September 14, 2026 • 40 mins
Colin shares this week’s “Where Colin Was Right, Where Colin Was Wrong” segment: Why he was right about Josh Allen, but wrong about the Rams. Plus, Colin talks to 3-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck about the Packers blowing another double-digit lead and if the team lacks toughness under head coach Matt LaFleur.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Herd Podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and
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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 is a Monday. It's
(00:24):
our two. Matt Hasselbeck, four minutes out. We are live.
We're in Los Angeles. Oh, what'd I tell you? I
moved to a city. All the teams get good. Cubs
World Series parade.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Get ready.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Bears.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Oh, a word. What was that?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Just incredible. Offense ruled the day. A lot of the
big blowout scores, Liam Cohen, Kyle Shanahan, Ben Johnson, these
offensive coaches. Every Monday we do it. Colin right, Colin wrong.
Let's not waste any time.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I said in the offseason, Caleb Williams would be a
top three quarterback in the league this year. Part of it,
Ben Johnson. The other part, his horsepower. I said he
was going to be an MVP. Eight touchdowns. I think
there's two quarterbacks in this league that are just physically different.
Allen and Caleb. 59 points with no defensive touchdowns 72
(01:26):
completion rate clearly he's coachable between the improvement on efficiency
this year and getting out of the sacks last year
you get the gift of talent but he also listens
that's important.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Boy, did I whiff on the Rams. Chopper in, chopper out,
win a game and leave was a dud. They were
in a fog against San Francisco. Now Miles Garrett, bummer,
is on the IR. So less than 300 yards. Bad
on third down. They got to the goal line and
did a Matt Stafford sneak. That's not really the strength
(02:06):
of the team. Listen, I thought Chopper and Seal Team Six,
I kept calling it. Well, it didn't work and I
was wrong.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I said the Longhorns will win. The game matters more
to Texas, and they're going to win close. Listen, they
control the second half, outscored the Buckeyes 21-3. Yes, Ryan
Day got conservative. Most coaches do when they're leading a
really good team late. The Longhorns in the second half
had 240 yards of offense. Ohio State's going to be fine.
(02:40):
They're a really good team. It's Sark's biggest regular season win. Listen,
I thought... The Longhorns got a couple of really bad
first-half breaks on that quirky pick, and then Wingo drops
the touchdown. So I thought the score at half was
a little closer than it looked, but Ohio State deserves credit.
They came within a yard of winning that game.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Well, the SEC is off to a burning start, 8-2
non-conference record. The Big Ten's only 3-7. Six SEC teams
in the top ten. The big 10 Indiana is carrying
them because Oregon defensively appears to be lost with a
new DC and the Buckeyes have a respectable loss, but
(03:27):
a loss nonetheless. Yeah. SEC has played really well. It
just means more. They keep telling us that. Well, so
far through 10 non-conference games, they're just winning more where
Colin was right. I said, Josh Allen. is the best
athlete that's ever played the sport. It's not Mahomes. Mahomes
(03:47):
may be more decorated, but nobody could do that to
the Texans defense. That's Mahomes. That's singular. On the road,
130 passer rating, 300 yards. He's got a new coach.
He's got a new number one receiver. I mean, that
thing was majestic. Nobody but Josh Allen is going to
deliver that. And does he get reckless? Absolutely. The great
(04:09):
ones often do. But to me, he's the greatest single
talent I've ever seen play quarterback. And he's on a
short list of the most talented people at any position
that have ever played this game. Mahomes may be more decorated.
He's Mahomes with more size and more power. And Mahomes
is great. Where Colin was wrong. Well, I was told
(04:32):
this was the best Oregon roster ever. Apparently, it's not
as good as Oklahoma State, which was 1-11 last year.
I don't even know what I watched. Now, they have
a new defensive coordinator. It's not working. In two games,
not a lot of pass rush. I looked it up
this morning. Three sacks in two games. That's if, you know,
against Oklahoma State, you should have six. That's the worst
(04:56):
Oregon loss. I'm trying to think. In a decade? I mean, again...
you can lose to a good team Oklahoma State's a
lot it's an awful program.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Right now where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
I took the Giants not only to beat the Cowboys
but the New York Giants I said have plenty of
talent they will be the most improved team in the
league It's not a talent issue. It is a culture
and a quarterback improvement. Stay out of the blue tent issue.
I thought Jackson Dart was decisive. Now, the Cowboys blew
several coverages that made it look spectacular. But this was
(05:36):
the team I said they won four games last year.
I'm like, listen, they had like double digit leads in
three or four games in the fourth quarter. Scataboo, Brian Burns,
Malik Neighbors, Jackson Dart, Andrew Thomas. This is this is
not a talent issue with the Giants. It was a
coach and culture issue.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
My second most improved team was going to be the
Bengals because I said they spent money on defense. So uncincinnati-like. Well,
they forced four turnovers. They had four sacks. They just
looked bigger and stronger. What was interesting was they spent
money on defense and you could see the money. The
Cowboys spent money on defense. You could not see the money.
So I said this is to me after the Giants
(06:17):
will be the most improved team. Not only record-wise, they
were 6-11 last year, but they'll just look different. And
I thought, I think the Giants have more talent, in
my opinion, than the Bengals. So I think the ceiling's
very high, but there's a Jackson, Dart, and Burrow. At
this point, it's all Burrow. So Colin Wright, Colin Wrong
on a Monday. And with that, Matt Hasselbeck, 18 years
(06:40):
in this league, is joining us. Let's start with this.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Show me the money, Colin. Show me the money. You said,
I can see the money.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Cincinnati's defense, you're like, oh, these are Dexter Lawrence. That's
what it looks like when you're spending that kind of
money on a D lineman. Now, week one, Matt, was
very high scoring. Why? Why were there so many outrageous
offensive performances?
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Well, I'm glad you brought it up. I mean, is
it really a surprise the way that we practice? I mean, Colin,
I played a long time ago. My rookie year was 98.
My last year was 2015. The way we practiced in
98 was completely different to 2015. I can't even imagine
what it's like now. This is still tackle football on Sundays.
It's 11 on 11, buckle your chinstrap, get the guy down,
(07:30):
hold onto the ball, like all that stuff. That's why
I think quarterback scrambles were such a huge thing.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Quarterback scrambles. Like when you do a practice in the
NFL and the quarterback scrambles, you just blow the whistle.
Like the guys chase you, you stay away from the
guy in the red Jersey, blow the whistle. It's almost
like it doesn't count. You know, it's like, it just,
it gets talked about like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And just
make sure you get the quarterback. Hey, plaster, make you
go to, but in real tackle football, the physical teams
(07:57):
won and dominated and the teams with the quarterback quarterback
got out They, they made plays and had huge days.
It doesn't surprise me at all.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
No, I said this offensive lines are the one group
for football that it's hardest to build cohesion and chemistry.
None of the starters play. So teams that had unathletic
quarterbacks like the Rams or the lions or the old,
the Steelers, they struggle. The three best offenses were Caleb
(08:26):
Lamar and Josh, where it's like, cause I don't think
a line play is, anymore is good till October. It's
just too hard to create cohesion.
Speaker 5 (08:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
I will say, I just add to that though. Another,
another thing to do that. It's a great point by you.
Another thing, just like it's a disadvantage for the defensive time.
The defense was getting the ball back. You mentioned Cincinnati
earlier as a quarterback, when you have a red Jersey,
you're sitting in the pocket ball security, two hands on
the ball, fumbling in the pocket. It's a wake up
call for some guys week one. They haven't been touched
(08:56):
in a long time. So I think you're onto it
with the mobile quarterbacks in a week one.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
So listen, I said when Jackson Dart came out, I said,
I think he's top of the second round guy. I
do think having Lane Kiffin for several years is a
huge advantage. That's kind of a pro system. And then
he gets Brian Dable. It's like, so that's pretty good. So,
but it's funny watching him yesterday is there are just
certain quarterbacks that they're guys like, but you can tell
(09:24):
the team loves them. You can tell the team, trust them.
He was so decisive last night. It was a lot
of singles and doubles. But I saw a game plan.
Like I saw, I still don't know what Dallas was
trying to do. I watched the Giants and I'm like, oh,
that's a real game plan. Like, hey, dude, get out
of bounds, slide. We're going to do a lot of
(09:45):
singles and doubles. Like I saw the coaching with the
Giants last night. What did you see?
Speaker 3 (09:52):
I 100% agree with you. And I thought that Chris
Collinsworth on the broadcast did an excellent job of highlighting
the command that this young quarterback had at the line
of scrimmage. It was check with me. It was on
the ball. We're running right. We're running left. It could
be a run to the left. It could be a
run to the right. It could be a pass or
a run. He had total command of the, so it
(10:14):
wasn't like they were just running the ball. They were
running the ball with intention. having an advantage on every
run call based on the front that they were seeing.
