August 13, 2026 • 41 mins
Colin Cowherd discusses Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza making his NFL preseason debut and why he checks all the boxes as a can’t miss prospect.
Colin shares his 5 Bold Predictions for the NFL season: Find out why he has the Broncos missing the playoffs and Caleb Williams winning the MVP.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Here we go. It is Thursday. Six NFL preseason games tonight,
and one more than all the others is going to
be very, very interesting. It's The Herd wherever you may be,
however you may be listening and whatever platform. Thanks for
choosing us. A lot of options out there. Fernando Mendoza
(00:51):
six and Oe Indiana sixteen to Oe Indiana debuts tonight.
Probably plays against Carson Beck for Arizona, so it'll be
a National Championship game rematch in pro football. But the
way these guys get paid, that's kind of semipro in college.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
NFL execs the ones I talk to are very split
on Fernando Mendoza. I am absolutely not. Here are three
really important traits where he's a plus. Humility, intelligence, and
work ethic that takes a B to a B plus.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Prospect.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
In my opinion, do an a prospect smart work, ethic,
no ego, good kid if you look. Let's talk about
a couple of guys that have busted. Ego becomes a problem.
Johnny Manziel, will Levis. You know, I thought Zach Wilson
kind of cocky, Okay, Anthony Richardson didn't have enough college starts,
(01:53):
just too raw justin fields. He's just not good in
the pocket. Trey Lance really bad mechanically, and then Kenny
Pickett wildly overdrafted, bad draft class at quarterback and the
Steelers needed somebody. So let's acknowledge now that he doesn't fit.
Fernando Mendoza does not fit any of those categories. Ego
(02:17):
doesn't really have one. Maturity IQ off the charts, pocket passer,
actually that's his strength. Mechanically fantastic, pushes the ball down
the field. And he's not wildly overdrafted. Some may have
him as amid to a late first rounder, but people
(02:37):
see his size, his intelligence, and his ability to move
a little bit. He is a first round prospect. I
think he's Matt Ryan thirty thirty percent Justin Herbert, big, strong, smart, humble,
nice arm, got a little Andrew Luck. No dink and dunk,
He pushes the ball down the field. This is not
(03:00):
It's interesting that Kirk Cousins is going to start probably
week one, and you know Kirk can do stuff underneath.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
The other thing I love about Fernando Mendoza, and this
is gigantic, is he played at Cal and got the
you know what.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Kicked out of him. So did Jared Goff.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
When you go to Cal, Aaron Rodgers too, you don't
play with five star recruits.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Academic power not.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I mean, the rugby programs better than the football program historically,
So you got to carry your offense. You don't have
five star receivers. Why is it so many cow guys
end up in the NFL. Part of it is that
Cal Jared Goff got tossed like a rag doll in college.
He learned to be tough. Then this kid goes to Indiana.
(03:50):
They had very good talent. They didn't have Ohio State talent.
I don't think they had Miami talent. They had Fernando Mendoza,
but he had to initiate the JJ. McCarthy didn't have
to at Michigan. He got beat up at Cal. Yeah,
JJ McCarthy did not get beat up at Michigan, so
(04:10):
I think he's totally prepared. You don't have the ego
which gets guys in trouble. He is good in the pocket, humble, smart,
work ethic. I think there's a little Justin Herbert, big, humble, strong, smart.
I think there's some Matt Ryan where he's better in
the pocket than running around. But I think he's more
athletic than people give him credit for. I think CJ. Stroud,
(04:32):
Justin Herbert and Fernando Menzel, is a don't run a ton,
But when later in the season they need you to
win big games and the coaches unleash them, they are
clearly capable of stepping on it and picking up yards.
I think the only thing that worries me is the Raiders.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
That's it. I'm not worry about the kid. I worry
about the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
If it goes sideways, and it won't be as bad
as Darnold and the Jets, But if it goes sideways,
it will be a co combination of they got impatient,
they couldn't protect him, they ran through coaches.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
That worries me.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Now some people are saying, you know he went out
of the shotgun in college. Now he's got to figure
out how to be under center. Yeah, I mean, nobody
comes in a polished product. Even Peyton Manning had stuff
to work on. Here's Fernando Mendoza plays tonight against Arizona
NFL debut, gonna get snaps. He's here's what he's worked on.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
I'd say my biggest level of growth has to be
my under center play. And also I believe that my
footwork has evolved, not only with you know, my passing
forward from shotgun, but my run tracks, making sure I'm
getting the ball to the running back deep and on
their landmarks, making sure my play action passed footwork and
my ball action is where it needs to be in
order to give my guys the best chance of getting open.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
So I'd say footwork because that also.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Plays into the timing where, hey, this route you gotta
hit is a one hitch throw. It's not a two hitch,
it's not a one and a half. It is a
one hitch throw. So time that all in with the
footwork and the underthand play has really.
Speaker 6 (06:05):
Evolved my game.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Perfect answer.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Can't wait to watch the night six NFL preseason games.
Carson Beck Fernando Mendoz is the one I really care about.
When's the last time you said Raiders Cardinals can't wait
to watch by week six? I may be bored to
tears with both. Tonight I can't wait.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
The Lakers have a new owner, so made calls yesterday.
Here's what I found out about Bob Eiger, mid seventies
chairman forever running Disney, is that the NBA and Adam
Silver starting Sunday, had to find a new owner for
the Lakers, and things ramped up very quickly. Bob Iger
(06:47):
was very very well paid, very well compensated at Disney,
not twelve point five billion buy an NBA team compensated.
He and Kushner were the leaders in the clubhouse for
the expansion Las Vegas franchise that was seven point five billion.
This is twelve point five billion. That's out of Eigers range.
(07:09):
This is like going from buying the Rays in Tampa
to buying the Yankees. It is a whole different ballpark,
even for rich guys. But here's the key to it.
The Lakers matter to the NBA, and Adam Silver doesn't
want him tossed around and flipped like a nineteen ninety
three Honda Civic. So he had to get somebody who
(07:32):
understands television, who's negotiated for the league, who understands the sport.
I mean, Eier was always kind of known as a
Clipper fan more than a Laker fan. But Kushner money
very much tied to Trump, at least in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Trump is not beloved. Kids always use the word sketch.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
There's a little bit of that or maybe a lot,
depending on your perspective on Kushner money from the top
down in the family, and Bob Eiger is perfect. You know,
a lot of times you'll see these tequila brands. You know,
you'll see a movie star put some money down for
a tequila brand, but he's really there to market and
sell it. A lot of other people are making the agavi. Okay,
(08:19):
that's not really what Iger is doing. Iiger is the
face of Laker ownership because it's one thing to own
an expansion team. Most of you can't name fifty percent
of the owners in this league, but everybody knows who
owns the Yankees or the Dodgers, or the Cubs, or
the Eagles, or the forty nine Ers or the Cowboys.
(08:40):
That's what you have here. And Iiger is a great
front man. He's putting money down, Don't get me wrong,
He's put a lot of money down. But Kushner's the
big money. This is a massive brand for the NBA.
And again, Bob Iger's made a lot of money. He's
a very smart guy. But he'll be the face of
Laker ownership. So the league got in. You do a
very rough spot, Darren Ravel yesterday on the shocking sale.
(09:04):
Basically fourteen months after Mark Walter purchased it, he flipped it.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
This was not a natural move.
Speaker 7 (09:14):
Just a couple of weeks ago, Kushner and Eiger were
lining up for Vegas and sniffing around. And to me,
this at least appears to look like the NBA being
Adam Silver pulling the Marionette and going like this. And obviously,
with the pressure of Ishbia, the pressure of Balmber, certainly
(09:35):
the NBA makes moves before Major League Baseball does.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Yeah, Adam Silver badly needed Bob Eiger to be part
of this ownership group. They can find other nondescript, not
well publicized people to invest. Eiger is the key in
this thing, all right. We got a lot going on
today Greg Cosel. He now starts his appearances on this
(10:01):
show for about twenty weeks. We got six games tonight.
Mendoza Carson Beck is a really, really good one and
coming up next, there was a moment yesterday there was
a social media post that is now up to fifteen
million views.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
It may have.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Seemed harmless, but not in Philadelphia. That's coming up.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
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Speaker 6 (10:36):
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Speaker 4 (11:38):
All good.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
The great quarterbacks in the NFL have a superpower. Jalen
Hurts of the Eagles. Superpower is maturity, steady, stoic and
unbothered and unflappable. He's not always great, but he's never
bothered by criticism. In Philadelphia, the loudest NFL market, where
talk radio is huge, the fad Nick Seriani's loud, He's unbothered.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
He's a grownup. I've said it before.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
If you put Baker Mayfield in this city, it would
be man overboard. Jalen Hurts may not be the gifted
thrower of Baker, but that's where he's great in Philadelphia.
