May 15, 2025 • 42 mins
Colin goes all in on the full release of the NFL's 2025 schedule! He examines the Chiefs schedule and believes the NFL's dynasty is headed for some regression after playing in 3 straight Super Bowls
Thoughts on the Warriors season coming to an end
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
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
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 3 (00:26):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
It is a Thursday, our post NFL schedule release show.
The Warriors season is now officially done. Live. It's The
Herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. Well, you know, Jmac,
there are certain things in sports that gotta get weird
(00:48):
over years ago. People used to think it was a
weirdo twenty years ago because I love the draft so much.
But everybody's coming around on not the schedule release. It's
another one of those that I do think it does matter.
Especially most teams in this league are playing on the margins.
They're not Baltimore or Philadelphia where they've got better personnel
and star quarterbacks and they're winning by ten to twelve points.
(01:08):
A lot of teams, those you know, TUA playing up
north in December is a disadvantage for the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
You have to look at that right, huge.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, and I got to thank the NFL for giving
my Jets a one or zero start to the season.
We get the Steelers that hold open and makes it
Rudolph not Aaron.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Well, let's start with this.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
So my one takeaway the NFL schedule, and it's a
fairly obvious one. Kansas City that is rough. So Kansas
City does not have a great O line and they're
going to try to figure it out. And they're using
a backup at left tackle that hasn't really started and
been the man from the Niners. So and it's a
(01:47):
hard unit to create cohesion. And if you look at
their first ten games, even the teams that we view
as weaker teams like the Giants good pass rush, Jacksonville
pass rush Max Crosby, So even the Wu's could create
problems for them. Forget Denver that led the NFL in sacks,
you face them. Conversely, the Chargers. Jim Harball look at
(02:13):
his career in year two, everywhere he goes, Chargers revamped
run game, high end left and right tackles, have a
cookie dough soft schedule in the middle of the season
to gain momentum. So my prediction that the Chargers win
this division with a weaker schedule really plays in the
(02:36):
middle of the season. You're starting to get dinged up,
you're not playing with full rosters. It is really soft
with the Chargers and I again, we've watched We've watched
the Chiefs and Mahomes get blown out in two Super Bowls.
It's always been the same reason, old line's not right. Well,
I think they're going into a season where the old
line's not right. Add another thing, Kansas City opens in Brazil.
(03:02):
They have the most seven prime time games. That's what
the NFL does once you're the star attraction. They have
the Lions on a short week. Oh that's not good.
They have the Buffalo Bills on a short week. Yeah,
that's not good either. Remember that Brazil game last year,
Philadelphia went to Brazil and beat Green Bay. The Eagles
(03:23):
came back groggy and the next week lost to the
Atlanta Falcons. So that'll take some that'll take some air
out of the sales. Here's what we know. Andy Reid
and Mahomes are as good as anybody in the world
at what they do. But again, this team played on
the margins last year okay, and I think with this
O line the kryptonite to Kansas City in their two
(03:46):
Super Bowl blowout losses has been the O line. This
going into a season they lost Joe Toney is their
weakest O line. A little bit of finger crossing here.
Last year's was okay going into the season, a bit
of a mess at the end of the season.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
So this is not a team like.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia with stacked rosters that are not playing
on the margins. They're getting seven or eight blowout games
a year when margins shrink everything counts. This team had
the third lowest point differential in the AFC West, so
in their own division, Denver and the Chargers had more
blowout wins, and I think Denver and the Chargers will
(04:23):
be noticeably better bo Knicks now into a second year
with Peyton. They had some interesting draft picks at running
back and wide receiver. So the downside to becoming America's
team is that the NFL, this is what they do.
And I can remember after the Giants would win a
Super Bowl in Conflin and Eli and they'd put them
on Sunday night and they'd flex them in and everybody
(04:44):
loved it except the giants and the older players. So
here is Travis Kelcey on his podcast New Heights talking
about that opener in Brazil.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
I'll be there not to do Yeah, I'll be there
in the heat. If it's human, I'm gonna be miserable.
I'm gonna make I'm gonna I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Be just surrounded by the Amazon rainforest.
Speaker 5 (05:09):
This is a good point. If it's hot and humid
and kind of what I'm expecting, I'm gonna be miserable.
But we're gonna find a way to get a win.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Hip hip hooray.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
So my number one take Kansas City going into a
season with an offensive line I don't love. I mean,
when you start looking last year at the teams at
the end of the season that are really formidable and
leaning on people, a lot of them. Washington was an exception,
had really really buttoned up o lines. All right, So
(05:42):
the Warriors lost. The oldest interesting team in the league
is out Minnesota that's got some age, but much deeper,
bigger roster, prevails pretty easily. Jimmy Butler won. He took
eleven shots. Some of that as energy, some of that
was Kaminga had a lot of energy. Minnesota got great looks.
(06:03):
All you had to do is look at the box
score and it tells you Golden State was tired. Minnesota
shot sixty three percent, dominated in the paint, had almost
double the assists. They were moving very well. Julius Randall
thirteen of eighteen Bulleyball. The three best Warriors Butler, Steph
and Draymond all out of their prime. Two thirty five
(06:26):
year olds and a thirty seven year old, and they're
only getting older. So all it took was a popped
hamstring and the house collapses. It's interesting Jonathan Kaminga, who
just doesn't work with Butler and Staph. He's great. He
was great when Steph got hurt, so they'll be able
to show that off. And he raised his market value
(06:47):
because everybody has sort of understood that the Steph offense,
that ecosystem, it's just not friendly the young players. James
Wiseman never got it going COMINGA can't be on the.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Floor with Butler and Steph. It just doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
But he was the one guy last night that jumped
off the TV. He was the one guy you looked
at and thought, oh, he can go toe to toe
with Minnesota's athletic bigs, so they'll have a market for him.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
And Pods is a guy you have to keep.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
He's got a market as well, but you're gonna have
to move off at least one of your really good
young players. So the Warriors to some degree have become
an antique store. And Okase is the Apple store right
next door. And I think the Warriors are gonna get
worse every year unless they pull off a big, big
(07:33):
deal for Kaminga. People are gonna want Pods and Cominga,
they'll keep Pods. They view him as sort of a staff,
an emerging shooter that works with Steph. But I will
say this, you know what, It really reminds me of
watching last night. So I and Belichick took the hit
for all of the shortcomings for the New England offense
(07:56):
right before Tom left. But just consider New England and
Belichick and Brady, the Warriors staff and Steve Kerr. They
built a very high intellect, sophisticated offense, both Kerr and
Curry and Draymond.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It's very sophisticated.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Young people struggle and for years everybody always said, well
why can't New England, Why can't they draft the wide receiver. Well,
some of it was most of it was Belichick wasn't
a good drafter. Some of it was Tom didn't want
a babysit them. And so what you have. You have
the benefit of the brilliance of Belichick and the brilliance
of Steve Kerr. You have the benefit of Brady and Steph.
(08:39):
But these are so high functioning, almost academic offenses. They
don't play with kids. Well, New England didn't. That's why
New England got old and slow, really fast. Brady went
young down in Tampa, and that's why. Look when you
watch Okasey and you watch Indiana, and you watch these
(08:59):
young teams Houston, and then you watch Golden State, some
of it is on this offense that just doesn't play
well with others under the age of twenty three years old.
That's what New England became. So I I just think
they're just getting a year older. I think all these Houston's,
Indiana's maybe some degree in New York still got some youth. Cleveland.
(09:24):
I think those teams are getting better. I think the
Warriors are getting older. But Steve Kerr is still a believer.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
I know we had a shot. I know we could
have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn't have, but it
doesn't matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who
stays healthy and who gets hot. You know, are you
playing well at the right time, do you have multiple
guys step up in key games, make shots, and do
(09:53):
you have good health? And you know you see it
every year in every series, and so they're there's there's
there's a little bit of luck involved, you know, and we,
like I said, we've been on both sides of that
and it's just part of it.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
But I will say this, and I love Steve Kerr.
Older teams get hurt more often and older teams recover
more slowly, and the Warriors are just getting older.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
There is a little bit of luck involved.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
But when you got when you got Steph Curry running
two miles per game on that treadmill for that offense,
and he is so valuable. Without it, they're not even
the same looking watching team Warriors are a hard watch
without Steph. So I I you could say there's there's
luck involved, But remember we all know this the NBA,
(10:46):
and it's helped ratings is allowing more physical basketball. What
does that mean more injuries? My guess they will come
to the older teams, not the younger ones. And I
really do believe the NBA used to be go get
three great players, the Heatles KD, Steph Clay.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I don't think that's it anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I think the new CBA and the new Aprons, it's
all about roster construction. I mean the Celtics are often
weirdly as good or better without Tatum. I mean, like
Oklahoma City's roster. I think San Antonio's is going to
get very deep. Houston's already is. They just don't have
(11:28):
a second dominant great score. So I just Steve kerstill
believes it. You can talk yourself it's into luck. But
the new style of playoff basketball is not going to aid.
