
that moment, the best game of his career, and then
two weeks later I thought the Washington game was the
best game of his career, and then this game against
Green Bay was hands down the best game of his career.
So in the last month or so, I think he
has played the three best games of his career. He
(20:42):
obviously is not too scared of a big moment, and
the team obviously has been excellent.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
All year long. I still.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
My gut tells me that that Packers game is more
of the aberration than it's going to be the trend.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
But I have to be fair and be open to.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
The possibility that I was wrong about him. Thus far,
I have been dead wrong obviously about the Broncos.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
They've been excellent.
Speaker 6 (21:11):
My gut still tells me quarterback is their weak link,
and even though they're gonna be the one seed, when
they don't make the Super Bowl, it will be because
of failings at the quarterback position. But he has an opportunity,
and Sean Payton has an opportunity to prove all the
doubters and skeptics of which I was one of the
(21:31):
loudest wrong. Or we're gonna look back on these last
four games and say that was a positive blip, but
a blip nonetheless, and he's more of the player we
saw the first ten weeks. But the game against the
Packers was stunning and he was excellent. Can he do
anything close to that come the postseason, We'll see, But
(21:53):
he's trending in the right direction. That's as far as
all go. You, on the other hand, have him passed
Ran Tarkington already and approaching Steve Young.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
So it's just different new.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Information, as you said, the new information. So I think
there's a difference. This league allows forty percent of the
teams in the playoffs, and Pittsburgh is when one of
these teams, like, hey, we made the playoffs four inches away.
I think Kansas City missing the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
A good thing.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
It's cold water to the face. It's like forty percent
of the teams get in. You couldn't make it, and
like in the last three years they're like twenty fourth
in big plays. I think they got to take the
boat back to port and rebuild it. I don't think
it's a tweak. I don't think if you look at
the last three years numbers, it's a tweak. Chris Jones,
Travis Kelcey. They let go a Joe Toney left tackle.
(22:44):
Still you're not sure and that this is a great league.
You can do New England. You can literally go awful
to really good fast. But I don't think it's a tweak.
I think they need their fourth best player Mahomes, Creed Humphrey,
Trent McDuffie, and you get to well, Kay, Travis Kelsey
had some drops.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Chris Jones still an excellent player. Chris is too far
on Chris Joe.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
So listen, this is all right.
Speaker 6 (23:10):
You said they were twenty fourth in the league the
last three years in big plays. Again, I know nobody
wants to hear this from me right now, and I
wasn't going to go here. Where are they rank in
super Bowls in the league in the last three years?
I understand that. Listen, this Chief season, let me be
very clear, even if Mahomes hadn't been hurt, this season
(23:30):
was a failure.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
I had held out hope that the team they showed
they could be against the Ravens and the Lions was
the team they were going to be and then after
the bye they were bad every single week. They were
bad against the Broncos, they were bad against the Cowboys,
they were bad against the Colts and lucky to win
(23:56):
that game, and then bad against the Texans. And against
the Chargers they have a thirteen to three lead going
into halftime and then give away a touchdown right four
half like a bad team. So they deserve to take
their medicine here, and you are correct in this regard.
I think we are going to see over the next
few weeks Colin where numbers be damned, how much Patrick
(24:21):
was holding together on his own. I think they're going
to lose to the Titans. I think with the offensive
line with four starters or four tackles down, with no
running game, with the issues they're having right now, and
Gardnermanshoe playing quarterback, you're going to see how much Patrick
was carrying, even though his numbers had been suffering the
(24:41):
last month and a half.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
As well.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
With that set, I don't think it is a complete overhaul.
They have rebuilt the offensive line. The left tackle they
drafted in the first round was excellent. He got his
wrists broken and was out. The left guard is a
second year player, who's five players and not great players.
Fine player in Suamattaya create humper. You mentioned Trey Smith,
(25:04):
is that center, right guard, right tack will be a
question mark.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
That's one spot.
