January 6, 2025 • 42 mins
Colin tells you where he was right & where he was wrong, who should fill the head coach vacancies in the NFL, and more.
Guest: Matt Hassellbeck
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:23):
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Matt Hasselbeck, he does his about once every five weeks
or so, sits down with us for a good twenty
twenty five minutes. I can't wait for that. He's got
so many thoughts on this. Yesterday and there was only
a handful of NFL games that truly mattered. There were
a lot of backups, which is another reason I don't
(00:44):
like the NFL expanding to eighteen games, because we already
got to the seventeenth game and it was kind of
like you had about two games you had to watch
one of them. Last night Jmac Albert Breer last hour
as well. We're gonna go Jamck and I are going
to go through some of the coaching openings for all.
Still going to go through the games. We like. You
like the Rams hosting the Vikings. I feel very strongly
(01:07):
about the Vikings matchup on their perimeter against the Rams.
Is there a game off the top that you really like?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
I irrationally like many games this weekend, including a college
football by the way, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday,
all with playoff college football or NFL games.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
How good is that? Colin?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I guess my favorite bet of the week so far
is Rams money line. I think they went out right.
I can't believe the Vikings are favored in this spot.
Did you see Donald when he has to hold the ball?
And I know Hasslebeck will talk about it, but like
when Donald has to hold the ball and think and
come off his reads, he's not great. He was eighteen
of forty one last night. It was not good, and
(01:48):
that was against a shoddy Lions defense. I think the
Rams defense is gonna be better. They slowed Darnald in
the initial meeting. Remember that one out here at so far?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah? I like Rams? All right, let's do it every
Monday at this time, Colin right, Colin wrong, plenty of both.
Here we go where Colin was right to double right
Bo Knicks and the Broncos. I said the Broncos would
double the win total Vegas thought, and I thought Bo
Nicks would be a home run. He finished the season
six in the NFL and touchdown passes and it's the
most among rookies, second most touchdown passes by a rookie ever,
(02:19):
eighteen for eighteen to start the game against Kansas City.
His maturity, his athletic ability, his experience. I didn't get
him kind of being ignored and considered a second class,
second tier quarterback in the draft. I didn't get it
at all. I watched him at Auburn, I watched him
at Oregon. He went through multitude of coordinators and was
good with all of them. Bo Nicks is a right
(02:39):
where Colin was raw. You know what, Nick Siriani drives
me nuts. But you know in his three years as
a coach, they've won fourteen, eleven and fourteen. You know,
these skirmishes on the sidelines with fans battling his own staff,
you know, it feels like he has to be a
chaperone on a weekly basis. But there is something about
(02:59):
his message and his personality that resonates in the NFL
that I clearly am missing on. I thought his opening
press conference was brutal. I'm still surprised they're this good.
I think it's more of a GM than a coach story.
But I'm wrong on it because the dude keeps winning.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Where Colin was.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Right, I said last January when girod Mao got the
Patriots job, it feels like adding a new chapter to
the same old book, you know, young quarterback defensive coach.
I just never felt this was the right higher. I
thought they may retain him because they were so embarrassed
by it. But I read a lot of Boston writers
and listen to Boston radio, and you know, situationally, circumstantially,
(03:40):
he was over his head. You know, Bill Junior was
his nickname. You know, his only real influence was Belichick.
And I think once Bill left, you were probably better
served to go on the offensive route. But I also
think Mike Rabel would be a good fit. But I
never loved this higher. Where Colin was raw, well, it's
the Atlanta Falcons. I've never been right. I had him
(04:01):
winning the division. I thought Kirk Cousins was a good signing.
He ended up tied for the NFL leading picks and
he only played fourteen games. I like Raheem Morris over Belichick.
They started six and three, they beat the Buccaneers twice,
and then just regressed quickly and badly. This is an
organization that does a lot right, but it does feel
like and certain organizations are like this that they kind
(04:23):
of shrink in big spots. And that's always sort of
been the reason why I've lost my four to one
K several times betting the Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I'm not sure there's a bigger fan in the world
of Justin Herbert or Jim Harbaugh than myself, and they're
now together. I felt they'd win ten or eleven games.
I didn't know if they'd make the playoffs because of
Mahomes and Reid. But you know, I just watching this
game yesterday. They just figure out ways to win. Harbaugh
and have a bad first half, and then they reset
the chairs and there have a good second half. They've
(04:54):
got a grit and a toughness. It's the first time
ever the Chargers have led the NFL in defense. They've
always been fit ness and fun to watch, then aesthetically pleasing,
but you don't trust them. And now they're not nearly
as pleasing to watch, but they're tough and they win games.
So the magic formula was, don't do what you've always been,
go the opposite route, and they have and they're winning,
(05:15):
and I'm happy where Colin was right the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the last decade, isn't it the same team with
just a little variation. Once again, we said before the season,
it's all gonna come down to the final seven games.
Go look at the schedule. It did, and they went
two and five. They still can't get offense right, you know,
they end up ten and seven and with no chance
(05:36):
to win the Super Bowl. And that's what the Pittsburgh
Steelers have been. People in Pittsburgh want a new head coach.
I don't think the Steelers are moving off Mike Tomlin,
but I feel like every Pittsburgh team in the last
decade is a slight variation of the previous year's team.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Where Colin was raw.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
I thought Doug Peterson was a good fit in Jacksonville,
I really did, and in Trent Bulky the GM survived,
He's and Peterson got fired. I watched them in Philadelphia
out coach Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl. This was
my number one pick. I liked him, People like him,
players like him. It just never worked. Trevor Lawrence has regressed.
(06:14):
I don't know where they go. Do you need more
of a tough leader than Doug Peterson? Do you need
a Brian Flores, somebody that's a culture changer, not just
an offensive guy who people like. But the Jacksonville situation,
I don't think I've ever been right on it. Coach
GM players, nothing works that I predict where Colin was
right when Tyreek Hill got traded from Kansas City to
(06:36):
the Dolphins. I said, they'll be fine without him. The
league is not built around small, fast football players. He's
very good. But why would you leave Patrick Mahomes as
a wide receiver? Why would you leave Andy Reid as
a wide receiver? There are just moves I didn't get, Like, yeah,
Chase the bag, the guy wants out of Miami. Now,
(06:56):
there's got to be more than just money. I mean,
if you like the coach and you like the quarterback,
it's not like you can't afford a nice home in
Kansas City. Like, I never understood this move. It was fun,
and I get people that want to go live in
Miami with no state tax and a clever offensive coach.
But I never thought this was going to change the league.
I never thought it was going to change the Chiefs.
(07:18):
They would figure out with Mahomes and Reed and Spags
and Kelsey and Chris Jones to win regardless where Colin
was right. My number one college football prediction before the
season was Oregon is going to beat Ohio State at
Opson and then Ohio State will come back to beat Oregon,
and man, they did the next time they play in
the playoff, so that was my top prediction. They led
thirty one to nothing in the first half against Oregon.
(07:41):
I also said after they lost to Michigan, don't be
shocked if they don't end up playing like a Texas
for the National Championship. And I still believe that college football,
more than ever, feels like the NFL, where you're gonna
have a stinker of a game in December and you're okay,
we don't eliminate you. And I think that is a
good thing. I think college football has grown up and
(08:02):
graduated to more professional football, meaning you get a mulligan,
you can stumble your toe. It shouldn't be about you
lose late in the season. You're done. The Chiefs lose
late in the season. Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl.
He lost twice in January December, and he won a
super Bowl. It shouldn't be about the calendar. It should
(08:23):
be about an entire book, several chapters and who's good now?
And at Ohio State. And with that, Matt Hasselbeck is
coming out to the set. We are so lucky to
have him eighteen years in the NFL, six playoff appearances
with Seattle. My friend, it's great to see you. You know,
I was saying, but where did that come from? What's that?
I heard some claps in the background. We have appreciate that.
(08:46):
Thank you the wall.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Okay, good, thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So I said a year ago. Sam Darnold is a
backup starting in a meaningless game. He was considered a
bust to walk into Detroit last night and be great.
I thought was as a big ass. It felt like
a playoff game, and I'd said last week I'm like,
I'm just going to it's the biggest game of Detroit
in fifty years. Do you think differently about Darnald after
(09:09):
that performance? Now?
Speaker 5 (09:10):
Listen, like the future is a whole lot of right
now and that was a right now moment, like he
had never been in that situation before.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
He'll learn from it.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
I thought it was just an awesome game plan by
Aaron Glenn. I thought they came out and was it
man or was its own?
Speaker 4 (09:26):
It was both. Was it a blitz we can pick up, yes, but.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Now we're one on one in an area of strength
against an area of weakness. I thought the crowd noise
was a real factor. I mean, the people in Detroit
should feel like they had a hand in that victory.
They had a hand in.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
That defensive success because they did. I'm not worried.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
I don't think I'm worried about Sam Darnold. I'm sure
a lot of people are going to jump off the bandwagon.
He's a really good football player. But here's what they'll do.
And I think Kevin O'Connell did a good job last night,
even at the podium right after the game, he kind
of gave his messaging. He kind of gave his messaging like, hey,
with the team. I believe it was the Rams we
lost the last game of the season and we made
it to the super Bowl, Like, we can do that,
(10:05):
But what do we got to do? We got to
watch his tape, learn from it, flush it.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
And move on.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
We got another one this week, and that's what they'll do.
But I do think the key there is learning from it,
and I just think they were surprised and they didn't
match the intensity of the moment and Detroit brought it.