It's not going to aid the older rickety teams, two
thirty five year olds and a thirty seven year.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Old, so j Mac.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
It is how I got into this discussion last night.
Lebron's out of the playoffs, Steph Curry's out of the playoffs.
The Celtics brand, I think will lose to New York.
They'll be out of the playoffs. Do you think Nicks
I do I think it's compelling. Do you think Oklahoma
City Minnesota. Like, I think these are really good series,
but I'm more NBA die hard than the casuals. I
(12:10):
this whole thing about the NBA being rigged. You wouldn't
have OKAC and Minnesota in and Stephen Lebron out. What
do you make of what potentially is our final four?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:20):
The way I look at as I talk to buddies
and they're like, hey, hey, let's go out to hang out,
and I'm like, well, there's an NBA Finals game and
Lebron's in it.
Speaker 7 (12:26):
I'm not missing that.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
I would be okay missing a conference semi conference finals
matchup between and SGA, Like, it's.
Speaker 7 (12:34):
Not mandatory viewing. I mean, it's a great matchup, no doubt.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
I'm gonna watch the games, but if something comes up,
you know, you want to go to a Dodgers game, Sure,
I'll go to a Dodgers game.
Speaker 7 (12:43):
But Colin, it's just it's not the sexy.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Matchups that we want. Right if Curry's playing, I'm glued
to the TV. Lebron I'm glued, but SGA, I'm just
not there yet.
Speaker 7 (12:54):
I'm sorry. I hope that doesn't make me an elitist.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Yeah, No, I think I think this is the transition.
I think when Michael Jordan left, the league lost fifty
percent of its numbers. But I do think I do
think there's a little Lebron fatigue, where stylistically, Curry is
still a great watch, but I do think Lebron is
an older player. I'm more fascinated I am with Luca
(13:18):
than Lebron because I've seen all Lebron's game, Luca's growth,
his cardio, lack of defense, bit controversial part of a trade.
So I don't think you're going to see a massive
drop off. I just I don't think the Warriors are
what Steve Kerr believes, just bad luck away from advancing.
I think they're just going to be a year older,
and I think Oklahoma City, with all this experience Indiana,
(13:41):
they're just going to be better.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Don't forget to love hate the polarization. If you really
love or hate Lebron and that's what he is, you're
gonna watch. I just don't feel like anybody hates SGA
what he hates it. They haven't done anything to be hateable.
Lebron's won a lot, moved around teams. People just dislike him.
But I do believe you know, maybe there's that element
with the Knicks, but they still have to pull it out. Colin,
(14:04):
Are you sure there're a lock to win this series
all the pressures on them?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Yeah, I'm not good. Points.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Noone Easter non a em Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Are now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by Credible
Great Raids and None of the Bull, so listen.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
The NFL.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Is very intentional with it schedule. It's making bets on things.
I still think the Cowboys are on TV way too much,
and I work for Fox, but there's a couple of
schedules that are interesting. The Chicago Bear schedule is interesting,
a very soft middle and big brands late Philly, Green Bay,
(14:51):
Green Bay, San Francisco rivalry game with Detroit. So it's
a rough six weeks at the end. But with all
these new offensive line pieces, and we've talked about this
cohesion for the Bears on line, it won't be great
in August, in September, they should have their act together late.
So the NFL sent a message we think Chicago is
(15:13):
going to be a viable TV product. At the end
of this year, they have that many have the clever
new coach, an ascending player at quarterback, a lot of
good weapons, so that at the end of the season,
it's Philly, it's San Francisco, it's Green Bay twice. League
thinks are going to be good and interesting, and so
do I. So five of their last six games are
(15:36):
either on TV with against big brands, or they're flexible
and it's a very soft middle of the schedule, right
there's a chance to get some wins here.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So it's a.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Very purpose, purposeful act by the NFL. On the Chicago Bears.
The other one that jumped out to me was Washington
and the Commanders. I mean they went from a franchise
that was radioactive waste to how many times can we
get Jaden Daniels on television? So Washington has eight straight
games with no one o'clock window. Okay, that's where they
(16:09):
were buried for years. Get Washington out of the way.
Jaden Daniels to me, and this was sort of his
comp I said he was going to be like Lamar
Jackson light not quite the runner, but better in the pocket.
Early on crazy fun NFL defensive coordinators last year just
had trouble figuring him out. So I mean it's very
(16:31):
rare when the NFL goes by year two. Yeah, we're
putting him in the biggest spots. Monday Night Football against Mahomes.
It's Washington, that's because a one guy. And then the
end of the year Philadelphia on Fox standalone game Saturday. Oh,
the following week Christmas against the Cowboys. Then the following
(16:52):
week probably the biggest game of the week against Philadelphia.
And my take is they'll be battling either for Washington
a playoff spot. I'll think they'll be in I' theyll
be battling for the NFC East Crown. I think Dallas
and the Giants are significantly weaker. But the Bear schedule
Marquee games late. They don't want to they don't want
(17:13):
to throw a lot of Carolina Panthers Saints in Cleveland late.
They got Bears on a lot of those big TV games,
and they'll be flexible. And Washington they're out of a
one o'clock window already already.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Even c J.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Stroud didn't get Houston this kind of schedule in year two.
That tells you that Washington's been a sleeping giant in
this sport forever. There used to be one hundred year
waiting list when they had a different name, and now
year two, like we're stacking them all over. Chiefs Monday
Night Football against Mahomes Cowboys. No coincidences with NFL scheduling.
(17:52):
Jmack with a.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
News No, no.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
This is the herdline news.
Speaker 7 (17:59):
I will do plenty of NFL schedules today. The New
York Giants.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
I just I can't stop laughing at that.
Speaker 7 (18:03):
But we're starting in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Colin, the Denver Nuggets host the thunder Tonight Game six,
season on the line.
Speaker 7 (18:12):
We know Yokich and Murray have been delivering.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
They scored seventy two of the teams one hundred and
five points in Game five.
Speaker 7 (18:18):
Murray really struggled late, and Murray.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
Knows, Hey, we need to get back to okay.
Speaker 7 (18:22):
See he's almost guaranteeing it.
Speaker 8 (18:24):
Colin, We're gonna go play the game endeavor and then
we get to come back and we just gotta keep
on Myset and I. It's not like we're playing a
bad brand of basketball. It's not that we're playing selfish
hotest think it comes down to getting a couple stops
to stop to win the game, and they've been doing
a good job executing down the stretch, and.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Yeah, we'll be better. How confident are you that we'll
He'll be back here this week? Very confident?
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Man?
Speaker 7 (18:51):
I like it?
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Okay see, I mean you're kind of playing stress free house, mummy.
If you're okay see, I mean you know you're coming
home for game seven?
Speaker 7 (19:01):
Well you I want to for Game seven against it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I thought Denver looked tired. I think Denver I just
I'll take okay see in this one.
Speaker 7 (19:09):
So it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
There are some numbers that back up the fatigue last
two games. In the fourth quarter, Denver is two for
twenty four on threes.
Speaker 7 (19:17):
Oh yeah, that's fatigue.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
You have no legs, don't have their don't have their legs.
They don't have you. You could see in the last game.
They're a tired, big, tired older team.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
So this interim coach, he's going to have to manage
the first three quarters better so that Jokich and Murray
can do something in the fourth. Nugget starters have played
nine hundred and fifty one minutes in the series. That's
one hundred and thirty eight more minutes than okay See
one hundred and thirty eight Colin and okay See has
a better bench.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (19:43):
I want to go Nuggets tonight Jokic with a fifty burger.
But I'm not the line.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
What's the line.
Speaker 7 (19:48):
I didn't even look at it because I'm not betting this.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
But I would guess Denver too, Denver bonas.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Two, No, I would I would take okay See in
the points right.
Speaker 7 (19:58):
Well, I think for you later.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
You just you pointed out something. The shots in the
last two games in the fourth quarter. That's the story.
It's not like Denver doesn't have shooters. Denver's legs are shot.
If you watch the Warriors last night and look at
the box score sixty three percent in an NBA physical
NBA playoff game by the Timberwolves, that tells you Golden
State's not They're not moving, they're not getting in front,
(20:21):
they're not battling on the boards. They don't have their legs.
These these numbers for these older teams. You can see
when teams start shooting fifty seven percent in playoff games,
that tells you that people that are guarding them have
lost they've lost their energy.
Speaker 7 (20:35):
And remember Lakers wilt it in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
Three times against Minnesota, close games they lost them.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Wall.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
All right, let's go to the NFL in the schedule.
Let's start with your Rams. You love the Rams. This season,
they have a fairly tough schedule. One of the biggest
matchups on the slate is Week fifteen, when the Rams
here at SOFI host Jared Goff and the Lions on Fox.
Here's Matthew Stafford on facing his old team.
Speaker 9 (21:00):
Dan and Jared and those guys are done hell of
a job the last couple of years getting that thing
turned in the right direction. And uh, you know, they're
playing really good football. Lost some coordinators and that's always
a challenge. Every season is a new season when you
when you step out there.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
And go play.