Yesterday is a great example the Philadelphia Eagles. Hurts through
an interception in camp, which is like giving up a
home run in spring training.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
New receivers, new personnel, and they post on the Eagles
social media right on Q. Now that's Q is the
nickname for Quinnon Mitchell, who's a great young corner. It
got fifteen million views and they never took it down.
(12:47):
If you were confused or bothered, you know who wasn't
Jalen Hurts because he didn't ask him to take it down.
By the way, Josh Allen through an interception at camp
on like Monday, and Buffalo posted it. It got five
hundred thousand views, right and Buffalo is a big brand.
Philadelphia is a national brand. So this is a prime
(13:09):
example outspoken coach talk radio loud.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
The fact that they.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Never took it down because if Jalen Hurts would have
said guys brutal, he didn't. And I gotta tell you
a lot of egos. There's an old saying about quarterbacks
in the NFL. You can't have two in the same room.
They all suck the oxygen out. So this is why
I'm a Jalen Hurts fan. You know I've said this.
(13:35):
He's a little small. Sometimes he can't see over the line.
He's not your traditional big pocket guy, and when you
deviate from that, you're going to have some critics. He
reminds me a lot of the Russell Wilson era. He's
Russell Wilson. He's great at the podium, he never gets
you in trouble. Both had great running backs, both had
(13:55):
top GMS. Legion of boom for Russell and these unbelievable
offensive lines for Jalen Hurts. Both guys people think they're
cringey and kind of cliched, But when you get a
locker room like Seattle or Philly with big personalities and
(14:16):
the coach has an ego and it's loud, and it's
the same guy. And Russell, be honest, not everybody always
embraced him. He wasn't loved by all the players. Same
with Jalen Hurts. They say it's a little corny, but
in the end, when you get to Philadelphia in these
loud markets, I was just taken not by the post,
but that the Eagles never took it down.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
They never took it down.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
And if you're a star quarterback and go to the
social media guys and say.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Hey, what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Nope, I mean they showed Hurts throwing the pick. The
Buffalo team didn't even show Josh throwing the pick. They
didn't want to do that. They showed Jalen Hurts throwing
the pick. That's maturity. It's a little thing, but it matters.
John Middlecoff of The News, Turn on.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
The News, this is the headline news.
Speaker 9 (15:08):
Well, speaking of quarterbacks, college, Josh Allen and the Bills
healthy starters are expected to play this weekend in the
preseason opener versus Carolina Buffalo, clearly as Super Bowl aspirations
in Joe Brady's first season. Mike Sandos does that big
quarterback list and big time journalist here. He said earlier
(15:29):
this week that some of the Bill's staff they've been
frustrated by Josh's handling of past protections quote how he
wants them. You know, in this day and age, there
used to be dictatorships in football in the eighties. You know,
Bill Parcells, you did with he Bill Walsh Montana. You
listened to to Walsh kind of changed, you know, I mean,
(15:52):
mahomes a lot of input, Caleb Williams now Ben Johnson,
their partnership. McVeigh and Stafford are like best friends on
and off the field. Purty and Shanahan work closely together.
This is not you know, the general in the guy
on the front lines to me the little NBA ish
now with the quarterbacks hand.
Speaker 6 (16:11):
In hand, I got no issue with Josh Allen have
an input.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
You're getting three hundred and fifty million dollar up contracts
and the sport has decided for safety reasons you can't
hit them. And they're also due to rule changes the
most important. So the reality is it's a little bit
like the NBA because rinaldo international soccer stars NBA stars,
and I would say to some degree, but a lesser
version star NFL quarterbacks. The league is treating them differently,
(16:38):
the rules are treating them differently.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
You better as a coach, do you.
Speaker 9 (16:42):
Wonder you know sometimes that coordinator quarterback relationship guys get
pretty tight. You hear a lot of stories about when
guys leave to become head coaches and other organizations. You know,
Ben Johnson was reading that article. Him and Jared Goff
still text all the time. Your relationship is different when
you're in the head seat, but when you get elevated
in the same building, their relationship is you know, probably
(17:04):
a little closer to friend to start off with than
head coach. And obviously the McDermott relationship was much more
probably dictator player it's gonna be fascinating to watch that
play out, just Joe Brady and Josh Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
No, no, no, I mean I still like him a lot.
But McDermott, you know, let's not marginalize as McDermott is
over his head. He was a good coach, he just
didn't have a great offensive mind.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
Onto the Bills, big rival that they never seem to
beat when it matters the Chiefs. They signed Kenneth Walker
this season into a big relative to run to his position,
contract three years, forty.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
Three million dollars.
Speaker 9 (17:38):
Recently, Patrick Mahomes was asked what intrigued him most about
the Chiefs current offense, and check out what the star
quarterback had to say.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
Number nine. That's all I can say. That's that right there.
That change and the ability to catch, run, passpertext, do everything.
You make a play out of nothing to a twenty
yard game. That's gonna be the biggest impact I think
we'll have. And I was just finding ways to get
him the football.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
I like Walker, but he gets stinged up. He runs
really hard.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
If you can get fourteen thirteen games, I'd be really happy.
I always worry though, John Sneyder's like I'm gonna let
you go. I mean generally John's got it. I think
Kansas City got it into a space where they were
a little desperate, like they knew they had Trent McDuffie's gone.
So okay, it was not a great running back class,
it was a better corner class, and so I think
(18:26):
I think Brett Beach got into a situation is we're
gonna have to go to the market to figure out
running back. It's just just not enough good running backs
in this whereas I can get an elite corner because
they had two major issues one running back two corner
when McDuffie left, and they could solve one at the
top of the draft and not the other.
Speaker 9 (18:44):
You could argue in the era of Patrick Mahomes once
they transitioned from Alex Smith, running back was a pretty
big hole for this franchise. I mean, they drafted Clyde
Edwards Hilaire that that did not work out. They had
to go with Pachaco, who was a seventh rounder last year.
Couple of years, so I understand what they're doing. But
you could also say that Kenneth Walker, who was drafted
(19:06):
high in the second round up until the last couple
of months of his Seattle career pretty underwhelming, you know,
for a.
Speaker 6 (19:12):
Guy that was drafted high.
Speaker 9 (19:14):
So the expectations are really really high. I think they're
gonna give them the ball a lot, and like you said,
can the guy hold up because.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
Historically he hasn't really in the NFL.
Speaker 9 (19:27):
Well, the big I would say, the biggest story of
the week right was the news coming out of Minnesota.
Even though I think most of us assumed this is
where it was headed, we now have it.
Speaker 6 (19:37):
It's final.
Speaker 9 (19:38):
And JJ McCarthy a couple of days after the news
came out kind of faced the music and talked to reporters.
Speaker 10 (19:49):
Yes, I believe so, and I'm always going to have
that confidence in myself no matter what. But at this time,
it's doing whatever I can for the team and you know,
being ready when my numbers called, and that's all that matters.
Speaker 6 (19:59):
That's all I can control.
Speaker 10 (20:00):
Obviously, every competitor wants to play, but moving forward, it's
just about continuing to work hard and just staying ready
for one my numbers called.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Listen, he's not a bad guy, he doesn't have a
massive ego. It's really been a health and a confidence issue.
He'll get another shot. I mean, John fifty five quarterbacks
annually playing this league. He's gonna get a shot. It's
when you're an ego maniac, difficult to coach. That's when
guys just say, like Johnny Mantel, like we're out of
(20:29):
this thing. Johnny's grown up now, Will Levis, I think
a lot of people have soured on that. That's when
you get into trouble, like I don't want him in
the room. He's not good in the quarterback room. That's
not the issue here. He struggles to stay healthy, and frankly,
it's he's really streaky. He plays with confidence, he's okay.
If he doesn't, he loses it. He deteriorates badly. But
(20:50):
I think he'll get looked, he'll get a start, he'll
get a three or a four game runway for some
team at some time, and it could be Minnesota.
Speaker 6 (20:57):
You noticed that hat was on forwards, not backwards.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
So there's been you know, there's been long history in
this league.
Speaker 9 (21:05):
Joe Montana was traded, Peyton Manning was cut, Rogers was traded.
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Belichick told Brady pack your bags, I mean, and then
let alone.
Speaker 9 (21:15):
The recent history of the Baker Mayfield top pick Sam
Darnold third pick. They resurrect their career. Most human beings
in life hit some bumps. Professionally, gotta do a little introspection,
Like he's been told you're not good enough. So he's
got two choices. He could pout, or he can just
sit there and pick Kevin O'Connell's brain, stay after and practice.
(21:36):
He was a first round pick. They get a longer leash.