It was like years and years of frustration came out
in one game. And think about what was at stake
(10:29):
that first round by for a team that says banged
up as Detroit did, with home field advantage the way
they have it, that's a hungry fan base and a
lot of players on that team that have been there
for you know, almost a decade. Like some of those guys,
it meant more like like sometimes you say it in
the locker room, like it means more to us.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
I think it really did mean more to Detroit last night,
and it showed.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yeah, I want to say this about I said this
to start the show. I said, in some ways, the
NFL is the anti NBA. You have to be selfless
and you always play hurt by week four quarterbacks, kickers
are dinged and sometimes me as an outsider, can roll
my eyes at some of the messaging. It's a little cheesy,
(11:14):
but there's a brotherhood and a masculinity in the NFL
and when you're going downhill. I think Dan Campbell is
the perfect coach for the city. They're the Cubs and
shoulder pads like they're just He has been able this
team on Monday against the Niners. Could have just mailed
it in, let's get healthy. He's like, no, yeah, no,
we're Detroit. Yeah, this is a every game matters. I
(11:38):
think he is literally the perfect coach.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Well, and I think I think their style of play,
their identity, their head coach's personality, who is at the
podium resonates with the city resonates with Detroit. We're a
tough city where a blue collar city. We're not like
everybody else, Like we're built. I don't want to say
four tough, but like it's kind of like that mindset. Yeah,
and I think that it matters now. Listen, Dan Campbell's
(12:01):
not just some tough guy though, Like he's a guy
that he he played for. I think he coached with Parcels.
He coached for Sean Payton for a long time.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Marcel love him.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
And so like he's not just some like meathead. He's
a guy that's like weathered the storms. He's he's pretty smart.
He's been around, he's been around Hall of Fame type coaching.
He was the interim head coach at the Miami Dolphins.
Do I think he would have been the perfect head
coach for the Miami Dolphins?
Speaker 6 (12:26):
No?
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Do I think he's the perfect head coach for the
Detroit Lions. Yes?
Speaker 5 (12:29):
And I think that's what like, honestly, just like the
synergy of your cast off quarterback, you know, just like that,
that toughness, that grittiness, that resilience, it all fits together
with what they got.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Now.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Listen, the danger for him though, He's got to learn
how to be tough and physical and all that.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
And still survive these long seasons.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
Now, Like you don't want to be limping into the
Super Bowl, right, you gotta I don't know if you
call it load management, but you got to practice smart
and you got you have to coach smart from I
don't know, like an injured East standpoint. Sure, and that
remains to be seen if they can do that. But
there's a lot of there's a lot of good things
to sorry to say about Detroit, I mean a lot
(13:09):
of good things.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Yeah. So the Bonick story, it's interesting he fell to six. Now,
it was a very good quarterback draft lass and by
the way Lamar fell to the end of the first round.
It's hard.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
You don't know, but and it's never in order, like
never the order that is in your mock draft is
never how it turns out.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
But it was almost as if he was considered in
the draft. Well, let's get to Caleb and Jayden. He's
the second level and I'm like, I saw him play
live twice. I saw sixty one college starts. I probably
saw thirty five to forty of him. This dude's athletic.
He is a I mean I was sat on the
sideline of an Oregon game watching him. He is directed,
he's like a coach. Are you surprised by how effective
(13:52):
he was?
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Yeah, listen, you say second level, You should have seen
the combine, Like the dude got Bonix got no attention
at the combine, like very little. Everyone was talking about
all these other guys. They were talking about guys that
weren't even working out that day. And so for bow
Knicks to go do his private with Sean Payton, for
him to say, Bam, that's my guy, Like that's our guy.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
I don't think people jumped on board and said, oh,
he's going to be successful.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
And I know for sure they didn't feel like in
year one what he has done this year with bo
Nix has done, what Sean Payton has done, I think
he's absolutely a candidate for Coach of the Year. The
playoff draft that they had, the season that they had
last year, dead cap money, dead cap vance, Joseph's done
a great job. But no, when you watch bow Knicks play,
does not look like a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
I do believe that.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Like in this era of young quarterbacks, and this is
somewhere where I think I had to grow and learn
a little bit. These guys are so much more prepared
coming into the NFL, Like they get the extra year,
they get, the COVID year, the way kids are trained now.
Like I just even remember being at the financial literacy
stuff at the Combine and like, oh, guys, you know,
hiring an agent, hiring paying your taxes, all this stuff.
(15:00):
The room was like, yeah, we've been getting paid for
a couple of years now we're good. We're just all
about the football. So I think these quarterbacks are coming
into it. And then you talk about a guy like
Bo Nicks that has all these starts under his belt
in huge games in the.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
SEC out at Oregon.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
It's very different than say, like an Anthony Richardson situation,
a guy that hadn't played it to on a football
he's got a he's got a bunch of starts under
his belt. I think it matters. And having a Hall
of Fame coach and Sean Payton, I mean, they're they're
doing great.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
So I got a I got a lot of things
I want to ask you about. We're going to get
to the coaching thing in a second, because I want
your thoughts on Pete Carroll potentially in Chicago. I don't
think it's ridiculous, and I forget agist. I just think
Pete's really good.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
But I well, you can't be ages since you're sixty
one today. Happy birthday by the way.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I am sixty whatever. I looked at Aaron Rodgers and listen.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
We were talking Pete Carroll. Are we're talking? I want
to go to Aaron and back to Pete you're back
to agist, got it.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Yeah, so it's not a great quarterback draft class. Cousins
looked a little washed. Vikings probably retain Darnold. It is
easy to just punt on Aaron. But I look at
him in the last eight weeks and seven of him,
I was like, that's that's pretty good. I think there's
I don't think the Jets should cut him. I actually
(16:20):
think he has a semi vibrant market.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
Yeah. I mean, listen, he can still play.
Speaker 5 (16:26):
You saw that, and I talked about earlier in the
year the Jets looked like a team that were having
no fun. I would say the total opposite. At the
end here, like they last yesterday, they looked like they
were having so much fun. It was anything but a chore.
There was like a bunch of grown men playing, you know,
almost like paying to play with, like and like one
of those legends things, you know what I mean, Like
it looks like a great way to.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Go out if he goes out.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
But no, I would just say that if Aaron Rodgers
wants to keep playing, he can the thing. Though I
don't think it can be like Aaron street Ball. I
don't think he has the mobility for that. I just
don't think that's winning football. I don't think that's what
people are gonna pay for. What they would pay for
is an amazing conductor, a point guard. Not the guy
that's gonna be Michael Jordan. They're looking for more of
(17:07):
a distributor. They're looking for more of a someone to
steady the ship. Maybe they just sort of be humble
and be like a little bit more of a system quarterback.
But can he throw? Yeah, he can throw. Is the
game slowed down for him?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Is he as mobile and durable as he once was?
Speaker 6 (17:23):
Like?
Speaker 1 (17:23):
No?
Speaker 5 (17:24):
And I think that's going to be the decision that
he has to make. But seeing the joy it was
certainly there yesterday. I mean that part for me, I
think was fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
So I have said, so let's now go into some
of the coaching stuff. So we've got a bunch of
coaching openings. We've got the Saints, the Patriots, the Jags,
the Jets, the Bears, and they're maybe another one. We'll
wait on the Riders. So I said, I didn't think
Rex Ryan to the Jets was nuts, and I don't
think Pete Carroll to Chicago is crazy. For a lot
(17:54):
of reasons. I do not think you can give this
to a snazzy coordinator who's never been a coach. This
is a city football to politics. Everything's political everything in Chicago,
and they don't have the strongest ownership as a city.
Nobody's got like the super wealthy owners. I think Pete
(18:14):
Carroll works in Chicago. You know Pete? Does he fit?
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (18:19):
I mean listen, I thought you're gonna say Brian Flores
because that feels like it fits. Also, that's one that
people are talking about. The synergy from GM to head
coach to quarterback is very important in Chicago. That's something
they have not gotten right since who knows when I
would say this Pete Carroll, Like, the more dysfunction you
have in an organization, the more you need a culture builder,
(18:42):
an identity maker, an absolute rock star at the podium,
like a rock star, not someone who's learning on the fly.
And like you mentioned those two organizations, the Jets and
the Bears, I think they need a culture builder. I
think they need a rock star at the podium. To me,
Pete Carroll. Just knowing Pete, he is in love with USC.
(19:03):
So if there's any new head coach coming into Chicago
that wants to see Caleb Williams succeed, it's Pete Carroll.
But the revolving door in Chicago where the GM, the
head coach, and the quarterback, they didn't sort of come
in together. That's been one of the problems because if
you get a new head coach in there who Caleb's.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Not my guy.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
I'm not married to him. My contract's not tied to
his contract like I can. I can move on if
I want to blame somebody that could easily happen to
the young quarterback. So I think you need someone that
can handle the young quarterback who's got a tremendous amount
of potential, And I think Pete Carroll would be the
perfect guy.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Culture setter, will bring a bunch.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
Of people with him who have been there and done it,
and a lot of times, you know who you are
as a head coach is who's willing to come with you,
And I think Pete Carroll, you know, has the credentials
to bring a lot of people with him.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
So you know, I was saying, as this is the
first time I remember best quarterback won every division, and
I think Jared Goff is playing the best quarterback in
a division where Donald Lover and Caleb are super talented,
but virtually every division best quarterback won. And that's why
I don't like the season extending to eighteen games, because
the more games you have. If I have a better
(20:14):
quarterback and I get sixty more snaps in two more
games than five years ago, I'm going to win the division.
I like the NFL when there you can be a
defensive team that we would go into the playoffs and think,
all right, the Steelers have a chance to win the
super Bowl. But we don't think that because in the
AFC Russell Wilson's fine but not special. When I look
(20:36):
at all this, the dark horse team to me that
nobody is saying to win a super Bowl is the Chargers.
So hard Balls arguably as good at coaches the sport
has outside Andy Reid. Herbert now is as efficient as
Aaron Rodgers and Brady in their prime. They don't have
a star receiver. It's January football. I mean, the Tyreek
(20:59):
Hills disappear very quickly. Number one defense, rush end, Hardball,
Herbert best offensive tackle combination. I look at the Chargers
and I'm like, if you told me the boxes that
fit playoffs you're smirking at me.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting Chargers. But maybe
that's exactly what your point is, you know, like this
is what I'd say.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
There's gonna be a curve ball.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
My favorite week maybe you could say championship weekend, you know,
AFCNFC championship, but my favorite weekend is wild card weekend.