Speaker 6 (25:09):
The wide receivers need to develop. They have spent I've
seen Rashi Rice be great and Xavier Worthy as great traits.
They need to develop on the other side of the ball.
They need a pass rush other than Chris Jones. So
it's by no means of you know, a flawless team
right now, even a great team.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
But they're about to have the.
Speaker 6 (25:29):
Tenth eleventh something like that pick of the draft and
a third place schedule, and Patrick is going to come
back with a vengeance. You address pass rush in the draft,
you sign or and or draft a running back. You
continue to develop your secondary the way they have ever
since Bags has been there, and they'll be fine. But listen,
(25:50):
this is the end of a chapter. It is as
good of a seven year run as any team in
NFL history has ever had seven Final fours, five Super
Bowl appearances, three rings. Nobody's ever done better than that
over the course of seven years. You could argue the
steel curtain Steelers, that's kind of a tomato tomatol thing.
They didn't make as many Super Bowls, but they did
(26:12):
win one more. But this is now a new chapter
and they need to see how they take advantage of
a better draft pick than they've had in a decade,
a potentially softer schedule and they've had in a decade,
and Patrick Mahomes post injury. It is the exact same
process Tom had to go through. Win in his eight
year as a starter, he blew out his knee. The
(26:35):
next year they won ten games. They weren't that great.
The year after that they were a fourteen win juggernaut.
Once again, We'll see what the Chiefs look like a
year from now, but I think it's more significant tweaks
than it is total overhaul. And if he's back week
one next year, they will be the AFC West favorites
(26:56):
again if Patrick's back.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
So that's how I look at it.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
With chapters, there was the Bo Nicks I'd bench him
chapter and Bo Nicks is now Steve Young chapter.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
So we both talk in chapters.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
I mean, that's one way to do it.
Speaker 6 (27:10):
I suppose that's one way to do That's why you're
the greatest, That's why you're the greatest.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Okay, Nick, right, First things first, listen a new information.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Bonnick's stunk in the first month, and now he looks
pretty great to me.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
You know, J Mack, I'm a bit of a traditionalist,
and this time of the year, I don't know, I
get the warm and fuzzies here I'm gonna I took
out a pencil, number two pencil and uh, some note cards,
and I wanted to set her. You know, people I've
wronged in college and pro football over the last couple
of months. You know, I'm big enough man to acknowledge
(27:48):
I've hurt some feelings.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
So I thought i'd i'd write some letters. Okay, okay,
let's start.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I mean, he's led the Steelers to the number three
red zone offense.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Let's start with Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Dear Aaron, I said this offense was a rotary phone
in a smartphone world, dated, clunky and unnecessary. But like
fries in a sandwich, Pittsburgh didn't know they needed you.
Now they can't live without you.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Buy Awuasca, Colin.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
You know I was tough on Dak Prescott and the
Cowboys this year, so I grabbed that number two pencil.
Dear Dak, I once said you were not the guy
you would back up the Brinks truck for Consider this
my Texas size surrender.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
You can lead a team and a league.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
If you were on my team, I'd back up the
Brinks truck, the Ben and Jerry's truck, the Budweiser truck.
Your friend Colin leads the NFL in passing yards.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
You know what, I'm going to.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Send one to his billionaire friend, Jerry Jones. Happy Ye Holidays, Jerry,
I said, you run the Cowboys like an impulse buy
at uckies that you like. Headlines over hardware and splash
over substance. This year's trade big splash, a cannon ball
(29:10):
off the yacht. Still you swung, So I'm holding up
a ten, Colin. How about rookie Jackson Dart. I was
tough on that kid. Dear Jackson, you spend more time
in a tent than an RII salesman, yet somehow come
out tougher, sharper, and more polished.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
You're like a developing polaroid.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
I can't see the full picture yet, but I'm glad
you're shaking things up. Okay, scatted, go for now, Colin.