And they absolutely dominated. You want to talk about being
physical and tactical and intentional in the run game. I
don't think the Dallas Cowboys had the ball hardly at
all in the second half. And so you talk about
a four minute offense, really what that means is for
(10:34):
the last five minutes of the game, We're going to
control the clock. We're going to stay in bounds and
we're going to just shove it down your throat and
be the more physically dominant team. That's exactly what the
New York giants did in run situations when the Cowboys
knew they were trying to run.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
So, um, You know, I said this with Caleb. You
get the horsepower, but that doesn't mean every player is
easy to coach. I mean, there's now funny stories about
Lawrence Taylor and Parcells. Like, they're funny, funny stories. Lawrence
was just so gifted, but Lawrence was also a pass rusher.
Go get the quarterback. What I see with Caleb is
(11:10):
last year was, hey, get out of the sack business.
He got out of it. This year is, hey, we
got to hit layups. So I went to a practice,
and I watched 30 minutes of Caleb play. after practice
throwing a 12 yard out route. He must've thrown 80
of them. And I'm like, this is so tedious. It's
boring to watch. I can't imagine doing it. But when
(11:30):
I watched him yesterday, I noticed it. I'm like, okay,
he he's taken to this. Like it just, it felt easier.
Like it wasn't a big deal. Now they ran a lot,
but I do think not all gifted athletes are coachable
because the more gift you have, the easier it can
be And maybe I'm going overboard, but I just, when
(11:52):
I watched yesterday, I'm like, God, did he correct the
efficiency thing too that quickly? I mean, or is this
just week one and Dallas was lost defensively?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Well, you know, in general, I think week one is
a liar in the NFL. Look to last year, the
two teams in the super bowl, both lost at home
week one. So it's a little bit dangerous to overreact
too much. However, Ben Johnson and his body of work
and what he's done with this young quarterback is incredible.
Mentioned physicality. I thought this was the most physical team
(12:23):
this weekend, week one, where they run for six touchdowns.
It was ridiculous. And I think about these, like these
slogans that had coaches have about being physical and no block,
no rock is what Antoine Randall L the wide receivers coach,
I believe he says, and some, for some people, it's
a slogan for the Chicago bears. It feels like a standard.
It's what they do. It's just who they are. And I,
(12:46):
you know, they, they have just improved in every way.
The quarterback's improved. The team's improved. I'm a believer. I mean,
they're sending a message to the entire team with how
they ran the ball. And we know they can throw
the ball. They just didn't have to do it yesterday.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
So their rival, the Packers, have lost six straight. And
I think the most troubling part, Matt, is we all
know why. Smart teams get leads. Tough teams seal wins.
They can't keep leads. And Micah is sort of their
physical initiator. Well, he's not there. And Josh Jacobs, again,
(13:21):
very physical, an initiator that, oh, he may not be there. Like,
this is not just a week one issue. You got
to go back to last year, Matt. Like, and I
hate to say this because I didn't play pro football,
but there are teams that feel pretty. There are teams
that feel smart. And then there are teams you're like
San Francisco. You're like, oh, that hurts. God, I don't
(13:42):
know if I can last a play in the league.
to me, green Bay, everybody can see it. And yet
after the game, Matt Lafleur is arguing about penalties. Like
that's not it to me. What is it to you?
Speaker 3 (13:57):
It's all of it, but yeah. And they don't have
their closer, their great pass rusher. They don't have their
closer with their running back. That's fair. But just the,
the intelligence on the football field, Jordan love talked about it.
We got, you know, we, we gotta be smarter. Like we,
we gotta, we gotta play smarter. We gotta be mentally
tougher and And until they kind of shut the door
(14:18):
on this thing where they can't finish because of what
happened last year, everyone's going to keep talking about it.
And so, yeah, this is a real thing. It's kind
of like blood in the water, you know, with sharks.
It's the same thing that happens to a team when
they start. you know, Hey, this, the, the whispers are
there and it happens even on the sidelines, like an, Oh,
here we go again. It's kind of a loser's mentality.
(14:39):
And so the challenge is going to be for this
team is not letting that be a thing, like somehow
rising above that and, and just, you know, crossing this hurdle.
It's a real thing that the doubt does creep in
for coaches, for players, and sometimes not addressing it makes
it worse.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
I compared Derek Henry to Nolan Ryan. Nolan Ryan threw
a no-hitter at 44. The guy just never aged. He
was an all-star at 42. And I look at Derek Henry,
and I'm like, he's got 2,700 carries at running back.
Did you ever play with anybody similarly where you're like,
(15:17):
just hard work, whatever, DNA, hard work, like they just
didn't get hurt?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I did call on it. And listen, I started nine
games as a 40 year old. And I credit that
to guys that I played with that, you know, I
wasn't the oldest guy on my team. When I did that,
Adam Vinatieri was there. Dude was just a stud. Walter
Jones did that. I played with Jerry Rice when he
was 42 years old. and he was still crossing up
dude scoring touchdowns. We had a fullback named max strong
at fullback playing a ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Amount of years.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
I mean, he was so old. They didn't even make
him do half of the conditioning things as a team.
They were like, ah, we're just going to save you. And,
and so like, there is something to God, you know,
guys taking care of their body. And yet at the
same time, not being too civilized when it's Sunday at
one o'clock. And what I mean by that, it's kind
(16:08):
of like a Rocky IV thing, a Rocky IV quote,
the worst thing that can happen to a prized fighter
is he can become civilized, he can become soft, he
can be the guy, forget who he was, forget what
got him there. And I think there's a great example
of Derrick Henry He's taking care of his body off
the field. But when it's one o'clock on Sunday, the
dude is still a warrior, just like he always was.
(16:29):
And that's, you know, I think of Frank Gore, another
guy I played with, you know, there's just guys like
they don't have to say a word, how they approach
it on Sundays speaks volumes enough.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Oh God. Frank Gore was just, as they say, tougher
than a $ 10 steak. He was, he was so physical. Okay.
There was one performance over the weekend and we were
sitting watching it as a group. And I'm like, I
don't have an answer for it. The Chargers got pushed
around by Arizona. And I mean, I felt like Arizona
(17:01):
had the ball the whole game. Like, I mean, did
you ever plan a great team that just had an
awful early Sunday in the season?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
A hundred percent. The year we went to the super
bowl in Seattle, we went down to Jacksonville and got
absolutely spanked.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
In new head.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And then we, I think we were the best team
in football that year. Didn't win the super bowl because
we didn't play our best at the end, but we,
we were a great team that year. And that happens
week one, especially for teams that I think are really
good at game planning. I can think of even a
Patriots team that went to Buffalo one year and got
spanked week one, like badly, like badly beat. And because I,
you know, the, the game planning thing is real. if
(17:43):
you're good at game planning, you go into a week
one matchup. You don't know what you're going to see.
You got new coordinators. You got a new head coach.
You have no idea. So especially in today's day and
age with personnel changes, with formation shifts, motion, shotgun, pistol,
under center, all the stuff. It's a little bit like
a blind date and you can, you can get punched
in the mouth. And that's what happened to the chargers.
(18:05):
They got punched in the mouth. Arizona said, Hey, don't
sleep on us. And they look pretty good.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
So I said, there's an old saying that opposites attract.
And though I'm sure they do, it's not ideal. You'd
like to have some commonalities with your partner. And I
know you can win a Super Bowl as a defensive coach,
Mike McDonald and Bill Belichick. I know that. But there
is something about the language and the sensibility of an
(18:31):
offensive coach with a quarterback. It's just, I'm sorry. Andy
Reid and Mahomes, like, there's a, like, you let him,
you don't try to harness it, right? Like, I'm going
to give you some structure, but I'm very comfortable being aggressive.
I'm watching the Bills yesterday with Joe Brady. Fourth down, like, yes,
(18:52):
Josh can be reckless, but I did feel like more
13 personnel, more big plays. Explain, and again, we know
there are great defensive coaches, right? But almost by nature,
they get a lead and they just get conservative. And
it feels like Joe Brady unleashed a little something with Josh.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
He unleashed it and he unleashed it for an interception
to lose the game to Lasseter and Lasseter dropped the ball.
I mean, this is a, it's, it's one play here,
one play there. And then the next play, Josh is
Josh and scores the game winner. And you're just like, wow,
this guy's amazing. So, you know, I don't want to,
I don't want to poo poo on defensive coaches too
much as a quarterback. You love having an offensive head coach.
(19:37):
Like you absolutely love it. They see things through your lens.
They see things the way you do defensive hope. Head
coaches kind of make you feel confined and crammed. And,
you know, I remember when Pete Carroll came to Seattle,
he was a defensive head coach and it, didn't play
my best for him. But Jim Mora was a defensive
head coach. I had, I didn't play my best. He
saw when Brett Favre went from Mike Holmgren to Ray Rhodes,
(19:58):
he didn't play his best. Like it's, it is a change.