Speaker 9 (21:14):
But yeah, definitely had some great matchups in the past
past couple of years against those guys, and it'll be
interesting having it at our place in December.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
You know what, I watched the Rams schedule. Nothing jumped
out to me. I mean, they had tough games early
and middle late. There you know, the the the NFL's
bottom is larger than it usually has been in my life.
But I look at their schedule, they should go to
and O to start the season. But then you've got
you know, you've got rivalry games early Ravens Eagles early
their bye week eight and nine is about when you'd
(21:45):
want it. If you look at the second half of
their schedule off the buy, it does look like they
will have the better quarterback for three months. Wait, that's
what I well, I mean, who's New Orleans San Francisco.
I mean, I like Baker Mayfield. They what they got
is their two toughest games early. What they also got
(22:08):
is a quarterback advantage and coaching advantage in almost every
game after the buye So they're going to go into
the playoffs rolling.
Speaker 7 (22:18):
Okay, yeah, I think they're a playoff team. They will
be looking up.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
To San Francisco. By the way, San Francisco's schedule easiest
in the league by a considerable amount. And this end
of the season schedule for the Rams column. Look at
the screen at Arizona. I'm just telling you right now,
Arizona Accord a lot of gamblers, is going to be
a very frisky team this year. Keep an eye on them.
They had the great twice in the final six games Arizona.
Then the big emotional game against golfing company. Then you've
(22:43):
got to go to Seattle on a short week, right,
and then after that you've got to travel to Atlanta
for a primetime.
Speaker 7 (22:50):
Game in late December. The Rams have a tough end
of the season schedule. I do not think they win
the news.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Ye well, okay, well put your money where your mouth is,
because the Ram rod.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
To convince you. Our final story, Colin is one more.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
NFL schedule and then if, of course it involves my Jets. No,
this is not an Aaron Rodgers topic. The Jets open
the season hosting you guessed.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
It, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who may or.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
May not have Aaron Rodgers under center. There are some
pundits out there who say, listen, the NFL wouldn't do
this without automatically knowing that Rogers is coming back justin fields.
Of course, played for the Steelers last year. Rogers played
for the Jets last year. So that is kind of
a fun spicy matchup.
Speaker 7 (23:33):
Now, the NFL did something kind of funny here.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
The Steelers have a Sunday night football matchup against the
Green Bay Packers. Assuming Rogers comes back, of course, now
he's not there. That's a garbage matchup. But this Steelers
schedule is not good. And I mean, I'm not going
on a limb hear they ain't making the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
I don't care if Rogers shows up. I don't care
if Tom Brady suits up. They're not making a playff.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Well, people want to make predictions with Aaron, but Aaron
is his own guy, right, He's on his own island
doing his own thing. I mean, he's told Adam Scheffer,
lose my number, like he doesn't want to be predictable.
And I was thinking about this because everybody's absolutely sure
that he's going to Pittsburgh. The Rooneys have said it.
There's this sense that he would go, and he may.
I have no insight, but my take is with Aaron
(24:22):
is once he commits, because of the pushback the last
several years, he's going to commit and be around the
team a lot. And so when the season ended, basically
Aaron just nobody knows where he is Malibu training and
wherever he's training. And so I do think if Aaron
comes back, he'll make a point with DK Metcalf and
Arthur Smith. It's not a familiar offense to him. I
(24:45):
think Aaron, when he comes back, will be totally committed.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
But I am not.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
And I say this, what is the one thing I
kept mentioning during Aaron's off season until the brock Pretty
contract is sun I think maybe just in Aaron's head,
he's thinking, well, if he didn't move off fifty eight
million large, I'm a Bay Area kid, just not saying
it's happening. But you would think at some point in
(25:11):
the next seven to ten days Aaron would commit. What
if he doesn't, Now I'd be waiting for you.
Speaker 7 (25:17):
Now, you're right, that's a good point. I just want
to point out.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
I know we have a lot of Steelers fans in
the audience. They did catch a break early Colin. They
face three of the four teams they face have quarterbacks
in new spots justin Field with the Jets, Sam Darnold
with Seattle, and JJ McCarthy is a rookie quarterback that's
before the bike Cleveland also afterwards. New England has a
second year quarterback in drink Ding. So there is a
world where Pittsburgh, if Rogers is okay, starts out three
(25:42):
to one, right, that's on the table.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I would say Pittsburgh's schedule reminiscent of last year if
you start at week seven and Joe Burrow until the
end of the season, they will only potentially have the
better quarterback twice Colts week nine and Brown's week seventeen.
They will go in from Joe Burrow at week seven
(26:07):
on a massive quarterback deficit to a team that lost
Najee Harris. They're left tackle and pickings. So this is
not this is not good. You listen, and I've said.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
This for years.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
One of the things I look at is how many
a quarterbacks do you face? They face a lot of them,
and they probably have the weakest quarterback room if Aaron
Rodgers doesn't sign in the league. Now, the good news
is they want a quarterback for the future. So if
there's a year in the last decade that you'd want
Mike Tomlin to have a losing.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Record, it is this year. This is not a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
There are three to four first round quarterbacks at this point.
They'll probably be another one, but three to four at
this moment. So if you were going to pick in
the last decade a bad stealer season, this is it.
And I'm looking at that schedule Burrow on. You can't
go you can't go into your last you know, nine
to ten twelve games, significantly worse at quarterback.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
But sorry, by the way, I don't think we're talking
a lot of Niners today, Colin. But on the San
Francisco forty nine ers, fot if you and I agree
who the five best quarterbacks in the league are, right,
Lamar Burrow up the homes Alan and I would say
Jalen hurts his fine. Do you know how many of
those the San Francisco forty nine ers face none?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Zero?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
That schedule, Colin is cake the Niners. I think they
might be going back to the super Bowl. We'll get there.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
Hopefully we'll get there this office.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
I've got a Niner topic next. Okay, j Mack with
the news.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd Line News.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
You know, it's I understand if you're a Celtic fan
you take this as a shot at Jason Tatum.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
It's just data.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Is the Celtics without Jason Tatum, Boston blows out New
York last night. The last two seasons without him, they're
seventeen and three. That would be better than any winning
percentage in the league. They're points per game are one
hundred and twenty number one in the league the last
two years. This is a sample size twenty games without
Jason Tatum, They're virtually offensively number one in every category
(28:24):
except field goal percentage.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
They plummet the fourth.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Okay, So I've never seen anything like this in basketball historically. Now,
the Bulls when they lost Jordan, remember he went and
played baseball, they went fifty seven wins champions to fifty
five wins. Now they had bj Armstrong, Coup, coach, Horace Grant,
Scottie Pippen.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
They were a very good team. They were a number
three seed, but.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
They were not nearly as good closing games without Michael
Celtics are Celtics are? I mean last night Jerrick White
stepped up Peyton Pritchard of Mason, Jalen Brown, Luke Cornett,
whatever that was. They have so many their roster construction
is so good. They have so many B plus players
(29:09):
that they feel empowered. When Jason's gone, they get more
touches and looks. So it's the only comparison because this
is so rare in basketball history. You watch you watch
the Warriors without Steph unwatchable. You watched Denver when Jokic
hits the bench brutal, even if Jokic is tired brutal.
(29:30):
The only comparison to the Celtics historically to me is
like Joe gibbson Washington where they were winning Super Bowls,
the star quarterback did not. It was a stout defense,
dominant offensive lines, very good run game, and like Mark
Ribbin at quarterback or Doug Williams at quarterback, they were
(29:51):
certainly capable, but they were not led by a quarterback.
And that's what we expect, right. And I think part
of this is that in basketball and to some degree
in international soccer, we love the collective, but we want
a Messi or a Ronaldo or and Boppey.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
We want you know, Rooney. We want our guys.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
And in basketball we're just not historically used to and
the rating show we.
Speaker 7 (30:19):
Don't like it.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
The seventies NBA where it's is it a start now? Walton,
I'd argue was a star. I would argue Elvin Hayes
was a star. Doctor j was a star. Rick Berry
was a star. So we always say, like the seventies
was just good teams, not great. You had some really
rick Berry was pre Larry Bird. But we want our
champion to have a superhero in basketball, Kobe and Shack,
(30:44):
Michael Jordan, Magic Bird. We want a superhero and the
Celtics don't have one, and we're uncomfortable with it. That's
the basketball culture, and so that's why you often see
the fans and the media trying to project James Harden
into a superstar or Stevie Francis into a superstar, and
they're just really good players. So I think it's we want,
(31:05):
you know, we want Mission Impossible from our NBA champ,
big brand Tom Cruise. We don't necessarily love Ocean's eleven.
And that's kind of that's kind of what Boston is.
If you look at these numbers the last two years,
it's not a shot at Jason Tatum. It's the Joe
(31:25):
Gibbs Washington teams. The quarterback was just way more replaceable
than he would have been in Kansas City, New England,
San Francisco with Joe Montana. The numbers don't lie. They
don't even go down. Sometimes their net rating goes up
in certain stats. So it's just not we don't love
our basketball to be like that. We want the superhero
(31:49):
where when he steps out or he gets in foul trouble.