Those were like, if you look throughout the history of
the best playoff games that have ever been played, I
feel like it's always wild Card weekend. And so like
you know, they call it wildcard because like any it's
anybody's weekend, and it's different and everybody's zero and zero
and the boost that you can get from having sort
(21:45):
of like a disappointing season and now all of a sudden,
like no, we're O and O, and the Chiefs are
O and O, and like everybody's O and O, and
besides the bye, it's an it's an equal playing field,
so anything can happen. Like that's the beauty of it.
You got to get hot at the right time. That's
why I listen every single team that I was ever on,
ever the head coach in the very first meeting of
(22:06):
the year said the same thing. Didn't matter the team,
offensive coach, defensive coach. What do they all say, win
our division? That's goal number one because if we win
the division, we are in the playoffs. And if we're
in the tournament, anything can happen. And that's just like
the mindset that goes into it. So like you're saying,
the Chargers, Yeah, why not they have a short week
at Houston.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Here we go. You know, now we're into Round.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
Two, Like it doesn't take that much to get there,
Like that's what the exciting thing is. And all your
peers are watching, everybody in the league is watching. There's
no other games, it's just your game. Yeah, the Chargers,
they would not have been my dark Horsekay, So.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Let's go back to it. I want you to give
me a paragraph on each game. So let's start Chargers
at the Texans.
Speaker 5 (22:49):
I feel bad the Texans are always in that like
not primetime game, you know that Saturday three third, Like
I think that's like how I felt when we were
in Seattle kind of joke. You're in the witness protection
program there and like they never give you the primetime
game because you're not like one of those original six
and hockey kind of deal.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
No, listen, They're not a team like ascending.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
I think the Chargers defense is way better than people realize.
They're a team torecting with probably in the second round
of the playoffs. I don't know if the Texans can
protect c. J. Stroud the way they need to.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
That's me. That's the takeaway. Steelers at the Ravens.
Speaker 5 (23:25):
I think the Ravens are my dark horse team. Like
Lamar Jackson's playing as good as anybody. I think that
people have sort of written them off because they didn't
have the most amazing regular season.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
But you want to talk about a.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Team that can win at all and they have all
the pieces, Like to me, I think the Ravens would
be that team. The Steelers, I said earlier, I think
they should have been playing both quarterbacks. I think Russell
Wilson is obviously great at a lot of things, but
he's not a mobile I think Justin Fields is a
pretty is a difficult, difficult quarterback to game plan for
Mike Tomlin. I just felt Arthur Smith I felt like
(23:57):
two quarterbacks playing would make them more difficult team on offense.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
They didn't do that. I think the Ravens are the team.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Denver at Buffalo.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
Listen, playing in Buffalo. There's a couple of things, Like
I've done it a bunch of times. The weather's a thing,
the crowd's a thing, the weather's a thing. I've seen
a lot of warm weather teams go up there and
kind of get like spooked before the game even starts
because like the cold.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Denver's not dealing with that.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
And like you listen to Sean Payton talk and he's
in the locker room right after the game and he's like,
listen up, guys.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
You are young. You're the one of the youngest teams
in the league.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
You are young, and you are hungry, and that is
a dangerous thing in the playoffs, young and hungry.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
And he is selling them.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
He's a great example of a Hall of Fame type
coach who's saying, Hey, we're oh and oh, it does
not matter. We can go in there get this win.
And I believe listen that, I don't know how I
would pick that game. And I love Buffalo, love them.
Whoever wins that game could definitely represent the AFC.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Wow, how about that Packers at Philly. Philly's kind of
been down shifted some of the but obviously the concussion
of Jalen Hurts. What say you?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
I like Philly. I've liked him all year.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
You know, I thought Green Bay did a horrible, horrible
end of the game situation yesterday kind of gave that
game away. But despite that, I think that Philly is
a great team. Even with their backup to the backup quarterback,
I think they look good. I mean, this is a
team they draft well, and whoever they drafted the quarterback
(25:25):
position or whoever that plays quarterback for them, that coaching
staff for years and years now they seem to just
play okay, you know, like they got a six round
quarterback out there.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
He looks good to me, So listen.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
Obviously, Jalen Hurts one of the game's best quarterbacks, but
I don't think this is a team that lives and
dies by that. I think they're They're better than people
give them credit for.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Commanders at the Bucks.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Listen, hard one, listen.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
I love watching Baker Mayfield play like I love it,
and I love what they did with Mike Evans yesterday,
Like Baker is doing awesome.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Love him, But this is wild Card weekend.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
If you were going to force me to pick sort
of like an underdog on the seating chart. I told you,
I believe if if Washington can clean up just like
the sloppy Timman, like you know, they have something really
special at the quarterback position in Washington. But again, Baker Mayfield,
(26:18):
he's playing tough, gritty, definitely gritty. That'd be fun, That'd
be a fun game to watch. If I had to
pick an upset, Washington might be one to pick.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Though. Finally, uh Jmack and I disagree Vikings at the Rams.
I don't love the Rams secondary matchup against the Vikings receivers.
And I also think everybody's selling their Viking stock. And
to your point, that was almost a non winnable game
last night.
Speaker 5 (26:42):
Vikings ram tough game like this is not Like that's
why last night's game was so big. One team gets
the bye like Detroit gets to go heel up.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
Some of their players are their wives are like do
this week? They're having babies?
Speaker 5 (26:56):
Like they needed this bye week literally okay, And instead
the Vikings have to go play Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Pooka,
Cooper Cutt Like.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
That's not a tough defense. Defense is good.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
They are arguably the Rams a arguably the healthiest team
in the league now.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
Which is crazy, but don't you think it's a good
lesson as people are trying to figure out what to
do with their head coach and next year. This year,
people were trying to sell off the La Rams. They
were trying to trade Cooper Cutt. They were trying literally
trying to happen. And then they played a nationally televised
game and they played outstanding. Was right before the trade deadline,
and everyone's like, whoa, whoa, maybe maybe they could be
(27:34):
a playoff contender, and so like that's just the thing.
The best teams are the teams when adversity hits, you
don't pull apart, you don't quit on your team. You
don't do that. You stick together and you pull together.
And that's why that locker room matters, that's why the
head coach at the podium matters. And the Rams are
just one of those teams. And so what's the strength
of the Vikings To me? If I'm like a quarterback
(27:56):
man Brian floores in that defense is difficult to recognize
what they're doing. You have Matthew Stafford, one of the
most experienced quarterbacks. It's it's such a with Sean. With
Sean McVay, it's such a great matchup.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Good stuff. Matt Hasselbeck, who was a free agent on
the market, and uh, we feel like we got to
steal on him. Now, why are you in LA this week?
We don't get you in La?
Speaker 4 (28:17):
No, yeah, like what you say every five weeks. Probably.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
My son's a freshman quarterback at UCLA and they start
school today. So I said, hey, I'll come out with you.
We had some luggage. We brought some extra bags this time.
If I'm being real, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
So you're you're going to be out here more often.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
We'll see yeah, hope. So, I mean, I don't know
if he wants me around, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I got it.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
He's like that. I'm at Rocco's, Like, what are you
talking about? Leave me alone? I know inside joke.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I know you gotta be smart though. That's not an
easy school. He can't. He can't be party son. No,
I could see you in college lead I.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
Had hair back then. It was dangerous. No, he does
well in school. He had a great first semester.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Why to go? And his name is Henry. That's awesome. Yeah,
love having on the show Bud.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Be sure to catch live editions. I'm weekdays at noon
Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one
and the iHeartRadio App.
Speaker 7 (29:07):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together We're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch
us weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to
four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the
iHeartRadio App.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 7 (29:21):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world. 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. And the fact
that we've been friends for the last twenty years and
still work together.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I mean that says something, right. So check us out.
Speaker 7 (29:40):
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 get your podcast course
(30:00):
on social media, that's Cabino and Rich.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
No, no turn on the news.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
This is the herd Line News.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Let's start with Mike Evans. What a story in Tampa.
I don't know if you saw this yesterday. He only
needed eighty five yards to get his eleventh straight thousand
yard season.
Speaker 4 (30:19):
So Evans was five minutes.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Away from breaking the reaching the mark with two minutes
left and the bucks for up eight. Everybody thought it
was over. Well, they got the ball back in the
final seconds and here's Mike Evans on the moment he
went over a thousand yards.
Speaker 8 (30:33):
Still, I hope we'd get in a style because I
can't pass a history and Coach Bowle didn't want to
let it pass up or Liam. So I'm happy that
they had me go out there and get that because
it's just been hard to do for illmonistraight years. And
to be Toddy one of the if not the greatest
receiver of all time, it means a lot to me
and my family.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Yeah. Well, and good dude, super productive. I have I
have no problem in Week eighteen. If it's a non
running back heading into the playoffs, I don't want my
running backs taking extra hips. But if a wide receiver,
tight end, quarterback is seeking a record, and I kind
of am not a record guy or an award guy,
(31:13):
but in this instance, I think it's cool.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I don't feel like a guy who's not said a
lot of records in his life.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Records are cool, man, Come on.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
So not only that, but Evans got a three million
dollar bonus for reaching a thousand years.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Well, look how his teammates. Look how his teammates are reacting.
Nobody thinks he's selfish. They love this guy.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Well, he did wear a shirt with his name and
face in the postgame Bred Mike Evans T shirt Mike
Evans speaking at the podium, which is pretty cool. Bucks
lock up the fourth seed in the NFC South and
they will host Washington really really spicy games.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Yeah. I think I like Washington.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
I think Baker Mayfield a lot of storylines here.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
I maybe both rookie quarterbacks go in and just get
ambushed and it's over and Bonnick and Jaden are gone.