They get more opportunities. I mean Carson Wentz who is
now on the team. Look how long his career continued
after everyone thought he was done. So ye, JJ McCarthy
will one hundred percent get another chance. I don't know
if he'll start, but get chances moving forward in his
career to compete for starting jobs.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
He's twenty three to twenty four years old.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
And the truth is he's been in this system. It
may be in Arizona. It's a long season. Kyler Murray
gets banged up, let's say Thanksgiving. He gets back to
back to back starts, plays really well in two of
the three, which is certainly possible. It's not a great
defensive division. That Bears don't have a great defense. You know,
I Lions defense has been you know, gashed for the
(22:21):
last several years. He may get a good run somewhere
in this schedule and have two or three nice games
that will get him another look somewhere.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
I don't doubt it for a second.
Speaker 9 (22:30):
I was pretty confident that he was going to get traded.
That's usually what happened in these situations. But if you're
going to handle yourself in a mature way, I could
see the Vikings talking themselves into the you know, just
let's keep him around, keep working with him. His head's up,
but he's probably going to be the third string quarterback
come week one behind Wentz.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
John Middlekoff with the News, Well.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
That's the news, and thanks for stopping that. The herd live.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
So.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears had a quote this week,
I want to be and have the NFL's highest scoring offense.
I don't think it's crazy. He's got a great receiving
tight end core, he's got a tremendously gifted quarterback who
led the NFL in big plays. It's not a great
defensive division. Again, if Mike is not playing, Green Bay
(23:17):
is just mah Minnesota's defense very average, although I do
love their coach Detroit's defense has been dashed, but there
was There was a quote this week as he was
talking to a sports writer from Ben Johnson. He said,
you know, if I go into the quarterbacks room and
I'm hard on the starting quarterback, it typically breeds resentment
(23:40):
more than it helps. Caleb is extremely coachable. I wasn't
sure about that when I came here. I don't have
any concerns in those areas. He showed it to me.
It's just a matter of time. So and I've thought
this in any industry, especially the entertainment industry, music with
a produce, an actor with a director, or a great
(24:05):
athlete with a coach. Caleb is gifted, and he's been
gifted since he was fifteen years old.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
He knows it.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Everybody around him knew it. He was incredibly coachable with
Lincoln Riley and Ben Johnson, but in his first year
with Chicago, when they had three different offensive coordinators, it
did look like he just packed it in and said
I'm gonna do what I want to do. And I
don't blame him. I first of all, people who were
(24:31):
really gifted are generally they know it because they're told it,
because they're living it. If you're a stunning twenty one
year old woman, and you're beautiful and have been since
you're a teenager. You're Cindy Crawford. Well you've got eyes.
You walk into a room and head's turned everybody. The
(24:51):
handsome guy is always flirting like you know you're gifted.
Caleb Williams has been gifted since he was a teenager.
He was the most athletic guy in high then in college.
He knows it. Secondly, those kind of athletes are almost
always willing to be coached and managed. I don't care
if it's messy. I don't care if it's Caleb, I
(25:12):
don't care if it's Kobe. But they are going to
demand you give them the right coach, right Lebron James
with David Blatt, Now it's not gonna work. Lebron James
with JJ Reddick or Spoe or Tylu coachable. So there
(25:35):
is a reason the top A list actors repeatedly work
with the same directors. You know, Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan,
Leonardo DiCaprio and Scorsese.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
There's a reason they do it.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
They trust their guys, they're being pushed, they're more coachable.
So this idea that Caleb's not coachable. Lincoln love coaching him.
They still connect Ben Johnson loves coaching him. But it
was Chicago's job after Matt Eberflus and that staff. Okay, Chicago,
get him a legitimate coach, get him Christopher Nolan. You
(26:09):
got to get him somebody good, and they did. It's
up to the organ It wouldn't you have a great
task like Justin Herbert. The only reason Jim Harbaugh took
that job, it wasn't because he likes La Weather.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
It was Justin Herbert.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
The only reason Mike McDonald the Dolphin coach, Mike McDaniel,
excuse me, Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins coach, took the OC job. Again,
wasn't the weather. It wasn't the ownership. It was Justin Herbert.
So it was Dean Spanos's obligation to get Justin Herbert
Harbaugh and the best offensive coordinator eventually on the market.
(26:45):
That's up to the owner. You can afford it. You
guys are all billionaires write the checks, and the Bears
do not have very wealthy ownership. So it was up
to the mccaskeys to write that. Everybody knew Ben was
the top candidate. Ryan pols knew everybody knew it. That
was an easy way. It was the hot coordinator and
(27:06):
it was up to the mccaskey's to write the check
and they did. But I always think great athletes are
willing to be coached, but a lot of times owners
get cheap gms hire the wrong guy and then you
wonder why you know the athlete, He's just not as coachable.
If you're an A, nobody wants to work with a
B or a C. I've been taking m drive. Oh
by the way. Coming up next, John and I with
(27:28):
our five NFL Bold predictions. Going into tonight, which is
the official start of the NFL preseason, We'll give you
five bold predictions both of us.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Coming up next, be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd Weekdays and Newone Easter not a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Tonight, Fernando Mendoza NFL debut Raiders against the Arizona Cardinals,
Mendoza against Carson Beck, a rematch of Miami in Indiana
for the National Championship. Can't wait, So the show is
dark tomorrow, So this is our Friday show, and John
(28:12):
and I thought we'd go back and forth on this
we would each have five bold predictions. Now, we're not
putting the Browns in the AFC Championship.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Let's not go crazy here.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Even though I think Cleveland's going to be viable and
interesting at this point, I don't even have him as
a playoff team, and I think the second spot in
that division is arguably wide open. But we're going to
go five predictions, five bold predictions.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
You ready to go? John?
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Ready?
Speaker 4 (28:38):
All right?
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Number One, Jalen Hurts Eagles quarterback is better without AJ Brown.
If you go back to last season when he didn't
target AJ Brown, he completed seventy one percent of his throws,
eighteen touchdowns and three picks. Over the last two years
when he targeted AJ Brown, when AJ Brown had eight
(29:00):
or more targets, the Eagles were nine to six. When
he wasn't a focus of the game plan, and he
had fewer than seven or fewer targets last two years,
thirteen to zero. This is des Bryant to Dak. Jalen
Hurts will flourish despite losing a great number one receiver.
Speaker 9 (29:23):
I know he's currently on the Raiders after getting traded
this offseason, but I think the Raiders are in a
position with a young quarterback to kind of do what
Jimmy Johnson and a lot of teams have done historically
is trade a veteran player whose timeline is off where
their young core is going to be. I think Max
Crosby ends up on the Browns and or, excuse me,
(29:45):
the Bears in the middle of the season, Ryan Poles
already admitted they were interested in him. In the first place,
their pass rush was I think seventh, bottom bottom seventh
in the league in sacks, so they are not a
great pass rush team. The other thing is Kobe Bryant
already injured. I think the Bears get very aggressive. Ben
Johnson wants to win Max Crosby the Bears all right.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
This may not seem bold, but because this is probably
the most criticized franchise that's good in the league. I
have Justin Herbert winning multiple playoff games. Okay, the last
two years in the playoffs he went in with the
thirtieth offensive line and the twenty first. This appears to
(30:29):
be the first offensive line. Remember, he has been hit, sacked,
and rushed more than any quarterback in the sport since
he entered the league in twenty twenty they have three
new features, both tackles back.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
This will be his best.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Offensive line in my opinion, his best offensive coordinator at
least two playoff wins, and I right now this morning,
think they could be a co favorite to get to
the AFC Championship.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
I got the Niners winning the NFC West. Wow.
Speaker 9 (31:05):
I know we think the Rams are the I know
we think the Rams are the twenty seven Yankees. Seattle
is just gonna cruise the back to back championships. Football
doesn't work like that. It never has. This is not baseball.
You don't just plug and play players. Things can get weird. Obviously,
Stafford's injury history is a thing of concern. Mike McDonald
(31:25):
keeping these guys motivated. Kubiak was a huge, huge reason
for Seattle's success. He's now gone. They replaced him with
a first time play caller. They were seven and two
last year. When party starts. Here's the other thing. You
know who The forty nine ers beat a lot the Rams.
Kyle Shanahan's record against Sean McVay speaks for itself. Oh yes, Seattle,
(31:47):
that won fourteen games and lost three. You know where
one of those losses came?
Speaker 3 (31:50):
In?
Speaker 9 (31:51):
Seattle against the forty nine ers. So it's not like
the forty nine ers are intimidated by Fred Warner coming back,
Christian McCaffrey another season, healthy Nick, both of mikel Williams.
They got defensive reinforcements. So I got the forty nine.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Ers my third bold prediction.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Packers finished last in the NFC North, first of all.