How about forty four year old Philip Rivers, recently unretired
deer coach Rivers. I'm not sorry you talk trash. I'm
(29:57):
sorry the media did.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Now.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Sure, you win the X Games, but.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
You went out there, grabbed your kids skateboard and landed
the trick. Bozo's like jamac doubted you, not me. Happy holidays, Colin.
How about my letter to Sam Darnold. Dear Sambo, I'd
like to apologize to absolutely nobody. You got the Hawks
(30:24):
at eleven and three, poised to be a number one seed.
I was early, I was loud, I was right. Colin Coward,
your thirteenth man.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
How about this one to USC coach Lincoln Riley. I
just finished this one this morning. Dearest Lincoln, here's my
Lincoln letter. I said your Trojan tenure was drifting, momentum gone,
like a film that ran out of budget. Then you
recruited the number one recruiting class. My apologies, you're green.
(31:00):
Let for a trilogy, probably a spin off. Stay streaming, Colin.
And finally, the new Louisiana State football coach Lane Kiffin.
Dearest Lane, I warned that heading to LSU would be chaotic, combustible,
and short lived. You know what I'm gonna hang onto
(31:23):
this for a few more weeks. I'm not gonna send
this one out yet. I mean, he did crush it,
old mess, but the governor's on his butt.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Anyway, a couple of holiday letters. I saw this, J Mack, Well, wait,
hold on, hold on.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
I'm really proud of you for single handedly saving the
US Postal Service with all these letters and stamps. I mean,
well done, and getting in a dig at me and
calling me a bozo.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
I like it, man, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
That was fun.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
So I saw this story, and you know, I like
the Mannings, met all of them, like all of them.
It says here Arch Manning is wise for staying at Texas.
This is the headline because he can still be the
quarterback one in the twenty twenty seven draft. And I'll
tell you why. I am really cynical of that. So
(32:17):
he went to a high school that was a smaller
school in some question, the competition not his.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Fault, a reality. So I thought, well, let's just see
him at Texas well.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
The first two years he sat, he had Sark, great
offensive coach and Texas talent, and then year three starts
with Texas talent and Sark and I can't unsee it
the first half of this year. Go back and look
at the UTEP game UTEP and that's my thing to
be a number one pick. The first time Caleb Williams
(32:50):
was thrust into a game, was not prepared for it.
At Oklahoma, he was brilliant the first time. Trevor Lawa
it started one of Natty as a freshman. Andrew luck
may have red shirted, but our first glimpse of him, Wow,
those guys's number one picks feel sort of generational.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Like John Elway.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Arch sat for two years, had Sark had Texas and
they slowly crafted him, slowly developed him. That doesn't feel
like something that becomes the number one pick. Like Fernando
Mendoza was at Cal. He didn't set the world on fire.
(33:36):
But Cal's got no you know, they've got like second
tier talent. The minute he got elite talent, not Ohio
State talent, for good talent around him. I mean, he's
been unbelievable this year. So I think my take is
at arch Manning. Generally speaking, Kobe at seventeen eighteen years old,
had the greatest workout. Jerry West, the late Jerry West
(33:59):
said he'd ever scene. Lebron, at seventeen, was called the
best high school basketball player ever. I think when you're
I think generational talent. Caleb Williams first snaps whoa Andrew
Look redshirt freshman year Trevor Lawrence. It doesn't mean certain
players can't develop slowly, but I do think you know
(34:20):
what's the page Becker's the Yukon basketball player. I think
she got a scholarship offer in the sixth grade. I
think generally, and remember this an example is he had
such an advantage being a Manning. All the family members
most played in the NFL. That's an advantage. So I
(34:42):
guess my take is he could be an NFL quarterback.
I like his athletic ability. I think he's got a
pretty good arm. But when I number one pick, I
think Tiger Woods, Cooper Flagg, Lebron. I think just generational stuff.
Obviously there's a lot of misses, but I don't know.
I just don't feel like next year, if Dante Moore
came out and Arch Manning came out, that would be
(35:06):
an easy decision for me. It would be Dante Moore.
And by the way, the Manning family may not want
the number one thing. I mean the number one pick.