But it just Denver's defense is real and Washington I
deal with Washington just cut down on the mistakes. They
kind of they could get kind of penalty choked from
time to time and hurt themselves. But Washington's a tough out.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Cliff Kingsbury has a due over.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Do you remember how he did as a head coach
with Arizona in their playoff game against the Ramsey That
was the Kyler Murray I don't want to go back
and fit there Donald game. Next up is the Tennessee Titans,
officially on the clock for April's NFL Draft. They've secured
the number one pick since the Patriots got the dub
(32:37):
and now the question becomes do they go Shdure Sanders
or cam Ward?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Because everybody thinks, you know, we'll love us. He ain't
the dude.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
There is a report, I will stressed the report that
Tennessee is rumored to love cam Ward and could take
him first. Overall, Kylin, are you ready for three and
a half months of cam or Shadure or do you
already have your pick now?
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Well? I think cam has the bigger arm, better athlete.
Shadur is the more polished, refined guy. I think both
are b prospects, and you take whoever you want. I
mean I think they both have upside. I think both
are better prospects than Will Levis. I mean Cam's got
a big boy arm. I mean he's gonna sling it
(33:17):
and he's a playmaker. So I don't have a strong feeling.
I think what's gonna happen in this draft with quarterbacks
is there's gonna be two or three guys drafted second round,
third round, and they will land with better teams and
be the best quarterbacks in the class.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
That's not a bad take.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
In a week quarterback class, there will be a second rounder,
late first or top of the third rounder. You know,
I've told you this about Riley Leonard. I think Riley Leonard,
he's gaing.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
For ninety yards against Georgia.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Come on, that's what was needed to win.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
One last thought on Tennessee. So Callahan in Cincinnati when
he was the go see had.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Joe Burrow at quarterback.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Is there any either of these guys you think Cam
or should do that fits what Callahan would love to
have another Burrow?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
Obviously neither of them are Burth.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Well, Shader's not going to leave the pocket. He's going
to sit there and throw strikes, holds it a bit
too long. So Cam is a playmaker. Cam has got
you know, he's a little Jaden Daniels a little playmaker,
a little move you know. I mean if which is fine,
I mean Bo Nicks and Jayden Daniels do they run
a lot and it's successful. JJ McCarthy. By the way,
(34:27):
if you watch them in the preseason for the Vikings,
you'll just take off. So you know that's not a
negative to me ten years ago. It was more negative now.
If a guy wants to take off and pick up yard,
I always say it takes you about three years for
the game to slow down. For a quarterback. If you
can move the chains for three years with your feet
as you're trying to figure out the pocket, by all means,
(34:47):
do it.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Interesting because for most of the season a lot of
the guys who came on this show thought should do
it was going to be number one, And now it's
more people seem to like Kim Well.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
I just I don't think either one is viewed as transformational.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
What did you make of the stuff Deann was saying that, Hey,
Travis Hunter and Shador, they're not going to the draft.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
They're gonna hang with us on campus. We're gonna do
our own thing.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Did you have any thoughts on that or.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
I don't. I think they're both gonna get drafted in
the top five. I think Beyond pokespeople a little bit.
He's a little non conformist, and I'm okay with it.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Yeah, yeah, it's nonconformist.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
That final story, Colin, is how about Brice Young. Could
we give the man some problem? Let's give him something?
Game he had not all was meaningless, none other Falcons.
You know they're not a good defense. But two hundred
and fifty one yards passing, three touchdowns, one twenty three
and a half passer rating, two rushing touchdowns, and after
the game, owner David Temper chimed in, I think we
(35:45):
got our QB here.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
You see the no look.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Touchdown or like the steps. This is what we saw
in high school and college. And he moved well, accurate
quick release. This is exactly what This is why I
said the draft I thought he was the Noumber one quarterback.
I thought I thought he had juice. I thought C. J.
Stroud was good, but I didn't see it. He was
more of a golf comp. This is what I saw
(36:07):
out of college, a guy that moves good enough arm.
By the way, when he's moving around like this, he
doesn't look as small.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Does he not look at Small's figured it out?
Speaker 1 (36:16):
No, I mean it's he looks small. His first year,
he was nervous, he was in the pocket, he was overwhelmed.
But when he starts moving his feet. I met his
high school quarterback, his high school football coach, legendary coach
in southern California. I said, who's the best player you
ever had? And a program that has fifteen Division Ie
guys every few years, and he said, Bryce Young has
(36:36):
gifted the players he ever had.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
So with the win in overtime, Carolina got to five wins.
You remember their season win total was four and a half.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
That was one of your favorite overs.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
Well, we when I hosted one day, you were gallivanting
around the globe. We had a guy on and he's like,
we hammered Carolina over four and a half. The line
moved to five and Rice Young comes through with the
career game. I don't know if he's a franchise guy,
but he was so good yesterday. If Stroud struggles, And
by the way, we'll talk about the Chargers defensive coordinator
(37:08):
who by the way, was at.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Michigan and really bottled up Stroud.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
If Stroud struggles and Bryce Young looks so good, I
wonder if we get they're kind of getting closer to
who's b better?
Speaker 1 (37:18):
No, no, no, I think you and I both said
this about two weeks ago. It's like, if you redrafted,
I'm not sure right now that you would go to CJ.
Stroud over Bryce Young. Yeah, I think you're on to
something new.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
J mckle the news, Well that's the news, and thanks
for stopping by The Herd.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Lie O care, I'm gonna take my first stab at it.
Who would I hire if I'm the Bears, the Jags,
the Jets, the Patriots, the Saint to do that next?
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon Easter not a Empacific.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
The reason I think I'm gonna get it because I'm
the best guy and it ain't close. The thing that
you have to do. You have to connect with the
football team. You have to connect with your fan base
and the way they play. That's the most important thing,
not just the x's and o's and all that. Look
this Ben Johnson, I love him, I absolutely love him,
but I'm a better candidate for this job than he
(38:09):
would be.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
Okay, I'm going to tell you this is just my
kind of first swing at this stuff. I'm gonna give
you the vacancies. Let's start with the Saints. I would
hire if I'm the New Orleans Saints, to weaken the
best team in the division, Tampa, I'd hire Leam Cohen,
who's the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It
would weaken the Buccaneers and Baker. He's part of the
(38:32):
Sean McVay tree. The Saints are currently in cap hell,
so they've got to figure out ways to be creative,
and that's what this guy is. So I could weaken
one of the big dogs in my division. Pull him
from Baker, I go with him Liam Cohen for the
Saints Patriots. I would love to go offense with Drake May.
But I'm gonna take Mike Rabel. Listen. I think he's
(38:53):
the best coaching candidate on the market. And I don't
think this is a dysfunctional job. You know, New York
Chicago feel a bit dysfunctional. I think Vrabel would bring
in a guy like him, maybe a Josh McDaniels, And
I think it would work very quickly. I also think
Buffalo's obviously the best team in the division, but you
can win a lot of games here. The Jets in
(39:14):
Miami are always a little wonky. I would do Vrabel Jaguars.
I would go Aaron Glenn, who is Jacksonville's defense is
thirty first in the league, and even with the injuries
to Detroit's defense, they have the number seven scoring defense.
Now think about how good of a job he's done.
You're in a division with high scoring Minnesota, Green Bay
(39:34):
and Caleb Williams, your defense gets Aiden Hutchinson gets injured early,
and you become the seventh best defense in the league.
I thought he put on a clinic last night. I mean,
Sam Darnold has not been rattled in like three and
a half months, and I thought Sam Donold's struggled. So
I think this organization needs to go with an intense coach,
(39:57):
a defensive coach, and I I think it's Aaron Glenn.
The Jets. I would go Ben Johnson, Rex Ryan. I
don't think is ridiculous. This has not been a top
ten offense in the league since two thousand and eight.
They've got Aaron Rodgers, They've got a top running back,
they've got two receivers, they've got a left tackle for
the future. Their defense is fine. You are not winning
(40:21):
with defense in this division. If you've got to face
Josh Allen, you've got to score points. It's the same
thing with Patrick Mahomes. You're not winning that division. Justin
Herbert gives you a fighting chance. I would go offense.
The organization worries me, but they've gone defense too often.
I would go Ben Johnson, who I think is clever
(40:42):
and creative Chicago Bears. I would go Brian Flores. He
has head coaching experience. Pete Carroll would be my one A.
I think you need a culture guy over a scheme whiz.
I'm not giving this job to somebody that's never been
a head coach. I need a strong, alpha defiant. I
(41:03):
know he's excellent. Ryan Poles and Flores were teammates at
Boston College. So again, I cannot give Ben Johnson the
Chicago job. He has never been a head coach. This
is a political job. Flores has learned his mistakes through
to a yes. Believe it or not, people people improve,
people make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. That's probably my first run
(41:27):
at it now. If new information comes out, I don't
think Pete Carroll to the Bears is a bad choice.
He'd be my one A. I don't think Rex Ryan
to the Jets is crazy, but I think Ben Johnson offense,
let's get it right. Let's get the offense right. I mean,
look at the AFC, Herbert now Bow, Knicks, Mahomes, Joe Burrow,
(41:48):
Lamar Jackson. You're not winning with great defense. You got
to score some points. I'm not saying spags doesn't matter,
but you get to a super Bowl, you get the
conference championships. You got to score in the high twenties
or thirties. Jets can't get their offense right and have
them for years. So j Mac, you're you're grimacing.
Speaker 3 (42:06):
I'll take Ben Johnson.
Speaker 4 (42:07):
I just don't see why he hell on earth he was.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
He would downgrade from a super Bowl contender to a
dysfunctional disaster.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
On a half million a year. Who's my quarterback, Aaron Rodgers,
No thanks,
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 Sportsradio dot com,
or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app
by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening
to The Herd podcast. Here we go, it's our two,
(00:23):
gonna be a tasty one live in Los Angeles. It's
the Herd wherever you may be and however you may
be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.