There's a clear breach, there is a clear drop.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
And now I.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Do think Jason Tatum gone for three games is different
than Jason Tatum gone for eighty two. And I also
think they're gonna move off Horford and Porzingis, so they're
gonna lose some size. They're gonna you know, they're Tatum,
Brown and Derek White making a lot of money and
those contracts are just starting. But I think Drew Holliday
(32:16):
could be gone. So I think the Celtics will be
a playoff team next year. But they are historically unique.
Tatum's gone, and they mow through a very good next team.
All right, I will address the San Francisco forty nine
Ers schedule. By most terms, it's egregious. Who knew Canadian
Football League teams could get inserted in to the NFL schedule.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Live in Chicago, it's The Herd.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon Eastern non a EM Pacific.
Speaker 10 (32:51):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David, and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 11 (32:56):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of
course the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 10 (33:03):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 11 (33:05):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world.
Speaker 10 (33:09):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 11 (33:18):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together. I mean that says something, right.
Speaker 10 (33:23):
So check us out. We like to get you involved too,
take your phone calls, chop it up. As they say,
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the most interactive show on planetar. Be sure to
check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports Radio
and the iHeartRadio app from five to seven pm Eastern
two to four Pacific, And if you miss any of
the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you
(33:43):
get your podcasts, and of course on social media. That's
Covino and Rich under.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
The Lights in prime time as the Memphis Showboats take
on the San Antonio Bramas. Fox UFL Friday kicks off
at eight em Eastern.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So I have been a skeptic on the last couple
of drafts for the San Francisco forty nine ers. I
have said this, they're getting old and expensive. I don't
like their offensive line. I thought this year's draft with
a lot of hit and miss with eleven picks four
or five, I like five or six.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
But they have the easiest NFL schedule I'm not joking
since the twenty to fifteen Atlanta Falcons. And it's based
on two metrics. Number one is last year's results, so
they're playing a lot of teams that were bad last year.
And the second metric is a lot of teams that
(34:37):
are projected to be lousy this year. So on two
different metrics, they've got the easiest schedule. Now, I will
say this, if you gave Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Matt Stafford,
Josh Allen this schedule, it is thirteen to fourteen wins.
This is an affront to competitive football. And I don't
want to hear fifty five million dollars brock perty. I
(34:59):
don't want to hear already excuses or I don't want
to hear any pom poms when he wins ten games
with this mess of a schedule Sanford's not. Only is
this schedule littered with mediocrity, they don't face a single team.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Off a bye.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Okay, outside of Matt Stafford twice and c J. Stroud once.
They don't face what people view as an elite quarterback.
In fact, it's rookie quarterbacks. It's quarterbacks without twenty total starts.
So I'm done with it. Brock pretty excuses and people
will say, well, Colin, he's missing this, and he's missing that.
(35:38):
You know what, He's missing back to back tough games
all season. This is as easy as a schedule gets.
So this is bowling with bumpers. This is a trust
fund schedule, no discomfort, And again does it make me think?
And I'll say this, I think the division's better. I
think the Rams are in a group of five Super
(35:59):
Bowl face teams. I think Arizona's defense, which they went
all in on free agency and draft with a defensive coach,
is going to be feisty. I think Seattle's got a
great roster, and I think Minnesota is gonna regret I do.
I think They're gonna regret moving off Sam Darnold. So
I think the division is really good, not AFC West,
(36:22):
maybe not NFC North, but it's really good.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
But that schedule, what can I say?
Speaker 1 (36:28):
It starts easy a couple you know Rams a little,
and it ends easy. You don't get Rams in the
first month, you know, you don't get a you don't
get playoff teams in the last month. Maybe they could
complain their buys too late, but it is I mean,
you could down the stretch have Schador Sanders and cam
(36:50):
Ward and Anthony Richardson and it's a lot of nothing.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Come okay, real quick.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
If you're looking for a hiccup, there are four road
games in five weeks. That looks a little difficult there
in October at Rams, at Tampa and then they got
Houston in the New York Times.
Speaker 7 (37:09):
That could be difficult. Four read games of five weeks.
You know you got a Trent Williams injury. You're kind
of screwed.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Sorry, Yeah, that's a real toughe right there at the
New York Giants.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Who shudder. That'll keep you awake at night.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
So the other thing that kind of jumps out to me,
as I had said every year, I'm proud of this
actually probably too much. So pick the team that I
think is going to double their win total. And of
course last year I had Washington, and I said Denver
was also going to be much better. The year before
the Rams, everybody said they'll be in a rebuild, and
Jay McK and I argued incessantly in the offseason. Year
(37:45):
before that, I think it was Minnesota. So I have
said the team the safest bet to double your win
total is New England. And they were four and thirteen
last year, so they were not a favorite in any
game last year. They're already a three and a half
point favorite in their opener hosting the Raiders. I would
probably take the Raiders at three and a half. But
(38:06):
so I use basically a math equation when I'm trying
to figure out how a team doubles their win total,
I go to math. So it's it's uncle Colin math.
But here is my math, and see if you can
follow this. So I think this is the coaching sport.
I mean, Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton, I thought that
was a touchdown. That was a touchdown. Swing Gerrawed Mayo
(38:28):
to Mike Rabel, I'm going to say it's half that.
I'm going to say that's a three point improvement one
of the top ten coaches to a guy that appears
to be more of a position or a coordinator. Again,
Peyton to Hackett was the difference between embarrassing in the
playoffs with a rookie quarterback. Drake May is going into
year two three hundred and sixty five million in free
agency spending, I think is worth a point to a
(38:50):
point and a half. I mean, you got eight new starters,
eleven draft picks, including a left tackle. That's worth a
point much better depth starting left tackle, Drake May second
year with a much better staff that feels like to me,
that's worth a point to a point and a half.
So that is seven total points. If this team had
(39:12):
seven total points last year, they would have won ten games.
So at four wins, I kind of have them targeted
for nine and a playoff team. I think they're a
nine and eight, maybe ten and seven if they stay healthy.
And that's just by Rabel's a field goal, starting left
tackle and eleven draft picks depth a point. Three hundred
(39:33):
and sixty five million in free agency appoint to a
point and a half. Drake May with better coaches year
two a point to a point and a half. If
you look at New England's first nine weeks, take out
the Buffalo game right in the middle of it, four before,
at four after it. If Drake may is as good
as he showed last year with kind of a second
level staff, if he improves and with rabel a better
(39:57):
left tackle, a little more weapon, he will potentially be
the best quarterback in eight of the first nine weeks.
So last year, I picked Washington and Denver year before Rams,
I take New England as the safest team to go
from four wins to.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
At least eight.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
I think they're probably going to be closer to nine.
I also think you're gonna have teams like week eight
for Cleveland that could be a transitioning team moving into
Sheduur standards. I think you've also got some brand. I mean,
like New Orleans week six, who's starting for them at quarterback?
You could be transitioning into Okay, we're zero and five,
let's give the next Let's give the kid from is
(40:38):
at Louisville, Let's give him some starts. So I think,
like New Orleans and Cleveland, you get to start week six, seven, eight,
the local media's crushing, Yeah, you got one win. You
could be moving off Flacco to Shaduur. You could be
moving off whoever starting in New Orleans to the rookie.
So I just think there's a lot of things here
that work. I think Week thirteen it's gonna be Russell
Wilson's team to start. But you get into a week
(40:59):
time twelve and thirteen and the Giants may just say
we're shutting it down. We want to see Jackson Dart
for the last five or six weeks. I could see
getting Jackson Dart in week thirteen with the Giants. Who
knows what the Jets will be at quarterback. So I
think New England is pretty easy one to me, and I,
you know, not every team that makes the playoffs is great.
(41:20):
I don't think they're a team probably gonna win a
playoff game. But we've said this before. Fourteen teams make
the playoffs. You usually get five four to five teams
that we think will win the super Bowl, and then
about four to five to six teams that we think
can absolutely win a game, maybe a second. There's a
couple of playoff teams that sneak in that we just
(41:40):
don't We don't think they're going to win a playoff game,
but we appreciate the effort. I think New England's going
to be closer to that than the top or the
second layer. I don't think they're a team that still
has enough juice on the perimeter. But you get you
have eleven draft picks, You're going to get at least
three to four starters out of that, and you spend
three hundred and sixty five million dollars in free agency.
You're getting five or six starters on that. And this
(42:00):
is the coaching sport go to Denver. Denver was saddled
with the Russell Wilson contract, so there were moves Sean
Payton wanted to make and couldn't. So Mike Rable's not
saddled with any of that stuff. New staff. I mean,
you can look at that. I'll tell you right now.
Kyle Williams, that third round pick for New England, could
(42:20):
be one of the rookies that pops. He is a
really electric player. I saw a lot of him in college,
so you know, I look at their offensive defensive line.
Milton Williams got overpaid. That's a starter week one, so
feel pretty good about it. We have to guess by
the way our two's coming up Albert berstops by when
(42:43):
they should do her get a start.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
I got my week. I'm ready hour two.