You often go to an awful team if you slide
a little bit, you know, often a huge advantage. But
the Serenas and Rory McElroy's and the traditional kind of
number one.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Pick kind of I don't know. I just think.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Eli Manning was underrated, so was Archie Peyton was fairly rated.
At this point. There's just stuff I can't quite unsee yet.
Here's sark on arch Manning coming back for another year.
Speaker 8 (35:43):
He's a young man who's gotten considerably much better as
the season's gone on, and not only physically, but I
think mentally maturity wise. Of assuming that position, I would
think he's going to want another year of that growth
to put himself in position for or hopefully a long
career in the NFL. And he's got some unfinished business
for him. I think the competitor in him is going
(36:05):
to say, man, I'm sure would like another crack at
trying to do those things.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
So he's going to be twenty two in April. He's
not that young, and I guess he could be a
slow developer. I mean, Joe Burrow, like junior year, You're like,
I'm not sure and then all of a sudden he
popped and.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Throw with like sixty touchdowners. I think it outrageous at LSU.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
But the headline is the thing that caught my attention.
Arch Manning is wise for staying at Texas. He could
still be quarterback one. I think what's going to happen.
Jade and Mayava going back to USC. Dante Moore could
stay at Oregon. Ty Simpson could stay at Alabama. Next
year's class could be could be pretty profound.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
I do think this year's class got a lot of criticism,
but I think Jackson.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Dart, we have to be fair.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
Jackson Dart is absolutely I saw him as kind of
a second round talent. Jackson Dart's been good, too many
trips of the Blue Tent. But you know what, Drake
may spend some time in the Blue tent his rookie
year than Herbert put his head down, tried to run
over linebackers in safety, so did Baker Mayfield. You get
popped about six seven times, and all of a sudden
you look at the Blue Tent and it's like that
(37:08):
place you don't want to go, right, So it'll be
a different j Max this weekend I think an interesting game.
Jacksonville's played a much lighter schedule than Denver. I do
think keep your eye on Jacksonville. I don't see a
lot of upsets.
Speaker 7 (37:26):
Oh no, I do a little closer, my friend, Oh.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
You have one.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Oh, I mean listen, we touched on it a couple
times this week.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
I read it to you before the show.
Speaker 7 (37:34):
The Kansas City Chiefs injury report screams a team that's
just going to shut down a lot of dudes and
have them play maybe on Christmas Day at home against
the Broncos, in like a Travis Kelce Sendoffracy Rice's concuss
doesn't look like he's going to go. My fantasy team's
not happy. But you look around that team and there's
a lot of McDuffie.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
May not play now. I know Tennessee doesn't want to win.
Speaker 7 (37:57):
But there's still a bunch of professional athletes where young
looking to make an impression on the GM and keep
their jobs. Kim Ward's not gonna suddenly stop trying. I
think the Titans win that outright. This line has come
down four and a half to three. I think it's
gonna keep coming down if the injury report keeps getting
bad for Casey.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
You know what, can I give you a sharp pick?
Everybody's talking Ravens. I like New England. Oh I think
three is too many points. I like New England at Baltimore.
That is, if they lose, it's close.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
The other thing.
Speaker 7 (38:29):
I just submitted, by the way, Ravens Patriots will be
in headlines tomorrow. Just just laid the wager on one
of those teams. No tease, Just gonna put that out there.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Okay, any strong feeling Chargers at the Cowboys?
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Cowboys probably how I see.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
I thought earlier in the week you were Chargers.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
I you know, when you get humiliated or you play
really poorly in a big spot and the owners ripping
the defensive coordinator. I think Dallas is going to have
one of those kind of circle the wagons kind of
like play as well as they can POPI playing. It
feels like the Chargers are just figuring out ways to
win ugly and that may bite them.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
At some point.
Speaker 7 (39:06):
They didn't look good Colin. I mean, they somehow won,
but a lot of it had to do with the
Chiefs just stink. Yeah, you know, the Chargers offensive line
is horrible.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
I mean, look at.