Ben Johnson year two, Kyler Murray I think is going
to be a hit, and Detroit to me easily has
the best entire roster. This is not the same NFC
North the Packers dominated. All four teams had winning records
last year, and the Packers without Micah last year zero
(32:30):
and five and allowed twenty nine points a game. He's
not going to be playing. We presume until October. Packers
maybe the best fourth place team in the NFL by
a long shot. They finish last.
Speaker 9 (32:46):
Well, I got a team finishing first, and they're the
Cincinnati Bengals. I got him as the number one seed
in the AFC. I know everyone thinks Mike Brown in
the front office and everything about this franchise disaster, and
they specifically, well, I've seen them invest in multiple wide receivers,
pay a premium. I saw this offseason. They had the
(33:06):
tenth pick. What did they do? They went and traded
for an all pro, just a three hundred and eighty
pound man that can't be moved, to solidify their defensive line.
Fair we saw a couple of years, you know, Joe
Burrow missed basically the entire season last year with turf
though the year before, after the slow start, there was
not a hotter team, you know, towards the end of
the year. The year they went nine and eight, they
just missed the playoffs. By game they were killing everybody
(33:27):
down the stretch. So if he can stay healthy, their
defenses is dramatically improved. Everyone acts like their coach stinks.
He's got five playoff wins in his career. That's I'm
telling you. If Joe Burrow's healthy, the thirt easiest schedule
in the NFL and the division. John Harbaugh's gone, Tomlin's gone,
forty two year old quarterback Lamar, a bunch of new players,
(33:49):
the Browns stink.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
I like the Bengals big time this year.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Oh that's I like that.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, Denver Broncos, And you know I love Sean Payton
miss the play listen NFL Best eleven and two in
one score games. I mean, that's not gonna happen again.
They also trailed in fifteen games. Bo Nix is coming
off two surgeries on his right ankle. They have a
new play caller. And remember the Ravens, the Bengals, the Chiefs,
(34:17):
the Chargers are all going to be better in the AFC.
I think that we all know that if Burrow's upright,
Cincinnati's going to be a better team. I mean, Herbert's
got his best offensive line in his best offensive coordinator.
You can't go eleven and two in one score games
and not regress. I think Denver's good. I think they
(34:39):
have a special coach and special players. I think they're
going to narrowly miss the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
This one.
Speaker 9 (34:47):
I watched this team for a long time, win a
lot of games, and last year Vrabel resurrected him. They
went to the super Bowl. But I got the Patriots
missing the playoffs. If you remember back in two thousand
and one, Tom Brady Belichick, they won this Super Bowl.
You know what happened the next year? They missed the playoffs.
Last year historically easy season. Yeah, I mean every single
week they were playing a god awful opponent.
Speaker 6 (35:08):
Yeah, and then the way the playoffs broke.
Speaker 9 (35:10):
You know that crazy snowstorm came into the AFC Championship
game against the.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
Backup quarterback Drake May was running for his life. He
was getting sacked every play in these playoffs.
Speaker 9 (35:20):
A lot of question marks with the offensive line, some
tabloid stuff offf the field with Vrabel. You know Aj Brown,
It's not like he was thriving last year. Drop not
even just the dram off to you. He was dropping
balls on the field, kind of a weathered twenty eight
to twenty nine year old wide receiver. I just think
the AFC is going to be difficult. Their schedules way
more difficult. You go nine to eight, missed the playoffs.
(35:42):
I don't think they're going to be a disaster, but
I think this is your classic. You lose in the
Super Bowl next.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
Year you miss.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Yeah, that hangovers real. Finally for me, Caleb Williams wins MVP.
First of all, he's got currently the seventh best odds
second year in Ben Johnson's offense. Goal Look at Ared
Goff second year in Ben Johnson's offense, and he's not
nearly the athlete. Jared Goff popped in year two. He
literally has the lowest interception percentage in league history thirteen
(36:12):
and thirty four career starts, and this is the beginning
of it. He'll probably throw fewer as a as a
veteran quarterback, second in the NFL in big plays. He
also has tremendous offensive weapons. A lot of people thought
they should draft an edge they want and got another
good tight end. They've got three receivers. I like they've
(36:33):
got two running backs. I worry a little bit about
left tackle. But Caleb also has the ability. As you're watching,
he doesn't just make plays. He makes spectacular plays, a
little bit of a Westbrook quality. When he won MVP,
it'll be easy to root for a guy who's not
a stat patter, who's in a great division. He's winning
close games, he's winning them with dramatic plays late. That's
(36:55):
the kind of story the media likes. Caleb Williams MVP.
Speaker 9 (37:00):
I also have an NFC quarterback winning the MVP, but
his name is Dakota Prescott, and I think it sounds
a lot crazier than it is. I mean, I mean,
the last over the course of the last three or
four years, he has clearly been one of the best
quarterbacks in the league. The problem is to win the MVP,
your team has to be good, right Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson,
(37:20):
Patrick Mahomes, Brady Rogers, all these guys manning that if
one MVP is typically they're the one.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
Or two seed in their conference. So I think the
Cowboys are going.
Speaker 9 (37:29):
To be good this year. I have picking them to
win the East. If they win the East, I think
Dak Prescott's putting up huge numbers. He has one of,
if not the best, one to two combination of wide receivers,
tight ends good. His offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer's proven to
be pretty dynamic. To me, his numbers are gonna they
speak for themselves over the course of the twenty twenties.
(37:50):
If the defense is good, I think he's right up
there in the mix, and if they're the one or
two seed, I think Dak wins the MVP.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
You know what's already interesting John thinking about this. It
was last year actually a little bit of a down year.
Mahomes got hurt, Burrow got hurt. You know, like Buffalo
had a coach on the hot seat. You know, Dallas
had a new coach and they made the Mica trade,
so it deteriorated their very mediocre defense. I mean I
can make an argument the Charges will be noticeably better. Yeah,
(38:19):
the Bengals will be absolutely better. I actually think New
England will be better. But to your point, we'll have
a worse record in the NFC. Detroit finds the righte
oh seat, they'll be better if brock Perty's upright. San
Francisco's record will be solid. I think it's really interesting.
Chicago should be better again because second year.
Speaker 4 (38:39):
Last year was.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
A weird year where we all acknowledged New England really
wasn't a top four or five team, yet they got
to a Super Bowl. I think the fight is going
to be mighty. Here are NFL predictions of note. You know,
the Packers finishing last sounds dramatic, but if Murray is
(39:01):
as good member the one time he had a Pro
Bowl offensive line and he had a passer rating over
one hundred. Also, he's not making any money, so he's
planned for a contract. Is there one of mine that
you actually think you agree with?
Speaker 6 (39:16):
I definitely think Caleb Williams.
Speaker 9 (39:18):
You know, the MVP is a momentum award, right, Josh Allen,
A couple of years ago had had a lot of
momentum for that award.
Speaker 6 (39:26):
I think Caleb. That's why I like Dak or Caleb.
Speaker 9 (39:29):
I mean, if either one of those teams wins twelve
plus games, I think there's gonna be a lot of
momentum for those two players. I do you think the
Broncos roster, like their roster is a top three or
four ROSTERSNFL. It would basically just have to be some injuries,
some weird things going on. Like to Sean payton yank
the play calling he's claimed. I read an article recently.
(39:52):
You know that happened to him way back in the day.
I think with Jim Fossil when he was a young,
young coach, he claimed that that is not an option here.
So even if like things are rocky, he's this guy's
got the play calling. It's one thing to say it
to live it.
Speaker 6 (40:08):
So the Broncos won.
Speaker 9 (40:10):
I mean, I almost put the Jets making the playoffs,
but I felt that was a little bit of a
you know.
Speaker 4 (40:15):
The Jets.
Speaker 9 (40:16):
There's just there's gonna be something that crazy happens in
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
This year, right, I mean, and I'll tell you if
the Niners win the NFC West. That's actually crazier than it.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
That's a big game.
Speaker 6 (40:28):
They won twelve games last year. I mean that's you know,
they beat the.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
Eagles, I know in Philly. Yeah, so that's really you took.
You took some swing. But I'll tell you when you
look at the Bengals defensive front. I was doing it
last night, as I often do because I have no
social life. I was looking at the depth chart for
the Cincinnati Bengals. They're D line. Now it's a thing like,
it's big and it'll be much tougher. Because you could
(40:52):
run on the ball the last several years, which meant
you took the ball out of Joe Burrow's hands. You
could dominate time of possession. You're not going to do
that to the Bengals this year. The line is stout
on the interior, all right. Greg co sales around the
corner on Thursday. M HM
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 Foxsportsradio dot com,
or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app
by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Here we go. It is Thursday. Six NFL preseason games tonight,
and one more than all the others is going to
be very, very interesting. It's The Herd wherever you may be,
however you may be listening and whatever platform. Thanks for
choosing us. A lot of options out there. Fernando Mendoza
(00:51):
six and Oe Indiana sixteen to Oe Indiana debuts tonight.