And so it makes you feel free. Yet at the
same time, that's just what's good for the quarterback. There's,
you know, sometimes a defensive head coach is good for
the benefit of the team. So I don't want to
overreact too much on a week one because I really
do think week.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
One is a liar.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
I mean, more underdogs you covered than didn't cover week one.
it's just, it's how it is. Like, you just don't
know what's going to happen. And as a player, I
can just tell you, especially as someone who prided himself
on game planning and preparing, I never felt good going
into a week one game. Like I literally don't even
know who the opponent is. You know, you're watching other teams,
(20:38):
you're watching college film, you're doing some crazy stuff. And
there were, there are so many new, I think half
the league's a new defensive coordinator. You I think we
two things settle in a lot better than week one.
But I'll say this to your point, the bills are
going to be really fun to watch offensively this year.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Oh, there's no question. I want to circle back to
the giants. I said earlier, having a Harbaugh take over
the giants. It's like Scorsese doing a mob movie. It
feels right. Like, it's just Harbaugh, bottom line, toughness, the name. Like,
I'm watching that game last night. I'm like, this is
so good for the league. This is Harbaugh with the Giants.
(21:19):
It's just like when Jim was with the Niners. Or
Jim's at Michigan. You're like, they're just certain teams. I
came out of that game with New York, and I'm like, man,
coaching's important.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
Like, I.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
I mean, I just now again, Arvel Reese is a
new guy. He's very good. Likely wasn't there. Ceiling. Let's
not take too much. But when you watch their talent,
is there a ceiling with the Giants? Do you think
see things that like, OK, they're not blank overall? What
was your take on that?
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Great foundational game to start this Harbaugh era off. And
you mentioned defensive ed coaches, offensive ed coaches, Harbaugh's neither
one of those. He was a special teams coach in Philly.
What makes him so special to me though, is his
leadership intangible style. I remember when Lamar Jackson was a
young quarterback and I'd listened to him mic'd up and
I hear Harbaugh go over to him and the way
(22:15):
he would converse with his young quarterback, he kept it
simple and direct and empowered the young guy. It was like, hey,
fourth and one, what do you think we should do? Coach,
I want to go for it. Now he's invested. He
has to find a way to make it work, you know,
and how to protect his body and how to go
for it and cut it loose. And now he's doing
the same thing with Jackson Dart. You know, Jackson Dart
told the story about how, you know, Malik Nabors hadn't
(22:37):
been hit in a while. He's going to be tackled
for the first time. Who is the first person to
tackle him? It was coach Harbaugh at the walkthrough the
day before to kind of like break the seal. Like
what head coach is going over and tackling a guy,
probably a guy that used to be a special teams coach.
It's one of the guys sees the whole, sees the
big picture. Isn't just like locked in on just offense,
(22:58):
just defense sees the whole team understands like the, the
elephant in the room. Hey, our star receiver, man, how's it,
how's it going to go? He's coming off a big injury.
What's the deal? You know, blah, blah, blah. Like, so
that intangible and what they have going in New York
right now, it's a foundational start for them. Could they
win this division after last night? Yeah, absolutely. They can.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Yeah. So good seeing you. It's football season's fun. I mean,
how do people, who are these people that don't love
the NFL? Like, I don't, it's, they're not many.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
People with a lot of free time. That's the thing.
And the thing is week one's not even over. We've
got another one tonight.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Amazing.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
So fun.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
A rivalry game, Matt. Great seeing you as always.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Same.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
See you.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Mitchell Schwartz, the former Kansas City Chief All-Pro, is joining
us last hour. Chiefs have an offensive tackle issue in
the last two years they have, and they're just not
as efficient.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1,
and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd
Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing
us live weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m. Eastern on
Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new
YouTube channel for the show.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
You can now watch The Odd Couple live on YouTube
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FSR on YouTube.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Again, YouTube.
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Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube
and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
All right, welcome back. Let's not waste any time. J-Mac
with the news.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is
the Herdline News.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Jalen hurts a solid opener with Sean Mannion for the Eagles.
They get the wind, but held on, did not cover.
I was disappointed.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
24, 22.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
They got actually fortunate. If you look at it, Washington
had a two point conversion here. I didn't love the
little shovel pass. The only reason they had to go
for this was because Stefan digs with a knuckleheaded celebration
on the previous touchdown. Instead of going for two, then
they had to push it back. Just a total disaster.
Colin for Washington.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I don't, Philadelphia had a lot of three and outs.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
I don't know, man. I'm a Jalen Hurts defender, so
I got to die on that hill. Didn't look great,
but it's just one game. Let's not overreact. Dallas Goddard
was good. Dontavian Wicks had a couple nice catches. They've
got players. I just don't know why it's so choppy.
You know, you look at Bears, you look at Ravens.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Well, I mean, go look at... First of all, I
think the Eagles are very coordinator-dependent. They don't have a
Ben Johnson or a Shanahan or a Sean Payton as
a play designer and caller. It's not what Sirianni is.
So they're as good as their coordinator. And I also think...
I mean, again, when you have this level of talent
and the Eagles O-line is viewed as a top two
(25:54):
O-line in the league. Didn't play like it because O-line
play stinks in September, but they're very coordinator and O-line dependent.
And this is not a Josh Allen or a Caleb
or Lamar that can just like make plays. Jalen's athletic,
but he's not super, he's not Superman. So, but I
just watched this team and like, this is the third
(26:17):
or fourth year in a row where you're just like
three and outs. And again, you don't have to score 40,
but three and outs with this offensive talent. Well, when
the defense is cooking, they're fun to watch.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
It's just kind of a boring team. I mean, I'm
fine boring if you're blowing people out, but they weren't.
Just two points on Washington. Sonny Stiles looked good. The
linebacker from Ohio State.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
He blew through Saquon Barkley.
Speaker 5 (26:41):
I mean, he had some splash plays.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
I thought he was good.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
And then the young kid Williams at receiver could change
things for them if he emerges. I think he had
four catches and a touchdown. And it's like they don't
have a lot of weapons explosiveness. I don't know. Commanders
were friskier than I thought. So that division, does it
change anything for you?
Speaker 1 (26:57):
You still like Giants receiving, right? No, I think the
best roster by far and away is Philadelphia. I think
the best combination of coach and roster is the Giants.
I think Dallas has talent, but I don't trust upstairs.
I don't trust the headsets. And I think Washington... Washington
doesn't know their limitations yet. Like, Tennessee's just bad. Washington's
(27:21):
good enough at quarterback. Terry McLaurin, they've got some playmakers.
But I think, you know, in the first several weeks,
underdogs do well because everybody's locker room is unified. Like,
everybody's O-line is kind of bad. You're experimenting a lot.
Underdogs do well. Washington will discover by week six or seven, like,
we have real ceilings here. You start losing a few players.
(27:44):
Might lose Dan Quinn. And they don't have a ton
of depth. Like, the Giants... and the Eagles have depth.
You could lose a player. Washington does not. They lose
two starters. They've already lost Tunzel, so it's like, watch out.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Let's move to the Steelers. They were ugly, but they
got the win. 20-13 over the Falcons, beating Cooper Rush,
largely thanks to this incredible play by TJ Watt. I mean,
this is his signature move, right? The jumping interception at
the line. And listen, I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
I was on the Steelers here, Colin.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
They're up 13-10.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
Cooper Rush has the ball, and it's like, are the
Falcons going to steal this game in Pittsburgh?
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Well, they have a quarterback now that can't extend the pocket.
And they missed a couple of– like T.J.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Watt was the game.
Speaker 5 (28:24):
That was it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
He was the best player by far on the field. So, again,
I think Pittsburgh will look different, a little more dynamic.
But when you have an older quarterback that really can't
extend plays and your O-line is just okay, this is
what it looks like.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
There's the Watt numbers, the touchdown, two sacks, three tackles
for loss. He was all over the place. falcons just
couldn't do anything kyle pitts couldn't get the ball cooper
rush is not.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
An nfl they have a quarterback that probably didn't take
a ton of snaps it's.
Speaker 5 (28:52):
A bit of a disaster um that being said obviously
emotional moment mike mccarthy returns to pittsburgh we got a
video here here's uh mccarthy getting the game ball from
aaron rogers.
Speaker 7 (29:03):
First team ball first win so it's obviously a special
moment i really appreciate the guys and appreciate aaron in
the kind words and it's a, it's time to move
on and get team victories from here on. I don't,
I'm not one for attention. So the homecoming has been great.
I'm just glad to get this one in her belt.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Rodgers 0 for 6 on passes over 20 yards.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
Diga Metcalf was brutal.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
A couple of OPIs, drops.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Has he aged quickly?
Speaker 5 (29:29):
Well, he's a conspiracy theorist now, so.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Well, well, he was never what you would consider an
elite route runner.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
He was very dependent on his athletic ability. You know,
whereas Larry Fitzgerald could give you that and could give
you routes. It always feels like route runners' careers are longer.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Just like in baseball. If you're a stealing base guy
and you're an athlete, you know, the specialist can last
longer in sports. Like Steph Curry.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Shooter in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
He can shoot until he's 60.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
He's not super athletic. So I, I like Aaron is,
I thought he played pretty well last year, but there are,
the ceiling is pretty low now.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
Again, schedule is favorable. So you'll get away with some stuff.