Matt Hasselbeck, he does his about once every five weeks
or so, sits down with us for a good twenty
twenty five minutes. I can't wait for that. He's got
so many thoughts on this. Yesterday and there was only
a handful of NFL games that truly mattered. There were
a lot of backups, which is another reason I don't
(00:44):
like the NFL expanding to eighteen games, because we already
got to the seventeenth game and it was kind of
like you had about two games you had to watch
one of them. Last night Jmac Albert Breer last hour
as well. We're gonna go Jamck and I are going
to go through some of the coaching openings for all.
Still going to go through the games. We like. You
like the Rams hosting the Vikings. I feel very strongly
(01:07):
about the Vikings matchup on their perimeter against the Rams.
Is there a game off the top that you really like?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
I irrationally like many games this weekend, including a college
football by the way, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday,
all with playoff college football or NFL games.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
How good is that? Colin?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I guess my favorite bet of the week so far
is Rams money line. I think they went out right.
I can't believe the Vikings are favored in this spot.
Did you see Donald when he has to hold the ball?
And I know Hasslebeck will talk about it, but like
when Donald has to hold the ball and think and
come off his reads, he's not great. He was eighteen
of forty one last night. It was not good, and
(01:48):
that was against a shoddy Lions defense. I think the
Rams defense is gonna be better. They slowed Darnald in
the initial meeting. Remember that one out here at so far?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah? I like Rams? All right, let's do it every
Monday at this time, Colin right, Colin wrong, plenty of both.
Here we go where Colin was right to double right
Bo Knicks and the Broncos. I said the Broncos would
double the win total Vegas thought, and I thought Bo
Nicks would be a home run. He finished the season
six in the NFL and touchdown passes and it's the
most among rookies, second most touchdown passes by a rookie ever,
(02:19):
eighteen for eighteen to start the game against Kansas City.
His maturity, his athletic ability, his experience. I didn't get
him kind of being ignored and considered a second class,
second tier quarterback in the draft. I didn't get it
at all. I watched him at Auburn, I watched him
at Oregon. He went through multitude of coordinators and was
good with all of them. Bo Nicks is a right
(02:39):
where Colin was raw. You know what, Nick Siriani drives
me nuts. But you know in his three years as
a coach, they've won fourteen, eleven and fourteen. You know,
these skirmishes on the sidelines with fans battling his own staff,
you know, it feels like he has to be a
chaperone on a weekly basis. But there is something about
(02:59):
his message and his personality that resonates in the NFL
that I clearly am missing on. I thought his opening
press conference was brutal. I'm still surprised they're this good.
I think it's more of a GM than a coach story.
But I'm wrong on it because the dude keeps winning.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Where Colin was.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Right, I said last January when girod Mao got the
Patriots job, it feels like adding a new chapter to
the same old book, you know, young quarterback defensive coach.
I just never felt this was the right higher. I
thought they may retain him because they were so embarrassed
by it. But I read a lot of Boston writers
and listen to Boston radio, and you know, situationally, circumstantially,
(03:40):
he was over his head. You know, Bill Junior was
his nickname. You know, his only real influence was Belichick.
And I think once Bill left, you were probably better
served to go on the offensive route. But I also
think Mike Rabel would be a good fit. But I
never loved this higher. Where Colin was raw, well, it's
the Atlanta Falcons. I've never been right. I had him
(04:01):
winning the division. I thought Kirk Cousins was a good signing.
He ended up tied for the NFL leading picks and
he only played fourteen games. I like Raheem Morris over Belichick.
They started six and three, they beat the Buccaneers twice,
and then just regressed quickly and badly. This is an
organization that does a lot right, but it does feel
like and certain organizations are like this that they kind
(04:23):
of shrink in big spots. And that's always sort of
been the reason why I've lost my four to one
K several times betting the Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I'm not sure there's a bigger fan in the world
of Justin Herbert or Jim Harbaugh than myself, and they're
now together. I felt they'd win ten or eleven games.
I didn't know if they'd make the playoffs because of
Mahomes and Reid. But you know, I just watching this
game yesterday. They just figure out ways to win. Harbaugh
and have a bad first half, and then they reset
the chairs and there have a good second half. They've
(04:54):
got a grit and a toughness. It's the first time
ever the Chargers have led the NFL in defense. They've
always been fit ness and fun to watch, then aesthetically pleasing,
but you don't trust them. And now they're not nearly
as pleasing to watch, but they're tough and they win games.
So the magic formula was, don't do what you've always been,
go the opposite route, and they have and they're winning,
(05:15):
and I'm happy where Colin was right the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the last decade, isn't it the same team with
just a little variation. Once again, we said before the season,
it's all gonna come down to the final seven games.
Go look at the schedule. It did, and they went
two and five. They still can't get offense right, you know,
they end up ten and seven and with no chance
(05:36):
to win the Super Bowl. And that's what the Pittsburgh
Steelers have been. People in Pittsburgh want a new head coach.
I don't think the Steelers are moving off Mike Tomlin,
but I feel like every Pittsburgh team in the last
decade is a slight variation of the previous year's team.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Where Colin was raw.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
I thought Doug Peterson was a good fit in Jacksonville,
I really did, and in Trent Bulky the GM survived,
He's and Peterson got fired. I watched them in Philadelphia
out coach Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl. This was
my number one pick. I liked him, People like him,
players like him. It just never worked. Trevor Lawrence has regressed.
(06:14):
I don't know where they go. Do you need more
of a tough leader than Doug Peterson? Do you need
a Brian Flores, somebody that's a culture changer, not just
an offensive guy who people like. But the Jacksonville situation,
I don't think I've ever been right on it. Coach
GM players, nothing works that I predict where Colin was
right when Tyreek Hill got traded from Kansas City to
(06:36):
the Dolphins. I said, they'll be fine without him. The
league is not built around small, fast football players. He's
very good. But why would you leave Patrick Mahomes as
a wide receiver? Why would you leave Andy Reid as
a wide receiver? There are just moves I didn't get, Like, yeah,
Chase the bag, the guy wants out of Miami. Now,
(06:56):
there's got to be more than just money. I mean,
if you like the coach and you like the quarterback,
it's not like you can't afford a nice home in
Kansas City. Like, I never understood this move. It was fun,
and I get people that want to go live in
Miami with no state tax and a clever offensive coach.
But I never thought this was going to change the league.
I never thought it was going to change the Chiefs.
(07:18):
They would figure out with Mahomes and Reed and Spags
and Kelsey and Chris Jones to win regardless where Colin
was right. My number one college football prediction before the
season was Oregon is going to beat Ohio State at
Opson and then Ohio State will come back to beat Oregon,
and man, they did the next time they play in
the playoff, so that was my top prediction. They led
thirty one to nothing in the first half against Oregon.
(07:41):
I also said after they lost to Michigan, don't be
shocked if they don't end up playing like a Texas
for the National Championship. And I still believe that college football,
more than ever, feels like the NFL, where you're gonna
have a stinker of a game in December and you're okay,
we don't eliminate you. And I think that is a
good thing. I think college football has grown up and
(08:02):
graduated to more professional football, meaning you get a mulligan,
you can stumble your toe. It shouldn't be about you
lose late in the season. You're done. The Chiefs lose
late in the season. Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl.
He lost twice in January December, and he won a
super Bowl. It shouldn't be about the calendar. It should
(08:23):
be about an entire book, several chapters and who's good now?
And at Ohio State. And with that, Matt Hasselbeck is
coming out to the set. We are so lucky to
have him eighteen years in the NFL, six playoff appearances
with Seattle. My friend, it's great to see you. You know,
I was saying, but where did that come from? What's that?
I heard some claps in the background. We have appreciate that.
(08:46):
Thank you the wall.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Okay, good, thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So I said a year ago. Sam Darnold is a
backup starting in a meaningless game. He was considered a
bust to walk into Detroit last night and be great.
I thought was as a big ass. It felt like
a playoff game, and I'd said last week I'm like,
I'm just going to it's the biggest game of Detroit
in fifty years. Do you think differently about Darnald after
(09:09):
that performance? Now?
Speaker 5 (09:10):
Listen, like the future is a whole lot of right
now and that was a right now moment, like he
had never been in that situation before.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
He'll learn from it.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
I thought it was just an awesome game plan by
Aaron Glenn. I thought they came out and was it
man or was its own?
Speaker 4 (09:26):
It was both. Was it a blitz we can pick up, yes, but.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Now we're one on one in an area of strength
against an area of weakness. I thought the crowd noise
was a real factor. I mean, the people in Detroit
should feel like they had a hand in that victory.
They had a hand in.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
That defensive success because they did. I'm not worried.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
I don't think I'm worried about Sam Darnold. I'm sure
a lot of people are going to jump off the bandwagon.
He's a really good football player. But here's what they'll do.
And I think Kevin O'Connell did a good job last night,
even at the podium right after the game, he kind
of gave his messaging. He kind of gave his messaging like, hey,
with the team. I believe it was the Rams we
lost the last game of the season and we made
it to the super Bowl, Like, we can do that,
(10:05):
But what do we got to do? We got to
watch his tape, learn from it, flush it.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
And move on.
Speaker 5 (10:09):
We got another one this week, and that's what they'll do.
But I do think the key there is learning from it,
and I just think they were surprised and they didn't
match the intensity of the moment and Detroit brought it.