Probably plays against Carson Beck for Arizona, so it'll be
a National Championship game rematch in pro football. But the
way these guys get paid, that's kind of semipro in college.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
NFL execs the ones I talk to are very split
on Fernando Mendoza. I am absolutely not. Here are three
really important traits where he's a plus. Humility, intelligence, and
work ethic that takes a B to a B plus.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Prospect.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
In my opinion, do an a prospect smart work, ethic,
no ego, good kid if you look. Let's talk about
a couple of guys that have busted. Ego becomes a problem.
Johnny Manziel, will Levis. You know, I thought Zach Wilson
kind of cocky, Okay, Anthony Richardson didn't have enough college starts,
(01:53):
just too raw justin fields. He's just not good in
the pocket. Trey Lance really bad mechanically, and then Kenny
Pickett wildly overdrafted, bad draft class at quarterback and the
Steelers needed somebody. So let's acknowledge now that he doesn't fit.
Fernando Mendoza does not fit any of those categories. Ego
(02:17):
doesn't really have one. Maturity IQ off the charts, pocket passer,
actually that's his strength. Mechanically fantastic, pushes the ball down
the field. And he's not wildly overdrafted. Some may have
him as amid to a late first rounder, but people
(02:37):
see his size, his intelligence, and his ability to move
a little bit. He is a first round prospect. I
think he's Matt Ryan thirty thirty percent Justin Herbert, big, strong, smart, humble,
nice arm, got a little Andrew Luck. No dink and dunk,
He pushes the ball down the field. This is not
(03:00):
It's interesting that Kirk Cousins is going to start probably
week one, and you know Kirk can do stuff underneath.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
The other thing I love about Fernando Mendoza, and this
is gigantic, is he played at Cal and got the
you know what.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Kicked out of him. So did Jared Goff.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
When you go to Cal, Aaron Rodgers too, you don't
play with five star recruits.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Academic power not.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I mean, the rugby programs better than the football program historically,
So you got to carry your offense. You don't have
five star receivers. Why is it so many cow guys
end up in the NFL. Part of it is that
Cal Jared Goff got tossed like a rag doll in college.
He learned to be tough. Then this kid goes to Indiana.
(03:50):
They had very good talent. They didn't have Ohio State talent.
I don't think they had Miami talent. They had Fernando Mendoza,
but he had to initiate the JJ. McCarthy didn't have
to at Michigan. He got beat up at Cal. Yeah,
JJ McCarthy did not get beat up at Michigan, so
(04:10):
I think he's totally prepared. You don't have the ego
which gets guys in trouble. He is good in the pocket, humble, smart,
work ethic. I think there's a little Justin Herbert, big, humble, strong, smart.
I think there's some Matt Ryan where he's better in
the pocket than running around. But I think he's more
athletic than people give him credit for. I think CJ. Stroud,
(04:32):
Justin Herbert and Fernando Menzel, is a don't run a ton,
But when later in the season they need you to
win big games and the coaches unleash them, they are
clearly capable of stepping on it and picking up yards.
I think the only thing that worries me is the Raiders.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
That's it. I'm not worry about the kid. I worry
about the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
If it goes sideways, and it won't be as bad
as Darnold and the Jets, But if it goes sideways,
it will be a co combination of they got impatient,
they couldn't protect him, they ran through coaches.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
That worries me.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Now some people are saying, you know he went out
of the shotgun in college. Now he's got to figure
out how to be under center. Yeah, I mean, nobody
comes in a polished product. Even Peyton Manning had stuff
to work on. Here's Fernando Mendoza plays tonight against Arizona
NFL debut, gonna get snaps. He's here's what he's worked on.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
I'd say my biggest level of growth has to be
my under center play. And also I believe that my
footwork has evolved, not only with you know, my passing
forward from shotgun, but my run tracks, making sure I'm
getting the ball to the running back deep and on
their landmarks, making sure my play action passed footwork and
my ball action is where it needs to be in
order to give my guys the best chance of getting open.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
So I'd say footwork because that also.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Plays into the timing where, hey, this route you gotta
hit is a one hitch throw. It's not a two hitch,
it's not a one and a half. It is a
one hitch throw. So time that all in with the
footwork and the underthand play has really.
Speaker 6 (06:05):
Evolved my game.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Perfect answer.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Can't wait to watch the night six NFL preseason games.
Carson Beck Fernando Mendoz is the one I really care about.
When's the last time you said Raiders Cardinals can't wait
to watch by week six? I may be bored to
tears with both. Tonight I can't wait.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
The Lakers have a new owner, so made calls yesterday.
Here's what I found out about Bob Eiger, mid seventies
chairman forever running Disney, is that the NBA and Adam
Silver starting Sunday, had to find a new owner for
the Lakers, and things ramped up very quickly. Bob Iger
(06:47):
was very very well paid, very well compensated at Disney,
not twelve point five billion buy an NBA team compensated.
He and Kushner were the leaders in the clubhouse for
the expansion Las Vegas franchise that was seven point five billion.
This is twelve point five billion. That's out of Eigers range.
(07:09):
This is like going from buying the Rays in Tampa
to buying the Yankees. It is a whole different ballpark,
even for rich guys. But here's the key to it.
The Lakers matter to the NBA, and Adam Silver doesn't
want him tossed around and flipped like a nineteen ninety
three Honda Civic. So he had to get somebody who
(07:32):
understands television, who's negotiated for the league, who understands the sport.
I mean, Eier was always kind of known as a
Clipper fan more than a Laker fan. But Kushner money
very much tied to Trump, at least in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Trump is not beloved. Kids always use the word sketch.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
There's a little bit of that or maybe a lot,
depending on your perspective on Kushner money from the top
down in the family, and Bob Eiger is perfect. You know,
a lot of times you'll see these tequila brands. You know,
you'll see a movie star put some money down for
a tequila brand, but he's really there to market and
sell it. A lot of other people are making the agavi. Okay,
(08:19):
that's not really what Iger is doing. Iiger is the
face of Laker ownership because it's one thing to own
an expansion team. Most of you can't name fifty percent
of the owners in this league, but everybody knows who
owns the Yankees or the Dodgers, or the Cubs, or
the Eagles, or the forty nine Ers or the Cowboys.
(08:40):
That's what you have here. And Iiger is a great
front man. He's putting money down, Don't get me wrong,
He's put a lot of money down. But Kushner's the
big money. This is a massive brand for the NBA.
And again, Bob Iger's made a lot of money. He's
a very smart guy. But he'll be the face of
Laker ownership. So the league got in. You do a
very rough spot, Darren Ravel yesterday on the shocking sale.
(09:04):
Basically fourteen months after Mark Walter purchased it, he flipped it.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
This was not a natural move.
Speaker 7 (09:14):
Just a couple of weeks ago, Kushner and Eiger were
lining up for Vegas and sniffing around. And to me,
this at least appears to look like the NBA being
Adam Silver pulling the Marionette and going like this. And obviously,
with the pressure of Ishbia, the pressure of Balmber, certainly
(09:35):
the NBA makes moves before Major League Baseball does.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Yeah, Adam Silver badly needed Bob Eiger to be part
of this ownership group. They can find other nondescript, not
well publicized people to invest. Eiger is the key in
this thing, all right. We got a lot going on
today Greg Cosel. He now starts his appearances on this
(10:01):
show for about twenty weeks. We got six games tonight.
Mendoza Carson Beck is a really, really good one and
coming up next, there was a moment yesterday there was
a social media post that is now up to fifteen
million views.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
It may have.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Seemed harmless, but not in Philadelphia. That's coming up.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
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Speaker 6 (10:36):
Sepe goats here.
Speaker 8 (10:37):
I have a podcast empire.
Speaker 6 (10:39):
It continues to grow and I have.
Speaker 8 (10:41):
Brought it here to iHeart. I'm also doing a live
radio show from three to five pm Eastern because my
wife wanted to kick me out of the house. It's
called Stegatzi Company Live, which is available in podcast form
right when the show finishes every single day. Some of
the biggest names in sports, a lot of phone.
Speaker 6 (11:00):
Calls I love you guys show, It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 8 (11:03):
A lot of interact you guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
expect from Stu Gotson Company and Steve Gotson Company Live.
So listen to Stu Godson Company Live and our original podcast.
Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company and god
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Speaker 6 (11:25):
You do it today and you can.
Speaker 8 (11:26):
Check all of those out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple
podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
All good.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
The great quarterbacks in the NFL have a superpower. Jalen
Hurts of the Eagles. Superpower is maturity, steady, stoic and
unbothered and unflappable. He's not always great, but he's never
bothered by criticism. In Philadelphia, the loudest NFL market, where
talk radio is huge, the fad Nick Seriani's loud, He's unbothered.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
He's a grownup. I've said it before.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
If you put Baker Mayfield in this city, it would
be man overboard. Jalen Hurts may not be the gifted
thrower of Baker, but that's where he's great in Philadelphia.