Speaker 5 (42:50):
It's the hurt.
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 3 (00:26):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
It is a Thursday, our post NFL schedule release show.
The Warriors season is now officially done. Live. It's The
Herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. Well, you know, Jmac,
there are certain things in sports that gotta get weird
(00:48):
over years ago. People used to think it was a
weirdo twenty years ago because I love the draft so much.
But everybody's coming around on not the schedule release. It's
another one of those that I do think it does matter.
Especially most teams in this league are playing on the margins.
They're not Baltimore or Philadelphia where they've got better personnel
and star quarterbacks and they're winning by ten to twelve points.
(01:08):
A lot of teams, those you know, TUA playing up
north in December is a disadvantage for the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
You have to look at that right, huge.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, and I got to thank the NFL for giving
my Jets a one or zero start to the season.
We get the Steelers that hold open and makes it
Rudolph not Aaron.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Well, let's start with this.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
So my one takeaway the NFL schedule, and it's a
fairly obvious one. Kansas City that is rough. So Kansas
City does not have a great O line and they're
going to try to figure it out. And they're using
a backup at left tackle that hasn't really started and
been the man from the Niners. So and it's a
(01:47):
hard unit to create cohesion. And if you look at
their first ten games, even the teams that we view
as weaker teams like the Giants good pass rush, Jacksonville
pass rush Max Crosby, So even the Wu's could create
problems for them. Forget Denver that led the NFL in sacks,
you face them. Conversely, the Chargers. Jim Harball look at
(02:13):
his career in year two, everywhere he goes, Chargers revamped
run game, high end left and right tackles, have a
cookie dough soft schedule in the middle of the season
to gain momentum. So my prediction that the Chargers win
this division with a weaker schedule really plays in the
(02:36):
middle of the season. You're starting to get dinged up,
you're not playing with full rosters. It is really soft
with the Chargers and I again, we've watched We've watched
the Chiefs and Mahomes get blown out in two Super Bowls.
It's always been the same reason, old line's not right. Well,
I think they're going into a season where the old
line's not right. Add another thing, Kansas City opens in Brazil.
(03:02):
They have the most seven prime time games. That's what
the NFL does once you're the star attraction. They have
the Lions on a short week. Oh that's not good.
They have the Buffalo Bills on a short week. Yeah,
that's not good either. Remember that Brazil game last year,
Philadelphia went to Brazil and beat Green Bay. The Eagles
(03:23):
came back groggy and the next week lost to the
Atlanta Falcons. So that'll take some that'll take some air
out of the sales. Here's what we know. Andy Reid
and Mahomes are as good as anybody in the world
at what they do. But again, this team played on
the margins last year okay, and I think with this
O line the kryptonite to Kansas City in their two
(03:46):
Super Bowl blowout losses has been the O line. This
going into a season they lost Joe Toney is their
weakest O line. A little bit of finger crossing here.
Last year's was okay going into the season, a bit
of a mess at the end of the season.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
So this is not a team like.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia with stacked rosters that are not playing
on the margins. They're getting seven or eight blowout games
a year when margins shrink everything counts. This team had
the third lowest point differential in the AFC West, so
in their own division, Denver and the Chargers had more
blowout wins, and I think Denver and the Chargers will
(04:23):
be noticeably better bo Knicks now into a second year
with Peyton. They had some interesting draft picks at running
back and wide receiver. So the downside to becoming America's
team is that the NFL, this is what they do.
And I can remember after the Giants would win a
Super Bowl in Conflin and Eli and they'd put them
on Sunday night and they'd flex them in and everybody
(04:44):
loved it except the giants and the older players. So
here is Travis Kelcey on his podcast New Heights talking
about that opener in Brazil.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
I'll be there not to do Yeah, I'll be there
in the heat. If it's human, I'm gonna be miserable.
I'm gonna make I'm gonna I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Be just surrounded by the Amazon rainforest.
Speaker 5 (05:09):
This is a good point. If it's hot and humid
and kind of what I'm expecting, I'm gonna be miserable.
But we're gonna find a way to get a win.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Hip hip hooray.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
So my number one take Kansas City going into a
season with an offensive line I don't love. I mean,
when you start looking last year at the teams at
the end of the season that are really formidable and
leaning on people, a lot of them. Washington was an exception,
had really really buttoned up o lines. All right, So
(05:42):
the Warriors lost. The oldest interesting team in the league
is out Minnesota that's got some age, but much deeper,
bigger roster, prevails pretty easily. Jimmy Butler won. He took
eleven shots. Some of that as energy, some of that
was Kaminga had a lot of energy. Minnesota got great looks.
(06:03):
All you had to do is look at the box
score and it tells you Golden State was tired. Minnesota
shot sixty three percent, dominated in the paint, had almost
double the assists. They were moving very well. Julius Randall
thirteen of eighteen Bulleyball. The three best Warriors Butler, Steph
and Draymond all out of their prime. Two thirty five
(06:26):
year olds and a thirty seven year old, and they're
only getting older. So all it took was a popped
hamstring and the house collapses. It's interesting Jonathan Kaminga, who
just doesn't work with Butler and Staph. He's great. He
was great when Steph got hurt, so they'll be able
to show that off. And he raised his market value
(06:47):
because everybody has sort of understood that the Steph offense,
that ecosystem, it's just not friendly the young players. James
Wiseman never got it going COMINGA can't be on the.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Floor with Butler and Steph. It just doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
But he was the one guy last night that jumped
off the TV. He was the one guy you looked
at and thought, oh, he can go toe to toe
with Minnesota's athletic bigs, so they'll have a market for him.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
And Pods is a guy you have to keep.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
He's got a market as well, but you're gonna have
to move off at least one of your really good
young players. So the Warriors to some degree have become
an antique store. And Okase is the Apple store right
next door. And I think the Warriors are gonna get
worse every year unless they pull off a big, big
(07:33):
deal for Kaminga. People are gonna want Pods and Cominga,
they'll keep Pods. They view him as sort of a staff,
an emerging shooter that works with Steph. But I will
say this, you know what, It really reminds me of
watching last night. So I and Belichick took the hit
for all of the shortcomings for the New England offense
(07:56):
right before Tom left. But just consider New England and
Belichick and Brady, the Warriors staff and Steve Kerr. They
built a very high intellect, sophisticated offense, both Kerr and
Curry and Draymond.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It's very sophisticated.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Young people struggle and for years everybody always said, well
why can't New England, Why can't they draft the wide receiver. Well,
some of it was most of it was Belichick wasn't
a good drafter. Some of it was Tom didn't want
a babysit them. And so what you have. You have
the benefit of the brilliance of Belichick and the brilliance
of Steve Kerr. You have the benefit of Brady and Steph.
(08:39):
But these are so high functioning, almost academic offenses. They
don't play with kids. Well, New England didn't. That's why
New England got old and slow, really fast. Brady went
young down in Tampa, and that's why. Look when you
watch Okasey and you watch Indiana, and you watch these
(08:59):
young teams Houston, and then you watch Golden State, some
of it is on this offense that just doesn't play
well with others under the age of twenty three years old.
That's what New England became. So I I just think
they're just getting a year older. I think all these Houston's,
Indiana's maybe some degree in New York still got some youth. Cleveland.
(09:24):
I think those teams are getting better. I think the
Warriors are getting older. But Steve Kerr is still a believer.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
I know we had a shot. I know we could
have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn't have, but it
doesn't matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who
stays healthy and who gets hot. You know, are you
playing well at the right time, do you have multiple
guys step up in key games, make shots, and do
(09:53):
you have good health? And you know you see it
every year in every series, and so they're there's there's
there's a little bit of luck involved, you know, and we,
like I said, we've been on both sides of that
and it's just part of it.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
But I will say this, and I love Steve Kerr.
Older teams get hurt more often and older teams recover
more slowly, and the Warriors are just getting older.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
There is a little bit of luck involved.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
But when you got when you got Steph Curry running
two miles per game on that treadmill for that offense,
and he is so valuable. Without it, they're not even
the same looking watching team Warriors are a hard watch
without Steph. So I I you could say there's there's
luck involved, But remember we all know this the NBA,
(10:46):
and it's helped ratings is allowing more physical basketball. What
does that mean more injuries? My guess they will come
to the older teams, not the younger ones. And I
really do believe the NBA used to be go get
three great players, the Heatles KD, Steph Clay.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I don't think that's it anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I think the new CBA and the new Aprons, it's
all about roster construction. I mean the Celtics are often
weirdly as good or better without Tatum. I mean, like
Oklahoma City's roster. I think San Antonio's is going to
get very deep. Houston's already is. They just don't have
(11:28):
a second dominant great score. So I just Steve kerstill
believes it. You can talk yourself it's into luck. But
the new style of playoff basketball is not going to aid.
It's not going to aid the older rickety teams, two
thirty five year olds and a thirty seven year.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Old, so j Mac.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
It is how I got into this discussion last night.