It was like years and years of frustration came out
in one game. And think about what was at stake
(10:29):
that first round by for a team that says banged
up as Detroit did, with home field advantage the way
they have it, that's a hungry fan base and a
lot of players on that team that have been there
for you know, almost a decade. Like some of those guys,
it meant more like like sometimes you say it in
the locker room, like it means more to us.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
I think it really did mean more to Detroit last night,
and it showed.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yeah, I want to say this about I said this
to start the show. I said, in some ways, the
NFL is the anti NBA. You have to be selfless
and you always play hurt by week four quarterbacks, kickers
are dinged and sometimes me as an outsider, can roll
my eyes at some of the messaging. It's a little cheesy,
(11:14):
but there's a brotherhood and a masculinity in the NFL
and when you're going downhill. I think Dan Campbell is
the perfect coach for the city. They're the Cubs and
shoulder pads like they're just He has been able this
team on Monday against the Niners. Could have just mailed
it in, let's get healthy. He's like, no, yeah, no,
we're Detroit. Yeah, this is a every game matters. I
(11:38):
think he is literally the perfect coach.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Well, and I think I think their style of play,
their identity, their head coach's personality, who is at the
podium resonates with the city resonates with Detroit. We're a
tough city where a blue collar city. We're not like
everybody else, Like we're built. I don't want to say
four tough, but like it's kind of like that mindset. Yeah,
and I think that it matters now. Listen, Dan Campbell's
(12:01):
not just some tough guy though, Like he's a guy
that he he played for. I think he coached with Parcels.
He coached for Sean Payton for a long time.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Marcel love him.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
And so like he's not just some like meathead. He's
a guy that's like weathered the storms. He's he's pretty smart.
He's been around, he's been around Hall of Fame type coaching.
He was the interim head coach at the Miami Dolphins.
Do I think he would have been the perfect head
coach for the Miami Dolphins?
Speaker 6 (12:26):
No?
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Do I think he's the perfect head coach for the
Detroit Lions. Yes?
Speaker 5 (12:29):
And I think that's what like, honestly, just like the
synergy of your cast off quarterback, you know, just like that,
that toughness, that grittiness, that resilience, it all fits together
with what they got.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Now.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Listen, the danger for him though, He's got to learn
how to be tough and physical and all that.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
And still survive these long seasons.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
Now, Like you don't want to be limping into the
Super Bowl, right, you gotta I don't know if you
call it load management, but you got to practice smart
and you got you have to coach smart from I
don't know, like an injured East standpoint. Sure, and that
remains to be seen if they can do that. But
there's a lot of there's a lot of good things
to sorry to say about Detroit, I mean a lot
(13:09):
of good things.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Yeah. So the Bonick story, it's interesting he fell to six. Now,
it was a very good quarterback draft lass and by
the way Lamar fell to the end of the first round.
It's hard.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
You don't know, but and it's never in order, like
never the order that is in your mock draft is
never how it turns out.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
But it was almost as if he was considered in
the draft. Well, let's get to Caleb and Jayden. He's
the second level and I'm like, I saw him play
live twice. I saw sixty one college starts. I probably
saw thirty five to forty of him. This dude's athletic.
He is a I mean I was sat on the
sideline of an Oregon game watching him. He is directed,
he's like a coach. Are you surprised by how effective
(13:52):
he was?
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Yeah, listen, you say second level, You should have seen
the combine, Like the dude got Bonix got no attention
at the combine, like very little. Everyone was talking about
all these other guys. They were talking about guys that
weren't even working out that day. And so for bow
Knicks to go do his private with Sean Payton, for
him to say, Bam, that's my guy, Like that's our guy.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
I don't think people jumped on board and said, oh,
he's going to be successful.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
And I know for sure they didn't feel like in
year one what he has done this year with bo
Nix has done, what Sean Payton has done, I think
he's absolutely a candidate for Coach of the Year. The
playoff draft that they had, the season that they had
last year, dead cap money, dead cap vance, Joseph's done
a great job. But no, when you watch bow Knicks play,
does not look like a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
I do believe that.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Like in this era of young quarterbacks, and this is
somewhere where I think I had to grow and learn
a little bit. These guys are so much more prepared
coming into the NFL, Like they get the extra year,
they get, the COVID year, the way kids are trained now.
Like I just even remember being at the financial literacy
stuff at the Combine and like, oh, guys, you know,
hiring an agent, hiring paying your taxes, all this stuff.
(15:00):
The room was like, yeah, we've been getting paid for
a couple of years now we're good. We're just all
about the football. So I think these quarterbacks are coming
into it. And then you talk about a guy like
Bo Nicks that has all these starts under his belt
in huge games in the.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
SEC out at Oregon.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
It's very different than say, like an Anthony Richardson situation,
a guy that hadn't played it to on a football
he's got a he's got a bunch of starts under
his belt. I think it matters. And having a Hall
of Fame coach and Sean Payton, I mean, they're they're
doing great.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
So I got a I got a lot of things
I want to ask you about. We're going to get
to the coaching thing in a second, because I want
your thoughts on Pete Carroll potentially in Chicago. I don't
think it's ridiculous, and I forget agist. I just think
Pete's really good.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
But I well, you can't be ages since you're sixty
one today. Happy birthday by the way.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I am sixty whatever. I looked at Aaron Rodgers and listen.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
We were talking Pete Carroll. Are we're talking? I want
to go to Aaron and back to Pete you're back
to agist, got it.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Yeah, so it's not a great quarterback draft class. Cousins
looked a little washed. Vikings probably retain Darnold. It is
easy to just punt on Aaron. But I look at
him in the last eight weeks and seven of him,
I was like, that's that's pretty good. I think there's
I don't think the Jets should cut him. I actually
(16:20):
think he has a semi vibrant market.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
Yeah. I mean, listen, he can still play.
Speaker 5 (16:26):
You saw that, and I talked about earlier in the
year the Jets looked like a team that were having
no fun. I would say the total opposite. At the
end here, like they last yesterday, they looked like they
were having so much fun. It was anything but a chore.
There was like a bunch of grown men playing, you know,
almost like paying to play with, like and like one
of those legends things, you know what I mean, Like
it looks like a great way to.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Go out if he goes out.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
But no, I would just say that if Aaron Rodgers
wants to keep playing, he can the thing. Though I
don't think it can be like Aaron street Ball. I
don't think he has the mobility for that. I just
don't think that's winning football. I don't think that's what
people are gonna pay for. What they would pay for
is an amazing conductor, a point guard. Not the guy
that's gonna be Michael Jordan. They're looking for more of
(17:07):
a distributor. They're looking for more of a someone to
steady the ship. Maybe they just sort of be humble
and be like a little bit more of a system quarterback.
But can he throw? Yeah, he can throw. Is the
game slowed down for him?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Is he as mobile and durable as he once was?
Speaker 6 (17:23):
Like?
Speaker 1 (17:23):
No?
Speaker 5 (17:24):
And I think that's going to be the decision that
he has to make. But seeing the joy it was
certainly there yesterday. I mean that part for me, I
think was fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
So I have said, so let's now go into some
of the coaching stuff. So we've got a bunch of
coaching openings. We've got the Saints, the Patriots, the Jags,
the Jets, the Bears, and they're maybe another one. We'll
wait on the Riders. So I said, I didn't think
Rex Ryan to the Jets was nuts, and I don't
think Pete Carroll to Chicago is crazy. For a lot
(17:54):
of reasons. I do not think you can give this
to a snazzy coordinator who's never been a coach. This
is a city football to politics. Everything's political everything in Chicago,
and they don't have the strongest ownership as a city.
Nobody's got like the super wealthy owners. I think Pete
(18:14):
Carroll works in Chicago. You know Pete? Does he fit?
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (18:19):
I mean listen, I thought you're gonna say Brian Flores
because that feels like it fits. Also, that's one that
people are talking about. The synergy from GM to head
coach to quarterback is very important in Chicago. That's something
they have not gotten right since who knows when I
would say this Pete Carroll, Like, the more dysfunction you
have in an organization, the more you need a culture builder,
(18:42):
an identity maker, an absolute rock star at the podium,
like a rock star, not someone who's learning on the fly.
And like you mentioned those two organizations, the Jets and
the Bears, I think they need a culture builder. I
think they need a rock star at the podium. To me,
Pete Carroll. Just knowing Pete, he is in love with USC.
(19:03):
So if there's any new head coach coming into Chicago
that wants to see Caleb Williams succeed, it's Pete Carroll.
But the revolving door in Chicago where the GM, the
head coach, and the quarterback, they didn't sort of come
in together. That's been one of the problems because if
you get a new head coach in there who Caleb's.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Not my guy.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
I'm not married to him. My contract's not tied to
his contract like I can. I can move on if
I want to blame somebody that could easily happen to
the young quarterback. So I think you need someone that
can handle the young quarterback who's got a tremendous amount
of potential, And I think Pete Carroll would be the
perfect guy.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Culture setter, will bring a bunch.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
Of people with him who have been there and done it,
and a lot of times, you know who you are
as a head coach is who's willing to come with you,
And I think Pete Carroll, you know, has the credentials
to bring a lot of people with him.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
So you know, I was saying, as this is the
first time I remember best quarterback won every division, and
I think Jared Goff is playing the best quarterback in
a division where Donald Lover and Caleb are super talented,
but virtually every division best quarterback won. And that's why
I don't like the season extending to eighteen games, because
the more games you have. If I have a better
(20:14):
quarterback and I get sixty more snaps in two more
games than five years ago, I'm going to win the division.
I like the NFL when there you can be a
defensive team that we would go into the playoffs and think,
all right, the Steelers have a chance to win the
super Bowl. But we don't think that because in the
AFC Russell Wilson's fine but not special. When I look
(20:36):
at all this, the dark horse team to me that
nobody is saying to win a super Bowl is the Chargers.
So hard Balls arguably as good at coaches the sport
has outside Andy Reid. Herbert now is as efficient as
Aaron Rodgers and Brady in their prime. They don't have
a star receiver. It's January football. I mean, the Tyreek
(20:59):
Hills disappear very quickly. Number one defense, rush end, Hardball,
Herbert best offensive tackle combination. I look at the Chargers
and I'm like, if you told me the boxes that
fit playoffs you're smirking at me.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting Chargers. But maybe
that's exactly what your point is, you know, like this
is what I'd say.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
There's gonna be a curve ball.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
My favorite week maybe you could say championship weekend, you know,
AFCNFC championship, but my favorite weekend is wild card weekend.