Yesterday is a great example the Philadelphia Eagles. Hurts through
an interception in camp, which is like giving up a
home run in spring training.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
New receivers, new personnel, and they post on the Eagles
social media right on Q. Now that's Q is the
nickname for Quinnon Mitchell, who's a great young corner. It
got fifteen million views and they never took it down.
(12:47):
If you were confused or bothered, you know who wasn't
Jalen Hurts because he didn't ask him to take it down.
By the way, Josh Allen through an interception at camp
on like Monday, and Buffalo posted it. It got five
hundred thousand views, right and Buffalo is a big brand.
Philadelphia is a national brand. So this is a prime
(13:09):
example outspoken coach talk radio loud.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
The fact that they.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Never took it down because if Jalen Hurts would have
said guys brutal, he didn't. And I gotta tell you
a lot of egos. There's an old saying about quarterbacks
in the NFL. You can't have two in the same room.
They all suck the oxygen out. So this is why
I'm a Jalen Hurts fan. You know I've said this.
(13:35):
He's a little small. Sometimes he can't see over the line.
He's not your traditional big pocket guy, and when you
deviate from that, you're going to have some critics. He
reminds me a lot of the Russell Wilson era. He's
Russell Wilson. He's great at the podium, he never gets
you in trouble. Both had great running backs, both had
(13:55):
top GMS. Legion of boom for Russell and these unbelievable
offensive lines for Jalen Hurts. Both guys people think they're
cringey and kind of cliched, But when you get a
locker room like Seattle or Philly with big personalities and
(14:16):
the coach has an ego and it's loud, and it's
the same guy. And Russell, be honest, not everybody always
embraced him. He wasn't loved by all the players. Same
with Jalen Hurts. They say it's a little corny, but
in the end, when you get to Philadelphia in these
loud markets, I was just taken not by the post,
but that the Eagles never took it down.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
They never took it down.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
And if you're a star quarterback and go to the
social media guys and say.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Hey, what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Nope, I mean they showed Hurts throwing the pick. The
Buffalo team didn't even show Josh throwing the pick. They
didn't want to do that. They showed Jalen Hurts throwing
the pick. That's maturity. It's a little thing, but it matters.
John Middlecoff of The News, Turn on.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
The News, this is the headline news.
Speaker 9 (15:08):
Well, speaking of quarterbacks, college, Josh Allen and the Bills
healthy starters are expected to play this weekend in the
preseason opener versus Carolina Buffalo, clearly as Super Bowl aspirations
in Joe Brady's first season. Mike Sandos does that big
quarterback list and big time journalist here. He said earlier
(15:29):
this week that some of the Bill's staff they've been
frustrated by Josh's handling of past protections quote how he
wants them. You know, in this day and age, there
used to be dictatorships in football in the eighties. You know,
Bill Parcells, you did with he Bill Walsh Montana. You
listened to to Walsh kind of changed, you know, I mean,
(15:52):
mahomes a lot of input, Caleb Williams now Ben Johnson,
their partnership. McVeigh and Stafford are like best friends on
and off the field. Purty and Shanahan work closely together.
This is not you know, the general in the guy
on the front lines to me the little NBA ish
now with the quarterbacks hand.
Speaker 6 (16:11):
In hand, I got no issue with Josh Allen have
an input.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
You're getting three hundred and fifty million dollar up contracts
and the sport has decided for safety reasons you can't
hit them. And they're also due to rule changes the
most important. So the reality is it's a little bit
like the NBA because rinaldo international soccer stars NBA stars,
and I would say to some degree, but a lesser
version star NFL quarterbacks. The league is treating them differently,
(16:38):
the rules are treating them differently.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
You better as a coach, do you.
Speaker 9 (16:42):
Wonder you know sometimes that coordinator quarterback relationship guys get
pretty tight. You hear a lot of stories about when
guys leave to become head coaches and other organizations. You know,
Ben Johnson was reading that article. Him and Jared Goff
still text all the time. Your relationship is different when
you're in the head seat, but when you get elevated
in the same building, their relationship is you know, probably
(17:04):
a little closer to friend to start off with than
head coach. And obviously the McDermott relationship was much more
probably dictator player it's gonna be fascinating to watch that
play out, just Joe Brady and Josh Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
No, no, no, I mean I still like him a lot.
But McDermott, you know, let's not marginalize as McDermott is
over his head. He was a good coach, he just
didn't have a great offensive mind.
Speaker 9 (17:25):
Onto the Bills, big rival that they never seem to
beat when it matters the Chiefs. They signed Kenneth Walker
this season into a big relative to run to his position,
contract three years, forty.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
Three million dollars.
Speaker 9 (17:38):
Recently, Patrick Mahomes was asked what intrigued him most about
the Chiefs current offense, and check out what the star
quarterback had to say.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
Number nine. That's all I can say. That's that right there.
That change and the ability to catch, run, passpertext, do everything.
You make a play out of nothing to a twenty
yard game. That's gonna be the biggest impact I think
we'll have. And I was just finding ways to get
him the football.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
I like Walker, but he gets stinged up. He runs
really hard.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
If you can get fourteen thirteen games, I'd be really happy.
I always worry though, John Sneyder's like I'm gonna let
you go. I mean generally John's got it. I think
Kansas City got it into a space where they were
a little desperate, like they knew they had Trent McDuffie's gone.
So okay, it was not a great running back class,
it was a better corner class, and so I think
(18:26):
I think Brett Beach got into a situation is we're
gonna have to go to the market to figure out
running back. It's just just not enough good running backs
in this whereas I can get an elite corner because
they had two major issues one running back two corner
when McDuffie left, and they could solve one at the
top of the draft and not the other.
Speaker 9 (18:44):
You could argue in the era of Patrick Mahomes once
they transitioned from Alex Smith, running back was a pretty
big hole for this franchise. I mean, they drafted Clyde
Edwards Hilaire that that did not work out. They had
to go with Pachaco, who was a seventh rounder last year.
Couple of years, so I understand what they're doing. But
you could also say that Kenneth Walker, who was drafted
(19:06):
high in the second round up until the last couple
of months of his Seattle career pretty underwhelming, you know,
for a.
Speaker 6 (19:12):
Guy that was drafted high.
Speaker 9 (19:14):
So the expectations are really really high. I think they're
gonna give them the ball a lot, and like you said,
can the guy hold up because.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
Historically he hasn't really in the NFL.
Speaker 9 (19:27):
Well, the big I would say, the biggest story of
the week right was the news coming out of Minnesota.
Even though I think most of us assumed this is
where it was headed, we now have it.
Speaker 6 (19:37):
It's final.
Speaker 9 (19:38):
And JJ McCarthy a couple of days after the news
came out kind of faced the music and talked to reporters.
Speaker 10 (19:49):
Yes, I believe so, and I'm always going to have
that confidence in myself no matter what. But at this time,
it's doing whatever I can for the team and you know,
being ready when my numbers called, and that's all that matters.
Speaker 6 (19:59):
That's all I can control.
Speaker 10 (20:00):
Obviously, every competitor wants to play, but moving forward, it's
just about continuing to work hard and just staying ready
for one my numbers called.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Listen, he's not a bad guy, he doesn't have a
massive ego. It's really been a health and a confidence issue.
He'll get another shot. I mean, John fifty five quarterbacks
annually playing this league. He's gonna get a shot. It's
when you're an ego maniac, difficult to coach. That's when
guys just say, like Johnny Mantel, like we're out of
(20:29):
this thing. Johnny's grown up now, Will Levis, I think
a lot of people have soured on that. That's when
you get into trouble, like I don't want him in
the room. He's not good in the quarterback room. That's
not the issue here. He struggles to stay healthy, and frankly,
it's he's really streaky. He plays with confidence, he's okay.
If he doesn't, he loses it. He deteriorates badly. But
(20:50):
I think he'll get looked, he'll get a start, he'll
get a three or a four game runway for some
team at some time, and it could be Minnesota.
Speaker 6 (20:57):
You noticed that hat was on forwards, not backwards.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
So there's been you know, there's been long history in
this league.
Speaker 9 (21:05):
Joe Montana was traded, Peyton Manning was cut, Rogers was traded.
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Belichick told Brady pack your bags, I mean, and then
let alone.
Speaker 9 (21:15):
The recent history of the Baker Mayfield top pick Sam
Darnold third pick. They resurrect their career. Most human beings
in life hit some bumps. Professionally, gotta do a little introspection,
Like he's been told you're not good enough. So he's
got two choices. He could pout, or he can just
sit there and pick Kevin O'Connell's brain, stay after and practice.