Final story is the Raiders, Kirk cousins. He was very
mid as the kids like to say, but Ashton Gentry
was good. And the dolphins were atrocious. And the Raiders
get a 27, 13 win. Kirk had three touchdown passes.
Obviously Ashton Gentry had.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
A good game.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
But if you watch this closely, the dolphins are just bad.
They might be the second worst team in the league.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Well, they, they are. So you, you can't, they're the
only team in the league where we're not even talking
about wins. Like they don't have like Arizona. You can criticize,
but Arizona tight end wide receiver running back. Like they've
got guys, the jets have guys. Cleveland's got some guys.
Miami's got no guys. They got a good running back,
(30:57):
and that's about it.
Speaker 5 (30:58):
Yeah, so I don't know. I mean, the Raiders' schedule
gets extremely tough. I didn't see it from Cousins. He
had a couple passes down the field.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
A couple picks. Mendoza could throw two picks. He was
not great.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
I don't see why they're wasting time with him, but
now they go to a very angry Chargers team out
here at SoFi.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Now, it'll be a largely Raider crowd.
Speaker 5 (31:19):
That's a good point. Probably 65%, 70% Raiders.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I mean, I'll be honest with you. Um, well, what's
the line on that? I thought I saw seven. Oh, I,
I don't know. I, I would like to see the
chargers play well after that before I.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Well, this lad McConkie injury. I don't, I mean, if
he's down, I don't know if he is like left
the game, but it's like, they don't have a lot
of weapons. They couldn't get anything going. McDaniel.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
I don't know, man. I'm a little concerned for them.
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Kubiak, you know, did a good job with the Raiders,
but it's a dolphins, you know? Yeah. Fair.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
J Mac with the news.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Well, that's the news.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
The Herdline News.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Well, outside of Oklahoma, it was a good weekend for
the SEC. That's good. They needed that Texas win. I'm
sitting there at halftime thinking, oh, my God, Oklahoma's going
to lose against the Big Ten? Texas is going to
lose against the Big Ten? Like, this is, this thing's
heading sideways fast. But, and I don't, you know, it's funny.
Arch Manning had a moment on the sidelines and trying
(32:20):
to read his lips. It was something about like, I
got to stop worrying about stuff. There is so much
pressure on him. There's the name pressure Manning. There's Texas pressure.
There's Ohio State revenge pressure. It's a national TV game.
It looked great on TV. It was big. Oklahoma game
too big on TV. Like Arch Manning, like NIL money.
Like I don't think there's ever been a college quarterback
(32:41):
facing more pressure than Arch Manning. I mean, Texas, that
was Sark's must-win SEC pressure. We've got to beat the
Big Ten. He's the big NIL guy in the country.
They lost last year, and he looked awful. The whole game,
I kept thinking, like, there is a weight on Arch Manning,
(33:02):
and yet in the second half, he was outstanding.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Be sure to.
Speaker 6 (33:05):
Catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern,
9 a.m.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
Pacific.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
Sunday, it's an NFL on Fox doubleheader, starting with the
Eagles taking on the Titans or other regional action. Then
in America's Game of the Week, the Commanders face Dak
and the Cowboys or the Dolphins battle the Niners or
Seahawks Cardinals. Check local listings for the games in your
area Sunday on Fox.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
So think about what teams look the best. 49ers, great
coach Shanahan. Chicago, I think it's pretty obvious to see
Ben Johnson's an excellent coach. Minnesota, roaring back with a
backup quarterback, Kevin O'Connell. We all know he's really elite.
That doesn't mean everybody with a good coach played well.
New England, Mike Vrabel, Sean McVay-Rams. But Liam Cohen, Jags,
(33:54):
you know, played a little college football. They were great
at the end of last season. Like a lot of
the teams that played well, a hardball, the New York
Giants played there was a connection between, oh, they really
played well. And they've got a really, really smart head coach.
A lot of the times it's an offensive coach. I
will say this. I thought. You know, one of the
(34:17):
weirder performances was Tampa Bay with all the turnovers and
Baker Mayfield suddenly thought he was Lamar Jackson. It's like, bro,
there's a delta between how athletic you are and how
athletic you think you are. Like, settle down, stay in
the pocket. I thought Tampa just did not look very good.
I thought Dallas looked bad. Again, what I'm looking for
(34:39):
in week one is you can see coaching. Like when
you watch the Niners against the Rams in Australia, you
saw the physicality. You saw the intention of the offense.
They were trying to run the ball and be super
physical with the Rams who flew in late. You're watching
the Bears. Their first 13 plays, 10 of them were
(35:00):
run plays. The Bears came into that environment to run
the football. Buffalo came into the game. Lots of 13 personnel.
We're going to take some big shots down the field.
We're going to go for it on fourth down. And
so I think the people that had that were decisive
(35:21):
were intentional. There wasn't any fog like the Rams. I
still couldn't figure out what was the Rams game plan.
I really couldn't figure it out. Like the Colts yesterday.
I'm not exactly sure what they were trying to do.
Here's Matt Hasselbeck earlier on week one.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
When you do a practice in the NFL and the
quarterback scrambles, you just blow the whistle. Like the guys
chase you. You stay away from the guy in the
red Jersey, blow the whistle. It's almost like it doesn't count.
You know, it's like, it just, it gets talked about like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And just make sure you get the quarterback. Hey, plaster,
make you go to, but in real tackle football, the
physical teams won and dominated and the teams with the
(36:02):
quarterback quarterback got out. They, they made plays and had
huge days. It doesn't surprise me at all.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
So the big theme we've talked about today is if
you had an unathletic or a pocket quarterback Rams, Lions,
both Atlanta and Pittsburgh, it got ugly because O-line play
in September, most of September, is poor because starters, you
(36:28):
take such a beating on the O-line, coaches try to preserve,
especially their mid-to-veteran offensive line, they just don't play them. Well,
the problem with that, you can do that at corner,
you can do that at wide receiver. Offensive line is
the hardest unit to create cohesion. And so when you're
not playing in preseason and it's already hard to create
(36:49):
that chemistry, it's ugly. So, like, Denver tonight has a very,
very good offensive line. It probably won't be great. Kansas
City has O-line questions. That's why I like Denver tonight.
My takeaway is Kansas City's already got a left tackle issue.
And O-line play is sketchy in the first couple of
(37:09):
weeks anyway. So it's why I like Denver tonight. But...
I think overall the great quarterbacks that could get and
play off script did very, very well. I mean, Jaden
Daniels can move off script at that helps that team
a lot. I also think early in a season, the
bad teams don't know they're bad. Like you can sell
your teams. I mean, this is very much a sport
(37:31):
rooted in belief, right? It's raw, raw. It's in belief,
blow through a wall. Like Miami knows they're not great,
but the Raiders right now, the jets right now, those
aren't great teams. They think they're really good. I mean,
the Raiders are sitting there thinking, we didn't have Brock Bowers.
I mean, so the Raiders winning, Arizona beats the Chargers.
(37:55):
I mean, they're looking up and like, we're tied for
first place. Over the course of time, the better teams
have more depth, and the Arizonas and the teams that
don't have a ton of depth, they'll have Washington, they'll
have two or three core injuries, and you'll look up
in week seven or eight or nine when everybody's banged up,
Philadelphia will be fine, depth. Rams will be fine. Seattle
(38:16):
will be fine. They've got depth. The average teams don't.
So the week one schedule, yeah, a lot of underdogs.
Philadelphia is the one that, you know how like in
your life, you'll have a problem. And like Mike Tomlin
used to have a saying, two times is a trend.
(38:39):
Three times isn't a trend. Two times is a trend.
What's really interesting about week two is with this O-line
situation and Matt Stafford, we know they'll be fine over
time with their depth and Stafford. But now you get
that pass rush of the New York Giants against the
Rams in week two. And that'll be a Giants crowd
(39:00):
in L.A. at SoFi. So that that you start looking
at week two. that's a monday night game that giants
pass rush gave the cowboys problem any anything jump out
to you right now in week two wow um buffalo
opens up that's thursday in their new stadium.
Speaker 5 (39:19):
Yeah i i think i would probably take the vikings
getting five and a half at chicago you like that
or no who's the quarterback carson wentz well i would
like it because everybody and their mom is going to
bet the Bears who scored 59 points. Nobody's going to
bet Carson Wentz. And the line, by the way, this
line was two and a half last week. Now it's
five and a half. You know, we're moving it because
(39:40):
of what?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Kyler Murray to.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Wentz and 59 points. So I would take a nibble
on the Vikings. Brian Flores, great defensive coordinator. The mystery
to me, the mystery game is. what the hell happened
to the chargers?
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
And now they host the Raiders. Ashton Gentry chargers are. Yeah.
They were, they were probably the biggest week one let down.
They were eight and a half point favorites. And it,
it was really struggled to get the ball. Could not
make stops. They, I mean, they could, didn't get great protection.
Like there's sometimes you watch a game and you're like,
I mean the Rams, you're like, well, if Stafford would
(40:13):
have gotten into the end zone, you had a game
like Arizona was the better team.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
First minute last.