Those were like, if you look throughout the history of
the best playoff games that have ever been played, I
feel like it's always wild Card weekend. And so like
you know, they call it wildcard because like any it's
anybody's weekend, and it's different and everybody's zero and zero
and the boost that you can get from having sort
(21:45):
of like a disappointing season and now all of a sudden,
like no, we're O and O, and the Chiefs are
O and O, and like everybody's O and O, and
besides the bye, it's an it's an equal playing field,
so anything can happen. Like that's the beauty of it.
You got to get hot at the right time. That's
why I listen every single team that I was ever on,
ever the head coach in the very first meeting of
(22:06):
the year said the same thing. Didn't matter the team,
offensive coach, defensive coach. What do they all say, win
our division? That's goal number one because if we win
the division, we are in the playoffs. And if we're
in the tournament, anything can happen. And that's just like
the mindset that goes into it. So like you're saying,
the Chargers, Yeah, why not they have a short week
at Houston.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Here we go. You know, now we're into Round.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
Two, Like it doesn't take that much to get there,
Like that's what the exciting thing is. And all your
peers are watching, everybody in the league is watching. There's
no other games, it's just your game. Yeah, the Chargers,
they would not have been my dark Horsekay, So.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Let's go back to it. I want you to give
me a paragraph on each game. So let's start Chargers
at the Texans.
Speaker 5 (22:49):
I feel bad the Texans are always in that like
not primetime game, you know that Saturday three third, Like
I think that's like how I felt when we were
in Seattle kind of joke. You're in the witness protection
program there and like they never give you the primetime
game because you're not like one of those original six
and hockey kind of deal.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
No, listen, They're not a team like ascending.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
I think the Chargers defense is way better than people realize.
They're a team torecting with probably in the second round
of the playoffs. I don't know if the Texans can
protect c. J. Stroud the way they need to.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
That's me. That's the takeaway. Steelers at the Ravens.
Speaker 5 (23:25):
I think the Ravens are my dark horse team. Like
Lamar Jackson's playing as good as anybody. I think that
people have sort of written them off because they didn't
have the most amazing regular season.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
But you want to talk about a.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Team that can win at all and they have all
the pieces, Like to me, I think the Ravens would
be that team. The Steelers, I said earlier, I think
they should have been playing both quarterbacks. I think Russell
Wilson is obviously great at a lot of things, but
he's not a mobile I think Justin Fields is a
pretty is a difficult, difficult quarterback to game plan for
Mike Tomlin. I just felt Arthur Smith I felt like
(23:57):
two quarterbacks playing would make them more difficult team on offense.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
They didn't do that. I think the Ravens are the team.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Denver at Buffalo.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
Listen, playing in Buffalo. There's a couple of things, Like
I've done it a bunch of times. The weather's a thing,
the crowd's a thing, the weather's a thing. I've seen
a lot of warm weather teams go up there and
kind of get like spooked before the game even starts
because like the cold.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Denver's not dealing with that.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
And like you listen to Sean Payton talk and he's
in the locker room right after the game and he's like,
listen up, guys.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
You are young. You're the one of the youngest teams
in the league.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
You are young, and you are hungry, and that is
a dangerous thing in the playoffs, young and hungry.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
And he is selling them.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
He's a great example of a Hall of Fame type
coach who's saying, Hey, we're oh and oh, it does
not matter. We can go in there get this win.
And I believe listen that, I don't know how I
would pick that game. And I love Buffalo, love them.
Whoever wins that game could definitely represent the AFC.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Wow, how about that Packers at Philly. Philly's kind of
been down shifted some of the but obviously the concussion
of Jalen Hurts. What say you?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
I like Philly. I've liked him all year.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
You know, I thought Green Bay did a horrible, horrible
end of the game situation yesterday kind of gave that
game away. But despite that, I think that Philly is
a great team. Even with their backup to the backup quarterback,
I think they look good. I mean, this is a
team they draft well, and whoever they drafted the quarterback
(25:25):
position or whoever that plays quarterback for them, that coaching
staff for years and years now they seem to just
play okay, you know, like they got a six round
quarterback out there.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
He looks good to me, So listen.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
Obviously, Jalen Hurts one of the game's best quarterbacks, but
I don't think this is a team that lives and
dies by that. I think they're They're better than people
give them credit for.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Commanders at the Bucks.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Listen, hard one, listen.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
I love watching Baker Mayfield play like I love it,
and I love what they did with Mike Evans yesterday,
Like Baker is doing awesome.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Love him, But this is wild Card weekend.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
If you were going to force me to pick sort
of like an underdog on the seating chart. I told you,
I believe if if Washington can clean up just like
the sloppy Timman, like you know, they have something really
special at the quarterback position in Washington. But again, Baker Mayfield,
(26:18):
he's playing tough, gritty, definitely gritty. That'd be fun, That'd
be a fun game to watch. If I had to
pick an upset, Washington might be one to pick.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Though. Finally, uh Jmack and I disagree Vikings at the Rams.
I don't love the Rams secondary matchup against the Vikings receivers.
And I also think everybody's selling their Viking stock. And
to your point, that was almost a non winnable game
last night.
Speaker 5 (26:42):
Vikings ram tough game like this is not Like that's
why last night's game was so big. One team gets
the bye like Detroit gets to go heel up.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
Some of their players are their wives are like do
this week? They're having babies?
Speaker 5 (26:56):
Like they needed this bye week literally okay, And instead
the Vikings have to go play Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Pooka,
Cooper Cutt Like.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
That's not a tough defense. Defense is good.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
They are arguably the Rams a arguably the healthiest team
in the league now.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
Which is crazy, but don't you think it's a good
lesson as people are trying to figure out what to
do with their head coach and next year. This year,
people were trying to sell off the La Rams. They
were trying to trade Cooper Cutt. They were trying literally
trying to happen. And then they played a nationally televised
game and they played outstanding. Was right before the trade deadline,
and everyone's like, whoa, whoa, maybe maybe they could be
(27:34):
a playoff contender, and so like that's just the thing.
The best teams are the teams when adversity hits, you
don't pull apart, you don't quit on your team. You
don't do that. You stick together and you pull together.
And that's why that locker room matters, that's why the
head coach at the podium matters. And the Rams are
just one of those teams. And so what's the strength
of the Vikings To me? If I'm like a quarterback
(27:56):
man Brian floores in that defense is difficult to recognize
what they're doing. You have Matthew Stafford, one of the
most experienced quarterbacks. It's it's such a with Sean. With
Sean McVay, it's such a great matchup.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Good stuff. Matt Hasselbeck, who was a free agent on
the market, and uh, we feel like we got to
steal on him. Now, why are you in LA this week?
We don't get you in La?
Speaker 4 (28:17):
No, yeah, like what you say every five weeks. Probably.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
My son's a freshman quarterback at UCLA and they start
school today. So I said, hey, I'll come out with you.
We had some luggage. We brought some extra bags this time.
If I'm being real, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
So you're you're going to be out here more often.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
We'll see yeah, hope. So, I mean, I don't know
if he wants me around, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I got it.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
He's like that. I'm at Rocco's, Like, what are you
talking about? Leave me alone? I know inside joke.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I know you gotta be smart though. That's not an
easy school. He can't. He can't be party son. No,
I could see you in college lead I.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
Had hair back then. It was dangerous. No, he does
well in school. He had a great first semester.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Why to go? And his name is Henry. That's awesome. Yeah,
love having on the show Bud.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Be sure to catch live editions. I'm weekdays at noon
Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one
and the iHeartRadio App.
Speaker 7 (29:07):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together We're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch
us weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to
four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the
iHeartRadio App.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 7 (29:21):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world. 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. And the fact
that we've been friends for the last twenty years and
still work together.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I mean that says something, right. So check us out.
Speaker 7 (29:40):
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 get your podcast course
(30:00):
on social media, that's Cabino and Rich.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
No, no turn on the news.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
This is the herd Line News.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Let's start with Mike Evans. What a story in Tampa.
I don't know if you saw this yesterday. He only
needed eighty five yards to get his eleventh straight thousand
yard season.
Speaker 4 (30:19):
So Evans was five minutes.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Away from breaking the reaching the mark with two minutes
left and the bucks for up eight. Everybody thought it
was over. Well, they got the ball back in the
final seconds and here's Mike Evans on the moment he
went over a thousand yards.
Speaker 8 (30:33):
Still, I hope we'd get in a style because I
can't pass a history and Coach Bowle didn't want to
let it pass up or Liam. So I'm happy that
they had me go out there and get that because
it's just been hard to do for illmonistraight years. And
to be Toddy one of the if not the greatest
receiver of all time, it means a lot to me
and my family.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Yeah. Well, and good dude, super productive. I have I
have no problem in Week eighteen. If it's a non
running back heading into the playoffs, I don't want my
running backs taking extra hips. But if a wide receiver,
tight end, quarterback is seeking a record, and I kind
of am not a record guy or an award guy,
(31:13):
but in this instance, I think it's cool.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I don't feel like a guy who's not said a
lot of records in his life.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Records are cool, man, Come on.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
So not only that, but Evans got a three million
dollar bonus for reaching a thousand years.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Well, look how his teammates. Look how his teammates are reacting.
Nobody thinks he's selfish. They love this guy.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Well, he did wear a shirt with his name and
face in the postgame Bred Mike Evans T shirt Mike
Evans speaking at the podium, which is pretty cool. Bucks
lock up the fourth seed in the NFC South and
they will host Washington really really spicy games.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Yeah. I think I like Washington.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
I think Baker Mayfield a lot of storylines here.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
I maybe both rookie quarterbacks go in and just get
ambushed and it's over and Bonnick and Jaden are gone.