(21:36):
He was a first round pick. They get a longer leash.
They get more opportunities. I mean Carson Wentz who is
now on the team. Look how long his career continued
after everyone thought he was done. So ye, JJ McCarthy
will one hundred percent get another chance. I don't know
if he'll start, but get chances moving forward in his
career to compete for starting jobs.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
He's twenty three to twenty four years old.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
And the truth is he's been in this system. It
may be in Arizona. It's a long season. Kyler Murray
gets banged up, let's say Thanksgiving. He gets back to
back to back starts, plays really well in two of
the three, which is certainly possible. It's not a great
defensive division. That Bears don't have a great defense. You know,
I Lions defense has been you know, gashed for the
(22:21):
last several years. He may get a good run somewhere
in this schedule and have two or three nice games
that will get him another look somewhere.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
I don't doubt it for a second.
Speaker 9 (22:30):
I was pretty confident that he was going to get traded.
That's usually what happened in these situations. But if you're
going to handle yourself in a mature way, I could
see the Vikings talking themselves into the you know, just
let's keep him around, keep working with him. His head's up,
but he's probably going to be the third string quarterback
come week one behind Wentz.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
John Middlekoff with the News, Well.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
That's the news, and thanks for stopping that. The herd live.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
So.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears had a quote this week,
I want to be and have the NFL's highest scoring offense.
I don't think it's crazy. He's got a great receiving
tight end core, he's got a tremendously gifted quarterback who
led the NFL in big plays. It's not a great
defensive division. Again, if Mike is not playing, Green Bay
(23:17):
is just mah Minnesota's defense very average, although I do
love their coach Detroit's defense has been dashed, but there
was There was a quote this week as he was
talking to a sports writer from Ben Johnson. He said,
you know, if I go into the quarterbacks room and
I'm hard on the starting quarterback, it typically breeds resentment
(23:40):
more than it helps. Caleb is extremely coachable. I wasn't
sure about that when I came here. I don't have
any concerns in those areas. He showed it to me.
It's just a matter of time. So and I've thought
this in any industry, especially the entertainment industry, music with
a produce, an actor with a director, or a great
(24:05):
athlete with a coach. Caleb is gifted, and he's been
gifted since he was fifteen years old.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
He knows it.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Everybody around him knew it. He was incredibly coachable with
Lincoln Riley and Ben Johnson, but in his first year
with Chicago, when they had three different offensive coordinators, it
did look like he just packed it in and said
I'm gonna do what I want to do. And I
don't blame him. I first of all, people who were
(24:31):
really gifted are generally they know it because they're told it,
because they're living it. If you're a stunning twenty one
year old woman, and you're beautiful and have been since
you're a teenager. You're Cindy Crawford. Well you've got eyes.
You walk into a room and head's turned everybody. The
(24:51):
handsome guy is always flirting like you know you're gifted.
Caleb Williams has been gifted since he was a teenager.
He was the most athletic guy in high then in college.
He knows it. Secondly, those kind of athletes are almost
always willing to be coached and managed. I don't care
if it's messy. I don't care if it's Caleb, I
(25:12):
don't care if it's Kobe. But they are going to
demand you give them the right coach, right Lebron James
with David Blatt, Now it's not gonna work. Lebron James
with JJ Reddick or Spoe or Tylu coachable. So there
(25:35):
is a reason the top A list actors repeatedly work
with the same directors. You know, Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan,
Leonardo DiCaprio and Scorsese.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
There's a reason they do it.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
They trust their guys, they're being pushed, they're more coachable.
So this idea that Caleb's not coachable. Lincoln love coaching him.
They still connect Ben Johnson loves coaching him. But it
was Chicago's job after Matt Eberflus and that staff. Okay, Chicago,
get him a legitimate coach, get him Christopher Nolan. You
(26:09):
got to get him somebody good, and they did. It's
up to the organ It wouldn't you have a great
task like Justin Herbert. The only reason Jim Harbaugh took
that job, it wasn't because he likes La Weather.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
It was Justin Herbert.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
The only reason Mike McDonald the Dolphin coach, Mike McDaniel,
excuse me, Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins coach, took the OC job. Again,
wasn't the weather. It wasn't the ownership. It was Justin Herbert.
So it was Dean Spanos's obligation to get Justin Herbert
Harbaugh and the best offensive coordinator eventually on the market.
(26:45):
That's up to the owner. You can afford it. You
guys are all billionaires write the checks, and the Bears
do not have very wealthy ownership. So it was up
to the mccaskeys to write that. Everybody knew Ben was
the top candidate. Ryan pols knew everybody knew it. That
was an easy way. It was the hot coordinator and
(27:06):
it was up to the mccaskey's to write the check
and they did. But I always think great athletes are
willing to be coached, but a lot of times owners
get cheap gms hire the wrong guy and then you
wonder why you know the athlete, He's just not as coachable.
If you're an A, nobody wants to work with a
B or a C. I've been taking m drive. Oh
by the way. Coming up next, John and I with
(27:28):
our five NFL Bold predictions. Going into tonight, which is
the official start of the NFL preseason, We'll give you
five bold predictions both of us.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Coming up next, be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd Weekdays and Newone Easter not a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Tonight, Fernando Mendoza NFL debut Raiders against the Arizona Cardinals,
Mendoza against Carson Beck, a rematch of Miami in Indiana
for the National Championship. Can't wait, So the show is
dark tomorrow, So this is our Friday show, and John
(28:12):
and I thought we'd go back and forth on this
we would each have five bold predictions. Now, we're not
putting the Browns in the AFC Championship.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Let's not go crazy here.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Even though I think Cleveland's going to be viable and
interesting at this point, I don't even have him as
a playoff team, and I think the second spot in
that division is arguably wide open. But we're going to
go five predictions, five bold predictions.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
You ready to go? John?
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Ready?
Speaker 4 (28:38):
All right?
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Number One, Jalen Hurts Eagles quarterback is better without AJ Brown.
If you go back to last season when he didn't
target AJ Brown, he completed seventy one percent of his throws,
eighteen touchdowns and three picks. Over the last two years
when he targeted AJ Brown, when AJ Brown had eight
(29:00):
or more targets, the Eagles were nine to six. When
he wasn't a focus of the game plan, and he
had fewer than seven or fewer targets last two years,
thirteen to zero. This is des Bryant to Dak. Jalen
Hurts will flourish despite losing a great number one receiver.
Speaker 9 (29:23):
I know he's currently on the Raiders after getting traded
this offseason, but I think the Raiders are in a
position with a young quarterback to kind of do what
Jimmy Johnson and a lot of teams have done historically
is trade a veteran player whose timeline is off where
their young core is going to be. I think Max
Crosby ends up on the Browns and or, excuse me,
(29:45):
the Bears in the middle of the season, Ryan Poles
already admitted they were interested in him. In the first place,
their pass rush was I think seventh, bottom bottom seventh
in the league in sacks, so they are not a
great pass rush team. The other thing is Kobe Bryant
already injured. I think the Bears get very aggressive. Ben
Johnson wants to win Max Crosby the Bears all right.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
This may not seem bold, but because this is probably
the most criticized franchise that's good in the league. I
have Justin Herbert winning multiple playoff games. Okay, the last
two years in the playoffs he went in with the
thirtieth offensive line and the twenty first. This appears to
(30:29):
be the first offensive line. Remember, he has been hit, sacked,
and rushed more than any quarterback in the sport since
he entered the league in twenty twenty they have three
new features, both tackles back.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
This will be his best.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Offensive line in my opinion, his best offensive coordinator at
least two playoff wins, and I right now this morning,
think they could be a co favorite to get to
the AFC Championship.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
I got the Niners winning the NFC West. Wow.
Speaker 9 (31:05):
I know we think the Rams are the I know
we think the Rams are the twenty seven Yankees. Seattle
is just gonna cruise the back to back championships. Football
doesn't work like that. It never has. This is not baseball.
You don't just plug and play players. Things can get weird. Obviously,
Stafford's injury history is a thing of concern. Mike McDonald
(31:25):
keeping these guys motivated. Kubiak was a huge, huge reason
for Seattle's success. He's now gone. They replaced him with
a first time play caller. They were seven and two
last year. When party starts. Here's the other thing. You
know who The forty nine ers beat a lot the Rams.
Kyle Shanahan's record against Sean McVay speaks for itself. Oh yes, Seattle,
(31:47):
that won fourteen games and lost three. You know where
one of those losses came?
Speaker 3 (31:50):
In?
Speaker 9 (31:51):
Seattle against the forty nine ers. So it's not like
the forty nine ers are intimidated by Fred Warner coming back,
Christian McCaffrey another season, healthy Nick, both of mikel Williams.