Speaker 6 (40:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
It's like, what am I watching?
Speaker 6 (40:21):
Not great.
Thanks for listening to the Herd Podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and
noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for the Herd at foxsportsradio.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 is a Monday. It's
(00:24):
our two. Matt Hasselbeck, four minutes out. We are live.
We're in Los Angeles. Oh, what'd I tell you? I
moved to a city. All the teams get good. Cubs
World Series parade.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Get ready.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Bears.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Oh, a word. What was that?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Just incredible. Offense ruled the day. A lot of the
big blowout scores, Liam Cohen, Kyle Shanahan, Ben Johnson, these
offensive coaches. Every Monday we do it. Colin right, Colin wrong.
Let's not waste any time.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I said in the offseason, Caleb Williams would be a
top three quarterback in the league this year. Part of it,
Ben Johnson. The other part, his horsepower. I said he
was going to be an MVP. Eight touchdowns. I think
there's two quarterbacks in this league that are just physically different.
Allen and Caleb. 59 points with no defensive touchdowns 72
(01:26):
completion rate clearly he's coachable between the improvement on efficiency
this year and getting out of the sacks last year
you get the gift of talent but he also listens
that's important.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Boy, did I whiff on the Rams. Chopper in, chopper out,
win a game and leave was a dud. They were
in a fog against San Francisco. Now Miles Garrett, bummer,
is on the IR. So less than 300 yards. Bad
on third down. They got to the goal line and
did a Matt Stafford sneak. That's not really the strength
(02:06):
of the team. Listen, I thought Chopper and Seal Team Six,
I kept calling it. Well, it didn't work and I
was wrong.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I said the Longhorns will win. The game matters more
to Texas, and they're going to win close. Listen, they
control the second half, outscored the Buckeyes 21-3. Yes, Ryan
Day got conservative. Most coaches do when they're leading a
really good team late. The Longhorns in the second half
had 240 yards of offense. Ohio State's going to be fine.
(02:40):
They're a really good team. It's Sark's biggest regular season win. Listen,
I thought... The Longhorns got a couple of really bad
first-half breaks on that quirky pick, and then Wingo drops
the touchdown. So I thought the score at half was
a little closer than it looked, but Ohio State deserves credit.
They came within a yard of winning that game.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Where Colin was wrong.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Well, the SEC is off to a burning start, 8-2
non-conference record. The Big Ten's only 3-7. Six SEC teams
in the top ten. The big 10 Indiana is carrying
them because Oregon defensively appears to be lost with a
new DC and the Buckeyes have a respectable loss, but
(03:27):
a loss nonetheless. Yeah. SEC has played really well. It
just means more. They keep telling us that. Well, so
far through 10 non-conference games, they're just winning more where
Colin was right. I said, Josh Allen. is the best
athlete that's ever played the sport. It's not Mahomes. Mahomes
(03:47):
may be more decorated, but nobody could do that to
the Texans defense. That's Mahomes. That's singular. On the road,
130 passer rating, 300 yards. He's got a new coach.
He's got a new number one receiver. I mean, that
thing was majestic. Nobody but Josh Allen is going to
deliver that. And does he get reckless? Absolutely. The great
(04:09):
ones often do. But to me, he's the greatest single
talent I've ever seen play quarterback. And he's on a
short list of the most talented people at any position
that have ever played this game. Mahomes may be more decorated.
He's Mahomes with more size and more power. And Mahomes
is great. Where Colin was wrong. Well, I was told
(04:32):
this was the best Oregon roster ever. Apparently, it's not
as good as Oklahoma State, which was 1-11 last year.
I don't even know what I watched. Now, they have
a new defensive coordinator. It's not working. In two games,
not a lot of pass rush. I looked it up
this morning. Three sacks in two games. That's if, you know,
against Oklahoma State, you should have six. That's the worst
(04:56):
Oregon loss. I'm trying to think. In a decade? I mean, again...
you can lose to a good team Oklahoma State's a
lot it's an awful program.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Right now where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
I took the Giants not only to beat the Cowboys
but the New York Giants I said have plenty of
talent they will be the most improved team in the
league It's not a talent issue. It is a culture
and a quarterback improvement. Stay out of the blue tent issue.
I thought Jackson Dart was decisive. Now, the Cowboys blew
several coverages that made it look spectacular. But this was
(05:36):
the team I said they won four games last year.
I'm like, listen, they had like double digit leads in
three or four games in the fourth quarter. Scataboo, Brian Burns,
Malik Neighbors, Jackson Dart, Andrew Thomas. This is this is
not a talent issue with the Giants. It was a
coach and culture issue.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
My second most improved team was going to be the
Bengals because I said they spent money on defense. So uncincinnati-like. Well,
they forced four turnovers. They had four sacks. They just
looked bigger and stronger. What was interesting was they spent
money on defense and you could see the money. The
Cowboys spent money on defense. You could not see the money.
So I said this is to me after the Giants
(06:17):
will be the most improved team. Not only record-wise, they
were 6-11 last year, but they'll just look different. And
I thought, I think the Giants have more talent, in
my opinion, than the Bengals. So I think the ceiling's
very high, but there's a Jackson, Dart, and Burrow. At
this point, it's all Burrow. So Colin Wright, Colin Wrong
on a Monday. And with that, Matt Hasselbeck, 18 years
(06:40):
in this league, is joining us. Let's start with this.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Show me the money, Colin. Show me the money. You said,
I can see the money.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Cincinnati's defense, you're like, oh, these are Dexter Lawrence. That's
what it looks like when you're spending that kind of
money on a D lineman. Now, week one, Matt, was
very high scoring. Why? Why were there so many outrageous
offensive performances?
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Well, I'm glad you brought it up. I mean, is
it really a surprise the way that we practice? I mean, Colin,
I played a long time ago. My rookie year was 98.
My last year was 2015. The way we practiced in
98 was completely different to 2015. I can't even imagine
what it's like now. This is still tackle football on Sundays.
It's 11 on 11, buckle your chinstrap, get the guy down,
(07:30):
hold onto the ball, like all that stuff. That's why
I think quarterback scrambles were such a huge thing.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Quarterback scrambles. Like when you do a practice in the
NFL and the quarterback scrambles, you just blow the whistle.
Like the guys chase you, you stay away from the
guy in the red Jersey, blow the whistle. It's almost
like it doesn't count. You know, it's like, it just,
it gets talked about like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And just
make sure you get the quarterback. Hey, plaster, make you
go to, but in real tackle football, the physical teams
(07:57):
won and dominated and the teams with the quarterback quarterback
got out They, they made plays and had huge days.
It doesn't surprise me at all.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
No, I said this offensive lines are the one group
for football that it's hardest to build cohesion and chemistry.
None of the starters play. So teams that had unathletic
quarterbacks like the Rams or the lions or the old,
the Steelers, they struggle. The three best offenses were Caleb
(08:26):
Lamar and Josh, where it's like, cause I don't think
a line play is, anymore is good till October. It's
just too hard to create cohesion.
Speaker 5 (08:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
I will say, I just add to that though. Another,
another thing to do that. It's a great point by you.
Another thing, just like it's a disadvantage for the defensive time.
The defense was getting the ball back. You mentioned Cincinnati
earlier as a quarterback, when you have a red Jersey,
you're sitting in the pocket ball security, two hands on
the ball, fumbling in the pocket. It's a wake up
call for some guys week one. They haven't been touched
(08:56):
in a long time. So I think you're onto it
with the mobile quarterbacks in a week one.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
So listen, I said when Jackson Dart came out, I said,
I think he's top of the second round guy. I
do think having Lane Kiffin for several years is a
huge advantage. That's kind of a pro system. And then
he gets Brian Dable. It's like, so that's pretty good. So,
but it's funny watching him yesterday is there are just
certain quarterbacks that they're guys like, but you can tell
(09:24):
the team loves them. You can tell the team, trust them.
He was so decisive last night. It was a lot
of singles and doubles. But I saw a game plan.
Like I saw, I still don't know what Dallas was
trying to do. I watched the Giants and I'm like, oh,
that's a real game plan. Like, hey, dude, get out
of bounds, slide. We're going to do a lot of
(09:45):
singles and doubles. Like I saw the coaching with the
Giants last night. What did you see?
Speaker 3 (09:52):
I 100% agree with you. And I thought that Chris
Collinsworth on the broadcast did an excellent job of highlighting
the command that this young quarterback had at the line
of scrimmage. It was check with me. It was on
the ball. We're running right. We're running left. It could
be a run to the left. It could be a
run to the right. It could be a pass or
a run. He had total command of the, so it
(10:14):
wasn't like they were just running the ball. They were
running the ball with intention. having an advantage on every
run call based on the front that they were seeing.