Lebron's out of the playoffs, Steph Curry's out of the playoffs.
The Celtics brand, I think will lose to New York.
They'll be out of the playoffs. Do you think Nicks
I do I think it's compelling. Do you think Oklahoma
City Minnesota. Like, I think these are really good series,
but I'm more NBA die hard than the casuals. I
(12:10):
this whole thing about the NBA being rigged. You wouldn't
have OKAC and Minnesota in and Stephen Lebron out. What
do you make of what potentially is our final four?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:20):
The way I look at as I talk to buddies
and they're like, hey, hey, let's go out to hang out,
and I'm like, well, there's an NBA Finals game and
Lebron's in it.
Speaker 7 (12:26):
I'm not missing that.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
I would be okay missing a conference semi conference finals
matchup between and SGA, Like, it's.
Speaker 7 (12:34):
Not mandatory viewing. I mean, it's a great matchup, no doubt.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
I'm gonna watch the games, but if something comes up,
you know, you want to go to a Dodgers game, Sure,
I'll go to a Dodgers game.
Speaker 7 (12:43):
But Colin, it's just it's not the sexy.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Matchups that we want. Right if Curry's playing, I'm glued
to the TV. Lebron I'm glued, but SGA, I'm just
not there yet.
Speaker 7 (12:54):
I'm sorry. I hope that doesn't make me an elitist.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Yeah, No, I think I think this is the transition.
I think when Michael Jordan left, the league lost fifty
percent of its numbers. But I do think I do
think there's a little Lebron fatigue, where stylistically, Curry is
still a great watch, but I do think Lebron is
an older player. I'm more fascinated I am with Luca
(13:18):
than Lebron because I've seen all Lebron's game, Luca's growth,
his cardio, lack of defense, bit controversial part of a trade.
So I don't think you're going to see a massive
drop off. I just I don't think the Warriors are
what Steve Kerr believes, just bad luck away from advancing.
I think they're just going to be a year older,
and I think Oklahoma City, with all this experience Indiana,
(13:41):
they're just going to be better.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Don't forget to love hate the polarization. If you really
love or hate Lebron and that's what he is, you're
gonna watch. I just don't feel like anybody hates SGA
what he hates it. They haven't done anything to be hateable.
Lebron's won a lot, moved around teams. People just dislike him.
But I do believe you know, maybe there's that element
with the Knicks, but they still have to pull it out. Colin,
(14:04):
Are you sure there're a lock to win this series
all the pressures on them?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Yeah, I'm not good. Points.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Noone Easter non a em Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Are now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by Credible
Great Raids and None of the Bull, so listen.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
The NFL.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Is very intentional with it schedule. It's making bets on things.
I still think the Cowboys are on TV way too much,
and I work for Fox, but there's a couple of
schedules that are interesting. The Chicago Bear schedule is interesting,
a very soft middle and big brands late Philly, Green Bay,
(14:51):
Green Bay, San Francisco rivalry game with Detroit. So it's
a rough six weeks at the end. But with all
these new offensive line pieces, and we've talked about this
cohesion for the Bears on line, it won't be great
in August, in September, they should have their act together late.
So the NFL sent a message we think Chicago is
(15:13):
going to be a viable TV product. At the end
of this year, they have that many have the clever
new coach, an ascending player at quarterback, a lot of
good weapons, so that at the end of the season,
it's Philly, it's San Francisco, it's Green Bay twice. League
thinks are going to be good and interesting, and so
do I. So five of their last six games are
(15:36):
either on TV with against big brands, or they're flexible
and it's a very soft middle of the schedule, right
there's a chance to get some wins here.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So it's a.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Very purpose, purposeful act by the NFL. On the Chicago Bears.
The other one that jumped out to me was Washington
and the Commanders. I mean they went from a franchise
that was radioactive waste to how many times can we
get Jaden Daniels on television? So Washington has eight straight
games with no one o'clock window. Okay, that's where they
(16:09):
were buried for years. Get Washington out of the way.
Jaden Daniels to me, and this was sort of his
comp I said he was going to be like Lamar
Jackson light not quite the runner, but better in the pocket.
Early on crazy fun NFL defensive coordinators last year just
had trouble figuring him out. So I mean it's very
(16:31):
rare when the NFL goes by year two. Yeah, we're
putting him in the biggest spots. Monday Night Football against Mahomes.
It's Washington, that's because a one guy. And then the
end of the year Philadelphia on Fox standalone game Saturday. Oh,
the following week Christmas against the Cowboys. Then the following
(16:52):
week probably the biggest game of the week against Philadelphia.
And my take is they'll be battling either for Washington
a playoff spot. I'll think they'll be in I' theyll
be battling for the NFC East Crown. I think Dallas
and the Giants are significantly weaker. But the Bear schedule
Marquee games late. They don't want to they don't want
(17:13):
to throw a lot of Carolina Panthers Saints in Cleveland late.
They got Bears on a lot of those big TV games,
and they'll be flexible. And Washington they're out of a
one o'clock window already already.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Even c J.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Stroud didn't get Houston this kind of schedule in year two.
That tells you that Washington's been a sleeping giant in
this sport forever. There used to be one hundred year
waiting list when they had a different name, and now
year two, like we're stacking them all over. Chiefs Monday
Night Football against Mahomes Cowboys. No coincidences with NFL scheduling.
(17:52):
Jmack with a.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
News No, no.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
This is the herdline news.
Speaker 7 (17:59):
I will do plenty of NFL schedules today. The New
York Giants.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
I just I can't stop laughing at that.
Speaker 7 (18:03):
But we're starting in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Colin, the Denver Nuggets host the thunder Tonight Game six,
season on the line.
Speaker 7 (18:12):
We know Yokich and Murray have been delivering.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
They scored seventy two of the teams one hundred and
five points in Game five.
Speaker 7 (18:18):
Murray really struggled late, and Murray.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
Knows, Hey, we need to get back to okay.
Speaker 7 (18:22):
See he's almost guaranteeing it.
Speaker 8 (18:24):
Colin, We're gonna go play the game endeavor and then
we get to come back and we just gotta keep
on Myset and I. It's not like we're playing a
bad brand of basketball. It's not that we're playing selfish
hotest think it comes down to getting a couple stops
to stop to win the game, and they've been doing
a good job executing down the stretch, and.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Yeah, we'll be better. How confident are you that we'll
He'll be back here this week? Very confident?
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Man?
Speaker 7 (18:51):
I like it?
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Okay see, I mean you're kind of playing stress free house, mummy.
If you're okay see, I mean you know you're coming
home for game seven?
Speaker 7 (19:01):
Well you I want to for Game seven against it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I thought Denver looked tired. I think Denver I just
I'll take okay see in this one.
Speaker 7 (19:09):
So it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
There are some numbers that back up the fatigue last
two games. In the fourth quarter, Denver is two for
twenty four on threes.
Speaker 7 (19:17):
Oh yeah, that's fatigue.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
You have no legs, don't have their don't have their legs.
They don't have you. You could see in the last game.
They're a tired, big, tired older team.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
So this interim coach, he's going to have to manage
the first three quarters better so that Jokich and Murray
can do something in the fourth. Nugget starters have played
nine hundred and fifty one minutes in the series. That's
one hundred and thirty eight more minutes than okay See
one hundred and thirty eight Colin and okay See has
a better bench.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (19:43):
I want to go Nuggets tonight Jokic with a fifty burger.
But I'm not the line.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
What's the line.
Speaker 7 (19:48):
I didn't even look at it because I'm not betting this.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
But I would guess Denver too, Denver bonas.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Two, No, I would I would take okay See in
the points right.
Speaker 7 (19:58):
Well, I think for you later.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
You just you pointed out something. The shots in the
last two games in the fourth quarter. That's the story.
It's not like Denver doesn't have shooters. Denver's legs are shot.
If you watch the Warriors last night and look at
the box score sixty three percent in an NBA physical
NBA playoff game by the Timberwolves, that tells you Golden
State's not They're not moving, they're not getting in front,
(20:21):
they're not battling on the boards. They don't have their legs.
These these numbers for these older teams. You can see
when teams start shooting fifty seven percent in playoff games,
that tells you that people that are guarding them have
lost they've lost their energy.
Speaker 7 (20:35):
And remember Lakers wilt it in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
Three times against Minnesota, close games they lost them.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Wall.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
All right, let's go to the NFL in the schedule.
Let's start with your Rams. You love the Rams. This season,
they have a fairly tough schedule. One of the biggest
matchups on the slate is Week fifteen, when the Rams
here at SOFI host Jared Goff and the Lions on Fox.
Here's Matthew Stafford on facing his old team.
Speaker 9 (21:00):
Dan and Jared and those guys are done hell of
a job the last couple of years getting that thing
turned in the right direction. And uh, you know, they're
playing really good football. Lost some coordinators and that's always
a challenge. Every season is a new season when you
when you step out there.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
And go play.