They got defensive reinforcements. So I got the forty nine.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Ers my third bold prediction.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Packers finished last in the NFC North, first of all.
Ben Johnson year two, Kyler Murray I think is going
to be a hit, and Detroit to me easily has
the best entire roster. This is not the same NFC
North the Packers dominated. All four teams had winning records
last year, and the Packers without Micah last year zero
(32:30):
and five and allowed twenty nine points a game. He's
not going to be playing. We presume until October. Packers
maybe the best fourth place team in the NFL by
a long shot. They finish last.
Speaker 9 (32:46):
Well, I got a team finishing first, and they're the
Cincinnati Bengals. I got him as the number one seed
in the AFC. I know everyone thinks Mike Brown in
the front office and everything about this franchise disaster, and
they specifically, well, I've seen them invest in multiple wide receivers,
pay a premium. I saw this offseason. They had the
(33:06):
tenth pick. What did they do? They went and traded
for an all pro, just a three hundred and eighty
pound man that can't be moved, to solidify their defensive line.
Fair we saw a couple of years, you know, Joe
Burrow missed basically the entire season last year with turf
though the year before, after the slow start, there was
not a hotter team, you know, towards the end of
the year. The year they went nine and eight, they
just missed the playoffs. By game they were killing everybody
(33:27):
down the stretch. So if he can stay healthy, their
defenses is dramatically improved. Everyone acts like their coach stinks.
He's got five playoff wins in his career. That's I'm
telling you. If Joe Burrow's healthy, the thirt easiest schedule
in the NFL and the division. John Harbaugh's gone, Tomlin's gone,
forty two year old quarterback Lamar, a bunch of new players,
(33:49):
the Browns stink.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
I like the Bengals big time this year.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Oh that's I like that.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, Denver Broncos, And you know I love Sean Payton
miss the play listen NFL Best eleven and two in
one score games. I mean, that's not gonna happen again.
They also trailed in fifteen games. Bo Nix is coming
off two surgeries on his right ankle. They have a
new play caller. And remember the Ravens, the Bengals, the Chiefs,
(34:17):
the Chargers are all going to be better in the AFC.
I think that we all know that if Burrow's upright,
Cincinnati's going to be a better team. I mean, Herbert's
got his best offensive line in his best offensive coordinator.
You can't go eleven and two in one score games
and not regress. I think Denver's good. I think they
(34:39):
have a special coach and special players. I think they're
going to narrowly miss the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
This one.
Speaker 9 (34:47):
I watched this team for a long time, win a
lot of games, and last year Vrabel resurrected him. They
went to the super Bowl. But I got the Patriots
missing the playoffs. If you remember back in two thousand
and one, Tom Brady Belichick, they won this Super Bowl.
You know what happened the next year? They missed the playoffs.
Last year historically easy season. Yeah, I mean every single
week they were playing a god awful opponent.
Speaker 6 (35:08):
Yeah, and then the way the playoffs broke.
Speaker 9 (35:10):
You know that crazy snowstorm came into the AFC Championship
game against the.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
Backup quarterback Drake May was running for his life. He
was getting sacked every play in these playoffs.
Speaker 9 (35:20):
A lot of question marks with the offensive line, some
tabloid stuff offf the field with Vrabel. You know Aj Brown,
It's not like he was thriving last year. Drop not
even just the dram off to you. He was dropping
balls on the field, kind of a weathered twenty eight
to twenty nine year old wide receiver. I just think
the AFC is going to be difficult. Their schedules way
more difficult. You go nine to eight, missed the playoffs.
(35:42):
I don't think they're going to be a disaster, but
I think this is your classic. You lose in the
Super Bowl next.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
Year you miss.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Yeah, that hangovers real. Finally for me, Caleb Williams wins MVP.
First of all, he's got currently the seventh best odds
second year in Ben Johnson's offense. Goal Look at Ared
Goff second year in Ben Johnson's offense, and he's not
nearly the athlete. Jared Goff popped in year two. He
literally has the lowest interception percentage in league history thirteen
(36:12):
and thirty four career starts, and this is the beginning
of it. He'll probably throw fewer as a as a
veteran quarterback, second in the NFL in big plays. He
also has tremendous offensive weapons. A lot of people thought
they should draft an edge they want and got another
good tight end. They've got three receivers. I like they've
(36:33):
got two running backs. I worry a little bit about
left tackle. But Caleb also has the ability. As you're watching,
he doesn't just make plays. He makes spectacular plays, a
little bit of a Westbrook quality. When he won MVP,
it'll be easy to root for a guy who's not
a stat patter, who's in a great division. He's winning
close games, he's winning them with dramatic plays late. That's
(36:55):
the kind of story the media likes. Caleb Williams MVP.
Speaker 9 (37:00):
I also have an NFC quarterback winning the MVP, but
his name is Dakota Prescott, and I think it sounds
a lot crazier than it is. I mean, I mean,
the last over the course of the last three or
four years, he has clearly been one of the best
quarterbacks in the league. The problem is to win the MVP,
your team has to be good, right Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson,
(37:20):
Patrick Mahomes, Brady Rogers, all these guys manning that if
one MVP is typically they're the one.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
Or two seed in their conference. So I think the
Cowboys are going.
Speaker 9 (37:29):
To be good this year. I have picking them to
win the East. If they win the East, I think
Dak Prescott's putting up huge numbers. He has one of,
if not the best, one to two combination of wide receivers,
tight ends good. His offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer's proven to
be pretty dynamic. To me, his numbers are gonna they
speak for themselves over the course of the twenty twenties.
(37:50):
If the defense is good, I think he's right up
there in the mix, and if they're the one or
two seed, I think Dak wins the MVP.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
You know what's already interesting John thinking about this. It
was last year actually a little bit of a down year.
Mahomes got hurt, Burrow got hurt. You know, like Buffalo
had a coach on the hot seat. You know, Dallas
had a new coach and they made the Mica trade,
so it deteriorated their very mediocre defense. I mean I
can make an argument the Charges will be noticeably better. Yeah,
(38:19):
the Bengals will be absolutely better. I actually think New
England will be better. But to your point, we'll have
a worse record in the NFC. Detroit finds the righte
oh seat, they'll be better if brock Perty's upright. San
Francisco's record will be solid. I think it's really interesting.
Chicago should be better again because second year.
Speaker 4 (38:39):
Last year was.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
A weird year where we all acknowledged New England really
wasn't a top four or five team, yet they got
to a Super Bowl. I think the fight is going
to be mighty. Here are NFL predictions of note. You know,
the Packers finishing last sounds dramatic, but if Murray is
(39:01):
as good member the one time he had a Pro
Bowl offensive line and he had a passer rating over
one hundred. Also, he's not making any money, so he's
planned for a contract. Is there one of mine that
you actually think you agree with?
Speaker 6 (39:16):
I definitely think Caleb Williams.
Speaker 9 (39:18):
You know, the MVP is a momentum award, right, Josh Allen,
A couple of years ago had had a lot of
momentum for that award.
Speaker 6 (39:26):
I think Caleb. That's why I like Dak or Caleb.
Speaker 9 (39:29):
I mean, if either one of those teams wins twelve
plus games, I think there's gonna be a lot of
momentum for those two players. I do you think the
Broncos roster, like their roster is a top three or
four ROSTERSNFL. It would basically just have to be some injuries,
some weird things going on. Like to Sean payton yank
the play calling he's claimed. I read an article recently.
(39:52):
You know that happened to him way back in the day.
I think with Jim Fossil when he was a young,
young coach, he claimed that that is not an option here.
So even if like things are rocky, he's this guy's
got the play calling. It's one thing to say it
to live it.
Speaker 6 (40:08):
So the Broncos won.
Speaker 9 (40:10):
I mean, I almost put the Jets making the playoffs,
but I felt that was a little bit of a
you know.
Speaker 4 (40:15):
The Jets.
Speaker 9 (40:16):
There's just there's gonna be something that crazy happens in
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
This year, right, I mean, and I'll tell you if
the Niners win the NFC West. That's actually crazier than it.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
That's a big game.
Speaker 6 (40:28):
They won twelve games last year. I mean that's you know,
they beat the.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
Eagles, I know in Philly. Yeah, so that's really you took.
You took some swing. But I'll tell you when you
look at the Bengals defensive front. I was doing it
last night, as I often do because I have no
social life. I was looking at the depth chart for
the Cincinnati Bengals. They're D line. Now it's a thing like,
it's big and it'll be much tougher. Because you could
(40:52):
run on the ball the last several years, which meant
you took the ball out of Joe Burrow's hands. You
could dominate time of possession. You're not going to do
that to the Bengals this year. The line is stout
on the interior, all right. Greg co sales around the
corner on Thursday. M HM
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Jason McIntyre
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