And they absolutely dominated. You want to talk about being
physical and tactical and intentional in the run game. I
don't think the Dallas Cowboys had the ball hardly at
all in the second half. And so you talk about
a four minute offense, really what that means is for
(10:34):
the last five minutes of the game, We're going to
control the clock. We're going to stay in bounds and
we're going to just shove it down your throat and
be the more physically dominant team. That's exactly what the
New York giants did in run situations when the Cowboys
knew they were trying to run.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
So, um, You know, I said this with Caleb. You
get the horsepower, but that doesn't mean every player is
easy to coach. I mean, there's now funny stories about
Lawrence Taylor and Parcells. Like, they're funny, funny stories. Lawrence
was just so gifted, but Lawrence was also a pass rusher.
Go get the quarterback. What I see with Caleb is
(11:10):
last year was, hey, get out of the sack business.
He got out of it. This year is, hey, we
got to hit layups. So I went to a practice,
and I watched 30 minutes of Caleb play. after practice
throwing a 12 yard out route. He must've thrown 80
of them. And I'm like, this is so tedious. It's
boring to watch. I can't imagine doing it. But when
(11:30):
I watched him yesterday, I noticed it. I'm like, okay,
he he's taken to this. Like it just, it felt easier.
Like it wasn't a big deal. Now they ran a lot,
but I do think not all gifted athletes are coachable
because the more gift you have, the easier it can
be And maybe I'm going overboard, but I just, when
(11:52):
I watched yesterday, I'm like, God, did he correct the
efficiency thing too that quickly? I mean, or is this
just week one and Dallas was lost defensively?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Well, you know, in general, I think week one is
a liar in the NFL. Look to last year, the
two teams in the super bowl, both lost at home
week one. So it's a little bit dangerous to overreact
too much. However, Ben Johnson and his body of work
and what he's done with this young quarterback is incredible.
Mentioned physicality. I thought this was the most physical team
(12:23):
this weekend, week one, where they run for six touchdowns.
It was ridiculous. And I think about these, like these
slogans that had coaches have about being physical and no block,
no rock is what Antoine Randall L the wide receivers coach,
I believe he says, and some, for some people, it's
a slogan for the Chicago bears. It feels like a standard.
It's what they do. It's just who they are. And I,
(12:46):
you know, they, they have just improved in every way.
The quarterback's improved. The team's improved. I'm a believer. I mean,
they're sending a message to the entire team with how
they ran the ball. And we know they can throw
the ball. They just didn't have to do it yesterday.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
So their rival, the Packers, have lost six straight. And
I think the most troubling part, Matt, is we all
know why. Smart teams get leads. Tough teams seal wins.
They can't keep leads. And Micah is sort of their
physical initiator. Well, he's not there. And Josh Jacobs, again,
(13:21):
very physical, an initiator that, oh, he may not be there. Like,
this is not just a week one issue. You got
to go back to last year, Matt. Like, and I
hate to say this because I didn't play pro football,
but there are teams that feel pretty. There are teams
that feel smart. And then there are teams you're like
San Francisco. You're like, oh, that hurts. God, I don't
(13:42):
know if I can last a play in the league.
to me, green Bay, everybody can see it. And yet
after the game, Matt Lafleur is arguing about penalties. Like
that's not it to me. What is it to you?
Speaker 3 (13:57):
It's all of it, but yeah. And they don't have
their closer, their great pass rusher. They don't have their
closer with their running back. That's fair. But just the,
the intelligence on the football field, Jordan love talked about it.
We got, you know, we, we gotta be smarter. Like we,
we gotta, we gotta play smarter. We gotta be mentally
tougher and And until they kind of shut the door
(14:18):
on this thing where they can't finish because of what
happened last year, everyone's going to keep talking about it.
And so, yeah, this is a real thing. It's kind
of like blood in the water, you know, with sharks.
It's the same thing that happens to a team when
they start. you know, Hey, this, the, the whispers are
there and it happens even on the sidelines, like an, Oh,
here we go again. It's kind of a loser's mentality.
(14:39):
And so the challenge is going to be for this
team is not letting that be a thing, like somehow
rising above that and, and just, you know, crossing this hurdle.
It's a real thing that the doubt does creep in
for coaches, for players, and sometimes not addressing it makes
it worse.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
I compared Derek Henry to Nolan Ryan. Nolan Ryan threw
a no-hitter at 44. The guy just never aged. He
was an all-star at 42. And I look at Derek Henry,
and I'm like, he's got 2,700 carries at running back.
Did you ever play with anybody similarly where you're like,
(15:17):
just hard work, whatever, DNA, hard work, like they just
didn't get hurt?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I did call on it. And listen, I started nine
games as a 40 year old. And I credit that
to guys that I played with that, you know, I
wasn't the oldest guy on my team. When I did that,
Adam Vinatieri was there. Dude was just a stud. Walter
Jones did that. I played with Jerry Rice when he
was 42 years old. and he was still crossing up
dude scoring touchdowns. We had a fullback named max strong
at fullback playing a ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Amount of years.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
I mean, he was so old. They didn't even make
him do half of the conditioning things as a team.
They were like, ah, we're just going to save you. And,
and so like, there is something to God, you know,
guys taking care of their body. And yet at the
same time, not being too civilized when it's Sunday at
one o'clock. And what I mean by that, it's kind
(16:08):
of like a Rocky IV thing, a Rocky IV quote,
the worst thing that can happen to a prized fighter
is he can become civilized, he can become soft, he
can be the guy, forget who he was, forget what
got him there. And I think there's a great example
of Derrick Henry He's taking care of his body off
the field. But when it's one o'clock on Sunday, the
dude is still a warrior, just like he always was.
(16:29):
And that's, you know, I think of Frank Gore, another
guy I played with, you know, there's just guys like
they don't have to say a word, how they approach
it on Sundays speaks volumes enough.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Oh God. Frank Gore was just, as they say, tougher
than a $ 10 steak. He was, he was so physical. Okay.
There was one performance over the weekend and we were
sitting watching it as a group. And I'm like, I
don't have an answer for it. The Chargers got pushed
around by Arizona. And I mean, I felt like Arizona
(17:01):
had the ball the whole game. Like, I mean, did
you ever plan a great team that just had an
awful early Sunday in the season?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
A hundred percent. The year we went to the super
bowl in Seattle, we went down to Jacksonville and got
absolutely spanked.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
In new head.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And then we, I think we were the best team
in football that year. Didn't win the super bowl because
we didn't play our best at the end, but we,
we were a great team that year. And that happens
week one, especially for teams that I think are really
good at game planning. I can think of even a
Patriots team that went to Buffalo one year and got
spanked week one, like badly, like badly beat. And because I,
you know, the, the game planning thing is real. if
(17:43):
you're good at game planning, you go into a week
one matchup. You don't know what you're going to see.
You got new coordinators. You got a new head coach.
You have no idea. So especially in today's day and
age with personnel changes, with formation shifts, motion, shotgun, pistol,
under center, all the stuff. It's a little bit like
a blind date and you can, you can get punched
in the mouth. And that's what happened to the chargers.
(18:05):
They got punched in the mouth. Arizona said, Hey, don't
sleep on us. And they look pretty good.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
So I said, there's an old saying that opposites attract.
And though I'm sure they do, it's not ideal. You'd
like to have some commonalities with your partner. And I
know you can win a Super Bowl as a defensive coach,
Mike McDonald and Bill Belichick. I know that. But there
is something about the language and the sensibility of an
(18:31):
offensive coach with a quarterback. It's just, I'm sorry. Andy
Reid and Mahomes, like, there's a, like, you let him,
you don't try to harness it, right? Like, I'm going
to give you some structure, but I'm very comfortable being aggressive.
I'm watching the Bills yesterday with Joe Brady. Fourth down, like, yes,
(18:52):
Josh can be reckless, but I did feel like more
13 personnel, more big plays. Explain, and again, we know
there are great defensive coaches, right? But almost by nature,
they get a lead and they just get conservative. And
it feels like Joe Brady unleashed a little something with Josh.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
He unleashed it and he unleashed it for an interception
to lose the game to Lasseter and Lasseter dropped the ball.
I mean, this is a, it's, it's one play here,
one play there. And then the next play, Josh is
Josh and scores the game winner. And you're just like, wow,
this guy's amazing. So, you know, I don't want to,
I don't want to poo poo on defensive coaches too
much as a quarterback. You love having an offensive head coach.
(19:37):
Like you absolutely love it. They see things through your lens.
They see things the way you do defensive hope. Head
coaches kind of make you feel confined and crammed. And,
you know, I remember when Pete Carroll came to Seattle,
he was a defensive head coach and it, didn't play
my best for him. But Jim Mora was a defensive
head coach. I had, I didn't play my best. He
saw when Brett Favre went from Mike Holmgren to Ray Rhodes,
(19:58):
he didn't play his best. Like it's, it is a change.
And so it makes you feel free. Yet at the
same time, that's just what's good for the quarterback. There's,
you know, sometimes a defensive head coach is good for
the benefit of the team. So I don't want to
overreact too much on a week one because I really
do think week.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
One is a liar.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
I mean, more underdogs you covered than didn't cover week one.
it's just, it's how it is. Like, you just don't
know what's going to happen. And as a player, I
can just tell you, especially as someone who prided himself
on game planning and preparing, I never felt good going
into a week one game. Like I literally don't even
know who the opponent is. You know, you're watching other teams,
(20:38):
you're watching college film, you're doing some crazy stuff. And
there were, there are so many new, I think half
the league's a new defensive coordinator. You I think we
two things settle in a lot better than week one.