Speaker 7 (39:14):
Justin Herbert's passing number since he's got the broken hand.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Not good our number three, Todd McShay, stop spot men,
doz a dart? What would you do if you're the
GM in New York?
Speaker 5 (39:28):
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like. Let's rollo, Let's.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
Blaze it up right up, it's Collins blazon. Fuck Dockers
at Bears.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
I like the Bears at home minus one and a half.
They're eight and two over their last ten games, and
those losses are only road losses. Caleb Williams has one
or fewer giveaways and all fourteen starts, so they won't
give the game away. And the def like most defenses,
is better at home. It's number six in the league.
I like the roster, and they're much healthier than Green Bay.
(40:08):
By the way, teams that play the Broncos, which the
Packers just did, are three to ten the week after
playing Denver. They're beat up, missing several stars, not just starters.
Run game for the Packers feels dead. Run game for
the Bears been on fire. All season. I like the
Bears to win and cover twenty seven to twenty three.
(40:33):
Vikings had Giants upset. I like New York here for
of their last five losses by one score. They are
running the ball last six straight games, one hundred plus
rushing yards without Scataboo, so they're pounding the rock. Jackson Dart,
I was wrong. I didn't think of me as good
as a rookie his last five games. It's got a
ninety five passer rating, and he didn't have a number
(40:55):
one starbacker, a number one wide receiver. And the Vikings
they've lost four of their last six. Their wins or
over two atrocious defenses. Commanders and Cowboys. JJ McCarthy, I'm
gonna take the better quarterback at home. I trust him more.
Let's keep him out of the blue ten. I'll take
the points. Giants win twenty eight twenty seven. Bengals and Dolphins.
(41:20):
Maybe my favorite pick of the week. I'll take Cincinnati
minus four and a half. They've scored thirty points in
two of their last three games. And Burrows in a
bad mood because he mailed it in the team did
against the Ravens.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Joe Burrow, this is weird.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
Not only has he won eight of his last ten starts,
he is unbelievable late in the season. In Week sixteen
and eighteen in his career, he's seven.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
To zero Miami.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
Five of the dolphins six wins this year have come
against the Jets twice, the Saints, the Falcons, the Commanders,
and now they're starting quinn Ewers. I have no idea
what I'm getting from quinn Ewers, but I know this.
He's not Joe Burrow. I'm going to take Burrow in
Cincinnati to win thirty to twenty.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
In cover Patriots, said Ravens. I don't get this line.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
I'm gonna take the Patriots in the field goal six
and zero on the road out gain their opponents in
nine straight games coming off a loss, so they'll be salty,
and Drake Made's completion percentage is still seventy. They'll move
the chains consistently, and they dominated Buffalo in the first half.
The Ravens are three and five at home the last
five games. Their passing game is toast and they're not
(42:32):
very good on the back end, so I think Drake
may could have some success down the field.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
I don't really get the line here.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
The Patriots are a good road team, excellent coach coordinator.
I'm gonna take the points. I think the Patriots win
outright twenty eight twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Forty nine ers said Colts. Maybe I haven't.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Listening to Jmac, but I like the Niners here minus
five and a half, four game winning streak, all four
wins by double digits. Their third down offense has been
great with Brock Purty. They're not only the Rams are penalized,
lest pretty healthy offensively and the Colts on the back end.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Also, everybody loved Philip Rivers last week. It was a great,
memorable game and touching story. His passer rating was seventy three.
He averaged four point four yards throwing the ball down
the field. This offense, I mean again, Philip Rivers a
great story.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
He wasn't a great quarterback.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
And the Niners have a ton to play for, especially
after Seattle comes back to beat the Rams. You're gonna
get a inspired effort by the forty nine ers. They
can do a lot more with Brock thirty move in
the pocket than the Colts can. I like the Niners
to win and cover thirty four to twenty four. Three
(43:53):
favorites a couple of underdogs on our Blazing five Picks
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