Speaker 9 (21:14):
But yeah, definitely had some great matchups in the past
past couple of years against those guys, and it'll be
interesting having it at our place in December.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
You know what, I watched the Rams schedule. Nothing jumped
out to me. I mean, they had tough games early
and middle late. There you know, the the the NFL's
bottom is larger than it usually has been in my life.
But I look at their schedule, they should go to
and O to start the season. But then you've got
you know, you've got rivalry games early Ravens Eagles early
their bye week eight and nine is about when you'd
(21:45):
want it. If you look at the second half of
their schedule off the buy, it does look like they
will have the better quarterback for three months. Wait, that's
what I well, I mean, who's New Orleans San Francisco.
I mean, I like Baker Mayfield. They what they got
is their two toughest games early. What they also got
(22:08):
is a quarterback advantage and coaching advantage in almost every
game after the buye So they're going to go into
the playoffs rolling.
Speaker 7 (22:18):
Okay, yeah, I think they're a playoff team. They will
be looking up.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
To San Francisco. By the way, San Francisco's schedule easiest
in the league by a considerable amount. And this end
of the season schedule for the Rams column. Look at
the screen at Arizona. I'm just telling you right now,
Arizona Accord a lot of gamblers, is going to be
a very frisky team this year. Keep an eye on them.
They had the great twice in the final six games Arizona.
Then the big emotional game against golfing company. Then you've
(22:43):
got to go to Seattle on a short week, right,
and then after that you've got to travel to Atlanta
for a primetime.
Speaker 7 (22:50):
Game in late December. The Rams have a tough end
of the season schedule. I do not think they win
the news.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Ye well, okay, well put your money where your mouth is,
because the Ram rod.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
To convince you. Our final story, Colin is one more.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
NFL schedule and then if, of course it involves my Jets. No,
this is not an Aaron Rodgers topic. The Jets open
the season hosting you guessed.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
It, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who may or.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
May not have Aaron Rodgers under center. There are some
pundits out there who say, listen, the NFL wouldn't do
this without automatically knowing that Rogers is coming back justin fields.
Of course, played for the Steelers last year. Rogers played
for the Jets last year. So that is kind of
a fun spicy matchup.
Speaker 7 (23:33):
Now, the NFL did something kind of funny here.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
The Steelers have a Sunday night football matchup against the
Green Bay Packers. Assuming Rogers comes back, of course, now
he's not there. That's a garbage matchup. But this Steelers
schedule is not good. And I mean, I'm not going
on a limb hear they ain't making the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
I don't care if Rogers shows up. I don't care
if Tom Brady suits up. They're not making a playff.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Well, people want to make predictions with Aaron, but Aaron
is his own guy, right, He's on his own island
doing his own thing. I mean, he's told Adam Scheffer,
lose my number, like he doesn't want to be predictable.
And I was thinking about this because everybody's absolutely sure
that he's going to Pittsburgh. The Rooneys have said it.
There's this sense that he would go, and he may.
I have no insight, but my take is with Aaron
(24:22):
is once he commits, because of the pushback the last
several years, he's going to commit and be around the
team a lot. And so when the season ended, basically
Aaron just nobody knows where he is Malibu training and
wherever he's training. And so I do think if Aaron
comes back, he'll make a point with DK Metcalf and
Arthur Smith. It's not a familiar offense to him. I
(24:45):
think Aaron, when he comes back, will be totally committed.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
But I am not.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
And I say this, what is the one thing I
kept mentioning during Aaron's off season until the brock Pretty
contract is sun I think maybe just in Aaron's head,
he's thinking, well, if he didn't move off fifty eight
million large, I'm a Bay Area kid, just not saying
it's happening. But you would think at some point in
(25:11):
the next seven to ten days Aaron would commit. What
if he doesn't, Now I'd be waiting for you.
Speaker 7 (25:17):
Now, you're right, that's a good point. I just want
to point out.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
I know we have a lot of Steelers fans in
the audience. They did catch a break early Colin. They
face three of the four teams they face have quarterbacks
in new spots justin Field with the Jets, Sam Darnold
with Seattle, and JJ McCarthy is a rookie quarterback that's
before the bike Cleveland also afterwards. New England has a
second year quarterback in drink Ding. So there is a
world where Pittsburgh, if Rogers is okay, starts out three
(25:42):
to one, right, that's on the table.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I would say Pittsburgh's schedule reminiscent of last year if
you start at week seven and Joe Burrow until the
end of the season, they will only potentially have the
better quarterback twice Colts week nine and Brown's week seventeen.
They will go in from Joe Burrow at week seven
(26:07):
on a massive quarterback deficit to a team that lost
Najee Harris. They're left tackle and pickings. So this is
not this is not good. You listen, and I've said.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
This for years.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
One of the things I look at is how many
a quarterbacks do you face? They face a lot of them,
and they probably have the weakest quarterback room if Aaron
Rodgers doesn't sign in the league. Now, the good news
is they want a quarterback for the future. So if
there's a year in the last decade that you'd want
Mike Tomlin to have a losing.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Record, it is this year. This is not a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
There are three to four first round quarterbacks at this point.
They'll probably be another one, but three to four at
this moment. So if you were going to pick in
the last decade a bad stealer season, this is it.
And I'm looking at that schedule Burrow on. You can't
go you can't go into your last you know, nine
to ten twelve games, significantly worse at quarterback.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
But sorry, by the way, I don't think we're talking
a lot of Niners today, Colin. But on the San
Francisco forty nine ers, fot if you and I agree
who the five best quarterbacks in the league are, right,
Lamar Burrow up the homes Alan and I would say
Jalen hurts his fine. Do you know how many of
those the San Francisco forty nine ers face none?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Zero?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
That schedule, Colin is cake the Niners. I think they
might be going back to the super Bowl. We'll get there.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
Hopefully we'll get there this office.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
I've got a Niner topic next. Okay, j Mack with
the news.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd Line News.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
You know, it's I understand if you're a Celtic fan
you take this as a shot at Jason Tatum.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
It's just data.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Is the Celtics without Jason Tatum, Boston blows out New
York last night. The last two seasons without him, they're
seventeen and three. That would be better than any winning
percentage in the league. They're points per game are one
hundred and twenty number one in the league the last
two years. This is a sample size twenty games without
Jason Tatum, They're virtually offensively number one in every category
(28:24):
except field goal percentage.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
They plummet the fourth.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Okay, So I've never seen anything like this in basketball historically. Now,
the Bulls when they lost Jordan, remember he went and
played baseball, they went fifty seven wins champions to fifty
five wins. Now they had bj Armstrong, Coup, coach, Horace Grant,
Scottie Pippen.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
They were a very good team. They were a number
three seed, but.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
They were not nearly as good closing games without Michael
Celtics are Celtics are? I mean last night Jerrick White
stepped up Peyton Pritchard of Mason, Jalen Brown, Luke Cornett,
whatever that was. They have so many their roster construction
is so good. They have so many B plus players
(29:09):
that they feel empowered. When Jason's gone, they get more
touches and looks. So it's the only comparison because this
is so rare in basketball history. You watch you watch
the Warriors without Steph unwatchable. You watched Denver when Jokic
hits the bench brutal, even if Jokic is tired brutal.
(29:30):
The only comparison to the Celtics historically to me is
like Joe gibbson Washington where they were winning Super Bowls,
the star quarterback did not. It was a stout defense,
dominant offensive lines, very good run game, and like Mark
Ribbin at quarterback or Doug Williams at quarterback, they were
(29:51):
certainly capable, but they were not led by a quarterback.
And that's what we expect, right. And I think part
of this is that in basketball and to some degree
in international soccer, we love the collective, but we want
a Messi or a Ronaldo or and Boppey.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
We want you know, Rooney. We want our guys.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
And in basketball we're just not historically used to and
the rating show we.
Speaker 7 (30:19):
Don't like it.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
The seventies NBA where it's is it a start now? Walton,
I'd argue was a star. I would argue Elvin Hayes
was a star. Doctor j was a star. Rick Berry
was a star. So we always say, like the seventies
was just good teams, not great. You had some really
rick Berry was pre Larry Bird. But we want our
champion to have a superhero in basketball, Kobe and Shack,
(30:44):
Michael Jordan, Magic Bird. We want a superhero and the
Celtics don't have one, and we're uncomfortable with it. That's
the basketball culture, and so that's why you often see
the fans and the media trying to project James Harden
into a superstar or Stevie Francis into a superstar, and
they're just really good players. So I think it's we want,
(31:05):
you know, we want Mission Impossible from our NBA champ,
big brand Tom Cruise. We don't necessarily love Ocean's eleven.
And that's kind of that's kind of what Boston is.
If you look at these numbers the last two years,
it's not a shot at Jason Tatum. It's the Joe
(31:25):
Gibbs Washington teams. The quarterback was just way more replaceable
than he would have been in Kansas City, New England,
San Francisco with Joe Montana. The numbers don't lie. They
don't even go down. Sometimes their net rating goes up
in certain stats. So it's just not we don't love
our basketball to be like that. We want the superhero
(31:49):
where when he steps out or he gets in foul trouble.