But it just Denver's defense is real and Washington I
deal with Washington just cut down on the mistakes. They
kind of they could get kind of penalty choked from
time to time and hurt themselves. But Washington's a tough out.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Cliff Kingsbury has a due over.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Do you remember how he did as a head coach
with Arizona in their playoff game against the Ramsey That
was the Kyler Murray I don't want to go back
and fit there Donald game. Next up is the Tennessee Titans,
officially on the clock for April's NFL Draft. They've secured
the number one pick since the Patriots got the dub
(32:37):
and now the question becomes do they go Shdure Sanders
or cam Ward?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Because everybody thinks, you know, we'll love us. He ain't
the dude.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
There is a report, I will stressed the report that
Tennessee is rumored to love cam Ward and could take
him first. Overall, Kylin, are you ready for three and
a half months of cam or Shadure or do you
already have your pick now?
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Well? I think cam has the bigger arm, better athlete.
Shadur is the more polished, refined guy. I think both
are b prospects, and you take whoever you want. I
mean I think they both have upside. I think both
are better prospects than Will Levis. I mean Cam's got
a big boy arm. I mean he's gonna sling it
(33:17):
and he's a playmaker. So I don't have a strong feeling.
I think what's gonna happen in this draft with quarterbacks
is there's gonna be two or three guys drafted second round,
third round, and they will land with better teams and
be the best quarterbacks in the class.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
That's not a bad take.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
In a week quarterback class, there will be a second rounder,
late first or top of the third rounder. You know,
I've told you this about Riley Leonard. I think Riley Leonard,
he's gaing.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
For ninety yards against Georgia.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Come on, that's what was needed to win.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
One last thought on Tennessee. So Callahan in Cincinnati when
he was the go see had.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Joe Burrow at quarterback.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Is there any either of these guys you think Cam
or should do that fits what Callahan would love to
have another Burrow?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
Obviously neither of them are Burth.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Well, Shader's not going to leave the pocket. He's going
to sit there and throw strikes, holds it a bit
too long. So Cam is a playmaker. Cam has got
you know, he's a little Jaden Daniels a little playmaker,
a little move you know. I mean if which is fine,
I mean Bo Nicks and Jayden Daniels do they run
a lot and it's successful. JJ McCarthy. By the way,
(34:27):
if you watch them in the preseason for the Vikings,
you'll just take off. So you know that's not a
negative to me ten years ago. It was more negative now.
If a guy wants to take off and pick up yard,
I always say it takes you about three years for
the game to slow down. For a quarterback. If you
can move the chains for three years with your feet
as you're trying to figure out the pocket, by all means,
(34:47):
do it.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Interesting because for most of the season a lot of
the guys who came on this show thought should do
it was going to be number one, And now it's
more people seem to like Kim Well.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
I just I don't think either one is viewed as transformational.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
What did you make of the stuff Deann was saying that, Hey,
Travis Hunter and Shador, they're not going to the draft.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
They're gonna hang with us on campus. We're gonna do
our own thing.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Did you have any thoughts on that or.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
I don't. I think they're both gonna get drafted in
the top five. I think Beyond pokespeople a little bit.
He's a little non conformist, and I'm okay with it.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Yeah, yeah, it's nonconformist.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
That final story, Colin, is how about Brice Young. Could
we give the man some problem? Let's give him something?
Game he had not all was meaningless, none other Falcons.
You know they're not a good defense. But two hundred
and fifty one yards passing, three touchdowns, one twenty three
and a half passer rating, two rushing touchdowns, and after
the game, owner David Temper chimed in, I think we
(35:45):
got our QB here.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
You see the no look.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Touchdown or like the steps. This is what we saw
in high school and college. And he moved well, accurate
quick release. This is exactly what This is why I
said the draft I thought he was the Noumber one quarterback.
I thought I thought he had juice. I thought C. J.
Stroud was good, but I didn't see it. He was
more of a golf comp. This is what I saw
(36:07):
out of college, a guy that moves good enough arm.
By the way, when he's moving around like this, he
doesn't look as small.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Does he not look at Small's figured it out?
Speaker 1 (36:16):
No, I mean it's he looks small. His first year,
he was nervous, he was in the pocket, he was overwhelmed.
But when he starts moving his feet. I met his
high school quarterback, his high school football coach, legendary coach
in southern California. I said, who's the best player you
ever had? And a program that has fifteen Division Ie
guys every few years, and he said, Bryce Young has
(36:36):
gifted the players he ever had.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
So with the win in overtime, Carolina got to five wins.
You remember their season win total was four and a half.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
That was one of your favorite overs.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
Well, we when I hosted one day, you were gallivanting
around the globe. We had a guy on and he's like,
we hammered Carolina over four and a half. The line
moved to five and Rice Young comes through with the
career game. I don't know if he's a franchise guy,
but he was so good yesterday. If Stroud struggles, And
by the way, we'll talk about the Chargers defensive coordinator
(37:08):
who by the way, was at.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Michigan and really bottled up Stroud.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
If Stroud struggles and Bryce Young looks so good, I
wonder if we get they're kind of getting closer to
who's b better?
Speaker 1 (37:18):
No, no, no, I think you and I both said
this about two weeks ago. It's like, if you redrafted,
I'm not sure right now that you would go to CJ.
Stroud over Bryce Young. Yeah, I think you're on to
something new.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
J mckle the news, Well that's the news, and thanks
for stopping by The Herd.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Lie O care, I'm gonna take my first stab at it.
Who would I hire if I'm the Bears, the Jags,
the Jets, the Patriots, the Saint to do that next?
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon Easter not a Empacific.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
The reason I think I'm gonna get it because I'm
the best guy and it ain't close. The thing that
you have to do. You have to connect with the
football team. You have to connect with your fan base
and the way they play. That's the most important thing,
not just the x's and o's and all that. Look
this Ben Johnson, I love him, I absolutely love him,
but I'm a better candidate for this job than he
(38:09):
would be.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
Okay, I'm going to tell you this is just my
kind of first swing at this stuff. I'm gonna give
you the vacancies. Let's start with the Saints. I would
hire if I'm the New Orleans Saints, to weaken the
best team in the division, Tampa, I'd hire Leam Cohen,
who's the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It
would weaken the Buccaneers and Baker. He's part of the
(38:32):
Sean McVay tree. The Saints are currently in cap hell,
so they've got to figure out ways to be creative,
and that's what this guy is. So I could weaken
one of the big dogs in my division. Pull him
from Baker, I go with him Liam Cohen for the
Saints Patriots. I would love to go offense with Drake May.
But I'm gonna take Mike Rabel. Listen. I think he's
(38:53):
the best coaching candidate on the market. And I don't
think this is a dysfunctional job. You know, New York
Chicago feel a bit dysfunctional. I think Vrabel would bring
in a guy like him, maybe a Josh McDaniels, And
I think it would work very quickly. I also think
Buffalo's obviously the best team in the division, but you
can win a lot of games here. The Jets in
(39:14):
Miami are always a little wonky. I would do Vrabel Jaguars.
I would go Aaron Glenn, who is Jacksonville's defense is
thirty first in the league, and even with the injuries
to Detroit's defense, they have the number seven scoring defense.
Now think about how good of a job he's done.
You're in a division with high scoring Minnesota, Green Bay
(39:34):
and Caleb Williams, your defense gets Aiden Hutchinson gets injured early,
and you become the seventh best defense in the league.
I thought he put on a clinic last night. I mean,
Sam Darnold has not been rattled in like three and
a half months, and I thought Sam Donold's struggled. So
I think this organization needs to go with an intense coach,
(39:57):
a defensive coach, and I I think it's Aaron Glenn.
The Jets. I would go Ben Johnson, Rex Ryan. I
don't think is ridiculous. This has not been a top
ten offense in the league since two thousand and eight.
They've got Aaron Rodgers, They've got a top running back,
they've got two receivers, they've got a left tackle for
the future. Their defense is fine. You are not winning
(40:21):
with defense in this division. If you've got to face
Josh Allen, you've got to score points. It's the same
thing with Patrick Mahomes. You're not winning that division. Justin
Herbert gives you a fighting chance. I would go offense.
The organization worries me, but they've gone defense too often.
I would go Ben Johnson, who I think is clever
(40:42):
and creative Chicago Bears. I would go Brian Flores. He
has head coaching experience. Pete Carroll would be my one A.
I think you need a culture guy over a scheme whiz.
I'm not giving this job to somebody that's never been
a head coach. I need a strong, alpha defiant. I
(41:03):
know he's excellent. Ryan Poles and Flores were teammates at
Boston College. So again, I cannot give Ben Johnson the
Chicago job. He has never been a head coach. This
is a political job. Flores has learned his mistakes through
to a yes. Believe it or not, people people improve,
people make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. That's probably my first run
(41:27):
at it now. If new information comes out, I don't
think Pete Carroll to the Bears is a bad choice.
He'd be my one A. I don't think Rex Ryan
to the Jets is crazy, but I think Ben Johnson offense,
let's get it right. Let's get the offense right. I mean,
look at the AFC, Herbert now Bow, Knicks, Mahomes, Joe Burrow,
(41:48):
Lamar Jackson. You're not winning with great defense. You got
to score some points. I'm not saying spags doesn't matter,
but you get to a super Bowl, you get the
conference championships. You got to score in the high twenties
or thirties. Jets can't get their offense right and have
them for years. So j Mac, you're you're grimacing.
Speaker 3 (42:06):
I'll take Ben Johnson.
Speaker 4 (42:07):
I just don't see why he hell on earth he was.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
He would downgrade from a super Bowl contender to a
dysfunctional disaster.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
On a half million a year. Who's my quarterback, Aaron Rodgers,
No thanks,
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