But I'll say this to your point, the bills are
going to be really fun to watch offensively this year.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Oh, there's no question. I want to circle back to
the giants. I said earlier, having a Harbaugh take over
the giants. It's like Scorsese doing a mob movie. It
feels right. Like, it's just Harbaugh, bottom line, toughness, the name. Like,
I'm watching that game last night. I'm like, this is
so good for the league. This is Harbaugh with the Giants.
(21:19):
It's just like when Jim was with the Niners. Or
Jim's at Michigan. You're like, they're just certain teams. I
came out of that game with New York, and I'm like, man,
coaching's important.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
Like, I.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
I mean, I just now again, Arvel Reese is a
new guy. He's very good. Likely wasn't there. Ceiling. Let's
not take too much. But when you watch their talent,
is there a ceiling with the Giants? Do you think
see things that like, OK, they're not blank overall? What
was your take on that?
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Great foundational game to start this Harbaugh era off. And
you mentioned defensive ed coaches, offensive ed coaches, Harbaugh's neither
one of those. He was a special teams coach in Philly.
What makes him so special to me though, is his
leadership intangible style. I remember when Lamar Jackson was a
young quarterback and I'd listened to him mic'd up and
I hear Harbaugh go over to him and the way
(22:15):
he would converse with his young quarterback, he kept it
simple and direct and empowered the young guy. It was like, hey,
fourth and one, what do you think we should do? Coach,
I want to go for it. Now he's invested. He
has to find a way to make it work, you know,
and how to protect his body and how to go
for it and cut it loose. And now he's doing
the same thing with Jackson Dart. You know, Jackson Dart
told the story about how, you know, Malik Nabors hadn't
(22:37):
been hit in a while. He's going to be tackled
for the first time. Who is the first person to
tackle him? It was coach Harbaugh at the walkthrough the
day before to kind of like break the seal. Like
what head coach is going over and tackling a guy,
probably a guy that used to be a special teams coach.
It's one of the guys sees the whole, sees the
big picture. Isn't just like locked in on just offense,
(22:58):
just defense sees the whole team understands like the, the
elephant in the room. Hey, our star receiver, man, how's it,
how's it going to go? He's coming off a big injury.
What's the deal? You know, blah, blah, blah. Like, so
that intangible and what they have going in New York
right now, it's a foundational start for them. Could they
win this division after last night? Yeah, absolutely. They can.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Yeah. So good seeing you. It's football season's fun. I mean,
how do people, who are these people that don't love
the NFL? Like, I don't, it's, they're not many.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
People with a lot of free time. That's the thing.
And the thing is week one's not even over. We've
got another one tonight.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Amazing.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
So fun.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
A rivalry game, Matt. Great seeing you as always.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Same.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
See you.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Mitchell Schwartz, the former Kansas City Chief All-Pro, is joining
us last hour. Chiefs have an offensive tackle issue in
the last two years they have, and they're just not
as efficient.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1,
and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd
Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing
us live weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m. Eastern on
Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new
YouTube channel for the show.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
You can now watch The Odd Couple live on YouTube
every day. All you got to do, search Odd Couple
FSR on YouTube.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Again, YouTube.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube
and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
All right, welcome back. Let's not waste any time. J-Mac
with the news.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is
the Herdline News.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Jalen hurts a solid opener with Sean Mannion for the Eagles.
They get the wind, but held on, did not cover.
I was disappointed.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
24, 22.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
They got actually fortunate. If you look at it, Washington
had a two point conversion here. I didn't love the
little shovel pass. The only reason they had to go
for this was because Stefan digs with a knuckleheaded celebration
on the previous touchdown. Instead of going for two, then
they had to push it back. Just a total disaster.
Colin for Washington.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I don't, Philadelphia had a lot of three and outs.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
I don't know, man. I'm a Jalen Hurts defender, so
I got to die on that hill. Didn't look great,
but it's just one game. Let's not overreact. Dallas Goddard
was good. Dontavian Wicks had a couple nice catches. They've
got players. I just don't know why it's so choppy.
You know, you look at Bears, you look at Ravens.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Well, I mean, go look at... First of all, I
think the Eagles are very coordinator-dependent. They don't have a
Ben Johnson or a Shanahan or a Sean Payton as
a play designer and caller. It's not what Sirianni is.
So they're as good as their coordinator. And I also think...
I mean, again, when you have this level of talent
and the Eagles O-line is viewed as a top two
(25:54):
O-line in the league. Didn't play like it because O-line
play stinks in September, but they're very coordinator and O-line dependent.
And this is not a Josh Allen or a Caleb
or Lamar that can just like make plays. Jalen's athletic,
but he's not super, he's not Superman. So, but I
just watched this team and like, this is the third
(26:17):
or fourth year in a row where you're just like
three and outs. And again, you don't have to score 40,
but three and outs with this offensive talent. Well, when
the defense is cooking, they're fun to watch.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
It's just kind of a boring team. I mean, I'm
fine boring if you're blowing people out, but they weren't.
Just two points on Washington. Sonny Stiles looked good. The
linebacker from Ohio State.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
He blew through Saquon Barkley.
Speaker 5 (26:41):
I mean, he had some splash plays.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
I thought he was good.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
And then the young kid Williams at receiver could change
things for them if he emerges. I think he had
four catches and a touchdown. And it's like they don't
have a lot of weapons explosiveness. I don't know. Commanders
were friskier than I thought. So that division, does it
change anything for you?
Speaker 1 (26:57):
You still like Giants receiving, right? No, I think the
best roster by far and away is Philadelphia. I think
the best combination of coach and roster is the Giants.
I think Dallas has talent, but I don't trust upstairs.
I don't trust the headsets. And I think Washington... Washington
doesn't know their limitations yet. Like, Tennessee's just bad. Washington's
(27:21):
good enough at quarterback. Terry McLaurin, they've got some playmakers.
But I think, you know, in the first several weeks,
underdogs do well because everybody's locker room is unified. Like,
everybody's O-line is kind of bad. You're experimenting a lot.
Underdogs do well. Washington will discover by week six or seven, like,
we have real ceilings here. You start losing a few players.
(27:44):
Might lose Dan Quinn. And they don't have a ton
of depth. Like, the Giants... and the Eagles have depth.
You could lose a player. Washington does not. They lose
two starters. They've already lost Tunzel, so it's like, watch out.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Let's move to the Steelers. They were ugly, but they
got the win. 20-13 over the Falcons, beating Cooper Rush,
largely thanks to this incredible play by TJ Watt. I mean,
this is his signature move, right? The jumping interception at
the line. And listen, I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
I was on the Steelers here, Colin.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
They're up 13-10.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
Cooper Rush has the ball, and it's like, are the
Falcons going to steal this game in Pittsburgh?
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Well, they have a quarterback now that can't extend the pocket.
And they missed a couple of– like T.J.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Watt was the game.
Speaker 5 (28:24):
That was it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
He was the best player by far on the field. So, again,
I think Pittsburgh will look different, a little more dynamic.
But when you have an older quarterback that really can't
extend plays and your O-line is just okay, this is
what it looks like.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
There's the Watt numbers, the touchdown, two sacks, three tackles
for loss. He was all over the place. falcons just
couldn't do anything kyle pitts couldn't get the ball cooper
rush is not.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
An nfl they have a quarterback that probably didn't take
a ton of snaps it's.
Speaker 5 (28:52):
A bit of a disaster um that being said obviously
emotional moment mike mccarthy returns to pittsburgh we got a
video here here's uh mccarthy getting the game ball from
aaron rogers.
Speaker 7 (29:03):
First team ball first win so it's obviously a special
moment i really appreciate the guys and appreciate aaron in
the kind words and it's a, it's time to move
on and get team victories from here on. I don't,
I'm not one for attention. So the homecoming has been great.
I'm just glad to get this one in her belt.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Rodgers 0 for 6 on passes over 20 yards.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
Diga Metcalf was brutal.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
A couple of OPIs, drops.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Has he aged quickly?
Speaker 5 (29:29):
Well, he's a conspiracy theorist now, so.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Well, well, he was never what you would consider an
elite route runner.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
He was very dependent on his athletic ability. You know,
whereas Larry Fitzgerald could give you that and could give
you routes. It always feels like route runners' careers are longer.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Just like in baseball. If you're a stealing base guy
and you're an athlete, you know, the specialist can last
longer in sports. Like Steph Curry.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Shooter in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
He can shoot until he's 60.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
He's not super athletic. So I, I like Aaron is,
I thought he played pretty well last year, but there are,
the ceiling is pretty low now.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
Again, schedule is favorable. So you'll get away with some stuff.
Final story is the Raiders, Kirk cousins. He was very
mid as the kids like to say, but Ashton Gentry
was good. And the dolphins were atrocious. And the Raiders
get a 27, 13 win. Kirk had three touchdown passes.