There's a clear breach, there is a clear drop.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
And now I.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Do think Jason Tatum gone for three games is different
than Jason Tatum gone for eighty two. And I also
think they're gonna move off Horford and Porzingis, so they're
gonna lose some size. They're gonna you know, they're Tatum,
Brown and Derek White making a lot of money and
those contracts are just starting. But I think Drew Holliday
(32:16):
could be gone. So I think the Celtics will be
a playoff team next year. But they are historically unique.
Tatum's gone, and they mow through a very good next team.
All right, I will address the San Francisco forty nine
Ers schedule. By most terms, it's egregious. Who knew Canadian
Football League teams could get inserted in to the NFL schedule.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Live in Chicago, it's The Herd.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon Eastern non a EM Pacific.
Speaker 10 (32:51):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David, and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 11 (32:56):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of
course the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 10 (33:03):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 11 (33:05):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world.
Speaker 10 (33:09):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 11 (33:18):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together. I mean that says something, right.
Speaker 10 (33:23):
So check us out. We like to get you involved too,
take your phone calls, chop it up. As they say,
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the most interactive show on planetar. Be sure to
check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports Radio
and the iHeartRadio app from five to seven pm Eastern
two to four Pacific, And if you miss any of
the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you
(33:43):
get your podcasts, and of course on social media. That's
Covino and Rich under.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
The Lights in prime time as the Memphis Showboats take
on the San Antonio Bramas. Fox UFL Friday kicks off
at eight em Eastern.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So I have been a skeptic on the last couple
of drafts for the San Francisco forty nine ers. I
have said this, they're getting old and expensive. I don't
like their offensive line. I thought this year's draft with
a lot of hit and miss with eleven picks four
or five, I like five or six.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
But they have the easiest NFL schedule I'm not joking
since the twenty to fifteen Atlanta Falcons. And it's based
on two metrics. Number one is last year's results, so
they're playing a lot of teams that were bad last year.
And the second metric is a lot of teams that
(34:37):
are projected to be lousy this year. So on two
different metrics, they've got the easiest schedule. Now, I will
say this, if you gave Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Matt Stafford,
Josh Allen this schedule, it is thirteen to fourteen wins.
This is an affront to competitive football. And I don't
want to hear fifty five million dollars brock perty. I
(34:59):
don't want to hear already excuses or I don't want
to hear any pom poms when he wins ten games
with this mess of a schedule Sanford's not. Only is
this schedule littered with mediocrity, they don't face a single team.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Off a bye.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Okay, outside of Matt Stafford twice and c J. Stroud once.
They don't face what people view as an elite quarterback.
In fact, it's rookie quarterbacks. It's quarterbacks without twenty total starts.
So I'm done with it. Brock pretty excuses and people
will say, well, Colin, he's missing this, and he's missing that.
(35:38):
You know what, He's missing back to back tough games
all season. This is as easy as a schedule gets.
So this is bowling with bumpers. This is a trust
fund schedule, no discomfort, And again does it make me think?
And I'll say this, I think the division's better. I
think the Rams are in a group of five Super
(35:59):
Bowl face teams. I think Arizona's defense, which they went
all in on free agency and draft with a defensive coach,
is going to be feisty. I think Seattle's got a
great roster, and I think Minnesota is gonna regret I do.
I think They're gonna regret moving off Sam Darnold. So
I think the division is really good, not AFC West,
(36:22):
maybe not NFC North, but it's really good.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
But that schedule, what can I say?
Speaker 1 (36:28):
It starts easy a couple you know Rams a little,
and it ends easy. You don't get Rams in the
first month, you know, you don't get a you don't
get playoff teams in the last month. Maybe they could
complain their buys too late, but it is I mean,
you could down the stretch have Schador Sanders and cam
(36:50):
Ward and Anthony Richardson and it's a lot of nothing.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Come okay, real quick.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
If you're looking for a hiccup, there are four road
games in five weeks. That looks a little difficult there
in October at Rams, at Tampa and then they got
Houston in the New York Times.
Speaker 7 (37:09):
That could be difficult. Four read games of five weeks.
You know you got a Trent Williams injury. You're kind
of screwed.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Sorry, Yeah, that's a real toughe right there at the
New York Giants.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Who shudder. That'll keep you awake at night.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
So the other thing that kind of jumps out to me,
as I had said every year, I'm proud of this
actually probably too much. So pick the team that I
think is going to double their win total. And of
course last year I had Washington, and I said Denver
was also going to be much better. The year before
the Rams, everybody said they'll be in a rebuild, and
Jay McK and I argued incessantly in the offseason. Year
(37:45):
before that, I think it was Minnesota. So I have
said the team the safest bet to double your win
total is New England. And they were four and thirteen
last year, so they were not a favorite in any
game last year. They're already a three and a half
point favorite in their opener hosting the Raiders. I would
probably take the Raiders at three and a half. But
(38:06):
so I use basically a math equation when I'm trying
to figure out how a team doubles their win total,
I go to math. So it's it's uncle Colin math.
But here is my math, and see if you can
follow this. So I think this is the coaching sport.
I mean, Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton, I thought that
was a touchdown. That was a touchdown. Swing Gerrawed Mayo
(38:28):
to Mike Rabel, I'm going to say it's half that.
I'm going to say that's a three point improvement one
of the top ten coaches to a guy that appears
to be more of a position or a coordinator. Again,
Peyton to Hackett was the difference between embarrassing in the
playoffs with a rookie quarterback. Drake May is going into
year two three hundred and sixty five million in free
agency spending, I think is worth a point to a
(38:50):
point and a half. I mean, you got eight new starters,
eleven draft picks, including a left tackle. That's worth a
point much better depth starting left tackle, Drake May second
year with a much better staff that feels like to me,
that's worth a point to a point and a half.
So that is seven total points. If this team had
(39:12):
seven total points last year, they would have won ten games.
So at four wins, I kind of have them targeted
for nine and a playoff team. I think they're a
nine and eight, maybe ten and seven if they stay healthy.
And that's just by Rabel's a field goal, starting left
tackle and eleven draft picks depth a point. Three hundred
(39:33):
and sixty five million in free agency appoint to a
point and a half. Drake May with better coaches year
two a point to a point and a half. If
you look at New England's first nine weeks, take out
the Buffalo game right in the middle of it, four before,
at four after it. If Drake may is as good
as he showed last year with kind of a second
level staff, if he improves and with rabel a better
(39:57):
left tackle, a little more weapon, he will potentially be
the best quarterback in eight of the first nine weeks.
So last year, I picked Washington and Denver year before Rams,
I take New England as the safest team to go
from four wins to.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
At least eight.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
I think they're probably going to be closer to nine.
I also think you're gonna have teams like week eight
for Cleveland that could be a transitioning team moving into
Sheduur standards. I think you've also got some brand. I mean,
like New Orleans week six, who's starting for them at quarterback?
You could be transitioning into Okay, we're zero and five,
let's give the next Let's give the kid from is
(40:38):
at Louisville, Let's give him some starts. So I think,
like New Orleans and Cleveland, you get to start week six, seven, eight,
the local media's crushing, Yeah, you got one win. You
could be moving off Flacco to Shaduur. You could be
moving off whoever starting in New Orleans to the rookie.
So I just think there's a lot of things here
that work. I think Week thirteen it's gonna be Russell
Wilson's team to start. But you get into a week
(40:59):
time twelve and thirteen and the Giants may just say
we're shutting it down. We want to see Jackson Dart
for the last five or six weeks. I could see
getting Jackson Dart in week thirteen with the Giants. Who
knows what the Jets will be at quarterback. So I
think New England is pretty easy one to me, and I,
you know, not every team that makes the playoffs is great.
(41:20):
I don't think they're a team probably gonna win a
playoff game. But we've said this before. Fourteen teams make
the playoffs. You usually get five four to five teams
that we think will win the super Bowl, and then
about four to five to six teams that we think
can absolutely win a game, maybe a second. There's a
couple of playoff teams that sneak in that we just
(41:40):
don't We don't think they're going to win a playoff game,
but we appreciate the effort. I think New England's going
to be closer to that than the top or the
second layer. I don't think they're a team that still
has enough juice on the perimeter. But you get you
have eleven draft picks, You're going to get at least
three to four starters out of that, and you spend
three hundred and sixty five million dollars in free agency.
You're getting five or six starters on that. And this
(42:00):
is the coaching sport go to Denver. Denver was saddled
with the Russell Wilson contract, so there were moves Sean
Payton wanted to make and couldn't. So Mike Rable's not
saddled with any of that stuff. New staff. I mean,
you can look at that. I'll tell you right now.
Kyle Williams, that third round pick for New England, could
(42:20):
be one of the rookies that pops. He is a
really electric player. I saw a lot of him in college,
so you know, I look at their offensive defensive line.
Milton Williams got overpaid. That's a starter week one, so
feel pretty good about it. We have to guess by
the way our two's coming up Albert berstops by when
(42:43):
they should do her get a start.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
I got my week. I'm ready hour two.
Speaker 5 (42:50):
It's the hurt.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com