Obviously Ashton Gentry had.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
A good game.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
But if you watch this closely, the dolphins are just bad.
They might be the second worst team in the league.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Well, they, they are. So you, you can't, they're the
only team in the league where we're not even talking
about wins. Like they don't have like Arizona. You can criticize,
but Arizona tight end wide receiver running back. Like they've
got guys, the jets have guys. Cleveland's got some guys.
Miami's got no guys. They got a good running back,
(30:57):
and that's about it.
Speaker 5 (30:58):
Yeah, so I don't know. I mean, the Raiders' schedule
gets extremely tough. I didn't see it from Cousins. He
had a couple passes down the field.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
A couple picks. Mendoza could throw two picks. He was
not great.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
I don't see why they're wasting time with him, but
now they go to a very angry Chargers team out
here at SoFi.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Now, it'll be a largely Raider crowd.
Speaker 5 (31:19):
That's a good point. Probably 65%, 70% Raiders.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I mean, I'll be honest with you. Um, well, what's
the line on that? I thought I saw seven. Oh, I,
I don't know. I, I would like to see the
chargers play well after that before I.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Well, this lad McConkie injury. I don't, I mean, if
he's down, I don't know if he is like left
the game, but it's like, they don't have a lot
of weapons. They couldn't get anything going. McDaniel.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
I don't know, man. I'm a little concerned for them.
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Kubiak, you know, did a good job with the Raiders,
but it's a dolphins, you know? Yeah. Fair.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
J Mac with the news.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Well, that's the news.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
The Herdline News.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Well, outside of Oklahoma, it was a good weekend for
the SEC. That's good. They needed that Texas win. I'm
sitting there at halftime thinking, oh, my God, Oklahoma's going
to lose against the Big Ten? Texas is going to
lose against the Big Ten? Like, this is, this thing's
heading sideways fast. But, and I don't, you know, it's funny.
Arch Manning had a moment on the sidelines and trying
(32:20):
to read his lips. It was something about like, I
got to stop worrying about stuff. There is so much
pressure on him. There's the name pressure Manning. There's Texas pressure.
There's Ohio State revenge pressure. It's a national TV game.
It looked great on TV. It was big. Oklahoma game
too big on TV. Like Arch Manning, like NIL money.
Like I don't think there's ever been a college quarterback
(32:41):
facing more pressure than Arch Manning. I mean, Texas, that
was Sark's must-win SEC pressure. We've got to beat the
Big Ten. He's the big NIL guy in the country.
They lost last year, and he looked awful. The whole game,
I kept thinking, like, there is a weight on Arch Manning,
(33:02):
and yet in the second half, he was outstanding.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Be sure to.
Speaker 6 (33:05):
Catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern,
9 a.m.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
Pacific.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
Sunday, it's an NFL on Fox doubleheader, starting with the
Eagles taking on the Titans or other regional action. Then
in America's Game of the Week, the Commanders face Dak
and the Cowboys or the Dolphins battle the Niners or
Seahawks Cardinals. Check local listings for the games in your
area Sunday on Fox.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
So think about what teams look the best. 49ers, great
coach Shanahan. Chicago, I think it's pretty obvious to see
Ben Johnson's an excellent coach. Minnesota, roaring back with a
backup quarterback, Kevin O'Connell. We all know he's really elite.
That doesn't mean everybody with a good coach played well.
New England, Mike Vrabel, Sean McVay-Rams. But Liam Cohen, Jags,
(33:54):
you know, played a little college football. They were great
at the end of last season. Like a lot of
the teams that played well, a hardball, the New York
Giants played there was a connection between, oh, they really
played well. And they've got a really, really smart head coach.
A lot of the times it's an offensive coach. I
will say this. I thought. You know, one of the
(34:17):
weirder performances was Tampa Bay with all the turnovers and
Baker Mayfield suddenly thought he was Lamar Jackson. It's like, bro,
there's a delta between how athletic you are and how
athletic you think you are. Like, settle down, stay in
the pocket. I thought Tampa just did not look very good.
I thought Dallas looked bad. Again, what I'm looking for
(34:39):
in week one is you can see coaching. Like when
you watch the Niners against the Rams in Australia, you
saw the physicality. You saw the intention of the offense.
They were trying to run the ball and be super
physical with the Rams who flew in late. You're watching
the Bears. Their first 13 plays, 10 of them were
(35:00):
run plays. The Bears came into that environment to run
the football. Buffalo came into the game. Lots of 13 personnel.
We're going to take some big shots down the field.
We're going to go for it on fourth down. And
so I think the people that had that were decisive
(35:21):
were intentional. There wasn't any fog like the Rams. I
still couldn't figure out what was the Rams game plan.
I really couldn't figure it out. Like the Colts yesterday.
I'm not exactly sure what they were trying to do.
Here's Matt Hasselbeck earlier on week one.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
When you do a practice in the NFL and the
quarterback scrambles, you just blow the whistle. Like the guys
chase you. You stay away from the guy in the
red Jersey, blow the whistle. It's almost like it doesn't count.
You know, it's like, it just, it gets talked about like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And just make sure you get the quarterback. Hey, plaster,
make you go to, but in real tackle football, the
physical teams won and dominated and the teams with the
(36:02):
quarterback quarterback got out. They, they made plays and had
huge days. It doesn't surprise me at all.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
So the big theme we've talked about today is if
you had an unathletic or a pocket quarterback Rams, Lions,
both Atlanta and Pittsburgh, it got ugly because O-line play
in September, most of September, is poor because starters, you
(36:28):
take such a beating on the O-line, coaches try to preserve,
especially their mid-to-veteran offensive line, they just don't play them. Well,
the problem with that, you can do that at corner,
you can do that at wide receiver. Offensive line is
the hardest unit to create cohesion. And so when you're
not playing in preseason and it's already hard to create
(36:49):
that chemistry, it's ugly. So, like, Denver tonight has a very,
very good offensive line. It probably won't be great. Kansas
City has O-line questions. That's why I like Denver tonight.
My takeaway is Kansas City's already got a left tackle issue.
And O-line play is sketchy in the first couple of
(37:09):
weeks anyway. So it's why I like Denver tonight. But...
I think overall the great quarterbacks that could get and
play off script did very, very well. I mean, Jaden
Daniels can move off script at that helps that team
a lot. I also think early in a season, the
bad teams don't know they're bad. Like you can sell
your teams. I mean, this is very much a sport
(37:31):
rooted in belief, right? It's raw, raw. It's in belief,
blow through a wall. Like Miami knows they're not great,
but the Raiders right now, the jets right now, those
aren't great teams. They think they're really good. I mean,
the Raiders are sitting there thinking, we didn't have Brock Bowers.
I mean, so the Raiders winning, Arizona beats the Chargers.
(37:55):
I mean, they're looking up and like, we're tied for
first place. Over the course of time, the better teams
have more depth, and the Arizonas and the teams that
don't have a ton of depth, they'll have Washington, they'll
have two or three core injuries, and you'll look up
in week seven or eight or nine when everybody's banged up,
Philadelphia will be fine, depth. Rams will be fine. Seattle
(38:16):
will be fine. They've got depth. The average teams don't.
So the week one schedule, yeah, a lot of underdogs.
Philadelphia is the one that, you know how like in
your life, you'll have a problem. And like Mike Tomlin
used to have a saying, two times is a trend.
(38:39):
Three times isn't a trend. Two times is a trend.
What's really interesting about week two is with this O-line
situation and Matt Stafford, we know they'll be fine over
time with their depth and Stafford. But now you get
that pass rush of the New York Giants against the
Rams in week two. And that'll be a Giants crowd
(39:00):
in L.A. at SoFi. So that that you start looking
at week two. that's a monday night game that giants
pass rush gave the cowboys problem any anything jump out
to you right now in week two wow um buffalo
opens up that's thursday in their new stadium.
Speaker 5 (39:19):
Yeah i i think i would probably take the vikings
getting five and a half at chicago you like that
or no who's the quarterback carson wentz well i would
like it because everybody and their mom is going to
bet the Bears who scored 59 points. Nobody's going to
bet Carson Wentz. And the line, by the way, this
line was two and a half last week. Now it's
five and a half. You know, we're moving it because
(39:40):
of what?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Kyler Murray to.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Wentz and 59 points. So I would take a nibble
on the Vikings. Brian Flores, great defensive coordinator. The mystery
to me, the mystery game is. what the hell happened
to the chargers?
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
And now they host the Raiders. Ashton Gentry chargers are. Yeah.
They were, they were probably the biggest week one let down.
They were eight and a half point favorites. And it,
it was really struggled to get the ball. Could not
make stops. They, I mean, they could, didn't get great protection.
Like there's sometimes you watch a game and you're like,
I mean the Rams, you're like, well, if Stafford would
(40:13):
have gotten into the end zone, you had a game
like Arizona was the better team.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
First minute last.
Speaker 6 (40:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
It's like, what am I watching?
Speaker 6 (40:21):
Not great.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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